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The Midwich Cuckoos
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an exceptional recording of an exceptional novel.
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Overall
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an exceptional recording of an exceptional novel.
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Overall
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Too good
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- Narrated by: full cast
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- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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The Kraken Wakes
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- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Journalist Mike Watson and his wife, Phyllis, trace it back to the strange showering lights they noticed on the final day of their honeymoon cruise; lights which appeared to land and disappear into the water. Reports mount of similar sightings all over the world. Governments embark on missions to investigate the sea, but ships disappear and diving crews never return to the surface. Something deep in the ocean does not want to be disturbed.
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They come over here stealing our deep places...
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John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection
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- By: John Wyndham
- Narrated by: Bill Nighy, Peter Sallis, Barbara Shelley
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Nighy, Barbara Shelley and Peter Sallis are among the cast in six classic BBC Radio dramatisations of stories by one of Britain's most popular science fiction authors. 'The Day of the Triffids', first broadcast in 1968, is set in a world in which most people have been left blind after a meteor shower, and lethal carnivorous triffids are roaming the land. 'The Kraken Wakes', dramatised for radio in 1998, is a gripping story of monsters from the deep, alien invasion and ecological disaster.
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A poorly assembled collection by Audible
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- Narrated by: Greg Wise
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Greg Wise reads Pierre Boulle's chilling, iconic novel about a nightmare world where apes rule over men. In a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light, Ulysse, a journalist, sets off from Earth for the nearest solar system. He finds there a planet which resembles his own, except that on Soror humans behave like animals and are hunted by a civilised race of primates.
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It's the 23rd Century and at age 21... your life is over! Logan-6 has been trained to kill; born and bred from conception to be the best of the best. But his time is short and before his life ends he's got one final mission: Find and destroy Sanctuary, a fabled haven for those that chose to defy the system. But when Logan meets and falls in love with Jessica, he begins to question the very system he swore to protect and soon they're both running for their lives.
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As an immense cloud of gas enters the solar system, it blocks the sun, threatening to wipe out most of life on Earth. In Britain, a team of scientists gathers at a secret location to deal with the crisis. But as the months pass, what they learn will challenge everything they believe about the nature of life and the universe.
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Skip the intro!
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A runaway planet hurtles toward Earth. As it draws near, massive tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions wrack our planet, devastating continents, drowning cities, and wiping out millions. In central North America, a team of scientists race to build a spacecraft powerful enough to escape the doomed Earth. Their greatest threat, they soon discover, comes not from the skies but from other humans.
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World Smashingly Good
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Performance
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Story
The story of The Tripods was the basis of a popular BBC television series in the 1980s, where humanity has been conquered and enslaved by "the tripods", unseen alien entities that travel about in gigantic three-legged walking machines.
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'Tacked on' to the Trilogy
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- Unabridged
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Uncanny prediction of today's world of automation.
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H.G. Wells: The Science Fiction Collection
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Known as ‘The Father of Science Fiction’, Herbert George Wells’ writing career spanned over 60 years. He was a writer of novels, short stories, nonfiction books and articles. As a young man, Wells won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London, sparking his infamous vocation as a science fiction writer. Introduced by film director and H. G. Wells fanboy Eli Roth, this collection features unabridged recordings of the novels performed by Hugh Bonneville, Jason Isaacs, Sophie Okonedo, David Tennant and Alexander Vlahos.
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Excellent narration; mixed content
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Who Goes There?
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- By: John W. Campbell
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Who Goes There?, the novella that formed the basis of the film The Thing, is the John W. Campbell classic about an antarctic research camp that discovers and thaws the ancient body of a crash-landed alien.
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Wonderful if a little talky
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The Star Diaries
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- By: Stanislaw Lem
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Ijon Tichy, Lem's Candide of the Cosmos, encounters bizarre civilizations and creatures in space that serve to satirize science, the rational mind, theology, and other icons of human pride.
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Makes one think, laugh, and imagine...
- By Bianca on 12-12-13
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The Fog
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- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
The peaceful life of a village in Wiltshire is suddenly shattered by a disaster which strikes without reason or explanation, leaving behind it a trail of misery and horror. A yawning, bottomless crack spreads through the earth, out of which creeps a fog that resembles no other. Whatever it is, it must be controlled; for wherever it goes it leaves behind a trail of disaster as hideous as the tragedy that marked its entry into the world. The fog, quite simple, drives people insane.
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Great stuff
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The Snow Killer
- The DI Barton Series, Book 1
- By: Ross Greenwood
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- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
A family is gunned down in the snow, but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge, and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing - no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold. 50 years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather - each time it snows, another person dies.
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Outstanding
- By Andromeda's Twin on 28-11-19
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Survivors
- By: Terry Nation
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- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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A deadly virus spreads across the world as quickly as the passenger jets that encircle it. Within weeks most of the global population is dead. The human race is thrown back into the dark ages. The few left alive must rely on the most basic skills to survive one day to the next. Abby Grant ventures out into a strange new England, her husband dead, the fate of her son unknown. Jenny Richards flees London. Engineer Greg Preston arrives from abroad.
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Almost ruined by the Americanisation of the text
- By catsatcastle on 10-07-16
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My Man Jeeves
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: David Thorn
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Wodehouse introduces us once again to the "wonder butler" Jeeves, who, as usual is able to solve any and all of Bertie Wooster's endless problems with ease and finesse. And he also introduces us to a character not dissimilar to Bertie . . . by name of Reggie. Such fun to follow Jeeves in the hijinks!
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Delightful stories, shame about reader
- By Fiona Nogawa on 09-09-17
Summary
Critic reviews
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5 Stars31
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4 Stars11
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3 Stars2
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2 Stars0
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5 Stars29
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4 Stars13
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3 Stars4
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Tim
- Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- 17-02-07
Loved It
I am great fan of the original book and I very much enjoyed this interpretion. It did maybe over simplify the story a little too much in parts, but that did not distract from the overall enjoyment.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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- Fiona
- Oxfordshire
- 08-06-17
Perfect!
This is just perfect - a thought-provoking, clever book. The writing is beautiful - John Wyndham is an artist at work, and this is wonderfully acted. All the actors are great, and I'd pick out Bill Nighy for being particularly perfect in the role, and for having a lovely voice!
This book is a piece of the fabric our our world, and there really isn't any reason not to love it.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Firenze
- 12-07-17
Excellence
Brilliant adaptation. Actor's are superbly cast. As a child I was terrified of the film!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Jj
- 04-02-15
Gripping
I really enjoy these type of audio books. I sometimes prefer the narrators to be people I don't know so I can create my own images in my mind. Having said that it was well dramatised. Being such a classic it was thoroughly entertaining. Worth a listen
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Pippa
- UK
- 10-11-13
Fab - great dramatisation
What did you like most about The Midwich Cuckoos?
Good story, solid audio version, nicely interpreted and brought up-to-date
What did you like best about this story?
Great narration, and the updating for a modern twist.
What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Bill Nighy is great as a languorous, rather useless male!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
Great version, highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Jim Richardson
- Northumberland
- 03-12-18
Excellent
Beautifully read, acted and performed... What more needs to be said other than get it today....
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- Steph H
- United Kingdon
- 21-03-16
Brilliant!!
I love this story and generally love all John Wyndham stories. This is a great adaptation of this and a really good listen.
Highly recommended
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- Edmund
- 17-04-15
Really worth trying... spooky beyond belief.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This audiobook definitely deserves a recommendation. It is one of the few performances that generally gives me the chills.
The children are just too creepy and the performance makes that brilliant.
What does Bill Nighy and Sarah Parish bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Bill turns a god performance (as you would expect) his flippant nature turns to serious and Nighy shows his full amazing range.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This is one that can definitely be digested in one sitting. It can be done though there is a good point for a pause in the middle.
Any additional comments?
I would heartily recommend this. Not only is it a good production of a good story, its been performed brilliantly, bringing this chilling story to your (should be) eager ears.
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- Sarah
- 15-08-09
Quite good - except for the screaming
I hadn't read any John Wyndham books since I was a kid, but lately I've been really into BBC radio serials, so I thought I'd give this a try (and heck, who can resist Bill Nighy? I always love his performances).
Overall, this is a great production, and fairly recent, so some of the more dated aspects (the whole stereotypical '1950s housewives' attitude was one of the reasons I hadn't loved the book whn I read it years ago, for example) have been toned down or confined to a general 'women are more attached to their children than men' approach.
However.
I don't recommend listening to this while lying on the couch trying to relax on a Sunday afternoon, because every 5 minutes some female character lets out the kind of ear-piercing, sustained shriek that has you jumping out of your chair and lunging for the EQ because you feel like your eardrums are about to perforate themselves. (The Chysalids dramatization has the same problem.)
So: definitely buy this, but it's best to listen to while, say, cleaning the house.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Taj
- 21-02-19
Well acted and easy listen
I thought all the actors were great and the SFX were done well, and beautifully scored
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- Cynthia
- 25-07-17
Very creepy!.
Saw the movie when I was a child. This acting was great and and the sound effects were also for a radio book play.
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- Andrew Migliore
- 17-01-15
Survival of the species
Good story with descent cast. The actor playing the professor is spot on. There are often times the dialog has a definite improv feel to it. Bill Nighy doesn't lend the needed gravitas to a situation were aliens have invaded with superior powers and about to go off to propagate their species... putting at risk the future of humanity. Personally I enjoyed the 1960s movie better but this is still an enjoyable audiobook.
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- Thomas
- 25-12-09
First rate
Very well done. Bill Nighy is his usual delightful self, and Clive Merrison also contributes a solid performance. This is, in many ways, one of Wyndham's more horrifying stories. As a longtime fan of Wyndham's work, I'm happy to say that the spirit of his novel comes through loud and clear. If you appreciate good, intelligent radio drama, this is for you.