» Fantasy http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:48:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 SCOTT BRICK PRESENTS: Interviewing Richard Matheson, the Full Voicebank Interview, AudioFile on CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE, a Shout-out by Slate.com, My Wikipedia Page, and Talking a Little Baseball Or, an audiobook narrator says, “Share the Experience is finally underway, so it’s time for a break!” and takes a short breather to update everyone on what else is going on http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/06/16/scott-brick-presents-interviewing-richard-matheson-the-full-voicebank-interview-audiofile-on-chapterhouse-dune-a-shout-out-by-slatecom-my-wikipedia-page-and-talking-a-little-baseball-or-an-au/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/06/16/scott-brick-presents-interviewing-richard-matheson-the-full-voicebank-interview-audiofile-on-chapterhouse-dune-a-shout-out-by-slatecom-my-wikipedia-page-and-talking-a-little-baseball-or-an-au/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:39:23 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/?p=167 Richard Matheson (R) and Scott (Photo by Richard Parsons)

Richard Matheson (R) and Scott (Photo by Richard Parsons)

 

Greetings everyone, Scott here. To those of you who’ve been reading up on the Share the Experience contest, my thanks for all your input and support. It’s been extraordinarily exciting to see the contest go from just an idea to a done deal. I’m extremely grateful to the Audio Publishers Association, and all our participating publishers/judges. No way this could happen without them. As you may know, this past Wednesday saw us smash a champagne bottle across the bow of the contest, and we’re eagerly awaiting these next few weeks, to see just what kind of response we’ll get. Best of luck to everyone. We’ll post the results here as soon as humanly possible (meaning on or about July 10, as detailed on the contest page).

 

Now, to all of you who subscribe to this site for our commercial enterprises, the Brick By Brick Audiobooks we’ve been putting out this past year, thank you for your patience as I’ve taken time off from my production schedule to see this 10th year anniversary contest come to life. There are more audiobooks on the way soon, many, many more, and we’ll be getting back to them in the very near future. In the meantime, I thought I’d update you all on some recent events, some web postings I thought you might be interested in.

 

First off, I got a rare and treasured opportunity recently to interview my absolute favorite author of all time: Richard Matheson. Never heard of him? Crawl out from under your rock! He’s the author of a staggering array of classic tales, many of which have been turned into terrific films: I AM LEGEND, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, HELL HOUSE, THE NIGHT STALKER, STIR OF ECHOES, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, and my personal favorite, SOMEWHERE IN TIME. When you meet him, you can’t help but stare at the man’s head, just marveling at how many amazing tales came out of there, y’know? He also wrote episodes of the original STAR TREK, plus a cool dozen of the best TWILIGHT ZONEs of all time, including the classic William Shatner vehicle, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Well, I wrote up a print version of the interview for this month’s AudioFile Magazine, who also posted an audio supplement. It’s an edited version of the complete hour-long interview, maybe 15 minutes long, just the first part of what will ultimately be a much longer audio interview that’ll be posted here on this site in the near future. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

 

Voicebank - Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second, I was interviewed by Tracy Pattin of Voicebank recently, who also posted four audio supplements (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). This was a great deal of fun — most interviews I do are done on the phone, but Tracy stopped by my house and we sat down in the studio, then just proceeded to chat about all sorts of audiobook-related topics. We posted the first part of the interview here on the site when it came out, but if you’re looking for the whole thing, you’ll find all four parts here.

 

Next, AudioFile also posted a roundtable interview, featuring myself, Simon Vance and Katherine Kellgren, all fellow citizens of the planet Arrakis in the DUNE series. Brian Price conducted this interview to commemorate the final installment in Frank Herbert’s original DUNE saga, CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE. You can also watch the three of us, as well as the great Euan Morton who plays Paul Atreides, in a video shot that same day. For my fellow DUNE geeks, er, enthusiasts, there’s a rare glimpse of Frank Herbert’s pronunciation notes for the series, unearthed from my ever-expanding DUNE Glossary and shown onscreen for your viewing pleasure.

 

If you’re a sports fan, you might enjoy a fun interview I did with Ron Kaplan for his website, Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf. An extremely knowledgeable baseball fan, Ron sought me out after listening to some of the baseball-themed audiobooks I’ve done these past few years, including biographies of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, the terrific look of the Oakland Athletics’ visionary leader Billy Bean in MONEYBALL, as well as the expose of Barry Bonds’ shameful exploits in GAME OF SHADOWS, the book that blew the lid off the Balco steroid scandal. Ron’s a very cool guy and a great interviewer. The thing I recall most clearly is not wanting the conversation to end.

 

(Of course, you can check out all of these and more on my Press page.)

 

I’ll also point you to Slate.com, where, during a recent discussion (or gabfest, as they like to call them), a listener recommended a few titles I’ve done that’re available on audible.com: THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA and UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN. It’s primarily a political discussion, but I appreciate the mention about halfway through and wanted to give hosts Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz my thanks for the shout-out.

 

Lastly, if you haven’t seen it yet, I have been graced with a Wikipedia page. Since it’s Wikipedia, we don’t update it, although we try to check it once in a while for accuracy’s sake. All I can say is, if you’re a Wiki person, please be kind.

 

Okay, that’s about it. I hope you’ll stay tuned to this spot for some cool announcements we’ve got coming up. There’s another charitable venture I’ve got in the works, and it’s something I could actually use a little help with, in terms of advice and suggestions, so I’ll be asking people to respond in a small online poll. I hope you’ll take a few moments and participate if you can, I’m hoping it’ll make a difference in the lives of students across the country.

 

In the meantime, I’m heading back to the studio. Contest or no, I’ve got five titles to record in June, and only so many hours in the day. As always, thanks for listening.

 

Scott Brick

 

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/06/16/scott-brick-presents-interviewing-richard-matheson-the-full-voicebank-interview-audiofile-on-chapterhouse-dune-a-shout-out-by-slatecom-my-wikipedia-page-and-talking-a-little-baseball-or-an-au/feed/ 0 SCOTT BRICK PRESENTS: Finally, Stephen R. Donaldson’s THE POWER THAT PRESERVES Is Here, The Final Volume Of THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT, THE UNBELIEVER – Complete And Unabridged – On Audio For The First Time Ever!Or, An Audiobook Narrator Offers His Advice On How Narrators New To The Field Should Tackle The Mountain Of Made-Up Words They’ll Face In Epic Fantasy Series http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/04/04/scott-brick-presents-finally-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-power-that-preserves-is-here-the-final-volume-of-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-%e2%80%93-complete-and-unabridged/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/04/04/scott-brick-presents-finally-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-power-that-preserves-is-here-the-final-volume-of-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-%e2%80%93-complete-and-unabridged/#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:31:29 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/04/

 

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Thomas Covenant - The Power That Preserves (BBB)

 

Click here to hear Scott read from THE POWER THAT PRESERVES, then buy POWER or the THOMAS COVENANT, THE UNBELIEVER trilogy on digital download or hard copy (both with bonus features).

 

If you have purchased LORD FOUL’S BANE and THE ILLEARTH WAR, in the next few days we will email you a coupon code for THE POWER THAT PRESERVES equal to 10% off the entire trilogy price. If you don’t receive the coupon, or need it earlier, please email admin@scottbrickpresents.com with “POWER Coupon” as the subject. Thanks!

 

Click here to read Scott’s TRILOGY DISCOUNT PLAN.

 

If you’re a regular reader (or listener) to this column, then you’ve already experienced me waxing poetic about THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT, THE UNBELIEVER numerous times before here and here), so this time I thought I’d branch out slightly, be a bit more all-inclusive with both my subject and my audience. Given that the Covenant saga is so replete with exotic words, made up completely by the mind of Stephen R. Donaldson, I thought I would perhaps give some advice on how to approach a problem that aspiring narrators face when doing a new fantasy series: how to tackle the difficult job of making an audiobook as similar as possible to the author’s intent by using their pronunciations instead of your own. I figured this would also be a cool bit of background, some making-of tidbits for the Covenant fans out there, to see just how all these particular wacky pronunciations were arrived at. (See? Two birds with one stone! Multi-tasking, baby, multi-tasking.)

 

A peek at the back of the latest Thomas Covenant novel shows that the series’ glossary has grown to 593 words. That’s 593 words that won’t be found in any language on Earth. If it were a standard fiction series, most of those words could be looked up someplace online. Alas, in fantasy novels that’s rarely the case. In such series, the language is usually what the author wants it to be, meaning there’s only one person who speaks it: the author him/herself. This means that you, as the narrator, are faced with only two options: guess how they’re pronounced, or go to the source.

 

In my case, I’d rather go to the source. Every time.

 

There was a recording done of DUNE, years ago, by an amazing narrator whose work I love, but unfortunately he didn’t have access to the author or his notes, and as a result, all the words were guessed at, and for me, I found it impossible to listen to. Part of that is my own particular preference as a science fiction/fantasy fan: I’m not interested in how I pronounce these words, or another narrator may pronounce these words, or even how a legion of fans may pronounce them; I only want to know the author’s take on things, that’s all, that’s it. Nothing else will suffice.

 

If you’re tempted to take your best guess and figure that’ll be good enough, my advice to you is, good enough usually isn’t. You may be a lifelong fan of the project, but that doesn’t mean your ability to guess is better than anyone else’s. If it had been up to me, I would probably have gone with the pronunciations from the David Lynch version of DUNE, but in almost every case those would’ve been wrong. (Crazy when you realize David Lynch hired DUNE author Frank Herbert as a technical adviser on the film and he STILL got them all wrong.) I also would have pronounced Terry Brooks’ mythical realm the wrong way: most people pronounce his seminal title as the Sword of Shuh-NAH-ruh, whereas he’s adamant that it’s SHAN-uh-ruh. And yes, I stumbled almost every time I said it Brooks’ way, but that’s because I’d listened to too many of the fans over the years pronouncing it THEIR way. And unfortunately, that way is just plain wrong. So SHAN-uh-ruh it is. Or, was.

 

All that said, I knew I had to speak to Stephen R. Donaldson for these Covenant words, and thankfully the publisher put me in touch with him. He was incredibly giving of his time, and we worked our way through each and every word in the glossary, which took over an hour to do. I recorded the conversation as we did so, then took the tape and transcribed it painstakingly into a Word document. (Narrator hint: recording phone conversations is alarmingly easy, and my advice would be to consult your local Radio Shack for the easiest method. Whichever you choose, however, experiment with it first. You don’t want to find out that the little suction cup attachment that’s supposed to work just fine didn’t capture any sound at all, especially if you’ve already had the author phone call and you now have nothing to transcribe, no way to recapture the sound you’ve lost. Trust me, I’ve done this, and you want to avoid it.)

 

Stephen R. Donaldson (b+w) - Courtesy Macmillan Publishing

Click here to hear Scott read from THE POWER THAT PRESERVES, then buy POWER or the THOMAS COVENANT, THE UNBELIEVER trilogy on digital download or hard copy (both with bonus features)

 

Be easy on yourself and arrange your unfolding audio glossary alphabetically. If characters have last names, list them under that, though you might also want to have duplicate entries for their first names if last names aren’t used that often. Cross-referencing things is a huge help. And if it’s a case like the Covenant books, where character names are often linked together with family member’s names, such as Mhoram son of Variol, or Hyrim son of Hoole, you’ll want to make sure and have separate entries for each of those names, parent and child. Sometimes you’ll be talking about Hoole without mentioning Hyrim, but if you don’t remember that he’s Hyrim’s father you won’t know where to find him in the glossary.

 

Sound confusing? Well, it is, but once you immerse yourself in a series, it gets easier.

 

My audio glossaries typically have two primary entries, one for the way the word is spelled in the book, and another for phonetic spellings.

 

My audio glossaries typically have two primary entries, one for the way the word is spelled in the book, and another for phonetic spellings.

 

lillianrill:   lih-lee-AHN-ril

 

But sometimes these crazy, made-up words defy translation to the page. Sometimes the individual syllables are so soft or subtle that it’s difficult to tell what’s correct. If the author gives any additional instructions, I always note it on the side.

 

Bannor:   BAAN-r is preferred, though
          BAAN-oer is fine

 

Sometimes the details are even more subtle, and require longer explanations:

 

dharmakshetra:   DAHR-mahk-SHET-ruh; slightly
                 aspirated H after the D,
                 slightly rolled R at the end,
                 consistent with all Waynhim names

 

And if you really want to be an overachieving nut like I am, you may also create individual sound files for each of these entries. I don’t recommend doing this every time, it requires a ton of work, but when you’re dealing with sequels (and name me a great fantasy novel that HASN’T had a sequel), having an additional first-generation source can be crucial. And this comes in especially handy when you’re dealing with phrases rather than individual words. It’s always handy to be able to hear something rather than reading it.

 

Kelenbhrabanal marushyn!
Rushyn hynyn kelenkoor rillynarunal!
Ranyhyn Kelenbhrabanal!
(Lithe calling Ranyhyn, THE ILLEARTH WAR, pgs. 371-2)

KEHL-n-BRAH-ben-ahl MAH-roo-shin!
ROO-shin HIN-in KEL-en-koor ri-lee-NAH-roo-nahl!
RAH-nuh-hin KEHL-n-BRAH-ben-ahl!

 

Once you’ve created your audio glossary, the hard part’s done, and now the fun can begin: you get to actually record the novel! Keep a copy of the glossary on hand, either a hardcopy if you’re working in someone else’s studio, or a digital copy if you’re working in your own. Keep it open and in the background, because you’ll reference it often, and if you’re working with a producer, make sure they have a copy of it, and provide a copy to whomever’s going to be proofing the recording once you’re done, as well. The more eyes you have double-checking that your pronunciations are correct and consistent, the better.

 

Thomas Covenant - The Power That Preserves (paperback cover art)

Click here to hear Scott read from THE POWER THAT PRESERVES, then buy POWER or the THOMAS COVENANT, THE UNBELIEVER trilogy on digital download or hard copy (both with bonus features)

 

Once the title is finished, and the proofing and editing are complete, it might seem that you’re done with your glossary, but trust me, you’re not. Keep a hardcopy in your files, and a digital copy on your hard drive, and make sure they’re in a logical, easy-to-remember location. The last thing you want is for three years to go by and find yourself the night before you’re set to record the sequel, looking frantically for the damn file. Trust me, I’ve been there too, and it’s a lonely place. If you’ve got a lot of these glossaries piling up, come up with a consistent labeling system so you can find the appropriate one swiftly.

 

For myself, getting to hear these words from Donaldson’s own mouth was an amazing experience, as I’d literally been wondering for 25 years how some of these things sounded. I also got to hear him clown around a bit, which was really cool, poking fun at his own words and their odd pronunciations. For instance, there’s a group of words mentioned in the series all the time, they’re essentially words of power:

 

     Melenkurion abatha!  Duroc minas mill khabaal!

 

In the story, by invoking them, powerful magics are often manifested. Powerful, POWERFUL magics. Well, when I asked him how they’re pronounced, he laughed softly and prefaced their pronunciation by joking, “Watching out for sudden thunder and appearances of mystical events…” It was a subtle thing, but it cracked me up.

 

He also told me that of all the words he’s ever invented, the one that generates the most debate among his fans is:

 

Elemesnedene:   EH-leh-MAYN-deen

 

Huh. Never would’ve gotten that one right. Thank God I called first.

 

Well, I hope you enjoy THE POWER THAT PRESERVES. It’s been an amazing experience, and I truly appreciate all the support you’ve shown by purchasing each volume of this trilogy. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

 

And, as always, thanks for listening,

 

Scott Brick

 

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2009/04/04/scott-brick-presents-finally-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-power-that-preserves-is-here-the-final-volume-of-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-%e2%80%93-complete-and-unabridged/feed/ 2 SCOTT BRICK PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL By Charles Dickens, On Sale Now!Or, An Audiobook Narrator Says Merry Christmas the Only Way He Knows How, By Running His Mouth, and Sharing His Take on the Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/27/scott-brick-presents-a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens-on-sale-nowor-an-audiobook-narrator-says-merry-christmas-the-only-way-he-knows-how-by-running-his-mouth-and-sharing-his-take-on-the-grea/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/27/scott-brick-presents-a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens-on-sale-nowor-an-audiobook-narrator-says-merry-christmas-the-only-way-he-knows-how-by-running-his-mouth-and-sharing-his-take-on-the-grea/#comments Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:05:23 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/27/scott-brick-presents-a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens-on-sale-nowor-an-audiobook-narrator-says-merry-christmas-the-only-way-he-knows-how-by-running-his-mouth-and-sharing-his-take-on-the-grea/  

 

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL - BBB Cover ArtSPECIAL NOTICE: For the first time, Brick By Brick Audiobooks offers this recording on CD, as well as MP3 download.  Given that A CHRISTMAS CAROL is such a holiday favorite and makes a perfect stocking stuffer, and given that you can’t put a bow on an MP3, we thought we’d package everything up for you in a hardcopy release.  Just check out the link below and you can purchase the 5-CD package.

 

Also, I’m happy to announce that we have a special BONUS FEATURE that accompanies both the digital and CD versions – more on that below.

 

 

 

Click here to hear Scott read from A CHRISTMAS CAROL
and buy the digital download

 

Click here to hear a sample and buy A CHRISTMAS CAROL on CD

 

 Now, on to our tale…

 

Well, it’s Christmas again.  I realize, of course, that you’ve probably been hearing Christmas music in your local Target since late August, but the traditional start of the holiday season is the moment Santa Claus makes his appearance at the end of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which means that it’s finally official: it’s Christmastime, once again.  And I couldn’t be happier.

 

Each year, as December rolls around, I’m reminded of one of the best periods of my life, when I appeared in a touring production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL with my Shakespearean acting group, Will & Company.  Together we would take all of our various classical productions on the road throughout the state of California, and while December would always be a slow month for Shakespeare, it more than made up for this by the rush on Charles Dickens.  One year we were booked into more than a hundred performances, just in that brief span.  Think about that: 100 performances between December 1st and Christmas, less than twenty days, given that we only performed on school days.  We had to form a second company to handle the shows we couldn’t do personally.  It was nuts, but we all loved it.

 

Scott Brick as Scrooge

I first played Ebenezer Scrooge when I was in high school, living in Porterville, California, acting with the local children’s theater company.  Given that I was the oldest person in the cast, it was fairly logical I’d get tapped to play the squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner, and I had a blast.  Great fun, and we performed for over a thousand people one night.  (Small towns really turn out to support their own.)  Flash-forward to ten years later: after leaving UCLA and hooking up with Will & Company, I got to reconnect with the show in a terrific way: by playing virtually every male part in the story.

 

Jacob Marley (who was once introduced by our very tired narrator as “Bob Marley,” at which point I entered bobbing to a Rasta beat, much to Scrooge’s chagrin), Bob Cratchit, the gentleman at the top of the show who makes the error in judgment to ask Scrooge for a charitable donation, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet To Come… I even played the narrator, Charles Dickens himself, once, when that actor took sick.  That was the day I realized I had performed this play so many times – hundreds, in fact – that I rarely had to look down at the text to narrate the show; I’d virtually memorized the whole thing.

 

Colin Cox was our artistic director and he had originally adapted this show himself, using the text Dickens had used on tour, reading the tale to hungry American audiences, an abridgement wholly approved by the author that also made it an ideal length for performing at schools.  Well, several years later, I asked Colin if I could make some amendments to the adaptation, and he happily agreed.  To do so, I borrowed from some of my favorite productions of the show over the years, adding lovely moments from the radio adaptation performed by Lionel Barrymore and Orson Welles in 1939 – such as the moment Bob Cratchit offers tuppence to the charitable gentleman after Scrooge angrily turns him away – as well as stage adaptations I’d seen, most notably Patrick Stewart’s one-man version.  In it, scenes that were alluded to in the text but didn’t actually appear, such as Tiny Tim singing a song at Christmas dinner, or Scrooge attending church services in the final act, were fleshed out so that we actually heard Tiny Tim sing, and saw Scrooge struggling to find the melody in a crowd of worshipers singing a Christmas hymn.  They were wonderful moments, and I wanted to experience them myself, so in they went.

 

 

Click here to hear Scott read from A CHRISTMAS CAROL
and buy the digital download

 

Click here to hear a sample and buy A CHRISTMAS CAROL on CD

 

 

We had a lovely time that year, my last season with the company, and it was the first time I’d played Scrooge since high school.  Wendy Robie, she of TWIN PEAKS fame (Nadine, the eyepatch lady), actually played Dickens for us.  We were a company that prided ourselves on being gender- and ethnicity-blind when it came to casting, and given Wendy’s love of the story, it seemed a natural she should play our narrator.  She looked fabulous in a Dickensian tuxedo, and performed her part with relish.  Wendy told me afterward that it was the greatest time she’d ever had onstage, and I treasure that memory to this day.

 

An especially nice thing happened that season: having just created its website that year, Will & Company put together a separate webpage devoted to each of its touring productions.  Given that I was directing and starring in A CHRISTMAS CAROL that year, I wrote up that particular page.  I whipped together a brief description of the story’s creation, peppering it with little known facts and quotations from reviews it received upon its debut, then summed it all up by saying what we hoped to accomplish with our rendition of it.  Well, that particular page proved very popular in Google searches, getting thousands of page hits, and I received dozens of emails shortly thereafter, primarily from people who were staging their own version of the CAROL and wanted to know if they could print my essay as the liner notes in their theatrical programs.  I was honored, and always said yes.  And anyone who read that page when it was up on the website years ago will recognize it when you listen to my recording: I adapted that essay into the introduction for this volume.

 

So, in a sense, my Will & Company introduction is a BONUS FEATURE on A CHRISTMAS CAROL, but there’s another that I think you’ll really enjoy.  Along with your MP3s or CDs you’ll receive a file containing copies of artist John Leech’s eight illustrations that accompanied the original printing of A CHRISTMAS CAROL way back in 1843.  Given how much Leech’s work enhanced Dickens’s magnificent story, I thought it was only appropriate to include them here.

 

 

Click here to hear Scott read from A CHRISTMAS CAROL
and buy the digital download

 

Click here to hear a sample and buy A CHRISTMAS CAROL on CD

 

 

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - The Last of the SpiritsGetting to record A CHRISTMAS CAROL this year has, in many ways, brought me back to my roots in acting.  It’s reminded me of the power of sharing wonderful stories, forcefully imagined and executed, stories that are unashamedly sentimental, and all the more powerful for it.  None of us would appreciate this tale were it not so clear-cut in its morality, nor would we see ourselves in Scrooge were he not so much larger than life.  And every moment I spent in the studio recording it, every line that came out of my mouth, brought back a wonderful memory from my days on the road, sharing this story with children of all ages.  It’s also allowed me the chance to work with one of my oldest friends, John Massey, a buddy from Ocean View High School who created a lovely and haunting soundtrack that I think you’ll really love.  In short, recording this book has been a gift I’ll treasure always. 

 

That’s the wonderful thing about gifts, isn’t it?  Here I’d intended the story as a gift to people who enjoy my work and wanted something special to listen to this Christmas. Yet it turns out that it’s I who’ve been blessed, getting to relive the memories of so many of the great people and events in my life connected to Charles Dickens’s classic tale.

 

Whatever your faith, I hope this Christmas season is everything you wish it to be, and that happiness, blessings and prosperity will pour forth abundantly upon your families in the year to come.  I hope that this is the year we all discover how to keep Christmas in our hearts, no matter the season.  May that be truly said of us, and all of us.  Thanks so very much for your support.  As always, thanks for listening.

 

Scott Brick

 

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/27/scott-brick-presents-a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens-on-sale-nowor-an-audiobook-narrator-says-merry-christmas-the-only-way-he-knows-how-by-running-his-mouth-and-sharing-his-take-on-the-grea/feed/ 3 Finally, Volume Two of Stephen R. Donaldson’s THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER, THE ILLEARTH WAR, Hits Audio!Or, an audiobook narrator shakes his head in wonderment as he witnesses the second installment in his favorite fantasy series become available in audiobook for the first time http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/07/finally-volume-two-of-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-the-illearth-war-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-shakes-his-head-in-wonderment-as-he-witnesses-th/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/07/finally-volume-two-of-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-the-illearth-war-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-shakes-his-head-in-wonderment-as-he-witnesses-th/#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:26:31 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/07/finally-volume-two-of-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-the-illearth-war-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-shakes-his-head-in-wonderment-as-he-witnesses-th/  

Want Scott to narrate this blog to you?

Right click here to download this Brickcast.

 

ILLEARTH WAR - Cover - PB–> CLICK HERE TO BUY THE ILLEARTH WAR! <–

 

I knew this day would come.  It’s been circled in red ink on my calendar ever since May 1st, 2008.  I’ve looked forward to it with great anticipation at times, and at other times with dread.  Those were usually the nights when I fell asleep bemoaning how many titles I’d committed to narrate that month, wondering how many hours of sleep I’d have to jettison from my schedule in order to finish them all – and THE ILLEARTH WAR – on time.  (But don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, just tired.)

 

This is the day when part two of Stephen R. Donaldson’s amazing CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER, my favorite fantasy series of all time, becomes available as an audiobook.  As anyone who’s read my post of May 1st can attest, this has been a dream come true.  I’ve longed to record these books for twenty years, and now, finally, I’ve got my chance.

 

I’ve read this series a number of times, but it had been at least five or six years since the last time I’d read this particular volume, THE ILLEARTH WAR (click here to listen to a clip).  I recalled various things about it in general: in the first volume, Lord Foul warned the Lords of Revelstone that war would come upon them soon, and in THE ILLEARTH WAR, he takes it to them in forceful, provocative, and horrifying ways.  I recalled that, as its title implies, the book has a number of battle scenes in it, that the specter of war is pervasive even when nothing’s going on, like Fortinbras in “Hamlet,” looming imminently in the wings. 

 

The thing I had forgotten, however, was how lovely a book this is.  It is, perhaps, the most emotionally engaging book in the entire series.

 

Okay, I’ll admit that when I’m narrating books, there are the occasional moments when I can’t go on, when I get choked up and can’t continue without blubbering.  With certain books you expect that: love stories, classics, or nonfiction accounts of tragedies, like REPORT FROM GROUND ZERO, the book I did on 9/11.  With those books, tears are part of the bargain, the tax you pay on the trade.  They’re understandable, even expected.

 

But a book with “war” in the title?  Who expects tears there?

 

Be ready for it, this book will nail your hide to the wall.  Character arcs that began in volume one begin to progress, until before you know it, you’re a puddle on the wall of your studio and you gotta run out for more Kleenex, only you can’t cuz your girlfriend is upstairs keeping the dogs really quiet since you’re recording and you don’t want to waste the silence…

 

Uh… I mean, well, maybe that won’t happen to YOU.  Maybe that was more, uh, me.  Hmmm.  Projecting really sucks, doesn’t it?

 

Anyway, I kid about it, but trust me when I say, this book has got some harrowing adventure, and even more harrowing character development.  Man, I wish you’d already listened to it so we could discuss it here, I so want to share with you my favorite parts, but I can’t cuz it’ll give stuff away.  I envy you, getting to experience all this for the first time.

 

Well, enough from me, get to reading!  Er, listening. You can click here to listen to a clip from THE ILLEARTH WAR, and if you like it you can buy the download. Remember, like all Brick By Brick audiobooks, this is the ONLY place you can get THE ILLEARTH WAR.

 

I truly appreciate all the help and support you’ve shown by investing your hard-earned dough on volume one in this series, and making the audiobook version of THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT a success.  We’re now two-thirds of the way through the First Chronicles, and it only gets better from here.  Part Three, THE POWER THAT PRESERVES, comes out April 1st, then after that, it’s on to the Second Chronicles!

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to record STAVE TWO: THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS in A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Then it’s off to bed.  Before nodding off, I’m sure I’ll glance at the next two dates circled in red on my calendar: Thanksgiving, and December 1st.  Two new books in less than two weeks?  Ah well.  Sleep isn’t mandatory, is it?  More just a suggestion…?

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Scott Brick

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/11/07/finally-volume-two-of-stephen-r-donaldsons-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliever-the-illearth-war-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-shakes-his-head-in-wonderment-as-he-witnesses-th/feed/ 4 BRICK BY BRICK AUDIOBOOKS IS PROUD TO BRING YOU CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL, TWO THOMAS COVENANT NOVELS, A UNIQUE ADDITION TO THE DUNE UNIVERSE, AND THE PHOENIX LEGACY TRILOGY BY M.K. WREN Or, Our 2008-2009 release slate is here! Seven books in the next six months! And that’s only the beginning! http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/10/24/brick-by-brick-audiobooks-is-proud-to-bring-you-charles-dickens%e2%80%99-a-christmas-carol-two-thomas-covenant-novels-a-unique-addition-to-the-dune-universe-and-the-phoenix-legacy-trilogy-by-mk-w/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/10/24/brick-by-brick-audiobooks-is-proud-to-bring-you-charles-dickens%e2%80%99-a-christmas-carol-two-thomas-covenant-novels-a-unique-addition-to-the-dune-universe-and-the-phoenix-legacy-trilogy-by-mk-w/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:10:26 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/10/24/brick-by-brick-audiobooks-is-proud-to-bring-you-charles-dickens%e2%80%99-a-christmas-carol-two-thomas-covenant-novels-a-unique-addition-to-the-dune-universe-and-the-phoenix-legacy-trilogy-by-mk-w/ Want Scott to narrate this blog to you?
Right click here to download this Brickcast.

 

ILLEARTH WAR - Cover - PBLadies and gentlemen, it is with not a little pride and joy that I bring you news about the next seven titles from my little company, Brick By Brick Audiobooks. We’ll be bringing you seven – count them, seven! – books, one title a month for the next six months, PLUS Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL this holiday season.

 

I appreciate everyone who helped make our first two titles, LORD FOUL’S BANE and FATAL REVENANT – both from Stephen R. Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – such a success, and I’m pleased to let you know that in the next six months we will be bringing you Books Two and Three, completing the First Chronicles, an accomplishment I’ve dreamed about for years. In LORD FOUL’S BANE, you saw how Thomas Covenant found himself in The Land, a leper from our world mistaken for the reincarnation of their world’s greatest hero. Now follow him as Lord Foul wages war against the Lords of Revelstone in THE ILLEARTH WAR, then positions all the players for the inevitable cataclysm in THE POWER THAT PRESERVES. If that sounds like a lot of action, it is; these two books will total more than 40 hours of listening.

 

And right before Thanksgiving, we’ll deliver unto you a little stocking stuffer: the perennial holiday classicCHRISTMAS CAROL - The Last of the Spirits A CHRISTMAS CAROL. We’ll even be offering this particular title in hard copies (on CDs, in nifty packaging and everything), since it’s hard to put a bow around an MP3 and slide it under the tree, menorah, or Festivus pole. This will be a return for me to my theater roots: more than a decade ago, I adapted Dickens’ story for the stage and played Scrooge for two seasons; it’s been touring every December since.

 

If you’ve never read how Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future attempt to redeem the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, you’re in for a treat – it’s one of the greatest, most recognizable stories of all time.  This presentation will also feature an amazing musical score, crafted by my great friend and enormously talented musician/composer John Massey (currently touring as Mr. C. in “Happy Days: The Musical”).  This score, filled with historically accurate carols, will be a departure for me, as most of the books I narrate are straight reads, without music or sound effects, but this story is so special and dear to my heart that I figured, why not?  Consider the musical flourishes a present from me to you.

 

Sword of the Lamb - Phoenix Book 1 - Cover - PBNext, I’m puffed with pride to announce that Brick By Brick Audiobooks will be bringing you my favorite science fiction series, THE PHOENIX LEGACY by M.K. Wren. This trilogy is set in the 33rd century, where a dazzling empire is poised on the brink of annihilation…

The Lord Alexand DeKoven Woolf is destined by birth to occupy a unique position of power in the Concord of the Loyal Houses, the monolithic (and essentially feudalistic) government that is the matrix for all human civilization.  The Concord, despite its outward appearances of stability and prosperity, is suffering severe internal stresses, primarily manifested by chronic uprisings among the Bonds, its serf/slave class.  The Concord is, in fact, threatened with the specter of a third dark age. As Firstborn to the House of DeKoven Woolf, Alexand is the indirect heir to the Chairmanship, the grandson of the current monarch.  Born to rule, he nonetheless swears to destroy the greatest empire mankind has ever known, all for the greater good of humanity.

 

And last but by no means least, there is DREAMER OF DUNE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF FRANK DREAMER OF DUNE - Cover - Hardcover - BetterHERBERT, written by his son, Brian Herbert. I first encountered Brian about eight years ago when I was preparing to narrate Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, and Brian cracked open his father’s notes to help me with all those crazy pronunciations.  Over the years, I’m proud to say we’ve became friends.

 

I was shocked to discover that this magnificent biography of his father was not yet on audiobook – shocked, and, I have to admit, pleased, because it meant that I would have the opportunity to narrate it myself. Whether you’re a massive Dune-head or only occasionally sip some spiced tea (See what I did with that?  Huh, huh?  Dune… Spice?), I think you’ll really enjoy this book.  It’s a unique insight into the man who created the greatest, most richly-detailed science fiction saga of all time, a wonderful portrait, lovingly rendered. A must for all science fiction fans.

 

So when is all this happening?

 

Glad you asked. Here’s the schedule as it stands now:

 

11/05/08

THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER

BOOK TWO: THE ILLEARTH WAR

By Stephen R. Donaldson

 

11/27/08 – Happy Thanksgiving!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Charles Dickens

 

12/1/08

SWORD OF THE LAMB

BOOK ONE OF THE PHOENIX LEGACY

By M.K. Wren

 

1/1/09

SHADOW OF THE SWAN

BOOK TWO OF THE PHOENIX LEGACY

By M.K. Wren

 

2/1/09

HOUSE OF THE WOLF

BOOK THREE OF THE PHOENIX LEGACY

By M.K. Wren

 

3/1/09

DREAMER OF DUNE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF FRANK HERBERT

By Brian Herbert

 

4/1/09

THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER

BOOK THREE: THE POWER THAT PRESERVES

By Stephen R. Donaldson. 

 

It’s humbling to realize by the time the first anniversary of Brick By Brick Audiobooks’ first release rolls around, we will have released nine books in these twelve months. And it’s staggering in terms of sleep deprivation, but 2009 will be the beginning of our book-a-month schedule.  That’s right: we’re going monthly, baby!  Twelve books in twelve months. And wait ‘til you hear what surprises we have in store for the second half of 2009.

 

As always, these books will be recorded in glorious 128 kbps sound. And remember, Brick By Brick Audiobook titles are never abridged!

 

POWER THAT PRESERVES - Cover - PBWe’ll be talking to you again in a week or so with more information about these titles: pricing, discounts, that kind of thing. ’Til then, take care and don’t eat all the leftover Halloween candy in one sitting, okay?

 

Oh, sorry, one last nugget of knowledge: at the risk of making this post as long as the manuscript of my first novel, I thought some of you might be interested to know that we’ve been granted permission to release the Covenant novels throughout the world.  So for all you folks in the UK who’ve been frustrated by our contractual limitations, those will be a thing of the past in the very near future!

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Scott

scott@scottbrickpresents.com

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/10/24/brick-by-brick-audiobooks-is-proud-to-bring-you-charles-dickens%e2%80%99-a-christmas-carol-two-thomas-covenant-novels-a-unique-addition-to-the-dune-universe-and-the-phoenix-legacy-trilogy-by-mk-w/feed/ 10 Dragon*Con, Dragon*Con, Dragon*Con — $5 off Scott Brick’s Brick By Brick Audiobooks for Dragon*Con!Or, how an audiobook narrator soothes the pain of missing out on the world’s coolest science fiction convention http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/08/28/dragoncon-dragoncon-dragoncon-5-off-scott-brick%e2%80%99s-brick-by-brick-audiobooks-for-dragonconor-how-an-audiobook-narrator-soothes-the-pain-of-missing-out-on-the-world%e2%80%99s-coolest/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/08/28/dragoncon-dragoncon-dragoncon-5-off-scott-brick%e2%80%99s-brick-by-brick-audiobooks-for-dragonconor-how-an-audiobook-narrator-soothes-the-pain-of-missing-out-on-the-world%e2%80%99s-coolest/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:41:17 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/08/28/dragoncon-dragoncon-dragoncon-5-off-scott-brick%e2%80%99s-brick-by-brick-audiobooks-for-dragonconor-how-an-audiobook-narrator-soothes-the-pain-of-missing-out-on-the-world%e2%80%99s-coolest/ Want Scott to narrate this blog to you?
Right click here to download this Brickcast.

 

Dragon*Con Logo 2008If you’re a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy, like myself, then you realize a trip to Atlanta this weekend for Dragon*Con is like a pilgrim’s journey to Mecca: it’s the Be-All and the End-All of sf/fantasy fandom. It’s an amazing event that features everything you could ask for: authors, celebrities, a fully-stocked dealers’ room, and even a film festival jam-packed with genre films of all lengths and sizes, an amazing conglomeration that must be seen to be believed.


A film I worked on this past year, THE DELIVERY, written and directed by Stefan Rudnicki and Gabrielle DeCuir, will be screening twice during the film festival. One of the screenings will also feature a Q&A afterward, the subject being how to bring the world of science fiction alive through audiobooks. I was supposed to be there this weekend to attend the screenings, take part in the panel discussion, and be on hand to help promote my new audiobook line’s debut series, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson (which you can read about right here for LORD FOUL’S BANE and then over here for FATAL REVENANT). I was so looking forward to sharing memories and stories with other longtime fans out there, so looking forward to getting lightheaded gazing at the vast array of memorabilia for sale in the dealers’ room, so looking forward to the intoxication of full immersion into my favorite genres, but alas, it is not to be. Schedule commitments have kept me grounded this weekend, but my loss might just be your gain.

 

My business partner, Richard Parsons, and I were planning on handing out postcards at the convention, with a special $5 off coupon applicable to any of the books in the Thomas Covenant series for attendees of Dragon*Con. Well, just because I can’t make the con doesn’t mean this coupon should go to waste. So, in honor of the great event, I’m offering anyone who wants it a coupon for $5 off the purchase price of each volume in the Thomas Covenant saga thus far from my website, said coupon code valid for a week after the close of the event. When you click through to the purchase page from scottbrickpresents.com, plug in the code “dragoncon2008,” all one word and lowercase, and you’ll see your purchase price discounted. Just my way of saying thank you for the constant support I’ve received from my brethren in science fiction/fantasy fandom. Hope you all enjoy it.

 

(Mr. Admin says: The coupon will go live on Thursday, August 28; if it doesn’t work when you try it, please try again a few hours later. Thanks!)

 

And if you’re attending Dragon*Con or will be in the Atlanta area, I’d also like to encourage you to attend either of the screenings during the film festival. THE DELIVERY was a terrific project to work on, and features a number of great actors and authors: Harlan Ellison, Orson Scott Card, Michael York, John Rubinstein, Efram Zimbalist, Jr. and Stephanie Zimbalist, just to name a few. All in all, there are nearly twenty people who’ve narrated audiobooks who make appearances in the film, myself included. (Actually, I play one of the instigators, a real fun role named “Scotty.” You’d think they wrote it for me.) My dear friends Stefan Rudnicki and Gabrielle DeCuir, the people who gave me my first job in the audiobook business as well as the amazing talents behind Orson Scott Card’s “Ender” series on audio, created this film from scratch and did a lovely job of it.

 

Check out the DELIVERY trailer here on YouTube, then stop by Dragon*Con for the two screenings, the first at 11:30am and then again at 7:00PM, on Sunday, August 30th. You can get more information about the entire film festival here on Dragon*Con’s website.

 

And I hope you’ll check back here in the next few weeks. I’ve got two blogs coming up that have been a long time in the making. First up will be a bit of advice on how to break into the business of audiobook narration, a question I’m asked about constantly and would love to help people with. Basically you’ll have to make a demo, and my upcoming blog will help you do that. I’ve also got a very important announcement, a list of upcoming titles that will soon be available for download here at scottbrickpresents.com.

 

In the meantime, I hope you’ll excuse me. I’ve got two titles to finish up for Tantor Media, both science fiction titles by the giant of the medium, Frank Herbert. The first one is DRAGON IN THE SEA, and the next one will be WHITE PLAGUE, terrific examples of just how amazing a writer this man was, even when he wasn’t playing in the DUNE sandbox. (Like what I did with that? Huh? See what I did? Dune… SANDbox? Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. No joke too old, no bit too cheap.)

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Scott Brick

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/08/28/dragoncon-dragoncon-dragoncon-5-off-scott-brick%e2%80%99s-brick-by-brick-audiobooks-for-dragonconor-how-an-audiobook-narrator-soothes-the-pain-of-missing-out-on-the-world%e2%80%99s-coolest/feed/ 3 Stephen R. Donaldson’s FATAL REVENANT Audiobook Is Now On Sale! http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-fatal-revenant-audiobook-is-now-on-sale/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-fatal-revenant-audiobook-is-now-on-sale/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 02:02:55 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-fatal-revenant-audiobook-is-now-on-sale/  

FATAL REVENANT - Cover - Medium–> CLICK HERE TO BUY FATAL REVENANT! <–

 

No big post today, ladies and gentlemen, just a quick note to announce that the new audiobook for Stephen R. Donaldson’s FATAL REVENANT is now on sale!

 

Yes, the latest novel in Stephen’s THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER – as well as the second audiobook from Brick by Brick Audio – is now ready for your listening pleasure. I hope you like it as much as I do. You can click here to go to my store and listen to a clip from the book, then buy the download.

 

And, while I’m very happy to have both FATAL REVENANT and LORD FOUL’S BANE for you in one week, I hope you’ll understand if I don’t make it a habit. Someone told me that sleep is actually a good thing…

 

If you haven’t had a chance yet, let me direct you to my previous post where I talk about what Stephen’s Thomas Covenant series has meant to me. Click here to go to that blog entry.

 

I’m going to post a couple quick blogs — one about a quirk when importing the files into iTunes, the other on a survey on the MP3 file sizes I’ve been using — and then take a long winter’s (spring’s) nap.

 

While I’m resting, why don’t you drop me an e-mail at scott@scottbrickpresents.com or a comment on the website to let me know what you think of these two books?

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Scott

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-fatal-revenant-audiobook-is-now-on-sale/feed/ 4 Survey: Do You Burn Audiobook MP3 Files to CD? http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/survey-do-you-burn-audiobook-mp3-files-to-cd/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/survey-do-you-burn-audiobook-mp3-files-to-cd/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 02:01:27 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/survey-do-you-burn-audiobook-mp3-files-to-cd/

Hope you don’t mind me picking your brain for a minute, but wanted to get your thoughts on something.

 

The MP3 files for FATAL REVENANT and LORD FOUL’S BANE are about 75 minutes long each. That was intentional – each part fits on one CD.

 

The question is, do any of you burn these MP3 files onto CD, or do you just keep them digital?

 

Let me know by leaving a comment on this post. This will help me tailor the files and downloads for how people use them.

 

Thanks!

 

Scott

]]> http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/survey-do-you-burn-audiobook-mp3-files-to-cd/feed/ 36 FINALLY, Stephen R. Donaldson’s LORD FOUL’S BANE Hits Audio!Or, An audiobook narrator flagellates himself for taking so damn long getting THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER on audio http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/01/finally-stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-lord-foul%e2%80%99s-bane-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-flagellates-himself-for-taking-so-damn-long-getting-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliev/ http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/01/finally-stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-lord-foul%e2%80%99s-bane-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-flagellates-himself-for-taking-so-damn-long-getting-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliev/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 04:54:15 +0000 Scott http://www.scottbrickpresents.com/wordpress/2008/05/01/finally-stephen-r-donaldson%e2%80%99s-lord-foul%e2%80%99s-bane-hits-audioor-an-audiobook-narrator-flagellates-himself-for-taking-so-damn-long-getting-the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-the-unbeliev/  

Want Scott to narrate this blog to you?
Right click here to download this Brickcast.

 

 

LORD FOUL’S BANE - Cover - LargeMay 1st, 2008. Mean anything to you? Maybe not, maybe it’s nothing more than any other Thursday, maybe you can’t think of a single reason to put a red X on that date in your calendar. But believe me, I can. It’s a huge day in the Brick household, my friends, a day I’ve hoped for lo these last 25 years, a day I’ve worked toward daily for almost a year now.

 

It’s the day THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT become available on audio. That’s right: both Part One, LORD FOUL’S BANE and the latest installment, Part Eight, FATAL REVENANT, are now audiobooks from Brick by Brick audio. (There will be a slight pause while Stephen R. Donaldson fans rejoice, and while I catch my breath. It’s been a lot of work.)

 

Click here to go to the Store to purchase and download LORD FOUL’S BANE right now. LORD FOUL’S BANE is EXCLUSIVE to ScottBrickPresents right now, you can’t get it anywhere else!

 

I first read this series back in college. I’ll never forget the day I spent studying for finals my freshman year in UCLA’s University Research Library. I had a huge dilemma on my hands: study for the Theater History class I was so woefully unprepared for, or learn Covenant’s fate at the end of LORD FOUL’S BANE.

 

Wasn’t much of a choice. I sacrificed my grades that quarter, because the idea of living with the anxiety of not knowing what happened to the Quest for the Staff of Law just didn’t seem plausible

 

I’ve never regretted my decision.

 

I learned a funny thing about those books: they sit with you long after the plots of most novels fade. A literature professor of mine once said the mark of a good fictional character is whether or not the readers spend time asking themselves, “I wonder what this character is doing now?” after they turn the final page. If that’s indeed the benchmark of literary success, then Donaldson succeeded wildly with Thomas Covenant. His dilemmas became my own, his ruminations on power and impotence resonated forcefully in my own relationships, unfortunately, and his bitter growl “Hellfire!” was never far from my mind when things went poorly in life.

 

I also learned I’m not alone in this. There are a TON of Covenant fans out there.

 

At first, I’d find them somewhat stealthily, unexpectedly. The first time was at a party when someone showed off a white gold ring (a major plot point in the Covenant saga). I mentioned the series to this person and was met with a questioning glance: have you read it, did you enjoy it, did the books resonate as much with you as they did with me, that look seemed to say. A nod, a narrowing of the eyes and a sly smile told me I’d just met a brother, a fellow member of an elite fraternity: someone who’d walked in Thomas Covenant’s shoes as I had.

 

Over the years, membership in that club expanded, and I found myself discussing its many virtues with acquaintances, girlfriends, even my mother got hooked on the series. There’s even a website devoted entirely to meeting other Covenant/Donaldson fanatics, Kevinswatch.com, a message board I recently (and proudly) joined. Yet with all the new members in the Covenant club I met, that sly feeling of exclusivity never faded; that feeling that you had participated in something huge, monumental; that you’d read something so painfully lovely that it felt wrong to refer to it as a mere BOOK. I feel it still, all these years later.

 

Of course now, the context has changed somewhat. Now, instead of being the casual reader, I’m what you’d call a PROFESSIONAL reader. I get to travel around the country and give talks, lectures, seminars and the like, sharing with people just what a cool job I have narrating audiobooks, and at these appearances I’m often asked to read a few pages of something, anything, to show the good folks what I do. And for years now, I almost always read a page from LORD FOUL’S BANE, my favorite selection from the entire series, in fact: page 182, where Covenant and the giant Saltheart Foamfollower sail upriver to Revelstone. Foamfollower asks a simple question about storytelling, which inspires an exchange that’s both heart wrenching and lyrical. (Right-click here to download an MP3 where Scott reads his favorite page). Whenever I read this, people always ask me, “Where can I get that, it’s so beautiful, where can I read the whole book?”

 

The first time this happened was a few years back at a lobster bake in Maine put on by the publisher of AudioFile Magazine. I was asked to read a few pages, so, since I was narrating RUNES OF THE EARTH for Penguin at the time, that being the seventh Covenant book and the first one I’d ever done professionally, I thought for nostalgia’s sake I’d trot out something from the first volume. Well, author Ben Cheever was there that day – Ben is the son of John Cheever, and author of THE PLAGARIST, as well as the editor of the recent LETTERS OF JOHN CHEEVER – and he came up to me afterward and said, “You’re recording that right now?” No, I told him, I’m doing part seven in the series at the moment; this is from part one. “Well, where can I get parts one through six?” Cheever asked. “I’ll buy them right now.”

 

That was the first time I ever considered doing what I did: optioning the entire series, and filling in all the volumes. Next time I see Cheever, I’m buying him a beer. And giving him complimentary copies.

 

Because you see, this is the definition of a labor of love. Recording these books doesn’t even seem like work to me. All I can think about is someone experiencing this story for the first time and being blessed by it as I was. That’s enough to make me forget about the long hours and the stifling heat of my non-air-conditioned studio. And getting to work with an author as generous as Stephen R. Donaldson, all to make sure that the pronunciations of this complex language and culture are accurate, is a fan’s dream come true. Stephen has spent hours on the phone, going through an ever-expanding glossary of terms that, by the end of the latest volume, ran to 593 entries. That’s nearly a hundred more than DUNE, folks.

 

Well, as SPINAL TAP’s good friend Marty DiBergi once said, “Hey, enough of my yakkin’!” It’s been a great deal of fun planning and presenting this gift, and now it’s ready. Off come the wrappings, off comes the tag that says “Do not open ‘til May 1st”, out comes the card. To you, from me. Here is the first installment in the Thomas Covenant saga, LORD FOUL’S BANE, followed very shortly by the eighth and latest novel in the series, FATAL REVENANT, by Stephen R. Donaldson. Plans are to record the intervening titles at six month intervals, all of them ultimately becoming available by the time Donaldson finishes the series with Part Ten.

 

 

[Another plug from Mr. Admin, your friendly webmaster: Click here to go to the Store and purchase and download LORD FOUL'S BANE. And remember, LORD FOUL'S BANE is EXCLUSIVE to ScottBrickPresents, you can't get it anywhere else! 'Nuff said.]

 

I hope you enjoy listening to LORD FOUL’S BANE and FATAL REVENANT as much as I did reading them, the first time for myself and now for you. Leave a comment below or drop me an e-mail to scott@scottbrickpresents.com and let me know what you think.

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a bit hectic getting all the last-minute details ironed out, so I’m going to go be unconscious for a while.

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Scott

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LORD FOUL'S BANE - Cover - MediumAs I previously mentioned, the audiobooks for both Stephen R. Donaldson’s FATAL REVENANT: VOLUME TWO OF THE LAST CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT and his LORD FOUL’S BANE: THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER, BOOK 1 will be available on May 1st. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get these two great books to you – the first two audiobooks from my new company– and I think you’ll be very pleased with the results.

 

To thank you for your patience and enthusiasm, as well as whet your appetite for what’s to come, I’ve posted the opening chapter from LORD FOUL’S BANE below.

 

The first novel in his long-running Thomas Covenant series, Stephen’s LORD FOUL’S BANE holds a special place in my heart. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it.

 

Listen to how it all began for Thomas Covenant!
Right-click here to download the first chapter of
LORD FOUL’S BANE.

 

Take care, and I hope it’s cooler in your neck of the woods than it is here in sunny Los Angeles (current temp = 92 degrees F).

 

Best,

 

Scott

April 13, 2008

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