Ugh! Original book vs audiobook

[sgsmitty]

As I mentioned in a previous post, my job location recently changed and I have a longer commute. In order to pass the time I started listening to audiobooks.
I finished "Prime Directive" and it was very good. This morning I started listening to "Federation" which is going well. However, and this is the point of the posting, I also own the paperback for Federation (crazy I know) and it was located at work. I happened to flip it open to see how far I was in the story and I have to tell you, the two are not similar at all. At least as far as the structure of the story in its' telling is concerned.

I would expect with an abridged book that all the flowing commentary and fluff describing mundane things such as how stars are born or the ebb and flow of going out of warp, etc would be hacked out. I am okay with that but to completely change the structure and timing of a story is a real bummer. I wish they would not abridge them at all.

Thanks

 

[Therin of Andor]

I finished "Prime Directive" and it was very good. This morning I started listening to "Federation" which is going well. However, and this is the point of the posting, I also own the paperback for Federation (crazy I know) and it was located at work. I happened to flip it open to see how far I was in the story and I have to tell you, the two are not similar at all. At least as far as the structure of the story in its' telling is concerned.

But what works for text doesn't necessarily work for audio.

If you check my listings at http://therinofandor.blogspot.com.au/2007/05/i-hear-star-trek.html you'll see that "Prime Directive" was abridged by the Reeves-Stevens themselves, while "Federation" was abridged by S&SA's regular abridgment writer, George Truett.

In various interviews, the Pocket authors have often mentioned there was little (or no) wiggle room to negotiate on writing their own abridgments. The earliest ST audios were usually done by the original authors, but abridging for audio is an artform in itself (just as not every novelist can successfully write for TV) and S&SA sometimes insisted that George Truett do the work, or the Pocket author was simply too busy to adapt their own work. Eventually almost all Pocket ST went to audio via Mr Truett.

I am okay with that but to completely change the structure and timing of a story is a real bummer. I wish they would not abridge them at all.

And that's where Recorded Books answers your prayers.

Remember that the earliest MMPBs and "giant" novels were all squeezed into 90 min Simon & Schuster Audioworks productions. It was only successful sales that permitted moving to 180 mins for the ST hardcovers. When written, it was normal that "Prime Directive" (1990) and "Federation" (1994) would get 180 mins each, but that's all the market of the early 90s would allow.

"Faces of Fire" in 1992 was the first regular MMPB to get 180 min and - more recently - other novels received much longer timings, eg "Vulcan's Soul, Book 1: Exodus" (in 2004) got 240 min!

As to how novels get adapted for audio, each work would be considered case by case, of course. George Truett, or his S&SA producer, must have felt that "Federation" needed to be adapted differently to how it appeared in print.

The earliest S&SA editions, which "needed" participation by a very busy Leonard Nimoy so they'd sell well enough, had to have chunks of story set aside for "Spock" to record as independent log entries, with Spock commenting on the stories being read by George Takei or James Doohan. "The Entropy Effect" had to get different cover art for the audio packaging - borrowed from "Triangle" - because the mustachioed Sulu plot had to be eliminated from the script so that Vonda McIntyre could squeeze her novel down to 90 mins. (At least she got to do the trims herself?)

 

[RookieBatman]

So what was the story structure for the audio version? (You've got me curious now.) And who reads this one?

 

[Amaris]

My favorite audiobook was a part of the "Epics on Audio" series by Simon & Schuster. It was "Strangers from the Sky" written by Margaret Wander Bonnano, and read by George Takei.

Talk about a dream team.

J.

 

[Therin of Andor]

It was "Strangers from the Sky" written by Margaret Wander Bonnano, and read by George Takei.

As I said in another thread, what makes this so good is that the whole "giant" novel is very fairly represented in just a 90 min audio, with George doing so many voices, including Southern-accented Melody Sawyer. Plus there's Nimoy as "the voice of Spock"!

 

[Therin of Andor]

And who reads this one?

It's all in my blog, linked above:

"Prime Directive" by Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens, read by James Doohan, 1990, 180 min. Abridged by the authors. (Hardcover.)

"Federation" by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, read by Mark Lenard, 1994, 180 min. Abridged by George Truett. (Hardcover.)

 

[Amaris]

It was "Strangers from the Sky" written by Margaret Wander Bonnano, and read by George Takei.

As I said in another thread, what makes this so good is that the whole "giant" novel is very fairly represented in just a 90 min audio, with George doing so many voices, including Southern-accented Melody Sawyer. Plus there's Nimoy as "the voice of Spock"!

Oh, it was a wonderful audio book. I own the paperback too, but the audiobook is great for when I just want to close my eyes and be transported away from earth.


J.

 

[RookieBatman]

And who reads this one?

It's all in my blog, linked above:

"Prime Directive" by Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens, read by James Doohan, 1990, 180 min. Abridged by the authors. (Hardcover.)

"Federation" by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, read by Mark Lenard, 1994, 180 min. Abridged by George Truett. (Hardcover.)

Sweet! Thanks!

 

[sgsmitty]

So what was the story structure for the audio version? (You've got me curious now.) And who reads this one?

Well, I wish I could give a better example but since I have not read both versions and have only sampled the printed word I can describe as this. The printed books bounces between earth, babel, guardian of forever within the first 50-75 pages. The audio version is still on earth in the first 30+ minutes. My guess is that they are running the multiple story lines together. Just my guess.