Audiobook Fix: The Best Audio Anthology of All Time (So Far)

Choosing the best audio anthology ever made is actually not as hard a task as you’d think because audio anthologies are, unfortunately, not all that common. In the 1990s, Dove Audio and Durkin Hayes were active in publishing audio anthologies, and Caedmon did a few in the 1970s, but overall, there’s just not a heck of a lot going on in the anthology department in the world of audio. (Please note that I am not talking about single author collections—of those we have many! Next month I’ll reveal what I consider to be the best single author collection on audio.)

So, how does this title grab you: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of the 20th Century? A bold title like that will require scrutiny—do I think these twelve stories are the finest stories of the 20th century? No. But this is, without question, the best audio anthology I have ever heard. All twelve stories are excellent, and all twelve are read by strong narrators, making this anthology extremely worthwhile even if the title sparks disagreement. The anthology was published in 1998 by Dove Audio, and the editor is not attributed on the packaging.

Here are all twelve stories and the narrators:
“Jeffty is Five” by Harlan Ellison, read by Harlan Ellison
“Twilight” by John W. Campbell, Jr., read by Richard McGonagle
“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. LeGuin, read by Nana Visitor
“Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson, read by Arte Johnson
“The Crystal Spheres” by David Brin, read by Alexander Siddig
“That Only a Mother” by Judith Merril, read by Terry Farrell
“Allamagoosa” by Eric Frank Russell, read by James A. Watson
“Tangents” by Greg Bear, read by Melissa Manchester
“The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clarke, read by Alexander Siddig
“Huddling Place” by Clifford D. Simak, read by David Ackroyd
“Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers” by Lawrence Watt-Evans, read by Wil Wheaton
“Fermi and Frost” by Frederick Pohl, read by Denise Crosby

My favorites are “Jeffty is Five,” written and read by Harlan Ellison (a more engaging and energetic narrator would be impossible to find), “Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers” by Lawrence Watt-Evans, read by Wil Wheaton (hearing a young Wheaton read this story makes me wonder why he hasn’t narrated more), and “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson, read by Arte Johnson (a story I never tire of reading, made even more comical by Arte Johnson). Though this title is out of print in hardcopy, Audible still sells it.

Publisher: Dove Audio (Oct. 1998)
Length: 6 hours
Price: $13.12 (audio download)

Now, some runners-up—here are three:

First, an audiobook I’ve already talked about here in this column: L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXIII. Like I said there, great stories and great narration. Also at Audible.

“Primetime” by Douglas Texter, read by Don Leslie
“The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom” by Andrea Kail, read by Stefan Rudnicki
“The Frozen Sky” by Jeff Carlson, read by Carrington McDuffie
“Art and Communication” by L. Ron Hubbard (essay)
“The Stone Cipher” by Tony Pi, read by Stefan Rudnicki
“Obsidian Shards” by Aliette de Bodard, read by Scott Peterson
“Ripping Carovella” by Kim Zimring, read by Scott Brick
“If Only I Had the Time” by Kevin J. Anderson (essay), read by Kevin J. Anderson
“Our Last Words” by Damon Caswell, read by Mirron Willis
“Saturn in G Minor” by Stephen Kotowych, read by Kirby Heyborne
“By the Waters of the Ganga” by Steven Gaskell, read by Stephen Hoye
“Pilgrimage” by Karl Bunker, read by Kirby Heyborne
“Here’s the Thing” by Judith Miller (essay), read by Judith Miller
“The Gas Drinkers” by Edward Sevcik, read by Stefan Rudnicki
“The Phlogiston Age” by Corey Brown, read by Stephen Hoye
“Mask Glass Magic” by John Burridge, read by Gabrielle de Cuir

Publisher: Galaxy Press (Sept. 2007)
Length: 15 hours 25 min.
Price: $16.46

Second, the Legends: Stories by the Masters of Fantasy series of audiobooks, edited by Robert Silverberg. These were released in four audio volumes by Harper Audio in 1998 and contained stories from some of the best fantasy authors we have, set in their popular fantasy universes, and read by some of the best narrators in the business. The late great Frank Muller’s recording of George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” in Volume 4 remains one of my favorite and most frequently revisited audio stories.

Volume 1:
“The Dark Tower: The Little Sisters of Eluria” by Stephen King, read by Frank Muller
“Majipoor: The Seventh Shrine” by Robert Silverberg, read by Sam Tsoutsouvas

Volume 2:
“The Wheel of Time: New Spring” by Robert Jordan, read by Sam Tsoutsouvas
“Discworld: The Sea and Little Fishes” by Terry Pratchett, read by Kathryn Walker
“Tales of Alvin Maker: Grinning Man” by Orson Scott Card, read by Frank Muller

Volume 3:
“The Sword of Truth: Debt of Bones” by Terry Goodkind, read by Sam Tsoutsouvas
“Earthsea: Dragonfly” by Ursula K. Le Guin, read by Kathryn Walker
“Memory, Sorrow, and Thorns: The Burning Man” by Tad Williams, read by Frank Muller

Volume 4:
“Pern: Runner of Pern” by Anne McCaffrey, read by Kathryn Walker
“The Riftwar Saga: The Wood Boy” by Raymond Feist, read by Sam Tsoutsouvas
“A Song of Ice and Fire: The Hedge Knight” by George R.R. Martin, read by Frank Muller

And third, The Reel Stuff, edited by Brian Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg, published in 2000 by dhAudio. This anthology is uneven, but there are a few gems, and the topic of the anthology (stories that were made into films) makes for very interesting listening. What did filmmakers see in these stories that made them see a movie there? Comparing the finished film with the source material is also an enjoyable exercise. Others must think so too—how many times have I heard the phrase, “the book is better”? A used book outlet is your only chance of snagging a copy of this one.

Contents:
“Johnny Mnemonic” by William Gibson, read by Christopher Graybill (FILM: Johnny Mnemonic (1995))
“Amanda and the Alien” by Robert Silverberg, read by Colleen Delany (FILM: Amanda and the Alien (1995—TV))
“Mimic” by Donald A. Wollheim, read by Terence Aselford (FILM: Mimic (1997))
“The Forbidden” by Clive Barker, read by Vanessa Maroney (FILM: Candyman (1992))
“We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick, read by Terence Aselford (FILM: Total Recall (1990))
“Nightflyers” by George R.R. Martin, read by Christopher Graybill (FILM: Nightflyers (1987))
“Air Raid” by John Varley, read by Nannette Savard (FILM: Millennium (1989))
“Sandkings” by George R.R. Martin, read by Richard Rohan (FILM: The Outer Limits: Sandkings (1995))

Publisher: dhAudio (July 2000)
Price: $23.69