Image courtesy of Ricochet.com
One of the great things about writing in the Internet Age is how adaptable and innovative you can be. Short films, YouTube trailers, suggested soundtracks, and even culinary inspirations from new works of fiction can be used to enhance the experience. Audiobooks have long been a sign of publishing success, but historically they came with high costs of entry. Actors, editors, producers, equipment, distributors; all these things take money. Or, at least, they used to. But we've entered a brave new world, one where anyone with a decent microphone, audio editing software, and the ability to read aloud can create quality audiobooks for the public. A popular subgenre of this kind of storytelling is called "podiobooks" in which stories are told in a serialized format (usually one chapter at a time) and released for free. This is seen as a gateway for gaining new fans that otherwise might not be interested in spending money on a new author.
Not that Andrew Klavan, bestselling crime fiction and "tough guy" thrillers, needs that kind of free publicity. His books have topped the bestseller charts and been made into hit movies. He has won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America twice. And he has a political podcast on the Daily Wire called, creatively enough, the Andrew Klavan Show. It's easily my favorite podcast on the Internet right now, and I've borrowed his "Stuff I Like" segment to put out my own recommendations. And yet he isn't content to simply sit back on his past success. His latest effort, a serialized podiobook called "Another Kingdom," is a fantastic work of suspense that has kept me on the edge of my seat since episode 1. As a content warning, "Another Kingdom" features violence, strong language, and some situations not suitable for children.
Performed by fellow Daily Wire podcast host Michael Knowles, "Another Kingdom" tells the story of Austin Lively, a failed screenwriter in Los Angeles. He seems destined to become just another discarded dreamer in the shadow of Hollywood, but fate intervenes. He walks through a door and finds himself teleported to a fantasy kingdom. But this isn't a pleasant daydream. Austin is standing over a corpse, recently stabbed to death, and a bloody dagger is in his hand. Before he can get a handle on what is going on, he is warped back to Los Angeles. But that doesn't translate to safety. Trying to dig into what happened to him, Austin gets caught in a sinister conspiracy. Wanted for murder in a strange land, racing for his life against a billionaire industrialist and an effeminate killer in LA, and bouncing between realities without warning, Austin's only hope is a mysterious book that may hold all the answers. But will he find it in time? Find out by listening to "Another Kingdom" on Ricochet. New episodes premiere every Friday, with the conclusion of the first "season" coming up in a few weeks. This is the perfect time to get into the show and binge it at home or on your commute (just remember about the language, so if you have kids maybe listen to it with headphones).
Listen to the Andrew Klavan Show (suitable for family listening) here
Check out Another Kingdom (parental caution advised) here
I hope you enjoyed this first edition of "Stuff I Like." If you have a suggestion for something you think I would like, be sure to send me an e-mail at thebenschafer@gmail.com. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends. If you haven't already, be sure to sign up for the mailing list so you can get my blog posts sent directly to your inbox and stay caught up on all the exciting developments on TheBenSchafer.com. I'll be back next Thursday with a new "Stuff I Like."