StarShip Sofa
http://www.starshipsofa.com
By Ken Newquist
These are the ongoing voyages of the Starship Sofa, a British blog and podcast dedicated to the proposition of exploring the universe without ever leaving one's couch. The site features a combination of audio short fiction by established authors and a regular podcast chronicling the worlds of literary science fiction.
 Most impressively, the site's collaborating with the British Science Fiction Association to present the association's 2007 Best Short Story category shortlist in audio format. This includes "The Sledge-Maker's Daughter" by Alastair Reynolds, "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang and three other stories, all of which are available as free downloads.
In addition to the BSFA team up, Starship Sofa has featured audio versions of John Kessel's "Buffalo," Laurel Winter's "Infinity Syrup," David Brin's "The Crystal Spheres," Bruce Sterling's "We See Things Differently" and Michael Moorcock's "Through the Shaving Mirror." Nonfiction episodes have looked at the works of John Sladek, Connie Willis and Olaf Stapledon and contemplated the complexities of time travel. The author-specific episodes provide overviews their lives, quotations and discussions of their notable works. The podcast is up to Episode 80, but unfortunately the older shows aren't available online.
Rounding out the site is its small but growing list of book reviews, a blog discussing notable genre news and happenings and a forum for discussing the podcast. |