Stars

Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian

By: Janis Ian (editor), Mike Resnick

Narrated by: Janis Ian, Gabrielle De Cuir, Emily Rankin, Stefan Rudnicki, Susan Hanfield, Kathe Mazur, Paul Boehmer, Kristoffer Tabori

Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

Janis Ian and 30 top science fiction writers team up to create an astonishing book of original short fiction. Stars is a huge anthology in both volume and talent. Each story, available only here, is based on a Janis Ian song that meant something special to the author, who then wrote the story expressly for Stars, creating a meld of jazz, prose, and science fiction found nowhere else - a treasure trove for fans of both SF and Janis Ian!

Ian, who won the Grammy Award for spoken-word entertainment for Society's Child, joins the cast of this intimate and unique audiobook to narrate portions of Stars and also to perform the music that inspired each story.

This edition of Stars also features an original new story by Michael Swanwick, "For I Have Lain Me Down on the Stone of Loneliness and I'll Not Be Back Again", based on "Mary's Eyes", a Janis Ian song that has always moved him to tears.

Stars was compiled and edited by Mike Resnick and Janis Ian and includes stories by Nebula winners and such science fiction greats as Joe Haldeman, Jane Yolen, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, and more. It also includes Ian's first original story, "Prayerville".

As Janis herself says, "The stories have heart. They have life. They have truth. They move me. As an artist, I can ask for nothing more."

©2003 Janis Ian and Mike Resnick (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"The narrators are paired perfectly with the stories. All are emotionally involved in these tales of outer space, the supernatural, and other sci-fi topics. Accents, emotions, intonation, and tension hold the listener's attention. Alien words are interspersed smoothly with standard English. This anthology takes the listener to new worlds and old and is perfect for hours of discovery." (AudioFile)

Listening was even better than reading!

Would you consider the audio edition of Stars to be better than the print version?

Yes, which surprised me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Stars?

Janis Ian reading Kage Baker's story

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

The maiden aunts, in Nightmare Mountain as read by Janis Ian

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

Loved the whole thing

Any additional comments?

Never thought I'd get more out of listening than reading a book, but in this case I did.

Well crafted storied of death and dispair

I didn't remember the songs of Janis Ian being so hopeless and negative, but apparently doom, death and hopelessness are the themes all of these writers decided to address. The stories are well-crafted and if these themes appeal to you, it's well worth reading.