I just finished the excellent free (thanks to podiobooks.com) audiobook The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan today. I highly recommend it if you enjoy the medieval/fantasy genre. The story is excellent and Nathan Lowell (of the Share series) does a great job of narration. I can find no flaws in the audio, narration, or story. I can’t wait for more of the series. Check it out – you won’t be sorry.

• The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan

It’s not often I find a book that totally engrosses me, makes me smile, makes me tear up… and is free. I found all this and more with the series of four audiobooks from Nathan Lowell. All four books are available for free download from Podiobooks. The four books are Quarter Share, Half Share, Full Share, and Double Share.

I just finished listening to the whole series and they are some of the best audiobooks/stories I have ever heard. I’ll try not to give away too much, but they are about an average young man who loses his mother and has to enlist in “the fleet”. Despite the story occurring on ships in space, it’s really not about space – it’s much more about the characters and their interactions on-board ship. It’s so NOT about space, even my wife is listening to them and enjoying them – and she hates sci-fi.

I’m not sure why the series sucked me in so easily and so completely, but it did. Nathan Lowell’s reading of the stories could not be any better. I encourage you to give the first one, Quarter Share, a go and see if you enjoy it as much as I did. If not, you’ve lost nothing since it’s free to download and try.

Now I just have to figure out how much money to donate to the author/podiobooks.com.

Reference links:

• Quarter Share
• Half Share
• Full Share
• Double Share

Other audiobook reviews:

• The Pocket and the Pendant review
• Singularity review
• Lots of audiobooks reviewed

Since I have listened to and reviewed quite a few audiobooks, I thought I’d just put them all in one post for easy reference. All of the audiobooks below are highly recommended by me.

• The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan [download] [review]
• The Share Series by Nathan Lowell [download] [review]
• Noggle Stones by Wil Radcliffe [download] [review]
• Singularity by Bill DeSmedt [download] [review]
• Earthcore by Scott Sigler [download] [review]
• Ancestor by Scott Sigler [download] [review]
• The Pocket and the Pendant by Mark Jeffrey [download] [review]
• AmerIndian 2192 by J. Scott Garibay [download] [review]

Since I started my new job, I now have a 35-40 minute commute to work so I started listening to audiobooks again. I found a free audiobook called Singularity by Bill DeSmedt at podiobooks.com. From the site:

What if the cataclysmic Tunguska explosion of 1908 was caused, not by a meteor or a comet, but by a microscopic black hole?

What if that fantastic object – smaller than an atom, older than the stars, heavier than a mountain – is still down there, orbiting deep inside the earth, slowly consuming the planet?

What if only a rookie government agent and an uncannily-insightful consultant stand between a renegade Russian billionaire and his plans to use the black hole to change history – or end it?

What if it’s all true?

I thoroughly enjoyed Singularity – in fact, there were times I didn’t want to leave the car because I was so involved in the story. The author does a great job narrating and really keeps you involved. It does gets a bit technical at times with things like quantum theory, the time-space continuum, etc. but it was action-packed and quite entertaining.

If you’re looking for an action-thriller with a scientific bent to it, you can’t go wrong with Singularity.

• Singularity at podiobooks.com

Here are the current free audiobooks I am listening to:

• Ancestor by Scott Sigler
  “On a remote island in Lake Superior, scientists struggle to solve the problem of xenotransplantation — using animal tissue to replace failing human organs. Funded by the biotech firm Genada, Dr. Claus Rhumkorrf seeks to recreate the ancestor of all mammals. By getting back to the root of our creation, Rhumorrf hopes to create an animal with human internal organs. Rhumkorrf discovers the ancestor, but it is not the small, harmless creature he envisions. His genius gives birth to a fast-growing evil that nature eradicated 350 million years ago — an evil now on the loose, and very, very hungry.”

  Scott Sigler’s last podcast novel, Earthcore, was fantastic, and two chapters into it, Ancestor looks like a worthy successor. A definite must-listen.

• Potter’s Wheel by Andy Losik
  “Chuck Fagan and three of his teacher friends face the gamble of their lives when a trip to Sin City finds them ensnared in world class cyber-thief Potter’s latest scam.”

  It’s eleven chapters into it right now. It starts out slow and a few times it rambled enough that I almost stopped listening, but stick with it because it gets better farther into it.

• Noggle Stones by Wil Radcliffe
  “In his tortured dreams, the mad goblin scholar, Bugbear, saw the coming war. Pride would crumble to dust. Glory would melt to tears. Wisdom would shatter to madness. And the shadows would reign supreme. Only an eldritch scroll, a humble bee, and Bugbear’s awkward human apprentice could win this desperate struggle… a conflict that began in a time now remembered only in faded parchments, fractured whispers, and a children’s rhyme…”

  I’m only 2 chapters into this one (and there are currently only 5 chapters released) but so far, I REALLY like this one. It has goblins, ogres, and magic and a fair dose of humor. The voice talent is EXCELLENT, though the choice and timing of the background music seems just plain wrong at times. If you like stories like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, check this one out.

• AmerIndian 2192 by J. Scott Garibay
  “AmerIndian 2192 is a science-fiction novel that explores the intriguing possibilities of Native Americans in mankind’s star flung future. AmerIndian 2192 presents the story of two brothers, Wovoka and Keokuk, restoring the Native American people to a Homeland where their vibrant culture can thrive. Lodge ships, Cybershaman rituals and Tsimshian high technology are all elements in this action-oriented tale of interstellar politics and personal struggles.”

  I just started this one yesterday and only got through the first 30 minutes of the first chapter in my car ride home. It’s an interesting concept – American Indians in space in the future. I can’t give this a thunbs up or thumbs down just yet – I’ll have to listen to a bit more of it. I’m not crazy about the reading though – the woman reading it just doesn’t get me into it enough. I’ll save judgment for a later date when I have heard more.

• Escape Pod – The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine
  Each week a complete scifi short story is presented. Sometimes the host reads it and sometimes other hosts or podcasters read it. Twenty stories have been released so far and I have really enjoyed about 75% of them. If you like scifi, you should DEFINITELY be listening to Escape Pod.

Both Noggle Stones and AmerIndian 2192 are being hosted on Podiobooks.com – I’ll have to do a separate post on just podiobooks.com.

All the free audiobooks I just mentioned are in addition to a few others free audiobooks I have listened to: EarthCore and The Pocket and the Pendant – both are complete now and available for complete download. Both are VERY good. I may post a page in the future that reviews the free audiobooks I have listened to (if anyone is interested, let me know).

I have made a point to donate money to the authors if I liked their book and istened to the whole thing. So far, I have donated to Earthcore, Ancestor, The Pocket and The Pendant, and Escape Pod.