Listen to the Signal: Short Stories, Volume 1
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rob Dircks
-
By:
-
Rob Dircks
About this listen
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.
©2019 Rob Dircks (P)2019 Rob DircksListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Wrong Unit
- A Novel
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I don't know what the humans are so cranky about. Their enclosures are large, they ingest over 1,000 calories per day, and they're allowed to mate. Plus, they have me: an Autonomous Servile Unit, housed in a mobile/bipedal chassis. I do my job well: keep the humans healthy and happy.
-
-
Futuristic journey without a single misstep
- By Julie W. Capell on 10-03-16
By: Rob Dircks
-
Where the Hell Is Tesla?
- A Novel
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I found the journal at work. Well, I don't know if you'd call it work, but that's where I found it. It's the lost journal of Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors and visionaries ever. Before he died in 1943, he kept a notebook filled with spectacular claims and outrageous plans.
-
-
Had A Blast Listening To This One!
- By Cheri on 08-11-16
By: Rob Dircks
-
You're Going to Mars!
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once in a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers' wildest dreams would be just to get past the walls and live in the mainland. But my dream? It’s a little bigger. I’m going to Mars.
-
-
Reviewers Choice Award, its that good
- By Midwestbonsai on 11-13-18
By: Rob Dircks
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
Roadkill
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack Kernigan is having a bad day...a bad year...a bad life. After being booted out of MIT, he’s back in his Ohio hometown, working for the family business, facing a life of mediocrity. Then one day, out on a delivery, his truck hits...something. Something big...something furry...something invisible. And, it turns out, something not of this Earth. Fate can play funny tricks. Which is why Jack suddenly finds himself the planet’s best hope to unravel a conspiracy of galactic proportions that could spell the end of the human race.
-
-
The least helpful review of Roadkill
- By Joshua Kring on 08-05-22
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
Outland
- Quantum Earth, Book 1
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an experiment to study quantum uncertainty goes spectacularly wrong, physics student Bill Rustad and his friends find that they have accidentally created an inter-dimensional portal. They connect to Outland - an alternate Earth with identical geology, but where humans never evolved. The group races to establish control of the portal before the government, the military, or evildoers can take it away. Then everything changes when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts in an explosion large enough to destroy civilization and kill half the planet.
-
-
I made myself finish. Glad I did.
- By RJPF on 05-26-19
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
The Wrong Unit
- A Novel
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I don't know what the humans are so cranky about. Their enclosures are large, they ingest over 1,000 calories per day, and they're allowed to mate. Plus, they have me: an Autonomous Servile Unit, housed in a mobile/bipedal chassis. I do my job well: keep the humans healthy and happy.
-
-
Futuristic journey without a single misstep
- By Julie W. Capell on 10-03-16
By: Rob Dircks
-
Where the Hell Is Tesla?
- A Novel
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I found the journal at work. Well, I don't know if you'd call it work, but that's where I found it. It's the lost journal of Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors and visionaries ever. Before he died in 1943, he kept a notebook filled with spectacular claims and outrageous plans.
-
-
Had A Blast Listening To This One!
- By Cheri on 08-11-16
By: Rob Dircks
-
You're Going to Mars!
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once in a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers' wildest dreams would be just to get past the walls and live in the mainland. But my dream? It’s a little bigger. I’m going to Mars.
-
-
Reviewers Choice Award, its that good
- By Midwestbonsai on 11-13-18
By: Rob Dircks
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
Roadkill
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack Kernigan is having a bad day...a bad year...a bad life. After being booted out of MIT, he’s back in his Ohio hometown, working for the family business, facing a life of mediocrity. Then one day, out on a delivery, his truck hits...something. Something big...something furry...something invisible. And, it turns out, something not of this Earth. Fate can play funny tricks. Which is why Jack suddenly finds himself the planet’s best hope to unravel a conspiracy of galactic proportions that could spell the end of the human race.
-
-
The least helpful review of Roadkill
- By Joshua Kring on 08-05-22
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
Outland
- Quantum Earth, Book 1
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an experiment to study quantum uncertainty goes spectacularly wrong, physics student Bill Rustad and his friends find that they have accidentally created an inter-dimensional portal. They connect to Outland - an alternate Earth with identical geology, but where humans never evolved. The group races to establish control of the portal before the government, the military, or evildoers can take it away. Then everything changes when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts in an explosion large enough to destroy civilization and kill half the planet.
-
-
I made myself finish. Glad I did.
- By RJPF on 05-26-19
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
The Kaiju Preservation Society
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food-delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization”. Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world.
-
-
I'm listening with a permanent smile on my face
- By Lucy A. Pithecus on 03-15-22
By: John Scalzi
-
The Crypt: Shakedown
- The Crypt, Book 1
- By: Scott Sigler
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few know the warship’s actual name. But everyone has heard the rumors. The PUV James Keeling can do something no other vessel in existence can do—slip into another dimension, travel undetected, then re-emerge onto our plane and surprise enemy targets. But the thing that makes the Crypt unique also makes it a nightmare for those onboard; interdimensional travel causes hallucinations, violent behavior, and psychotic breakdowns. Keeling could be the Union’s greatest weapon, a game-changing asset that can defeat the bloodthirsty zealots of the Purist Nation, the Union’s mortal enemy.
-
-
classic sigler
- By martin on 10-05-23
By: Scott Sigler
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
Reincarnation Blues
- A Novel
- By: Michael Poore
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First we live. Then we die. And then...we get another try? Ten thousand tries, to be exact. Ten thousand lives to "get it right". Answer all the big questions. Achieve wisdom. And become one with everything. Milo has had 9,995 chances so far and has just five more lives to earn a place in the cosmic soul. If he doesn't make the cut, oblivion awaits. But all Milo really wants is to fall forever into the arms of Death. Or Suzie, as he calls her.
-
-
Profoundly Witty and Charming
- By averageconsumer on 09-13-17
By: Michael Poore
-
The River Saga: The Complete Series
- The River Saga, Books 1-4
- By: Nathan Hystad
- Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant
- Length: 54 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colton Beck has six months to live. He works for the Angor near Los Angeles, aware that any day could be his last. The Angor arrived twenty years ago, resolved to help mankind survive, but not everyone believes their motives are honorable. When the Angor offer humanity a colony world, Colton is determined to see another planet before his final breath. He's been diagnosed with Xeno, a rare disorder that surfaced with the Angor's arrival, but he won't let this stop him.
-
-
Best of the best
- By Tom S. on 09-03-24
By: Nathan Hystad
-
A Gift of Time
- By: Jerry Merritt
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Micajah Fenton discovers a crater in his front yard with a broken time glider in the bottom and a naked, virtual woman on his lawn, he delays his plans to kill himself. While helping repair the marooned time traveler's glider, Cager realizes it can return him to his past to correct a mistake that had haunted him his entire life. As payment for his help, the virtual creature living in the circuitry of the marooned glider, sends Cager back in time as his 10-year-old self.
-
-
The Gift of Time is a Gift!
- By As happy as a monkey with two bananas in his hands on 12-07-17
By: Jerry Merritt
-
The Silmarillion
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
- Narrated by: Andy Serkis
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor. Included on the recording are several shorter works. The Ainulindalë is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabêth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age, and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age.
-
-
TIPS when reading this book:
- By Anonymous User on 06-29-23
By: J. R. R. Tolkien, and others
-
Ilium
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 29 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the towering heights of Olympos Mons on Mars, the mighty Zeus and his immortal family of gods, goddesses, and demigods look down upon a momentous battle, observing - and often influencing - the legendary exploits of Paris, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, and the clashing armies of Greece and Troy. Thomas Hockenberry, former 21st-century professor and Iliad scholar, watches as well. It is Hockenberry's duty to observe and report on the Trojan War's progress to the so-called deities who saw fit to return him from the dead.
-
-
Achaeans and robots and post-humans, oh my
- By Ryan on 04-11-14
By: Dan Simmons
-
Space: 1969
- By: Bill Oakley
- Narrated by: Natasha Lyonne, full cast
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nancy Kranich (played by Emmy-nominated actress Natasha Lyonne of Russian Doll and Orange Is the New Black) is a night nurse on an orbiting space station. But Nancy hates her job, is sick of space, and longs to find adventure and a safe place to smoke cigarettes that won’t blow everyone up. But when Nancy gets caught up in an outer-space conspiracy involving President Kennedy, former vice-president Richard Nixon, and an intergalactic object that could change the course of history, she gets way more adventure than she bargained for.
-
-
Simply the Best Full-Cast Audio Book Ever!
- By Veritas on 07-09-22
By: Bill Oakley
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
- Bobiverse, Book 1
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There's a reason We Are Legion was named Audible's Best Science Fiction Book of 2016: Its irresistibly irreverent wit! Bob Johansson has just sold his software company for a small fortune and is looking forward to a life of leisure. The first item on his to-do list: Spending his newfound windfall. On an urge to splurge, he signs up to have his head cryogenically preserved in case of death. Then he gets himself killed crossing the street. Waking up 117 years later, Bob discovers his mind has been uploaded into a sentient space probe with the ability to replicate itself.
-
-
Ignore the Publisher's Summary! This is Amazing!
- By PW on 04-12-17
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
Dark Matter (Movie Tie-In)
- A Novel
- By: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the kidnapper knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man he’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife.
-
-
Another Book Where the Ratings Lie
- By Matthew on 08-05-16
By: Blake Crouch
Related to this topic
-
You're Going to Mars!
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once in a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers' wildest dreams would be just to get past the walls and live in the mainland. But my dream? It’s a little bigger. I’m going to Mars.
-
-
Reviewers Choice Award, its that good
- By Midwestbonsai on 11-13-18
By: Rob Dircks
-
The Year's Top Short SF Novels 5
- By: Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu, John P Murphy, and others
- Narrated by: Tom Dheere, Nancy Linari
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Short novels are movie-length narratives that may well be the perfect length for science fiction stories. This audio collection presents the best-of-the-best short science fiction novels published in 2014 by current and emerging masters of this vibrant form of storytelling.
-
-
Narrator sounds like Tony Danza
- By Sean on 03-05-16
By: Cory Doctorow, and others
-
Robot Uprisings
- By: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives.
-
-
Has some bright spots
- By ChrisM. on 10-22-15
By: Daniel H. Wilson, and others
-
Waste of Space
- By: Gina Damico
- Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg, Maxwell Glick
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cram 10 hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that's the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space. The kids who are cast know everything about drama - and nothing about the fact that the production is fake. Hidden in a desert warehouse, their spaceship replica is equipped with state-of-the-art special effects dreamed up by the scientists partnering with the shady cable network airing the show.
-
-
#CatchPhraseForever
- By Diane S. on 07-28-17
By: Gina Damico
-
The Punch Escrow
- By: Tal M. Klein
- Narrated by: Matthew Mercer
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joel Byram is an everyday 22nd century guy. He spends his days training artificial-intelligence engines to act more human, jamming out to 1980s new wave - an extremely obscure genre - and trying to salvage his deteriorating marriage. Joel is pretty much an everyday guy with everyday problems - until he's accidentally duplicated while teleporting. Now Joel must outsmart the shadowy organization that controls teleportation, outrun the religious sect out to destroy it, and find a way to get back to the woman he loves.
-
-
Great Premise, terrible execution
- By Perfect Tommy on 09-25-17
By: Tal M. Klein
-
Alex, Approximately
- By: Jenn Bennett
- Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Classic movie buff Bailey "Mink" Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by "Alex". Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush. Faced with doubts (what if he's a creep in real life - or worse?), Bailey doesn't tell Alex she's moved to his hometown. Or that she's landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she's being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth - a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis.
-
-
Great But Don't Read the Synopsis!
- By Lorna on 09-26-17
By: Jenn Bennett
-
You're Going to Mars!
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once in a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers' wildest dreams would be just to get past the walls and live in the mainland. But my dream? It’s a little bigger. I’m going to Mars.
-
-
Reviewers Choice Award, its that good
- By Midwestbonsai on 11-13-18
By: Rob Dircks
-
The Year's Top Short SF Novels 5
- By: Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu, John P Murphy, and others
- Narrated by: Tom Dheere, Nancy Linari
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Short novels are movie-length narratives that may well be the perfect length for science fiction stories. This audio collection presents the best-of-the-best short science fiction novels published in 2014 by current and emerging masters of this vibrant form of storytelling.
-
-
Narrator sounds like Tony Danza
- By Sean on 03-05-16
By: Cory Doctorow, and others
-
Robot Uprisings
- By: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives.
-
-
Has some bright spots
- By ChrisM. on 10-22-15
By: Daniel H. Wilson, and others
-
Waste of Space
- By: Gina Damico
- Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg, Maxwell Glick
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cram 10 hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that's the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space. The kids who are cast know everything about drama - and nothing about the fact that the production is fake. Hidden in a desert warehouse, their spaceship replica is equipped with state-of-the-art special effects dreamed up by the scientists partnering with the shady cable network airing the show.
-
-
#CatchPhraseForever
- By Diane S. on 07-28-17
By: Gina Damico
-
The Punch Escrow
- By: Tal M. Klein
- Narrated by: Matthew Mercer
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joel Byram is an everyday 22nd century guy. He spends his days training artificial-intelligence engines to act more human, jamming out to 1980s new wave - an extremely obscure genre - and trying to salvage his deteriorating marriage. Joel is pretty much an everyday guy with everyday problems - until he's accidentally duplicated while teleporting. Now Joel must outsmart the shadowy organization that controls teleportation, outrun the religious sect out to destroy it, and find a way to get back to the woman he loves.
-
-
Great Premise, terrible execution
- By Perfect Tommy on 09-25-17
By: Tal M. Klein
-
Alex, Approximately
- By: Jenn Bennett
- Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Classic movie buff Bailey "Mink" Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by "Alex". Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush. Faced with doubts (what if he's a creep in real life - or worse?), Bailey doesn't tell Alex she's moved to his hometown. Or that she's landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she's being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth - a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis.
-
-
Great But Don't Read the Synopsis!
- By Lorna on 09-26-17
By: Jenn Bennett
-
Superheroes
- By: Peter S. Beagle, Daryl Gregory, James Patrick Kelly, and others
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman, Joe Barrett, Christina Delaine, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Modern gods and goddesses, remote, revered - and like the pantheon of heroes and heroines of ancient myth - possessing great power tempered with flaws. Now, find within this anthology great tales by gifted and award-winning authors who move superheroes from the four-color panels of comic books to the fantastic pages of fiction, stories that will remind anyone who ever wanted to wear a cape or don a cowl of the extraordinary powers of the imagination!
-
-
Pretentious tired old concepts
- By BookofJoy on 12-29-14
By: Peter S. Beagle, and others
-
Aurora
- A Novel
- By: David Koepp
- Narrated by: Rupert Friend
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
The Best of Us
- By James Munoz on 09-09-22
By: David Koepp
-
The Chair
- A Novel
- By: James L Rubart
- Narrated by: James L Rubart
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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?
-
-
Couldn't stop listening
- By Morning Star on 08-31-12
By: James L Rubart
-
Double Digit
- By: Annabel Monaghan
- Narrated by: Julia Farhat
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Great Follow Up
- By Lifeisshort on 05-23-14
By: Annabel Monaghan
-
The Man from Primrose Lane
- By: James Renner
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Good read, despite, not because of sci fi twist
- By Lulu W. on 07-18-12
By: James Renner
-
Loving Day
- By: Mat Johnson
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Teen lit with heavy erotic imagery
- By Itinerant T on 08-26-15
By: Mat Johnson
-
Cold City
- Repairman Jack: Early Years Trilogy, Book 1
- By: F. Paul Wilson
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Fun, as long you don't think too much
- By Andrew Pollack on 01-17-14
By: F. Paul Wilson
-
The Drowning Game
- A Novel
- By: LS Hawker
- Narrated by: Amanda Dolan, Paul Woodson
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Gripping Thriller!
- By NH on 08-05-16
By: LS Hawker
-
Deal Breaker
- The First Myron Bolitar Novel
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Deal Breaker
- By Lisa on 07-02-08
By: Harlan Coben
-
Turtles All the Way Down
- By: John Green
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
I hate to call it a trigger warning, but-
- By Lynnzee on 10-23-17
By: John Green
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Phenomenal!
- By Sam on 04-02-20
By: Elicia Hyder
-
Purple Hearts
- A Novel
- By: Tess Wakefield
- Narrated by: Kyle Mason, Shayna Thibodeaux
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
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.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful