Please welcome Alex White to the site, as he begins releasing the free serialized audiobook version of his steampunk novel, The Gearheart:
Jonathan Andrews, Initiate in the Seekers of the Arcane Unknown, joined the society two years ago with the hopes of protecting the secrets of magic from the greedy world beyond. However, a ravening shadow appears with a hunger for Seekers and Jonathan finds himself out of his depth. When Jonathan’s friend is attacked and the young initiate is assailed with apocalyptic visions of the future, he must find a way to uncover the past and stop the beast before it tears his group, and the world, asunder. It’s a ripping tale of magic, adventure and gunfights!
The first five episodes of this free audiobook are in the default feed. Like always, you can also get a custom feed and choose how often episodes are sent down to your system. E
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on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 6:59 am and is filed under New Books.
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October 8th, 2009 at 3:27 am
I’ve been following this feed from their website for some time and I have to say that this is one of the most entertaining stories I’ve heard in a long time. The oration and production is fabulous and they really know how to make a cliffhanger, leaving you on the edge of your seat from episode to episode. I’m glad to see them on the podiobooks feed. Kudos to The Gearheart!
October 9th, 2009 at 1:57 am
[...] Audiobook “The Gearheart” steht bei Podiobooks zum freien Download [...]
October 11th, 2009 at 6:00 am
A very interesting series. I always wondered why more people didn’t take up the steampunk genre.
The story reminds me very much of the very immersive universe presented in the Thief games (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief_(series))
October 27th, 2009 at 9:08 am
If you like well thought out, pulpy storytelling, then you’ll love Gearheart. It’s a successful mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and steampunk served up with heavy doses of sword fights, magic, cool contraptions, and big guns. I’ve listened to all the big names in podcasting over the years and I would put Gearheart at the top of the list. The production values are top notch, episodes are released regularly, and there’s even an original soundtrack. I happened to stumble on the story after release of the first episode and it’s quickly climed the ranks to be one of my favorites. Thanks Alex and Renee and keep up the great work.
October 27th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I have been a long time fan of podcast fiction. The Gearheart is completely unique, and a very fun tale.
The voice actors, Alex and Renee, do an exceptional job. I am consistently amazed at the number of individual voices each can do.
If you like steampunk, magic or just a rousing tale, you should consider giving The Gearheart a listen.
October 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Great steampunk story being told by someone who so obviously appreciates the concepts of storytelling. The work is witty, entertaining, and very well voiced. I highly recommend this podcast.
November 27th, 2009 at 8:41 am
To start let me say thank you Podiobooks.com for showcasing new authors like Alex White! I have been listening to different authors on this site for awhile and it is always a pleasure to come upon a gem like The Gearheart.
I’ve not only been impressed with the plot of the story, which is intriguing and excellently paced, but also with the production. Part of the fun of listening to podcasts instead of reading a story is the extra sensory input a good author/producer can put into their work. Unfortunately, as I have found, the opposite can be said when the production and narration is lifeless or poorly done. I’m listening to a podcast right now which has an excellent plot, but the narration is so plodding and monotonous that it truly detracts from the pleasure of the story. Luckily i never have to worry about those problems with Alex and Renee.
Thank you so much for this story and please keep it coming!
November 30th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
To lump The Gearheart into the genre of steampunk fiction would do it and author Alex White a great disservice. It is an exciting and inspired blend of pulp, fantasy, diesel-punk (1920’s/30’s sci-fi/fantasy/alt history) and as the title would suggest, steam.
The story is fast-paced and, as is to be expected from a serial podcast, many of the episodes end with cliffhangers. I started out listening to one or two entries at a time, but as the action ramps up, I find myself saying “well, just one more…” and before I know it, I’ve listened to four episodes in one go.
The characters are varied, memorable and though sometimes they might do things that are questionable or downright reprehensible, you honestly care what happens to them. This is a testament to the voice-acting of Alex himself and his wife Renee White. With a few exceptions where the tone/accent of a character doesn’t quite seem to suit the actor’s voice, the large cast is wonderfully brought to life by their exceptional talents. A few of the more mystical and enigmatic characters are given additional punch through the use of some very cool voice-altering effects.
Some nice touches in Alex’s production of his audiobook include: original music between acts, ambient sound effects to set his scenes, weekly challenges for loyal listeners, and hilarious “ads” from faux sponsers to end each episode. From episode 10 or so through 13 (where I currently am) there have also been delightful 5 second bloopers at the tail end of the podcast.
All in all, I can’t say enough good things about The Gearheart. Give it a listen and you won’t be disappointed.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:36 am
One of the better stories I’ve found here at podiobooks.
I wont reiterate what all the other comments have already said because all the praise is true and well worth it.
Does anyone else get the feeling like we’ve come into the middle of the story? At points I feel as if there was a book before this one that I haven’t read yet. I do hope more of the backstory comes out soon. There’s so much history there it could be another complete book on its own (hint hint).
Great work!
M
January 20th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
So I’ve got this roommate who’s very skeptical of audiobooks. I was listening to this one courtesy some awesome technology, and he got sunk into it in the middle of the series! Can’t wait for the next episode, including new commercials! Thanks to the Whites for sharing this with us!
February 17th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
This audiobook is great. If you create another one, Alex, it would be nice if it were more like an audiodrama or radio play and had straight dialogue rather than narrated dialogue.
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:58 am
This is one of the better productions on Podiobooks, both in production and writing. Like a previous poster I sometimes get the impression that I got dropped into a running series, with all the references to things that happened in the past. On the whole I actually like that; it gives you a sense of a much bigger world, but occasionally the references were so casual that I actually felt the urge to look for those missing episodes.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Renée and I want to thank everyone for the incredible comments! We really, really appreciate all that is said, and we want you to know we’ll do our best to live up to it! You guys make this so much better for all of us!
March 7th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Just wanted to say that I REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoy this podiobook. The storytelling is awesome, the characters are infectious, and the setting is superb. This is a true classic. Keep up the good work Alex and Renee
March 9th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Hi Alex, I have finally caught up with The Gearheart. I started listening at the end of January. You and your lovely wife have done an incredible job with the podcast. The story is rich and full of exciting characters that I really care a great deal for. The steampunk and magic are two great tastes that go great together. Fantastic stuff!
March 10th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
For those of you skipping around searching for a fantastic podiobook, look no further. To say that this novel is amazing is an understatement. It’s loaded with steampunk adventure, magic, edge-of-your-seat drama and characters that drag you in from the moment they’re introduced. The writing is fantastic, the voices are phenomenally performed and the story is one that will leave you clamoring for more. And the music! Outstanding! Well done, Alex and Renee. You have me completely addicted. I’m torn between wanting to know how it ends and NEVER wanting it to end. The Gearheart has made its way to the top of my all-time favorite list and I can’t thank you enough for that!
March 18th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I love audiobooks and have a subscription to a professional audiobook service. This is the first free audiobook I have ever listened to, and I was skeptical about how much I would enjoy it when it was suggested to me. My misgivings have been assuaged!
I was astounded at the quality of the recording, voice-acting, and, most of all, writing. At this point, I would place this book in my top 3 favorite audiobooks of all time. The company it keeps are Stephen King’s “Darktower Series” and Douglas Adam’s “Hitchiker’s Guide” Series. That is pretty good company if you ask me.