The Coalescence Report - Part III

This is one of two five-ish minute samples I have to offer of my version of Walter M. Miller's 1951 classic (if under appreciated) speculative tale of tragedy, despair, prejudice, comprehension, acceptance, and ultimately redemption, and it is set right here in beautiful Houston and Galveston, Texas! The full 2+hour recording is an unabridged reading with sound effects added in strategic locations as a bit of gravy for the listener, but they are subtle and don't detract from the overall listening experience, so don't worry about that if sound effects aren't your thing. DB is probably my all-time favorite sci-fi/spec-fi story and I think I did it justice, but as always, I’ll let you be the judge. I wish I could figure out how to obtain the rights to the story itself so I could try and market the entire project (I think it really turned out well), but I guess we all have to learn to walk before we can run, am I right?

Audiobook: Dark Benediction (Excerpt 01) - Paul and Willie in Hospital

This is the second of two five-ish minute samples I have to offer of my version of Walter M. Miller's 1951 classic (if under appreciated) speculative tale of tragedy, despair, prejudice, comprehension, acceptance, and ultimately redemption, and it is set right here in beautiful Houston and Galveston, Texas! The full 2+hour recording is an unabridged reading with sound effects added in strategic locations as a bit of gravy for the listener, but they are subtle and don't detract from the overall listening experience, so don't worry about that if sound effects aren't your thing. DB probably my all-time favorite sci-fi/spec-fi story and I think I did it justice, but as always, I’ll let you be the judge. I wish I could figure out how to obtain the rights to the story itself so I could try and market the entire project (I think it really turned out well), but I guess we all have to learn to walk before we can run, am I right?

Audiobook: Dark Benediction (Excerpt 02) - Dr. Severs educates Paul

***The Fire Balloons was very thought-provoking to me and challenged a lot of my feelings about the differences between faith, spirituality, and organized religion. After finally meeting with the Old Ones and hearing their description of what we might refer to as "reality," I think Father Peregrine and his fellow clerics just might agree with me. Lengthy and a bit wordy in places, but well-worth your time.

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_November 2002 - The Fire Balloons (Excerpt)

***This is a maudlin little piece as well, a tear-jerker, even, but still sweet and romantic (once you get past the central theme of it) and it gave me opportunity to voice a few different voices, including varying ages and genders, and also gave me a spot to emote a bit, which I don't get to do as often as I'd like.

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_April 2026 - The Long Years (Excerpt)

***This one was a fun one to read because there are so many rich and developed (and in such a small space to accomplish this!) characters to voice, it gives a voice actor a bit of room to spread her or his wings and give 'er a little in the delivery of certain lines. It also serves as a (humorous? sorta?) cautionary tale to guard against hubris and reminds us of how important it is to remember that we are NOT the center of the universe, no matter how much we would like it to be so.

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_August 1999 - The Earth Men (Full Chapter)

***This one was fun to produce and is definitely the most special effects-heavy chapter of all. Here, RB has a bit of fun by adhering to the conventional (and popular for the time) notion of Martians as a warring, conquering race, intent on killing any and all humans whenever encountered and gives us a story that has spawned several radio (and even a couple of film/tv) adaptations (usually entitled, "Mars is Heaven"). While it is pretty predictable by modern sensibilities, it certainly wasn't in 1948 when it was first published in the popular sci-fi and horror magazine Planet Stories, and frankly, the Dimension X-version of the story (my personal favorite) still seems fresh and new (and terrifying) to this day.

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_April 2000 - The Third Expedition (Full Chapter)

***Ylla (which I pronounce "Ill-ah" because "Eye-lah" just seems...well, wrong, somehow) is just flat-out sad, I'll just say it from the outset, but again, I think it's well-worth your time, and I think I do it justice so please give it a listen. If nothing else, it is again thought-provoking and should be a reminder for everyone that words mean things, even if you don't intend them to, and it is best to be completely aware of your audience before sharing...intimate details with anyone. Just a word to the wise... 

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_February 1999 - Ylla

Here is the complete audiobook as read by yours truly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years. If so, drop me a line and share your thoughts--I'd love to hear them and share my own!

Dark Benediction_2024-11-15

The Martian Chronicles

Born and raised in my beloved Wisconsin, I'm a former US Marine, retired police officer, loving dad and husband (and dog and cat guardian, too)--now budding (hopefully) soon-to-be-famous voiceover artist living here in beautiful Space City, Texas. Let's make some beautiful audio together!

New tracks tagged #post-apocalyptic fiction