Armchair Audies: Best Audiobook for Children Ages 8-12: Wrap Up Post

Judging the Armchair Audies category of Audiobooks for Children ages 8-12 was an extremely interesting, revelatory and educational experience for me! I have no experience producing children's audiobooks much less reviewing them; but I felt that I was more than up to taking on this challenge armed with my secret weapon: Actual Children Aged 8-12! That's right, I conscripted my daughter and her friends to a series of audiobooks, samples and questions; prepped the listening experience months in advance by listening to other children's audiobooks; and finally taking Heidi's (Bunbury in the Stacks) and my own assessments in hand before making a call!

Splendors and Glooms

by Laura Amy Schlitz

narrated by Davina Porter

Recorded Books. Inc., Ⓟ 2012

12 hours, 2 minutes

This was the first book that we listened to for the Armchair Audies and personally my favorite: the production quality is edge-to-edge and the narration irreproachable. I was, however taken aback by how dark the story is. I wondered if the Gothic feel of this book might be attributable to the influence of other successfully dark books like Neil Gaiman's Coraline; if it might be a hearkening back to the rather frightening dark tenor of the of the original fairy tales or; if, as someone in a group thread mentioned, it might be a matter of manifesting fears in a way that children could face and cope with them (ref. Bruno Bettleheim The Uses of Enchantment.) Regardless, there is quite a bit of morbidly scary imagery that a sensitive child may not care for. Anyway, my own daughter's take was that she like the narrator's accent and the scenes with the puppets performing; but that she wasn't quite clear what was going on in some parts. She would, however, recommend the book to her best friend who is a more advanced reader and likes stories with witches and magic and such.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat

by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

narrated by Katherine Kellgren and Robin Sachs

 Ⓟ 2011, Listening Library

4 hours, 16 minutes

I had extremely high hopes for this book, but it proved to be a bust. From the opening screech to the last, I found the pitch and pace annoying. I was hoping that the talking animals would appeal to my daughter but she tuned out from the start; and the many literary references and puns went over her head. To be fair, not many kids her age would be familiar with Dickens and The Tale of Two Cities, Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White and/or William Makepeace Thackeray and his pepper problems; but there is nothing in the story to indicate that these people should be of interest or even real-life characters. Eventually, my daughter tuned out the words like so many adult conversations and became increasingly interested in iPad app games and the radio :-(

Same Sun Here

written and narrated by Silas House and Neela Vaswani

 Ⓟ 2012, Candlewick/Brilliance

5 hours, 47 minutes

One thing that I learned listening to this audiobook is that children do not care about the narrator matching the age of the character that the narrator is reading! Appropriate casting is very much a top priority with me; but of course the number of narrators aged 8-12 is pretty small and; kids seem to hear their own voices in the intent and delivery of the narrator, not in the pitch. So, while I found Silas House's narration "too old" for the character of River Justice in Same Sun Here, my daughter could not have cared less. Another thing that I learned is that often books for this age group, even chapter books, contain illustrations that are part of the reading experience. Sometimes you notice and sometimes you don't. If you don't notice, that's a pretty good sign of a well-written book and a better audio experience as there is no sense of having been bereft for having chosen the audio over the print. There are illustrations in the print edition of Same Sun Here, but I didn't realize it until I went to go check on the spelling of "Masoorie" that the authors used! That said, even though my daughter was more engaged with this book than with Splendors and Gloom and The Cheshire Cheese Cat, when I realized that she thought "Dadi" and "Daddy" were the same person and "Masoorie" was the way she thought Neela Vaswani was pronouncing "Missouri," I also realized how important visual cues can be with a story :-/

Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

narrated by Diana Steele, Nick Podehl and Kate Rudd

Ⓟ 2012, Brilliance Audio, Inc.

8 hours, 6 minutes

Man, oh man! I cannot tell you how this audio experience broke my heart! The story is amazing, but it could have been, should have been a better audio production. Nick Podehl was great; but Diana Steele sounded like Marge Simpson, Kate Rudd didn't pre-read the book (or didn't pay attention if she did) and one or two minor editing issues drove this to the bottom of the favored-to-win the Audie list. My daughter was interested in the story; but will be reading it in print instead.

The Freedom Maze

by Delia Sherman

narrated by Robin Miles

 Ⓟ 2012, Listening Library

8 hours, 34 minutes

I didn't have to listen to this for very long before I had heard enough to rank it over  Wonder and The Cheshire Cheese Cat! Despite some sibilance issues which may have been a matter of bad de-essing or compression processes, Robin Miles' soothing voice was very welcome. I then created a chart of "Pluses" and "Minuses" for each title in the category which effectively ruled out Splendors and Glooms. When it came down to the final two choices The Freedom Maze had a much more intriguing premise than Same Sun Here and, I suspect my daughter found the magic in The Freedom Maze more palatable than in Splendors and Glooms. Heidi, over at Bunbury in the Stacks had already come to the same conclusion as to the winning entry so we had a consensus decision as to the winner of the Armchair Audies Best Audiobook for Children Ages 8-12: The Freedom Maze! 

You can check out my reviews of the titles above by clicking on the title beneath each cover (except for The Freedom Maze for which I have not written a review yet) and, Heidi's reviews over at Bunbury in the Stacks:

• The Cheshire Cheese Cat
• The Freedom Maze
• Same Sun Here
• Splendors and Glooms
• Wonder

Wonder

Wonder
by R.J. Palacio
narrated by Diana Steele, Nick Podehl and Kate Rudd
Ⓟ 2012, Brilliance Audio, Inc.
8 hours, 6 minutes
Children, Ages 8-12

The world is a hard place. And people are bastards. And kids are cruel. Especially to kids like Auggie Pullman.

August "Auggie" Pullman was born with a severely mal-formed face and raised in the relative shelter of his home and neighborhood environs - which is not to say that he has been shielded from public scrutiny or the visceral reactions he provokes upon those who chance on him. From outright screams of horror to glances stolen peripherally, Auggie is all too aware that he is a freak show and an outcast. But after years of home schooling, Auggie's parents decide to send their son to a private school in Manhattan. Entering fifth grade as a new kid is a challenge anywhere at anytime for anyone, but for Auggie, without proven social skills and a history of ostracism, the prospect is particularly daunting. Wonder tracks Auggie's first year in school from several perspectives: from Auggie himself; his sister, Olivia ("Via"); his best friend Jack; Via's boyfriend, Justin; and from Via's best friend, Miranda. What follows is a chronicle of the failings and triumphs of Auggie and the people close to him as he struggles with the transition to a wider world and proves that while "the universe has not been kind to Auggie," the scales are not irredemptively tilted against him either:

 "…it’s not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn’t. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can’t see. like with parents who adore you blindly. and a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds."

Wonder is a poignant story that well illustrates personal triumphs as well as a sort of karmic justice in play. Issues are all resolved as a testament to adversity-forged character, direct action or good fortune. If anything, perhaps Wonder is a little bit overly optimistic, reaching for that feel-good moment at the expense of reality; but then again, to a middle-grader it may prove to be a vaccine inoculating against the worldly cynicism and darkness that has crept into our common culture. Auggie's case is extreme and rare so it may take a mentor to make the correlation for the young listener between Auggie and other "outsiders" that are more commonplace.

Wonder is an amazing story and should have been well served by an audio edition; but unfortunately, it wasn't. While casting women in the roles of young boys in audio/voice-over is not uncommon, the purpose of doing so is to match the soprano voice of the unchanged male voice. Diana Steele's voice may have matched the range and been delivered in with the raspiness that the text mandated; but she could not let go of her feminine sensibilities enough to deliver the narrative convincingly enough as that of a young boy. One felt that these sections were being read by Marge Simpson - an idea that, once you've heard it, you can't "unhear" it. Kate Rudd, on the other hand, delivered the story's sections from Olivia and Miranda's point of view with earnestness, though she often rendered Auggie has having a voice of a mentally handicapped person rather than one with a damaged/repaired oropharnyx. As the text takes pains to indicate that Auggie not slow and that he has a raspy voice, Ms Rudd's choice was unfortunate and all the more glaring. Nick Podehl, while not the voice of a fifth grader, delivered his sections (Jack and Justin) truthfully and well. There aren't may textual cues to define Justin, so the challenge was in distinguishing Jack, a boy from the "other" side of Broadway. While initially, Nick Podehl's choice of an old-school New York accent for Jack was disconcerting, he does dial back after the first impression and the tone is effectively set.

The only other issues with the audio were minor production quibbles: the processing on Diana Steele's voice for the quotes before her sections sounded oddly "metallic;" during one of Kate Rudd's sections as Olivia there was an egregious edit (end of one word/beginning of next word had zero interstitial space) and, in the same (Olivia's) section there seems to be silences inserted in between some sentences which made for an odd cyclical wave sound. [To be fair though, I won't discount that there was something awry with my listening set-up. Even though I chased down cables and checked for sources of interference, I could not determine the source of what might have been a bizarre grounding issue.]

Other Stuff: I purchased a digital dnload edition of Wonder (by R.J.Palacio; narrated by Diana Steele, Nick Podehl and Kate Rudd) from iTunes. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

This is an Armchair Audies review :-)

See Also:
Heidi's review of Wonder (by R.J. Palacio; narrated by Diana Steele, Nick Podehl and Kate Rudd) at Bunbury in the Stacks!

My review of Same Sun Here (written and narrated by Silas House and Neela Vaswani) and Heidi's review at Bunbury in the Stacks :-)

My review of  The Cheshire Cheese Cat (by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright; narrated by Katherine Kellgren and Robin Sachs) and
Heidi's review at Bunbury in the Stacks!

My review of Splendors and Glooms (by Laura Amy Schlitz; narrated by Davina Porter) and Heidi's Review of the same at Bunbury in the Stacks :-)

Same Sun Here

Same Sun Here

written and narrated by Silas House and Neela Vaswani

 Ⓟ 2012, Candlewick/Brilliance

5 hours, 47 minutes

Children, Ages 8-12

Same Sun Here is an epistolary novel featuring the correspondence between two 12-year old pen pals: Meena, an illegal immigrant girl from India living in a rent control apartment (without the landlord's knowledge or consent) in New York City and; River, a Kentucky boy from a rural coal mining area. Both first find common ground in their shared love of mountains, but their friendship grows as they promise to always write truthfully as to what their respective thoughts and  feelings are.

Meena and River are both face challenges in their lives unique to their area: Meena lives a furtive life fearing eviction from her family's apartment while River's environment is being ruined by mountain top removal operations that threaten the health and safety of the area's inhabitants. What Meena and River have in common is having to confront the social injustices that force them into the role of victims. However, as Meena's parents patiently go through the steps of becoming U.S citizens and River's grandmother spearheads a grass roots movement to draw awareness to the coal mining company's devastation of the area, both kids are inspired to persevere in their own ways and find hope in their futures.

Same Sun Here is an excellent exposition of commonplace social inequity that infiltrates The Land of Opportunity and how, despite suffocating odds, small actions can provide the force for change. The letters are dated 2008-2009, which places the context of conditions during Obama's election campaign, victory and swearing-in to office. As such, there is a liberal flavor to the book, though there is no slamming of political conservatism or of Obama's political rivals.

The authors, Silas House and Neela Vaswani narrate their own work. Silas House has a voice that's a bit too mature to be playing that of a middle-grade student; but his native Kentuckian accent, his earnestness and, the fact that most kids don't care about the age of the narrator relative to the character, all work in his favor. Neela Vaswami has a girlish voice and her accented English poses no issue in terms of being understood. That said, young listeners may become confused without the visual prompts of the text to be able to distinguish between "Dadi" and "Daddy" and, what sounds like "Missouri" with what is actually "Massoorie." There are illustrations in the book, but the audio narrative does not suffer for not being able to display them.


Other Stuff: I purchased a digital dnload edition of Same Sun Here (written and narrated by Silas House and Neela Vaswani) from iTunes. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

This is an Armchair Audies review :-)

See Also:
Heidi's Armchair Audies Review of Same Sun Here (written and narrated by Silas House and Neela Vaswani) at Bunbury in the Stacks

My review of  The Cheshire Cheese Cat (by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright; narrated by Katherine Kellgren and Robin Sachs) and
Heidi's review at Bunbury in the Stacks!

My review of Splendors and Glooms (by Laura Amy Schlitz; narrated by Davina Porter) and Heidi's Review of the same at Bunbury in the Stacks :-)

The Cheshire Cheese Cat

The Cheshire Cheese Cat

by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

narrated by Katherine Kellgren and Robin Sachs

 Ⓟ 2011, Listening Library

4 hours, 16 minutes

Children, Ages 8-12

Skilley is a cheese loving tom cat prowling the alleys of Charles Dickens' London in search of a safe haven. As it happens, The Cheshire Cheese, a local pub renowned for the excellence of its eponymous dairy product, is in search of a mouser! It seems to be a match made in heaven, but there are certain challenges that must be met in order for Skilley to secure the position - a rival tom cat, an erudite mouse named Pip, a stranded Raven of the Tower of London, a cleaver-wielding cook and a keenly intuitive kitchen servant...

The Cheshire Cheese Cat explores the difficulties of being different, of having friendship tested, of the adversities that individuals face but that ultimately shape character. Skilley has certain traits that are decidedly un-catlike and, his ego in trying to construct and preserve his cat image affects his relationships with others. Evolving self-awareness and reconciling his true nature with his public face show how the individual can change and grow rather than be inhibited by perecived stigmas. It's easy to make the comparison of Skilley's social dilemas with the challenges a child might face in terms of self-identity (embracing that which makes us unique) and social interaction (what it means to be loyal and the consequences of betrayal.) The scenes on which these ideas are explored are an opportunity for the child to make the correlation between the anthropomorphized animals and themselves and, require a bit of thoughtful listening.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat has an interesting hook to the story in that Charles Dickens and a couple of other literary luminaries of the time make an appearance in the story. Dickens' himself is given interstitial passages that provide a third person point-of-view to the goings on at the pub. Wilkie Collins and William Makepeace Thackery also make an appearance, though not given voice. Deedy and Wright have also provided some Easter Eggs for those familiar with the mid-19th century authors, e.g.The story opens with the line, "It was the best of toms, it was the worst of times" and we bear witness to Dickens struggling to find the opening lines for A Tale of Two Cities. Given that not many children are familiar with 19th-century authors and their works, these references may go over their heads.

There are some gruesome bits in The Cheshire Cheese Cat: Mice are eaten and nearly boiled alive and, the description of rodent infestation (multitude and aroma) were a bit nauseating for those who have experienced the like (see "Mice"); and while the overall feel of the book is not dark, if your child/-ren has/have a sensitivity to descriptions of animal suffering, you may want to be prepared.

Katherine Kellgren is the British-American narrator who voices the majority of the novel, providing the world view from Skilley's point-of-view. The book provides numerous opportunities to show off the narrator's talent with characterizations; but fair warning: The opening scene sets the tenor of the narrative with a screech and the story is delivered at near-breakneck speed.
Robin Sachs, the late British-American actor, narrates the sections from Dickens' point of view and though infrequent, are nice reprieves from the pitch and pace from the rest of the narrative.


Other Stuff: I borrowed a CD edition of The Cheshire Cheese Cat (by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright; narrated by Katherine Kellgren and Robin Sachs) from the Jackson County Library System (Southern Oregon.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.


This is an Armchair Audies review :-)

Check out Heidi's Armchair Audies review of The Cheshire Cheese Cat at Bunbury in the Stacks!

See also: My review of Splendors and Glooms (by Laura Amy Schlitz; narrated by Davina Porter) and Heidi's Review of the same at Bunbury in the Stacks :-)

Splendors and Glooms

Splendors and Glooms
by Laura Amy Schlitz
narrated by Davina Porter
Recorded Books. Inc., Ⓟ 2012
12 hours, 2 minutes
Children, Ages 8 -12


The Phoenix Stone is a fire opal that grants great power, and a great curse, upon the person who possesses it. Cassandra, an aged woman and witch, has it and wants to get rid of it. Grisini, a wizard and puppeteer in London, wants it but can't get it. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, Grisini's apprentices in fantocini, don't care about it, but are used as pawns in the wizard's scheme to acquire it. And Clara is the victim of enchantments and a kidnapping plot as her fate aligns with that of the others and to that of the Phoenix Stone. Actually, all of the characters are victims in this  tale of intrigue taking place in London, 1816: Cassandra and Grisini are prey to their greed and ambition; Lizzie and Paresfall to the vicissitudes of being orphans at time when poverty and workhouses were common and; Clara of a survivor's guilt dating back to the death of all of her siblings.

Splendors and Glooms is a fantastic tale with magic and thrills and, rich in detail of setting and thought; but it is also a rather dark and sophisticated story. It is ostensibly aimed at children, ages 8 -12, presumably because the story features children in that age range. The story provides a number of opportunities to explore a different time, place and culture. Listeners actually of the target demographic might benefit from the insight of a more mature reader to more fully explain subjects as death masks, memento mori, London fog, child exploitation, cholera, ... than is addressed in the book itself. There is also some rather frightening imagery described in the story: witches burning, a lurid monkey-shaped bell pull, a scene in a crypt, a bit of violence and blood... in fact quite a bit more gloom than splendor overall. There is a trend in children's literature that encourages walking on the dark side, indulging in the more gothic themes that harken back to the original fairy tales, and Splendors and Glooms follows this trend.

Davina Porter is the British narrator whose work on this book is irreproachable. Her cultured voice, distinct characterizations, her ability to disappear into the text, mark her as a master narrator. In Splendors and Glooms, Davina Porter voices the POVs of an aged crone, an old, sleazy man, a pre-adolescent girl with theatrical training, an illiterate street urchin (boy) and a little rich girl, all with seeming ease. Splendors and Glooms is a relatively long book for children's fare, but the narrator's pace never flagged and was as strong at the end as it was in the beginning.


Other Stuff: I dnloaded a digital copy of Splendors and Glooms (by Laura Amy Schlitz; narrated by Davina Porter) from iTunes.  I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

This is an Armchair Audies review :-)

Check out Heidi's Armchair Audies review of Splendors and Glooms at Bunbury in the Stacks!

Audiobook Week: 2011-2012, My Audiobook Year

I've been listening to audiobooks for something like seventeen years now and have been working in the industry for nearly as long! Every year, there is something new that captures my attention in terms of book trends, narrating styles or changes in the industry itself; but to bring this closer to my own personal listening experience, I have to say that the thing that I've "discovered" this year is audio drama! Now I have listened to and worked on audio dramas in the past; but it has been only one of the many forms of audio that I listen to. This year as a part of the Armchair Audies (hosted by @lithousewife at literatehousewife.com) I decided to listen to a couple of audio dramas that were finalists in this year's Audies Awards.  The Mark of Zorro (by Johnston McCully; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky; full cast performance) was the first finalist I listened to and it was great: really well produced and a lot of fun! I was really hooked on the form and I ended up listening to all five of the final nominees! I'm now eager to claim the same category in next year's Armchair Audies. What was really interesting to me about the audio drama finalists, was that it held a few sub-genres in an of itself: studio productions, live staged readings, podcasts, and radio broadcasts. The things I look for in the performances are how quickly the actors get the characters up on their feet, edge-to edge energy (does the performance slag off at any point?) and how the sound effects are used. This is addition to the normal considerations of any audiobook as to being well cast and well executed.


See Also:
2010-2011, My Audiobook Year (My response to Jennifer K.'s (@devourerofbooks at Devourerofbooks.com) Audiobook Week meme last year)

If you want to know more about me you can check out these two interviews:

• The Many Hats of Tanya Perez (Behind the Scenes interview conducted by Karen White (@KarenWhiteReads at Home Cooked books) for JIAM2012 and;
• Audiobook Interview with Grover Gardner and Tanya Perez (interview conducted by Jennifer Conner (@lithousewife at literatehousewife.com) for JIAM 2011

If you want to know more about the Armchair Audies, you can check out the Armchair Audies (hosted by @lithousewife at literatehousewife.com) and the wrap-up I wrote for the audio drama category, which also contains links to the individual reviews :-)

n.b. - Jennifer will be moving the Armchair Audies to it's own site before the next Audies start up, so stay tuned!) 

                                               

JIAM2012 Photo: 06

Last night, in NYC the official APA Audie Awards were meted out and, a dozen Armchair Audies participants vicariously experienced the thrill by following the action via twitter. I had printed out the Armchair Audies ballot so I could follow along. There were two trains of thought running through my mind as the evening progressed: The first was in comparing the Armchair Audies picks against the APA judges' picks and; keeping track of Blackstone Audio's nominations. 

When the Audio Drama category was called, I really expected The Mark of Zorro to win; but when I, Claudius was announced, I wasn't surprised. I myself deliberated between The Mark of Zorro and I, Claudius and flip-flopped on my final decision many times! They are both truly excellent productions and, as I noted on my ballot, there is certainly no shame in losing to the BBC Radio 4 presentation (AudioGo.) I highly recommend both productions and am sincerely happy for AudioGo  :-)

Blackstone had been nominated for a total of twelve Audies and, as categories were called and the awards went to other audiobook companies, hope lingered until the final Big 5 categories: Best Narration by Author or Authors, Best Solo Narration - Female, Best Solo Narration - Male; Best Achievement in Production and, Audiobook of the Year. In the Big 5, we only had one nomination (The Mark of Zorro) in the Best Achievement in Production, so that meant we were not going to be coming home with our usual three of four. And we didn't win this one either. That's right, Blackstone was zero for twelve! 

But Blackstone did garner one extraordinary distinction: The Special Achievement Award was given to Craig Black, the founder and owner of Blackstone Audio, Inc. Apparently, he got up, thanked his family, staff, some narrators, and then proceeded to have a poignant moment in remembering the late Yuri Rasovsky (audio dramatist who adapted Johnston McCulley's The Mark of Zorro and directed the production as well.) So, in the end, no one at Blackstone was terribly upset about not having won any title awards; but rather very pleased to have been recognized within the industry that they helped build.

And yes, I am happy they are not unhappy because that means I still have a job [knock on wood] :-)

Armchair Audies: Audio Drama

When I first signed onto the Armchair Audies, I hadn't intended to judge a specific category! I had originally intended just to ameliorate my position as a Bad Employee/Bad Wife. I ended up listening to all five finalists in the Audio Drama category; plus one in the Thriller/Suspense category (Unknown, a.k.a. Out of My Head by Didier can Cauwelaert; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) and one in the Original Works category (The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder by Mickey Spillane and Max Alan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach.) Before the Armchair Audies began, I had already listened to The Thank You Economy (written and narrated by Gary Vaynerchuk ) - in the Business/Educational category and, Go the F*ck to Sleep (by Adam Mansbach; narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) - in the Humor category. This brings the total of finalists that I listened-to to nine and; the fact that I'm only a slightly better employee for having listened to five out of the twelve Blackstone Audio, Inc.-produced titles and; still a bad wife since I didn't listen to any of the audiobook finalists that DH narrated :-/

Without further ado, my picks in win-place-show-the rest order!

The Mark of Zorro

based on the novel by Johnston McCulley

dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky

studio performance by a full cast starring Val Kilmer

and featuring Ruth Livier, Elizabeth Peña, Armin Shimerman and Meshach Taylor

Ⓟ 2010, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

3.1 hours

I'm going to admit that I had reservations heading into this audio. My past listening experiences to audio dramas had not been great: a lot of sound effects, hammy acting and poor editing made me wary; but this audio was slickly produced and a lot of Fun! It is the audio that actually has engendered a real interest in audio drama for me, now that I can see all that it can really be! I was really torn between The Mark of Zorro and I, Claudius as to which to pick for the Best slot; but when The Mark of Zorro was also nominated for Best Achievement in Production, that tipped the scales in its favor. 


+ Excellent Production Values (nominated for Best Achievement in Production)
+ Lighthearted and engaging story
+ One of the late Yuri Rasovsky's last productions
+ Val Kilmer
+ FUN
- There was one sound effect, a musical underscoring phrase that didn't seem right (see my review by clicking on the title link above)

I, Claudius

based on the novel by Robert Graves

A BBC Radio 4 full cast production starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and, Derek Jacobi as Augustus

Ⓟ 2011, AudioGo, Ltd

5.8 hours (12 episodes @ ≈30 minutes each)

I loved this audio drama too! Robert Graves' historical fiction is brought to glorious life with strong performances and the technical and artistic expertise of BBC Radio 4. The production quality of the performances are "edge-to-edge," meaning that the first and last moments of the listening experience are equally good: There isn't a soft start or slagging off in the middle or the end. As for the story itself,  Roman politics makes modern politics look like a children's spat on the playground! It's a great "vicarious" experience of ancient Roman life and Robert Graves' novel.


+ Excellent production values (BBC has production skillz)
+ Thoroughly engaging story
+ Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill
- Felt like I had been slightly cheated with a bit of a bait-and-switch: Derek Jacobi played Augustus, not Claudius (see my review my clicking on the title link above)
- Instead of being presented as a seamless story, the episodes were broken up with intro- and outro- credits as originally produced. Every set of credits beyond the first and last interrupted the listening experience.

We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season  

created by Shane Salk and Kc Wayland; written by Kc Wayland

12 podcasts  performed by a full cast

Ⓟ 2011, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

10.30 hours

For the zombies fans out there, this is pretty epic! It's a compilation of a very popular podcast program featuring a group of survivors in Southern California. It's loaded with "testosterone grade sound effects," interesting predicaments and some strong performances. The script carries real-life survival considerations and the characters are well-defined. The strength of the performances evolve as the actors settle into their roles (see my review by clicking the title link.)


+ Interesting story that will leave you on the hook for The Second Season
+ "Testosterone Grade Sound Effects" appropriate to the tenor of the story
- "Soft start" until the production settles into its groove.
- Not everyone is a fan of "testosterone grade sound effects" - Also, there was a bit where you actually find yourself listening to two people eat a candy bar :-/

"The Graduate"

based on the novel by Charles Webb and;

the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry

dramatized by Terry Johnson

live stage reading performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys

Ⓟ 2011, L.A. Theater Works

1.65 hours

I had no expectations of the audio whatsoever as I had not read the novel upon which it was based, seen the play or even seen the iconic movie! It turned out to be funnier and perhaps more poignant than I thought it would be. Kathleen Turner was so perfect as Ms Robinson and I really wished I could have seen a live performance in NY. For this recording, which was a live stage reading (not an actual full play performance) I wasn't crazy about the montage of dialogue and sound effects as it removed the listener from the intimacy of the experience. Also, the audience's reaction anticipated what the listener could divine which was a bit disconcerting (see my review by clicking the title link.)


+ Funny, quotable lines
+ Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys
+ Dated script
- Sound effects (montage)
- Audience anticipation

The Arthur Miller Collection
by Arthur Miller
performed by various full casts
Ⓟ 2011, L.A. Theatre Works
18.60 hours


This is such an important collection to have! While many may be familiar with some of Arthur Miller's more famous plays, chances are you haven't seen or heard many that are featured in this collection. And too, with theatre no longer a prominent feature in our cultural lives, the chances are diminishing that you will see any but the more famous performed. There are ten plays presented, all from different companies of players. However, the different production qualities inherent in gathering performances from different sources makes for an overall uneven audio offering. The disparity of performance and production qualities probably wouldn't be noticeable if you didn't listen to all the plays back-to-back though; and moreover, Miller is so depressing that you may not want to do that any way :-/


+  Important works
+ Many of the plays are performed by seasoned actors and stars 
- Arthur Miller is depressing as hell
- Uneven production and performance values

One of the tings that I learned about Audio Drama overall is that the term covers quite a bit of different types of production: studio, radio, podcasts and live stage readings! In some ways, it was like comparing apples and oranges, so I had to judge the finalists as to how well they met my expectations as an audiobook offering overall. Production quality and performances were considered on parity with the story itself. It will be interesting to see how my picks stack up against the actual winners!

We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season

We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season  

created by Shane Salk and Kc Wayland; written by Kc Wayland

12 podcasts  performed by a full cast

Ⓟ 2011, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

10.30 hours

Michael, Angel and Saul are three soldiers in present day Northern California ordered to report for duty: to restore order to their beleaguered city which is ravaged by "zombies." The infected are necrotic bodies that can only be truly taken down by fire or beheading and, the transmutation of the corporeal states is triggered via a bite from one of the infected.

We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season is a collection of twelve podcasts that details the story of Michael, Angel and Saul as they make their way through  the new landscape where the infrastructure is crumbling and other survivors are recovered. The survivors hold a position in an abandoned apartment building, referred to amongst themselves as "The Tower." Here, the military triumvirate fight to provide food, clothing and shelter as well as security against the zombies and "Mallers." The Mallers are the convicts from a local prison who  have holed up at a local mall and who pose a threat with their unchecked violence and ambitions to seize the Tower.  The Tower residents and the Mallers are the antithesis of the other, representing civilization and anarchy respectively.

The production quality of We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season is very much in the tradition of foley inspired radio drama. Sue Zizza of Sue Media Productions, once coined the phrase "testosterone grade sound effects" when describing the heavy usage of sound effects like guns, squealing tires, etc. in an audio drama and, in the case of We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season, the description is apt. This is not to say that the "testosterone grade sound effects" aren't appropriate; only that subtlety is not in play. The sound effects take an almost equal place in the sound track as the characters' lines, as opposed to underscoring or used in service to the action or dialogue.

Jim Gleason, Shane Salk and Nate Geez, as Michael, Angel and Saul respectively are noteworthy in voicing their roles convincingly, naturally and without getting into excessive hyperbole. However, the pulp tenor of the story lent itself to a temptation that many of the other performers could not resist: to drop into over-characterization or stereotyping. Mostly, this works to keeps the characters distinct; but occasionally, a performer's choices didn't work out quite as well as might have been expected: Claire Dodin plays Riley, a French restauranteur/survivor/Tower resident. Ms Dodin seems to have had a little trouble settling into a French accent, which seemed to have come by way of  Britain and Asia; all of which left the character of Riley as something of a enigma until the story spelled it out as to who she was and where she came from. Datu, a Filipino who worked as the apartment building's maintenance supervisor before becoming the Tower's engineer, sounded more like Apu from The Simpsons than he did a native from the Philippines. There was no question as to who was speaking when any of the performers rendered their lines; it was just a bit jarring when a performer didn't really seem to be "in character."

There is plenty of action, adventure, and "testosterone grade sound effects" to galvanize the listener to the story: There are no guarantees as to who will survive and what will happen next and the unexpected twists in We're Alive: A Story of Survival, The First Season will keep you on the hook for Season Two.  

05/24/2012 - Correction: Strikethrough of the word "Northern" in the first line. Bell, CA is a town in Southern California. 

See Also:

• The Armchair Audies (Official Page)
• Armchair Audies (The Bad Employee/Bad Wife Edition - Inaugural Post)
• The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review)
• The Graduate (Audiobook Review)
• I, Claudius (Audiobook Review)
• "The Man Who Had All the Luck" (from The Arthur Miller Collection) - Audiobook Review
• "All My Sons" (from The Arthur Miller Collection) - Audiobook Review
• "Death of a Salesman" (from The Arthur Miller Collection) - Audiobook Review
• "The Crucible" (from The Arthur Miller Collection) - Audiobook Review
• The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mark Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder (Audiobook Review)
• Out of Head (Audiobook Review)
• The Zombie Podcast - We're Alive (Official Web-Site)

Other Stuff:
We're Alive: A Story of Survival - The First Season (created by Shane Salk and Kc Wayland; written by Kc Wayland; performed by a full cast) qualifies for:

• The 2012 Audio Book Challenge hosted by @teresasreading at Teresa's Reading Corner and;
• The Armchair Audies hosted by @lithousewife at Literate House Wife

I borrowed a LIbrary CD edition of We're Alive: A Story of Survival - The First Season (created by Shane Salk and Kc Wayland; written by Kc Wayland; performed by a full cast) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. I had no involvement in the production of We're Alive: A Story of Survival - The First Season (created by Shane Salk and Kc Wayland; written by Kc Wayland; performed by a full cast.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.