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Listen to the Signal: Short Stories, Volume 1
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
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Publisher's summary
Back when I started this project, I was thinking what the heck, writing a few short stories will keep me fresh, let me try things I might not try otherwise, act as a sketch book of my story ideas: the funny, the weird, the scary, the sappy, and sometimes all of that mashed up together.
Well, two years later, I had no idea how proud I would be of this body of work, and how genuinely psyched I am to be sharing these stories with you in this format. Going through these again for production, I felt like a proud papa, gathering up all my little babies, or like I was collecting a bag of gems.
Wow, I just wrote “bag of gems” in all seriousness, like it’s a totally everyday phrase, like I might find myself out on horseback in some medieval European country and have the need to reach into my little leather sack for a gem to purchase an entire village.
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Pretentious tired old concepts
- By BookofJoy on 12-29-14
By: Peter S. Beagle, and others
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Aurora
- A Novel
- By: David Koepp
- Narrated by: Rupert Friend
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In Aurora, Illinois, Aubrey Wheeler is just trying to get by after her semi-criminal ex-husband split, leaving behind his unruly teenage son. Then the lights go out—not just in Aurora but across the globe. A solar storm has knocked out power almost everywhere. Suddenly, all problems are local, very local, and Aubrey must assume the mantle of fierce protector of her suburban neighborhood.
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The Best of Us
- By James Munoz on 09-09-22
By: David Koepp
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The Chair
- A Novel
- By: James L Rubart
- Narrated by: James L Rubart
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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If you were given an ancient-looking chair and told Jesus Christ made it, would you believe it? When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe's antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was built by Christ, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts to wonder: Could this chair heal the person whose life I destroyed twelve years ago?
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Couldn't stop listening
- By Morning Star on 08-31-12
By: James L Rubart
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Double Digit
- By: Annabel Monaghan
- Narrated by: Julia Farhat
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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To say eighteen-year-old Farrah Higgins—or Digit—is good at math is a laughable understatement. She’s been cracking codes since childhood, and is finally at home with “her people” at MIT in Cambridge. Her talents are so off the charts that her laptop is under surveillance by both the CIA and an ecoterrorist named Jonas Furnis. So when she thoughtlessly hacks into the Department of Defense’s database, she lands in serious hot water inside and outside the law.
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Great Follow Up
- By Lifeisshort on 05-23-14
By: Annabel Monaghan
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The Man from Primrose Lane
- By: James Renner
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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A mind-bending, genre-twisting debut novel. In West Akron, there lived a reclusive elderly man who always wore mittens, even in July. He had no friends and no family; all over town, he was known only as The the Man from Primrose Lane. And on a summer day in 2008, someone murdered him.
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Good read, despite, not because of sci fi twist
- By Lulu W. on 07-18-12
By: James Renner
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Loving Day
- By: Mat Johnson
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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On his first night in his new home, Warren spies two figures in the grass outside; when he screws up the nerve to confront them, they disappear. The next day he encounters ghosts of a different kind: In the face of the teenage girl he meets at a comics convention, he sees the mingled features of his white father and his black mother, both now dead. The girl is his daughter, and she thinks she's white.
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Teen lit with heavy erotic imagery
- By Itinerant T on 08-26-15
By: Mat Johnson
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Cold City
- Repairman Jack: Early Years Trilogy, Book 1
- By: F. Paul Wilson
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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If you've never read a Repairman Jack novel, this is the place to begin. It's 1990. A twenty-one-year-old named Jack has dropped out of college, leaving his old life behind to build a new one in New York City. Manhattan's rough edges are jagged enough to shred any unwary newcomer, but perhaps not one who is determined to stay off the grid, at any cost, in the busiest metropolis on earth. And to do so, he'll have to take jobs of a less than legal nature.
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Fun, as long you don't think too much
- By Andrew Pollack on 01-17-14
By: F. Paul Wilson
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The Drowning Game
- A Novel
- By: LS Hawker
- Narrated by: Amanda Dolan, Paul Woodson
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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They said she was armed. They said she was dangerous. They were right. Petty Moshen spent 18 years of her life as a prisoner in her own home, training with military precision for everything, ready for anything. She can disarm, dismember, and kill - and now, for the first time ever, she is free.
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Gripping Thriller!
- By NH on 08-05-16
By: LS Hawker
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Deal Breaker
- The First Myron Bolitar Novel
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Suddenly Myron is plunged into a baffling mystery of sex and blackmail.
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Deal Breaker
- By Lisa on 07-02-08
By: Harlan Coben
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Turtles All the Way Down
- By: John Green
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
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I hate to call it a trigger warning, but-
- By Lynnzee on 10-23-17
By: John Green
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The Archangel: An Azrael Story
- The Soul Summoner Companion Stories, Book 3
- By: Elicia Hyder
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The Archangel of Death is the master of taking human life. But keeping mortals alive? Not exactly Azrael's forte. For thousands of years, Azrael’s greatest enemy has been silent. Leaving him in relative peace for the first time since the great angel war. Now that silence has been broken, and the Morning Star has returned with a dangerous ultimatum: Azrael can join, or watch everything he loves be destroyed. Two lives hang in the balance - Azrael’s beloved human wife, Nadine, and their unborn, part-angel son...Warren.
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Phenomenal!
- By Sam on 04-02-20
By: Elicia Hyder
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Purple Hearts
- A Novel
- By: Tess Wakefield
- Narrated by: Kyle Mason, Shayna Thibodeaux
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Cassie Salazar and Luke Morrow couldn't be more different. Sharp-witted Cassie works nights at a bar in Austin, Texas, to make ends meet while pursuing her dream of becoming a singer/songwriter. Luke is an army trainee, about to ship out for duty, who finds comfort in the unswerving discipline of service. But a chance encounter at Cassie's bar changes the course of both their lives.
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RATING PURPLE HEARTS BOOK VS PURPLE HEARTS MOVIE
- By Rozzy on 02-05-23
By: Tess Wakefield
What listeners say about Listen to the Signal: Short Stories, Volume 1
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- JP_in_NC
- 12-27-20
If your a where the hell is Tesla fan, you’ll enjoy 😊
Definitely worth a nice story day, the where the hell is tesla feel is definitely here. At first hard to put past not a Tesla story but great creativity and great voice I’ll be looking for down the road
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- Anthony
- 05-11-21
great book, authentic author
I love indi authors. the passion for the work shines through in this work. the stories are concise but thoughtful, and have a depth of feeling that is rare in today's world. out of my library of 1200 some odd books, it's in the top 5%. keep indi published work like this alive. it's not a typical journey, but a welcome one.
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- A. Beckstrom
- 03-07-19
Philip K. Dick . . . with a Sense of Humor
This review is for the audiobook version of Listen To The Signal: Short Stories Volume 1 written and read by Rob Dircks. Let me start this by saying that I am a fan of short stories and even short story collections. I don't believe that everything written, especially in fantasy and/or science fiction circles, has to be part of a trilogy or longer series. I like stories that end, except for the Lord of the Rings. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Christopher Tolkien "unearths" something else JRR never got around to publishing in his day.
I've read and enjoyed all of Dircks work released to date and this collection of short stories will feel familiar to anyone who's already read (or listened to) his Telsa books, You're Going to Mars, or The Wrong Unit.
I find most short story collections to be . . . a little uneven. Usually, you get a mixed bag, in terms of quality, with only a couple of above average stories tossed in. Listen to the Signal is a minor exception. There are no stinkers here, but the stories do range in quality from good, to very good, to very very good.
The best way to describe this collection is to say that it's like Philip K. Dick, but with a sense of humor. You've got stories about aliens, robots and AI, time travel, the effects of living in space on human DNA, and even a yarn about a candy crush clone, all in one package. These stories are a reminder that even though life may be resembling a science fiction future, life is still precious. Also, life is funny. Unless you <spoiler>get bit on the rear by an evil tick</spoiler>. Then it's not funny, it's terrifying.
Given that these are literally short stories, I can't review too much without spoiling them individually. I'll settle for talking about my favorite story from Listen.
My favorite story in this collection centered a character who hates his job (relatable, right?). In a world where the singularity has already happened, he spends his workdays teaching AIs to be more human (not as relatable, but interesting). This story managed to be humorous, relevant (this is an actual job you can get now), and touching.
Before and in between stories, Dircks provides insight into his creative process and shares some of the experiences that resulted in each work. I enjoyed this peek behind the scenes.
Not every author should also handle narration chores for their books (except for Neil Gaiman -- he should always narrate his books). That said, Dircks does an admirable job reading his text. There was a distinction between his expository interludes and when he was actually performing that felt natural and I appreciated that as a listener.
***Full Disclosure: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
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- JulieM
- 09-09-19
SFF Short Stories
Rob Dircks is one of my favorite author finds of the last five years. He writes interesting SF with heart and usually narrates his own audiobooks. This specific book is a collection of short stories that came from his podcast, Listen to the Signal.
He dares suggest that you listen to the stories one at a time, and I took that to heart. Some of the stories were more interesting to me than others. I would say the one with the most staying power was about the unicorn video game. No, it's not sweet and cuddly. It's scary.
This is a good listen for those who want inventive short stories in modern SFF.
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- Wayne
- 07-24-19
i love Rob Dircks
this guys writing will lighten your day your mood and make you say Hmmmm. he makes you laugh he makes you cry.
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- Gordie
- 03-06-19
never want them to end.
man I just love Rob's writing and narration. so many great stories and ideas oh, I can't wait for the next full book.
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- DJ
- 03-04-19
Great series of listens for short trips.
Knowing how much I've enjoyed delving into Rob Dircks mind scratching and humorous novels, I was psyched to discover this collection of short stories - all less than a half hour. They're perfect for when I'm waiting at the doctor's office or on a shorter car ride. I was a big fan of the TV series, The Twilight Zone and these have that same feel, leaving me with something to chew on for a while. One of my favorite stories was Dako - a bit of a mind twister with a lot of heart. Totally worth the purchase!
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- Caroline Clairmont
- 03-19-19
Awesome, so much fun! I loved every story!!
Loved it, highly recommended to anyone who loves a good story. Audio was excellent and fun to listen to, completely kept my attention the entire book!
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- Adrian
- 04-15-19
I need more Rob Dircks short stories!
This was a great collection of 16 short stories that are reminiscent of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. There is little commentary for each one which really helps set up each segment. I like Rob’s advice on reading these in between other books or in between whatever tasks you were doing.
I guess I’ll write little comments on each story to help me remember them all and help me try and figure out which one I like best.
1. Dakō – was interesting and had a fun twist at the end. Was nice and sensual (Japanese)
2. Today I Invented Time Travel – this one was fun. I watched his video of this
3. End Game – This story was a lot of fun. I got so looped into the story, mentally, that I kind of forgot what I was doing. I was sad that it ended the way it ended… I wanted more!
4. November 8, 2016 – This one was great. I felt like it could have been a partially true story and I wished it was a partially true story. But it was also sad and felt very realistic. I didn’t want this one to end either!
5. Quick Fix – I did not like this one as much as the previous ones. It was a little weird and just wasn’t as ‘catchy’ and fun as the other short stories.
6. Horatio Breathes His Last –Books-about-books is always kind of a fun topic, in my opinion. I imagine many authors like this as well (I am not an author, btw). This short story is also something I imagine from many authors – having their characters come to life and then having a really hard time ending their story. #booksaboutbooks
7. Purgatory – this was a nice and conclusive story. It was short and fun and had a bit of a feel-good touch at the end! (which should probably be in a spoiler tag… oh well).
8. Out of the Blue – this was good. The watcher becomes the watchee… Or is it the other way around…
9. Tick Tick Tick – Gross. Disturbing. Creepy. Awesome. Those are my thoughts on that short story.
10. Rose – this was like a Benjamin Button love story, but much better than the movie (and, of course, hours shorter). I liked it. (I suppose that could be a bit of a spoiler…. Oh well).
11. Red Parka – this one was cool. It was a nice story and just kind of fun to where I can see this one expanding to a larger story.
12. Bloop – fun sound effects, and fun playing off sci-fi conspiracies. This is another one that could go much further. Though, I didn’t like the ending. I needed more!
13. Their DNA Was No Longer the Same – this was a fun take on the Kelly astronaut twins. It went a little fast, but it could definitely have been turned into a novella with some dark deep mystery thrown in there.
14. The Last One – I did not like this one as much as the others. I like the ‘epilogue’ section at the back as it gave a good/short backstory on to why the story was written.
15. Mister Personality – when we reach singularity (a new word I learned today), I want Rob Dircks to be appointed as Mr. Personality. This was a fun story and I can see it being realistic (maybe in 50 years).
16. Christmas in Silver Peak – I felt like this one had huge potential, but it didn’t play out for me. Either I may have been a little confused or just didn’t fully enjoy it.
It’s hard to pick favorites. I guess I liked:
End Game
November 8, 2016
Tick Tick Tick
Red Parka
Mister Personality
Audiobook narrator Rob Dircks rating: 4.5 stars
The sound effects are nice, and I like the intro/outro music. Rob is great at reading his own stuff. The only thing that would make me move my rating from a 4.5 to a 5 would be just a little more variation between the voices (when voicing multiple characters).
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Rob! And keep up the great work! I look forward to more and more stories.
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- Julie W. Capell
- 04-17-19
Optimistic scifi - get yours here!
There is no one writing scifi as well as Rob Dircks right now, and this short story collection proves it.
I listened to all of these stories when they originally came out on his podcast, and was blown away every time by the quality of his writing and his mastery of the short story form. He knows the tropes and how to subvert them. He can build a world in a few paragraphs so that you understand it intuitively. He creates characters that are uniquely relatable and gosh darn it, he's funny to boot.
That is when he is not making me tear up. Add to all that the fact that he does a terrific job narrating his own stories and you have a very appealing package.
But now that I have been able to re-listen to all the stories again via this collection, hearing them all together rather than strung out over a series of months, I perceived something I had not noticed before. Something that unites not only these stories but also his novels. Something special that only Rob Dircks can deliver.
It's a sweetness, a love of life and humanity, that shines through all of his characters and all of his imaginary worlds. I feel instantly better when I finish something he has written, I feel uplifted and hopeful. What a wonderful gift Rob has to allow us to see the good in one another, and how lucky we are that he is sharing it with us through his art.
Can't wait for the next collection.
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