Audiobook of the Week: Company by Max Barry, performed by William Dufris. Sticking pins in the voodoo doll of corporate America, Barry creates a company that’s a cross between something out of a Twilight Zone episode and the virus corporation from Morrison’s Marvel Boy. We follow a newcomer into the belly of the beast and see much that is so absurd that it’s eeriely like our day jobs. Terrifying. This Tantor Media release comes unabridged, naturally, and I’m sure Barry will be releasing the book into the public domain after ten years is up. We’ll see. (Buy it)
High Weirdness Audiobook of the Week: The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History by Michael Baigent. Well, at least until the book and movie sequel hit, maybe we can relax from all the DaVinci Code hysteria for a while. One thing it did provide is an opportunity for lots of books of High Weirdness to hit, because we love this crazy stuff. Basically, the thought here is that Jesus’ crucifixion was a fraud–which means that it’s kinda like the final third of Last Temptation but without the killer Peter Gabriel score. In regards to this Harper release, I don’t have a dog in this fight so take it for whatever it’s worth. (Buy it)
History Audiobook of the Week: 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon, performed by Stephen Hoye. Well, the title pretty much says it all in this Random House release. Keep in mind, however, that the list dodges contention by not touting itself as the “Top 10 Days,” which was wise of them. This book is a tie-in with the History Channel event, taking you through days like Shays’ Rebellion, the Scopes trial, and the unveiling of Elvis to America at large on Ed Sullivan’s show. If you enjoyed the series, then this unabridged release will give you some more on the days covered. (Buy it)
Thriller Audiobook of the Week: The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, performed by Scott Brick. The latest adventure of Aloysius Pendergast pits him against his evil brother Diogenes. As you can imagine, there’s whiffs of the supernatural and a series of murders that must be dealt with as the evil hijinks kick in and start causing sparks. A lot of strings that the authors started in their earlier books get resolved here, so you might want to check out what came before (at least starting with Brimstone) lest you get lost. Scott Brick, one of the new go-to audiobook guys, reads this Warner release, which is available in both abridged or unabridged versions. (Buy it)
Movie-Related Audiobook of the Week: V for Vendetta by Steve Moore, based on the screenplay by the Brothers Wachowski, which in turn eviscerated the graphic novel by Alan Smithee and David Lloyd, performed by Simon Vance. I’m not bitter, am I? Well, let’s not go down that road. I think if you weren’t familiar with the original graphic novel then you might enjoy the film. Here we’ve got one of those weird adaptation things where we’re now four times removed from the original, if you count Vance’s performance. Still, if you dug the film, this adaptation might leave you pleased. Give it a listen then round up the graphic novel and make sure you get the full experience. This hits from Blackstone Audio. (Buy it)
