METAtropolis Released by Audible.com

<em>METAtropolis</em>

“A veritable Murderer’s Row of great writers” is what Audible.com’s Steve Feldberg calls the array of sf talent who collaborated on METAtropolis.

The project features five interconnected novellas written exclusively for downloadable audio, Jay Lake’s “In the Forests of the Night,” Tobias Bucknell’s “Stochasti-city,” Elizabeth Bear’s “The Red in the Sky Is Our Blood,” John Scalzi’s “Utere Nihil non Extra Quiritaionem Suis,” and Karl Schroder’s “To Hie From Far Cilenia.”

The team created a near future world where big cities are dying, dead or transformed; where the once-thriving suburbs are now the treacherous Wilds; where those who live for technology battle those who would rather die than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations and armed camps of eco-survivalists.

“It’s not just the standard-issue Jetsons future,” said author and project editor Scalzi. “It’s the idea that cities would be something like interstitial nationsl, where the people of Detroit or Portland might have more in common with the people in Hong Kong or Johannesburg than with the people right down the road.”

The first story can be downloaded free.

A press release appears after the jump.

Steve Feldberg writes:

I’m very pleased to announce that Audible’s next great original project – METAtropolis officially launches today!

What’s so exciting about this exclusive sci-fi production?

THE CONCEPT: A team of today’s hottest authors – commissioned by Audible exclusively for downloadable audio – brainstormed together for weeks to create a shared universe. Then, they each wrote an original novella – all linked by the general concept, but each a separate tale.

The stories of METAtropolis take place in a world where big cities are dying – dead –or transformed. Where the once-thriving suburbs are now the treacherous Wilds. Where those who live for technology battle those who would die rather than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations, and armed camps of eco-survivalists. It is an all-too-real extension of the world we live in now; truly “The Dawn of Uncivilization.”

THE AUTHORS: A veritable Murderers’ Row of great writers, including two 2008 Hugo Award winners (John Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear) plus Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder. They’ve all turned in fantastic stories that will take the listener from an off-the-grid commune somewhere in the Cascades to a place that may not exist at all – and other stops in between. I don’t think I’m overstating things to say that each and every one of these stories is of Hugo/Nebula quality.

THE PERFORMERS: A real Dream Team (as long as I’m pounding the sports metaphors) which includes 3 cast members from Battlestar Galactica: Michael “Saul Tigh” Hogan, Alessandro “Felix Gaeta” Juliani and Kandyse “Dee Dualla” McClure – plus two of the best narrators in sci-fi audio, Scott Brick (Dune) and Stefan Rudnicki (Ender’s Game). Hearing Col. Tigh dulcet tones giving life to the wonderfully-crafted words of Jay Lake – or the light touch of Felix Gaeta matched with the humor of John Scalzi – is stunning.

METAtropolis is now available for purchase at www.audible.com/meta. It’s is also available at the iTunes Store.

(Please feel free to post this link – and use the cover art that’s attached…)

If you want to get John Scalzi’s take on the whole thing, check out his post from today: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/10/21/metatropolis-is-out/

And our first rave review appeared today on www.sffaudio.com: “… this is a thought-provoking, exciting group of stories that deserves high praise. An SFFaudio Essential!”

I could go on and on, but I hope you’ll check out METAtropolis soon. Of course, if you have any questions, just ask!

Regards,

Steve Feldberg
Director, Editorial Business Development
Audible.com