Metatropolis Review at Tor.com + Metatropolis Site
Posted on October 23, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 9 Comments
Notable SF editor and writer John Joseph Adams takes a listen to Metatropolis and says some very nice things about it at Tor.com:
METAtropolis is one of the best anthologies I’ve read in a long time. The worldbuilding was fantastic… all of stories all examine the ecology and economics of the future, which seems eerily prescient considering the current “economic apocalypse” the U.S. is currently going through (a term actually mentioned in one of the stories).
Where the anthology succeeds best is its vivid and believable depiction of one possible future. You probably wouldn’t want to live in any of the cities depicted in METAtropolis, but you’ll surely have a blast going for a visit.
Excellent. Since JJA is a notable anthologist himself, this is all very kind of him to say.
Now, disclosures: As you all know, I blog for Tor.com myself (although not so much in the last couple of weeks as I’ve been migrating this site and catching up on work). Also, Tor Books is my publisher and also publishes the other co-writers of Metatropolis. That said, Metatropolis is not a Tor project (it was released by Audible.com), and I’ve read enough JJS to know he’d take a plank to something if he felt it needed a planking, and the Tor.com would let him use its space to do it. So while I’m naturally biased on the subject, I think it’s a fair review.
Also, Audible.com had put up a ginchy Flash-based site for the project, with lots of bells and whistles, including audio excerpts and screensavers. Head over and waste some time there.
Couldn’t find Metatropolis on the UK audible site – but it is in the UK iTunes store at a very reasonable £3.95
Bought and downloaded tonight. Now I just have to work out when I’ve got 9 spare hours to listen to it!
Oooh, is pretty. I like. I hate flash on principle… and yet I like it anyway!
Sounds like a great listen.
I had the good fortune to be involved in a small-time community radio SF serial back in the early nineties. I still have a soft spot in my heart for aural SF.
Michael Hogan, as narrator? That alone sounds kick-ass.
Hehe not only did I waste time there, I found Metatropolis wallpaper. How awesome is that?
I want to listen but have spent 2 nights so far and still haven’t been able to get the Audible.com downloaded file into my mp3 player! Can’t seem to find any help on the Google either. sigh.
“METAtropolis is one of the best anthologies I’ve read in a long time.”
Er, “listened”, no?
you know, if there was a print edition, I’d be interested. Because the Audible system makes me crazy. Download their software, discover it doesn’t work with Linux, then discover that I would have to convert the file to a drm-free format anyway… Thanks but no thanks. Going through all the hoops is really, really annoying.
(And yes, I know that you know about all that. It’s just that announcements and rave reviews about a book I couldn’t get unless I changed your computer OS… Well, they tend to get a little annoying too.)
Well I bought it and am enjoying it so far (I’m just to about to start the Scalzi story). Without wishing to start a long, arcane and possibly angry discussion (as SFnal discussions so often seem to become) of what is, and is not, “cyberpunk” I must say so far it feels like cyberpunk; and I like it!
I hope that in the not too distant future a print (and that means both dead tree and e-book) version of this anthology comes out, there’s still lots of people out there that are not comfortable with audio books (a couple of friends I’ve already recommended Metatropolis to claim they could never enjoy an audio book and won’t try it).
Hey! I just downloaded it and it’s nothing but nine hours of “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley on a loop. WTF?
Lucky for you I love this song…
“Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you…”
This was my first time with Audible, and my first time listening to an audio book at all. I was mildly annoyed at the process I had to go through to first register, then download the app., and then *finally* purchase the product. But in the end it all worked out well enough, although my mp3 player was too old to comply and I ended up listening to it through my PC’s speakers.
Anyway, John, I just wanted to point out that I mentioned the anthology on my blog:
http://davidjbatista.blogspot.com/2008/10/so-many-levels-of-awesome.html
I’m currently trying to get as many of my friends as possible to purchase this. I figure the “freebie” being offered by Audible will be a great incentive, as I’m encountering a certain hesitance from my more techphobic friends to take the plunge.