The Robert Stanek Short Story & Novella Collection

By: Robert Stanek

Narrated by: Karl Fehr, Gary Ryan

Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Enter the spell-binding worlds of best-selling author Robert Stanek and dream a new dream. The book contains two novellas, two short stories and a special feature exclusive:

• Absolutes: Expertly melds science fact with science fiction. The brilliant boy scientist, Krzysztof Steelbridge, is blinded by ambition and ultimately consumed by it.
• Magic Lands: Following the village elder's advice, Ray leaves his home village, setting out for the place lost and deep where he will find a companion for his journey to the stone land and where he will discover that there is no easy path.
• Silence Is Golden: In the distant future, the universe is controlled by Majority-1. Their rule is supreme. No one dares stand against them, and so it is against all odds that Ev tries to make a stand against them. To do so, however, she must sacrifice everything and everyone that she holds dear.
• August Rains: Former teacher and principal John Anderson must face the demons of his past.
• Exploring Ruin Mist: A guidebook to Robert Stanek's The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches.

©2005 Robert Stanek (P)2005 Reagent Press

A memorable and entertaining audiobook

The Robert Stanek Short Story collection begins with an introduction to the author and the stories in the collection, and includes 4 stories plus several bonus materials. I'm an avid reader and listener, and for me this was a good choice. The collection has several different readers.

The first story in the collection is Magic Lands Journey Beyond the Beyond, the longest and best selection. This is the story of a young man named Ray who sets out to prove himself to his village by journeying to the "place lost and deep." This journey is a rite of passage for his people, and like any rite of passage there are things Ray must do on his journey. Ray's encounters with strange creatures, an outsider girl, and an old man shape his journey.

Magic Lands Journey Beyond the Beyond is followed by a bonus excerpt from The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches. This excerpt introduces the story of Vilmos. The narrator for both of these selections is very, very good.

Silence is Golden is the next story. This is the story of Ev who must make a terrible dark choice. While this is selection is fairly short, it is thoughtprovoking and interesting. I didn't like the narrator for this selection very much, but the story made up for it.

Silence is Golden is followed by August Rains. This is the story of John Anderson who is reminscing his past through a visit to the schoolhouse where he taught. This story is sentimental and moving in many ways, and I story I listened to a second time immediately to catch all the nuances.

Absolutes is the final story in the collection. Like Magic Lands, it is fairly long and quite well done. I liked how the story twists around back on itself and the science behind the fiction is interesting.

I thought this was a good collection. I wish the second narrator had been as good as the first, but the stories make up for it. I had to adjust the EQ settings on my iPod for the second narrator.

Memorable, Entertaining, Thought Provoking

I thought this book was great, overall. The stories were engaging, particularly enjoyed "Silence is Golden" and "Absolutes". I've listened to those stories several times. I also liked "August Rains" and that is one my wife liked a lot as well. In the end, it was a book that provoked thought and got me involved. For those reasons, I give it high marks.

Pure Excellence!

R. Stanek has an amazing ability to get into the mind of the characters. This book includes four well-written, well-narrated stories. Magic Lands is an adventure - a wonderful, enchanting story. Silence Is Golden has suspense and mystery. Absolutes - my favorite - has twists and turns. August Rains is somber and compelling. Read it all..you will be rewarded for your efforts! Bravo!

Sleeper Hits of the Year!

Robert Stanek's Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches have to be the sleeper hits of the year. They've been the #1 or close to #1 bestsellers on Audible all year long. Something I have never seen before.

Saw the bad reviews of this book coming as soon as a review mentioned it was worthy of an Audie what with Scott Brick fanboys running around trashing every popular book on this site not read by Brick while praising just about everything he narrates.

This book truly truly is exceptionally well done. The book has several narrators and they change from story to story so if you don't like one you are sure to like another. I continue to be amazed at the depth and quality of Stanek's writing. His characters are both fascinating and well drawn. The stories themselves give you lots to chew on.

As a fan of Robert Stanek's Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches I was thrilled by the special "Exploring Ruin Mist" feature. That section alone was worth the price of the book to me.

Such an amazing story to tell

Having just finished The Narnian I couldn't help comparing the experiences of Lewis and Tolkien to Stanek. Stanek has such an amazing story to tell and this highly interesting book provides so many insights not to mention four very good stories. I enjoyed learning more about this magnificent author and travelling the Kingdoms.

Good stories well told

Between my brother, son, uncle, and I, we've bought and listened to hundreds of audio books. We have all of Robert Stanek's books in audio too. My favorites of his books are The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches. Once you get to the Elves of the Reaches #2 and beyond its all pure gold, and in many ways even more enjoyable to listen to a 2nd or 3rd time. This collection of Stanek's stories, I got especially for me. The audio includes more than is listed. It starts with an introduction to the author, which is well done and informative, then it goes into the four main stories. There are several bonus inserts as well, one extra is an excerpt from The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches. Another extra is a guide to the world of the kingdoms and reaches. All three are good additions for both new and long-time readers of this amazing author.

The collected stories are all different, and there's something for avid readers of just about any genre. August Rains is my sentimental favorite, it reads more like literary fiction, and I enjoyed getting to know the story's protagonist, John Anderson. In the story, John is returning to a place rich in his thoughts and memories, and it's simply a wonderful story you can listen to over and over. Silence is Golden also touched a deep part of me because the underlying premise is of the very real problem with the death of language and culture. Stanek's story is a precautionary tale about the devastion caused by the loss of language, heritage, and culture. Absolutes is pure science fiction. On the surface like the other stories it is about one thing--the quest for the final absolute--but under the surface there's a much deeper subtext about the danger of obsessiveness and the danger of being driven the point of needing absolute absolution to salvage one's self. Those three stories are my favorites, and the depth of emotion Stanek evokes reminds me of Philip K. Dick. The final story is Journey Beyond, a coming of age story.

Wow! What a fun book!

This story collection has four top notch stories. As a fan of Robert Stanek's The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches I highly enjoyed the section on the world of Ruin Mist (which is the world the kingdoms books take place in). Not to undervalue the collected stories, but that alone was worth the price of the book for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this selection, and would choose it again. This is one of the best books I have listened to from Audible.

A worhwhile listen

Such a good collection of stories, all different but with similarly haunting themes. I can't see how anyone regardless of tastes wouldn't like at least one or more of the stories. I've been listening to audio books on tape for the better part of twenty years, and I know a good book when I hear it. This is a varied collection with multiple narrators and with something for all tastes.

This audio includes Stanek's Magic Lands book which is a fantasy, Silence is Golden which is scifi, Absolutes which is part science fact and part scifi, and August Rains which is more contempary fiction. enjoyed all four stories and the characters in the stories from Ev in "Silence is Golden" to "Krys" in "Absolutes." The extra "Exploring Ruin Mist" section I could take or leave, but this was added as a bonus anyway. I'll definitely listen to this one again.

A MUST for your audio collection!

What more can you ask for? Two novellas, two short stories, and a cool extra. In short, simply fabulous. If this book in anyway piques your interest, then you definitely should select it.

YES. YES. YES.

This is the best I've seen in years! The writing is top notch, strong story-telling at its best. I absolutely and completely loved "Silence is Golden" and "Absolutes". I was moved by "August Rains" and the special feature on Robert Stanek's The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches was outstanding. I highly recommend this and anything else by this author.