Podiobookin’: Fantasy Style

I am a firm believer that it’s the little things in life that make it so much fun. Things like discovering the a good author before anyone else or getting a great deal on something for which you know you should have paid more.
And that’s why I love Podiobooks.
If you aren’t familiar with Podiobooks they are the new frontier in independent publishing. Any author with a microphone and a manuscript is able record and syndicate their work to the masses. If you like a story, you can make a donation to the author. Podiobooks.com states that at least seventy-five percent of your donation goes directly to the author. It’s a winning situation all the way around.
Of course, some are better than others, but thus far I’ve been able to find quite a lot of quality work over on the site.
Interested in discovering the next great audiobook? Want to test drive it first before slapping down your payment? If so, then here’s a list of a few of the titles you might want to try (You can download any of these titles, in their entirety, from either Podiobooks.com or through iTunes):

Brave Men Run by Matthew Wayne Selznick

Matt Selznick’s 2006 novel of super-powered outsider Nate Charters was a Parsec Award nominee, and with good reason. Brave Men Run is tightly written and author Matt Selznick never gets so carried away with his Superhero premise that he forgets about the all-too-human characters who inhabit his world.
Set in the mid 1980’s (1985, to be exact), Brave Men Run follows the story of Nate Charters, a self-proclaimed freak with some abnormal abilities. He has extraordinarily fine-tuned reflexes and an overactive metabolism. You would think that he would be destined for school stardom, but Nate doesn’t quite fit in. Into his and everyone else’s world comes Dr. William Karl Donner, a powerful man who announces that metahumans do exist, and what’s more, they demand autonomy. All of this causes Nate to take stock of himself and his existence: Is he also a metahuman or just a gifted regular Joe? But Nate doesn’t have time to just sit and think, there are other forces that would like to take a long hard look at him; forces that might stop at nothing to see what makes him tick.
Heaven: Season One by Mur Lafferty

If you don’t know who Mur Lafferty is, then I’m going to have to ask you to turn in your Geek badge. Mur is not only entertaining podcaster, but also a gifted writer.
Heaven – Season One is the first of three books featuring newly-dead friends Kate and Daniel. Having arrived in Heaven following their untimely demise, they find it to be a little less than they were hoping for, so they set off to discover other afterlives and existences. But their decision to leave and seek out these other-wheres might be more than just an adventure, it might have been foretold long ago and what they find could have farther reaching consequences than they had ever imagined.
In much the same way that I complimented Bannister for balancing a complexity with simplicity, I’ll say the same of Mur’s tale here. Instead of getting carried away with describing the grandeur of her characters surroundings, she stays focused on their thoughts, feelings, and the action at hand. The result is a tightly wound tale of afterlife friendship and adventure.
But the writing is only half of an audiobook, as seasoned listeners will tell you, with the performance rounding out the other half. The danger with Podiobooks is that, if the author isn’t up to the task, it can do great damage to the feel of the production. Luckily, Mur’s experience behind the mic shows, and her performance is near flawless.
If you haven’t yet discovered Mur Lafferty’s writing, this is the place to start. While other writers can be described as laugh-out-loud funny, or action-packed, or a-thrill-a-minute, Mur’s can best be described as honest. And honest writing is always a treat.

Infected by Scott Sigler

No “if’s,” “and’s,” or “but’s” about it, Scott Sigler is the Stephen King of the podiobook world.
Don’t believe me? One listen is probably all you need to be convinced. You could pick any number of his books to begin, but I’m recommending you start off with Infected.
Infected is the story of a bioengineered super-virus that turns ordinary people into raving murderous psychopaths. Into the fray comes our hero Perry Dawsey, a former college football star now living the life of a 9-to-5 cubicle dweller. Perry soon finds himself infected, he’s hearing voices and battling dark thoughts. But Perry isn’t going down without a fight and it’s a good thing, because the fate of civilization might just depend on the outcome.
Sigler has garnered a large audience that includes bestselling authors like Lincoln Child (another favorite of mine) and James Rollins. Isn’t it time you found out what all the fuss was about?

Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty

Well, let’s just admit it, it’s Mur Lafferty’s world and we’re just living in it. Apparently, when she’s not writing, running, parenting, gaming, or writing about the internet, or podcasting about how she should be writing, Mur is writing some of the most imaginative and entertaining fiction on the web.
Do you remember me telling you to read Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible? Well, while you’re at it, download this one as well. I wouldn’t call these stories brother and sister, but I would call them cousins.
In Playing for Keeps, Mur imagines a city filled to the brim with superfolks of both the hero and villain variety. Along for the ride are people like Keepsie, who have powers, but not on the scale of heroes and villains. Or so she’s always been told. But this belief is about to be put to the test as the city around Keepsie and her friends begins to fall into chaos, and they just might have to be the ones to save it.
This superhero stuff seems much easier in the comics.
In lesser hands, this might have turned into a silly novel of would-be superheros, but Mur isn’t about to let a good story get away from her. While the story keeps a lighthearted approach, it’s never at the expense of the characters and you’ll find yourself missing Keepsie and her friends after the final chapter has come and gone.