Walter Koenig's Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot

By: Walter Koenig, Deniz Cordell

Narrated by: Walter Koenig, The Colonial Radio Players

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

From the mind of Walter Koenig (Star Trek: The Original Series, Babylon 5) comes Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot - a science-fiction comedy unlike anything you've ever heard before! When an alien invasion annihilates most of humanity, it's up to a small pocket of survivors to restart civilization. There's just one problem: they're all losers.

From an Irish pub to the Florida Everglades, from the outermost reaches of space to the innermost regions of the mind, join a rag-tag group of humans and aliens as they face the end of one way of life and the beginning of another.

Packed with absurdity, pathos, wry observations, about human nature, and a story that will keep you on your toes until the final word, Buck Alice is an emotional journey you'll want to take again and again.

With a full-cast, a sweeping original music score, and thousands of sound effects, the award winning Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air proudly presents a black comedy with a heart that pumps slightly acidic blood. Grab a manhole cover and prepare yourself for a story that begins when all others end - Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot!

©2010 Walter Koenig (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Fun, but not really my taste

This could be a 5 for you. If you enjoy a freestyle romp with the type of humor common to the smoking gun and airplane movies, then this may be your type of show. It did not work for me. The parody was too goofy.

It is too bad, as I appreciate Mr. Keonig (he is why I got this) and his ability as an artist. The players also seem to be competent.

I wanted to like this, but no

The dramatization is based on Walter Koenig's novel of the same name. In a "cd extras" interview at the end of the book, Koenig said that his original novel met with mixed reviews at its first publishing. Although I really wanted to like the performance, I am unable to do so.

The story, even with different actors for different characters was silly and incoherent. I was reminded of badly done Douglas Adams. Interestingly, also in the interview, his novel is compared to work by Adams. Koenig says that he hadn't read any Adams when he wrote the novel, but he was grateful for the interviewer saying his stuff is similar.

As Koenig said, his novel gets mixed reviews, so some, if not many, will enjoy this story of space alien invasion in which all the regular humans are killed at the first attack and only losers who were out of the way of the original attack survived. I am glad this was only $2.95, but I will be sending it back.

If you love sci-fi & Walter Koenig!!!!

I read Buck Alice a million years ago and loved the book. When I found this Colonial Radio Theater's version I was thrilled. This recording followed the book perfectly. Combining Colonial Radio Theater & Walter Koenig was a brilliant idea. The story runs smoothly and the music, voices and sound effects enhance the story. We have listened to this several times while traveling and each time we enjoy it more. If you love listening and using your imagination as much as I do this is a perfect story for you. Love Colonial Radio Theater!