Zoe Sounds Good
Posted on September 15, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 21 Comments
I got my copy of the Zoe’s Tale audiobook today, and have been listening to certain parts of it that I was hoping the narrator wouldn’t mess up, and I’m really extraordinarily happy to say that, in fact, the narrator here has done a really fine job of it and nailed several of the critical scenes pretty much exactly right, and also in a general sense has done good work capturing Zoë’s voice and tone and feel (as well as those of most of the other characters as well). Since I feel very protective of Zoë as a character, you can assume I was ready to be critical of whomever the narrator would be, so the fact I’m happy with the rendition should be taken as taken as a positive sign.
So, thank you, Tavia Gilbert, for taking good care of Zoë while you read her. I do appreciate it. For the rest of you: man, you are so going to cry in places. Be prepared.
I thought you read it for the audio version. That would have been double plus good.
But weird since your male and Zoe aint. Never mind. How’s that tree?
I just finished listening, and yes, I so did cry in places.
I was listening in the car on a long drive home, and couldn’t even stop somewhere for dinner because my eyes were too puffy and red. Had to do drive-through.Thanks a lot for that . . . .
Chris:
I prefer to have people who are actually trained in audio to do the audio of my books when possible. There might come a time when I’m good enough to actually read one of my novels out loud for more than a small group of people at a reading, but right now is not that time.
KarenP:
Sorry about that.
(Actually not sorry, but you know what I mean.)
Great. I already cried when read the bleeding book, sitting in an airport and tired and stressed and reading things that f’d me up. So now, I get to get the audio book and get to hear her say these things.
And i sadly can’t wait to hear it – broken, that’s me.
(I am glad – the audio of Sagan’s diary was magnificent, and Zoe’s tale is the book i’ll be using to get my wife hooked or OMW-verse)
hmm, I didn’t cry, but it was a damn good story.
Good story but Zoe (you) should’ve studied her (your) math. When you have N groups (teams) you can have N*(N-1)/2 fights, not N² fights, because A vs B = B vs A and A vs A is meaningless. Even if you decide that A vs B is different from B vs A, you have at most N*(N-1) fights. So, 10 groups of young males from 10 different planets => 45 (90) possible fights, 9 groups => 36 (72) fights, etc.
pedant alert: “of whoever the narrator would be.”
the object of the preposition is the relative clause “who the narrator would be” (the “ever” doesn’t change that). If the verb in the relative clause took an object that was relativized, (I can’t think of a really likely one but) “whom the narrator would flatter” then you can have “whomever.”
You wouldn’t say, “the narrator would be her,” would you? Well, actually, yes, you probably would, because “the narrator would be she” sounds really dorky. But it’s the principle, darn it.
The next person who tries to explain to me the error of math in the casual conversation of two sixteen year-old-girls is going to get such a smack.
John, basic permutations here are taught in 3ª or 4ª elementare to 8 or 9 years old children, or maybe even before (I distinctly remember the first example, with colored squares). And the basic rule is one of the single most useful math tricks you know at that age, because it tells you how many matches you have to play when you start a football/basketball/whatever championship with your friends.
Giacomo, I’m really happy for you that your fourth graders know permutations. It makes me all warm inside, it does. In the book, however, they make a casual error in their math. Please try as best you can to deal with it.
But… but… but… it’s an ERROR! It’s WRONG! WRONG, I tell you!
(I think I’m going to hide under my desk and cry a little. Unless you correct it in the paperback. Can you correct it, please?)
I may correct it simply to keep people from bothering me about it, yes.
Oh, thank you, now I can get out from under the desk. People were looking at me with strange faces.
Also, I have an idea for the fixed scene: you could add a nice and charming young man, named, oh, I think Giacomo would do, who could casually overheard Zoe and Gretchen and gracefully insert himself into the conversation to correct the unfortunate mathematical error. What do you think?
I imagine he would then be summarily cubed by Hickory and Dickory.
I imagine he would then be summarily cubed by Hickory and Dickory.
Do what you want about any math errors, but I would totally buy the paperback (I already own the hardcover) just for that scene. ;)
Yeah, while you’re fixing shit, why don’t you add a little segment entitled, “Cooking with Hickory and Dickory”. It would make a fine addition for all those angry chefs out there who feel so unloved in today’s literature. Their first lesson could be on properly cubing their meat for various Giacom…err meat stews.
Just sayin. ;)
It could be a game show:
“Who Wants to Be Summarily Cubed?”
Followed by that other famous game show:
“Cake or Death?”
Unfocused Girl started ZT over the weekend and is enjoying it a great deal. I’m glad I bought the pre-cubing edition, though, because I think that might have upset her. She’s very tender-hearted; I think the worst she’d wish on a boy who interrupted two girls talking to correct a math error would be a squaring.
I imagine he would then be summarily cubed by Hickory and Dickory.
But he was nice! And charming! And graceful! Well, I’m sure there are worst ways to die than cubed by a couple of Obin.
Could we have one of the annoying colonists choose death first? There’s no switching back to cake then.