From the Reader, Jason Pomerantz:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been called "the first true American fairy tale" and it richly deserves the title. The story of Dorothy's epic journey through a strange land, filled with terrifying enemies and loyal allies, resonates today as much as it did when it was first written, at the turn of the last century.

You've probably seen the movie countless times, so you might not expect any surprises from the book. But when you listen, you'll be charmed by how imaginative it is, and in a way that's different from the film.

I dearly love the movie, but, in this reading, I've tried to approach the story as if I'd never seen it. My Dorothy is a little younger than her cinematic counterpart and her trio of beloved friends - The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodsman and The Cowardly Lion - are all just a little sillier. It's hard to escape from the...[more]

Born into the human world with a gift; a gift that brings him to the attention of powers both dark and light from the World of the Fey, it is his burden to defend all the world.

Sive, the goddess of battle, hopes that he may be able to change the fate of her people.The Fey are dying, killed by something beyond the boundaries of worlds, and Sive will do anything to save them. So she enlists the help of her trickster cousin Puck to guard the child, and watch him grow into his gift. But a dark power imprisoned by human and Fey, plots to destroy both worlds, and unmake all that they have created.

Can one boy stop the destruction, even if he is William Shakespeare?

The story of a planet and its people -- of Ellison Firebrandt the pirate captain living in exile; of Espedie Raton, the con-man looking to make a fresh start for himself and his wife on a new world; of Peter Stone, the ruthless bank executive who discovers a fortune and will do anything to keep it; and of the lawman, Edmund Ray Swan who travels to Sufiro seeking the quiet life but finds a dark secret. It is the story of privateers, farmers, miners, entrepreneurs, and soldiers -- all caught up in dramatic events and violent conflicts that will shape the destiny of our galaxy.

Presented in association with LBF Books and Hadrosaur Productions.

"The Pirates of Sufiro is a fast-paced adventure filled with vivid characters including rebels, pirates, interplanetary pioneers and the mysterious Clusters -- the...[more]

Throughout the 1920s the Common University provided a free and ready source of education to the working classes of England through various lecture series and the distribution of educative pamphlets in the East End. At the time it renowned as a philanthropic exercise noted more for its good intentions than its practice of asking for lecturers' credentials. In the mid 1930s it shut down amid a small furore over the nonsense it was teaching. It was assumed by all involved that that would be the end of it.

Then, toward the end of the 1990s the English poet A.F. Harrold discovered a box of papers in the attic of an elderly stranger. After exhaustive investigations, leads followed and clues uncovered he discovered that what he held in his hands were lecture notes, reports of speeches, lessons and seminars from the Common University long thought lost by educational historians. "Gosh," he thought, "This stuff's...[more]

This is the second book in a series. Start with Vatican Assassin, also available on our website.

BERNARD CAMPION has killed for the Pope as an agent of the Office of Papal Operations, the OPO. But the old pope is dead, and Pope Linus the Second is no friend of the OPO! The adventures of Bernard Campion, the Vatican Assassin, continue. BC has helped Governor Marc Edwards rebuild Lunar Prime, but can he help build peace between The Universal Islamic Nation (UIN), The Universal Trade Zone (UTZ) and the New catholic Church (NcC)? And just what is the mysterious Project?

Aer'La only wants to be free...

The Confederated Worlds are unparalleled as a society of free people, yet, somehow, slavery still manages to exist. Aer'La, a non-human, was bred to serve as a pleasure slave. Years ago, she escaped her masters and masqueraded as a human, joining the Confederate Navy, where she worked her way up to ship's Bos'n under the heroic Captain Jan Atal. Now, Aer'La's secret has been discovered by Atal's superiors, the media, and the world at large. Branded a sociopath, she learns that even a free society isn't willing to grant freedom - or justice - to all.

Library Journal says: "The author of the Arbiter Chronicles, an...[more]

Corruption at the highest levels of government, greed in the church, and brutality among warring factions make the Congo a very dangerous place for television journalist Valerie Grey. Amid the bloody violence of that country's endless civil war, Grey uncovers a deadly diamond-smuggling scheme that reaches from the heart of the Congo to the White House by way of a famous American televangelist. Aided by an altruistic doctor, Grey is pursued by the soldiers of the country's dictator, the mercenaries of the mine's owner, and the rebels seeking control of the country. HEART OF DIAMONDS is a fast-paced tale of ambition, avarice, betrayal, and love.

Funny, moving and always exquisitely well-produced, this collection of short stories and essays from the award-winning Seanachai podcast is not to be missed. If you like this American Life, but wish that Ira Glass' voice was a bit softer on the ears, then this is the audio book for you.