Science Fiction Radio

Atom Age Adventures

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: Ernest Chappell

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

From the late 1940's through the 1950's, in a world where space travel and nuclear annihilation were no longer merely the stuff of fantasy, science fiction began to achieve a new popularity. And, the work of noted genre writers began to be adapted in movies and radio programs. Based (however implausibly) on science, these radio broadcasts reflected the depths of the nation's fears, and the boundlessness of its imagination. The science fiction series presented here - including "X Minus One", "2000 Plus", and "Exploring Tomorrow" - offer adventures that seek to find a place for humanity in a world of machines, weighing the value of life and beauty against automated convenience and cold efficiency. The mission of science fiction is more than an exploration of space and time. It is also an exploration of man's values… of who we are, and who we want to be. This 10-hour collection includes 22 digitally remastered and restored atom age episodes.

Episodes Include: "X Minus One: The Cave of Night" 02-01-56, "C-Chute" 02-08-56, "The Lifeboat Mutiny" 09-11-56, "Sam, This is You" 10-31-56, "Honeymoon in Hell" 12-26-56, "Something for Nothing" 04-10-57, "The Discovery of Mornial Mathaway" 04-17-57, "Man's Best Friend" 04-24-57; "2000 Plus: The Brooklyn Brain" 06-21-50, "The Green Thing" 09-27-50; "Worlds Apart" 11-15-50, "The Insect" 08-15-51; "Hall of Fantasy: The Automaton" 02-27-53; "Exploring Tomorrow: The Adventure of the Beauty Queen" 1958, "First Baby in Space (a.k.a. Space Baby)" 1958; "Escape: Conqueror's Isle" 01-11-53, "North of Polaris" 05-17-53; "Quiet Please: One for the Book" 11-21-48, "Very Unimportant Person" 12-05-48; "Suspense: Report From a Dead" Planet 07-10-60, "Twenty-Four Sixty-Two" 01-21-62, "Doom Machine" 03-04-62

©2009 RSPT LLC (P)2009 RSPT LLC

Old time fun around the radio!

Being born in 1969, I missed this period of entertainment, but now I can imagine looking forward to these shows. The stories are pretty standard sci-fi cautionary tales; don't destroy the earth, beware of artificial intelligence and the like. However, I really enjoyed the style of the performances. The accents, the phrases and even the sense of justice are fascinating to listen to.

Old times Radio

Some of radio's best. Mr. Asimov picked shoes to expand our understanding of what is possible.

Great collection of SIFI stories

What made the experience of listening to Science Fiction Radio the most enjoyable?

I really liked most of the short stories in this audio book, most will surprise with a nice twist at the end. I really like 'old' SIFI I get totally immersed into the storytelling. It takes me back to my youth as well ;-)

What other book might you compare Science Fiction Radio to and why?

None, I didn't expect much when I started this book, but I was very positively surprised after I listened to the first few stories. I like to walk at night under the Hawaiian night sky and listening to these stories made my walk ever so more enjoyable.

Have you listened to any of Ernest Chappell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

At times it make you think about some of the SIFI dreams the writer(s) had back then and what happened to those dreams. Why have our space exploration dreams halted? Well maybe Jerry Pournelle said it best (paraphrased here): progress in space exploration has halted, because progress does require a delicate balance between investment in progress versus investing in entitlements. Unfortunately our society's goal is now feeding entitlements which causes most of society's effort is wasted on bureaucrats reading each other's emails.

Entertaining Mix of 1950s Sci-Fi

This is a collection that samples science fiction radio drama from a variety of programs. Most are from the 1950s. The stories range from the dramatic to the comical and provide an introduction to the most popular programs that delved into speculative fiction.

A Time Capsule

How will the future judge our stories and broadcasts. This is a taste of what to expect.

A Wonderful Collection

Any additional comments?

I'm an expert on old-time radio and this is a must-have collection for anyone who is interested in an introduction to the medium. It is a collection of half hour shows from various sci-fi programs ranging from the 1940's to the early 1960's. This collection does a great job of presenting a good representation of what science fiction was like during that time period. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

9.6 / 10