Podcast Novel: A Princess of Mars (Chapter 4)

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A Princess of Mars

This is the first John Carter of Mars novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the Tarzan books. It was his first novel, published in 1917 and it’s a work of rip-roaring science fiction that has inspired many of the great writers in the genre.

Chapter 4: John Carter is a prisoner of the strange martians.  He is taken to a magnificent structure where he is introduced under strange circumstances to a leader of the martian warriors.

You’ll find regular podcasts of all the chapters over the next couple of months. Subscribe to our feed.

Duration: 00:12:54
Read by Alessandro Cima

All audio stories are Copyright © Candlelight Stories, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Heliotrope: Online Speculative Fiction Magazine

Heliotrope is a free quarterly magazine of speculative fiction that publishes stories, poetry and articles.  This issue features a story by Neil Gaiman called One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock.  There are also several articles about writer Michael Moorcock’s profound influence on the science fiction and fantasy genres.  His most popular works are the Elric of Melniboné stories.

Moon: A Science Fiction Film Trailer

Moon is a new science fiction film directed by Duncan Jones. It stars Sam Rockwell as a man administering a lonely moon base for a shift that lasts several years. The trailer looks pretty good, but I’m not sold on it. I do like to see a serious science fiction film getting projected in theaters after the horrific damage that’s been done to the genre by clever little men like George Lucas.  In fact, I blame Lucas more than Tolkien for the fact that every bookstore loads its science fiction shelves with sword fantasy books.  As soon as the idiotic Obi Wan Kenobi pulled out a lightsaber, the sci-fi film genre was doomed. But this thing looks from its trailer to be a mashup of homages to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running and Solaris. I just don’t get into ‘homage’ movies.  A little subtle homage is fine.  But this trailer is just packed to the gills with barely altered rips right out of these classic films. No serious science fiction director makes a movie that’s an homage to other movies. Stanley Kubrick would have choked on a chess piece if someone had suggested such a thing to him.  So, I’m sure I’ll give this movie a chance and go see it, but I fear that it will be exactly the movie it appears to be in its trailer.  The effects do have that wonderful super-reality quality to them that 2001 and television show Space 1999 had.

Podcast Novel: A Princess of Mars (Chapter 3)

DOWNLOAD MP3 AUDIO

A Princess of Mars

This is the first John Carter of Mars novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the Tarzan books. It was his first novel, published in 1917 and it’s a work of rip-roaring science fiction that has inspired many of the great writers in the genre.

Chapter 3: John Carter finds himself on the red planet.  He finds that he can leap with superhuman ability.  His first encounter with deadly and peculiar martians gives him a surprise.

You’ll find regular podcasts of all the chapters over the next couple of months. Subscribe to our feed.

Duration: 00:15:15
Read by Alessandro Cima

All audio stories are Copyright © Candlelight Stories, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Podcast Novel: A Princess of Mars (Chapter 2)

DOWNLOAD MP3 AUDIO

A Princess of Mars

This is the first John Carter of Mars novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the Tarzan books. It was his first novel, published in 1917 and it’s a work of rip-roaring science fiction that has inspired many of the great writers in the genre.

Chapter 2: John Carter tells how he awoke inside the cave in danger of losing his life to his pursuers or possibly to the thing making strange noises behind him.  Our pulp sci-fi novel makes its first reach for the stars in this chapter.

You’ll find regular podcasts of all the chapters over the next couple of months. Subscribe to our feed.

Duration: 00:10:32
Read by Alessandro Cima

All audio stories are Copyright © Candlelight Stories, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

What’s in the Box?: Brilliant Sci-Fi Short

This is a very mysterious short film by a YouTube user called Timacious. It’s connected with a website that appears to be some kind of puzzle. I have no idea what’s going on here, but I loved watching the film. The first-person point of view works so well that it may in fact be the best first-person film I’ve ever seen. The chase is brilliantly staged and the locations are totally convincing. It seems like something’s gone out of control at a lab and there’s some sort of time warp or black hole opening up above the city. The character is being pursued by people with gas masks and hazmat suits. He’s also got some bizarre magic box that appears to send energy out toward the disturbance in the sky.

Totally brilliant little film. I want more.