Rip-Off! Audiobook By John Scalzi, Jack Campbell, Mike Resnick, Allen Steele, Lavie Tidhar, Nancy Kress, Gardner Dozois - editor cover art

Rip-Off!

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Rip-Off!

By: John Scalzi, Jack Campbell, Mike Resnick, Allen Steele, Lavie Tidhar, Nancy Kress, Gardner Dozois - editor
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Scott Brick, Christian Rummel, Jonathan Davis, Stefan Rudnicki, L. J. Ganser, Khristine Hvam
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Audie Award Finalist, Original Work, 2014

In Rip-Off!, 13 of today’s best and most honored writers of speculative fiction face a challenge even they would be hard-pressed to conceive: Pick your favorite opening line from a classic piece of fiction (or even non-fiction) - then use it as the first sentence of an entirely original short story.

In the world of Rip-Off!, "Call me Ishmael" introduces a tough-as-nails private eye - who carries a harpoon; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz inspires the tale of an aging female astronaut who’s being treated by a doctor named Dorothy Gale; and Huckleberry Finn leads to a wild ride with a foul-mouthed riverboat captain who plies the waters of Hell.

Once you listen to Rip-Off! you’ll agree: If Shakespeare or Dickens were alive today, they’d be ripping off the authors in this great collection.

The stories included in Rip-Off! are:

  • "Fireborn" by Robert Charles Wilson
  • "The Evening Line" by Mike Resnick
  • "No Decent Patrimony" by Elizabeth Bear
  • "The Big Whale" by Allen M. Steele
  • "Begone" by Daryl Gregory
  • "The Red Menace" by Lavie Tidhar
  • "Muse of Fire" by John Scalzi
  • "Writer’s Block" by Nancy Kress
  • "Highland Reel" by Jack Campbell
  • "Karin Coxswain or Death as She Is Truly Lived" by Paul Di Filippo
  • "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal
  • "Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air" by Tad Williams
  • "Declaration" by James Patrick Kelly

As a bonus, the authors introduce their stories, explaining what they ripped-off - and why.

Rip-Off! was produced in partnership with SFWA - Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. Gardner Dozois served as project editor.

The full list of narrators includes: Wil Wheaton, Scott Brick, Christian Rummel, Jonathan Davis, Khristine Hvam, L.J. Ganser, Stefan Rudnicki, David Marantz, Nicola Barber, Dina Pearlman, Allyson Johnson, Marc Vietor, and Ilyana Kadushin.

©2012 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Anthologies & Short Stories Science Fiction Funny Witty

Critic reviews

"Thirteen authors, eight narrators--this themed anthology has something for everyone…. Longtime narrators Scott Brick and Stefan Rudnicki rub elbows with Star Trek alum Wil Wheaton and five others. The varied narrators mean that there's no common delivery style, but it's safe to say that everyone involved was having fun." (AudioFile)
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Very enjoyable all around, with the notable exception of the Resnick story. It was the same stupid gag over and over (Shrewish gold-digging women who beat up on gambling addicted men). It's like watching a cringy painfully outdated cartoon with no plot. Almost put me off the whole collection, but glad I continued because the rest are well written and well told.

Good stories, good narrators, except one.

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Interesting concept. Most of the stories were interesting, fun, and or witty. A couple were heart wrenching. And a couple had great twists. Most of the authors respected the works they were "ripping off" but one clearly had minimal familiarity with the source and seems to mistake abuse for humor.

Some great, others...

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Normally, I don't enjoy short stories because, well, they are short. However, I LOVED nine of these stories and really enjoyed the rest of them. These short stories I will listen to multiple times. Each is short, but complete. The narrators are perfect complements to each story. A collection not just for short story fans, but for all speculative fiction fans!

Famous first lines launch all new stories!

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Would you consider the audio edition of Rip-Off! to be better than the print version?

N/A

What other book might you compare Rip-Off! to and why?

None come to mind, other than compilations of short stories variously over time, but none with this particular take on the themes.

Which scene was your favorite?

The takeoff on the bewitched TV show was first rate and very humorous- as well as poignant, oddly enough...

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several- but I wont spoil it for you! ;)

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend SCIFI fans to this book- but a warning: There is some fantasy here as well. For some that's a good thing, if you don't like fantasy then there are a few stories that will grate on you.

Some delightful must-reads(listens) on here!

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...but the rest ... not so much. In some they seem to try too hard to make their stories fit the theme - taking a first line from a great book and winging it from there. Frankly, I was unimpressed, even though there were tales by some of my favorite authors.

Some of the stories are pretty good

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Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed these stories:
"Fireborn" by Robert Charles Wilson
"The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal
"Highland Reel" by Jack Campbell
"Muse of Fire" by John Scalzi
"Declaration" by James Patrick Kelly

Any additional comments?

Getting to hear some wild idéas/stories from some great authors in a fun way. I don't regret buying and listening to Rip-off, as I have learned about a few other writers and want to listen to some of their other works.

Great variety of genres in (Sci)Fi

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Where does Rip-Off! rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Some of the stories were amazing and I wanted more, some were hard to get into and a little bit strange. Short stories can be like that though.

Would you recommend Rip-Off! to your friends? Why or why not?

sure - but see the above comment

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration was really good. It helped the differences between the stories stand out.

Had highs and lows

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I quite enjoyed this collection of stories. The premise is simple, copy the first line from a famous literary work and spin it out into something else. Something in the science fiction/ fantasy genres. The results vary from somewhat somber to laugh out loud zany. Some stuck close to the original genre while others took a more creative approach.

The stories are, with perhaps one exception that I can think of right now, mostly free of bad language. The wide variety of styles make this an enjoyable listen and worthy of your attention. Recommended.

A fun collection

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Would you consider the audio edition of Rip-Off! to be better than the print version?

The narration by some of these narrators was great. The book introduced my to some new narrators I will seek out.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like the "Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air" story. I thought the concept was great and I had a great chuckle. Great job Tad Williams.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the opening story. The imagery of folks flying through the sky was done well. I enjoyed "Highland Reel", the concept was great with a good story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was taken by Wil Wheaton's narration, he surprised me. As I said previously, Tad Williams' story was a good touching story. The astronaut story was touching.

Any additional comments?

I truly enjoyed this book. Thank you.

Great short stories!!

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I only read books that are part of a series, this is my first collection of short stories and I couldn't be happier with my purchase! I had previously read/listened to at least one book from every author that took part in Rip-Off! which is what caught my attention to begin with. Many of the stories leave you wanting more, which is a great thing to me, and all of them were narrated wonderfully. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in fantasy and/or sci-fi.

Fantastic

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