This award-winning audio book contains the voices of 41 voice actors, original music and sound effects.
Released to the public on October 16, 2010, this unabridged 8 CD set contains 9.5 hours of sound. The audio book has already been awarded Gold in the 2010 Readers Favorite competition.
41 actors were cast to play the title roles and background reactions. Sound effects were added, many of them by myself, as well as original atmospheric and rock music by Warren Jeffrey Motter.
To get the project started, I applied for and received an Artist Crossroads grant from The ARTs Council of the Southern Finger Lakes through a redistribution grant through NYSCA (NY State Council on the Arts).
Excerpt
Please listen to sound files at http://www.alysabooks.com/audio_book_scenes.htm or CDBaby link below to listen to portions of all 98 clips.
Professional Reviews
Alysa of the Fields: Book One in the Tellings of Xunar-kun (Audio Book)
Tina Field Howe
Oasis Disk Manufacturing (2010)
ISBN 9780976858560
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 12) for Reader Views (09/10)
“Alysa of the Fields: Book One in the Tellings of Xunar-kun” by Tina Field Howe is the story of Alysa, a young woman of the Field Folk clan as she travels far and wide to try and save her people. A long time ago there was a horrible event called the Cat’clysm that nearly wiped out all of the living things of Xunar-kun. The few that remained set up a small civilization and called them selves the Field Folk. They had lived in peace for many cycles until the Marauders came. The Marauders kidnapped many of the Folk’s younglings. Can the Marauders be defeated and the younglings freed before it is too late?
The Field Folk had considered themselves to be the last people left on Xunar-kun except for the feared and distant Trailmen. The Trailmen were thought to be savages, their bodies were painted and they were said to have a violent nature. The only people who ever had contact with the Trailmen were the traders and even then they had to use a kind of sign language to communicate. Alysa’s father was a trader and when he died Alysa decided to take on his vacant duty. The rest of the Field Folk were shocked because no female had ever taken on the duty before. Caught and injured in a blinding snowstorm, Alysa was rescued by a Trailman and brought to his camp. There Alysa learned that Trailmen did not deserve their horrible reputation. Alysa learned the Trailmen’s ways and found some practical and some despicable. It was from the Trailmen that Alysa first heard hints that the Marauders could be about.
When Alysa’s best friend’s child disappeared, Alysa immediately suspected the Marauders. However, when Alysa brought the matter before the Council no one believed her. As more younglings disappeared, Alysa knew she had to take action. Can Alysa convince her people that the Trailmen are their only hope? Can she reveal an ancient secret that could heal a separation that occurred over three-thousand cycles ago? Can the younglings be rescued?
The book had a lot of excellent background music that represented characters and what was going on. At the end of the book it had a whole track that described the music and played all of the themes. I found that the themes represented the characters and events very well. I hope that if I get the sequel on audio book that it has the same composer.
I would recommend this book to people who like adventure and sci-fi. My entire family enjoyed listening to this book, even my five-year-old brother and my mom. “Alysa of the Fields: Book One in the Tellings of Xunar-kun” was a very intriguing audio book and almost immediately immersed me in it. This was the first book in a series and I can’t wait to read or listen to the next one.
Alysa of the Fields, Book One in the Tellings of Xunar-Kun
This book begins with a description of the Cataclysm. Planet Xunar-kun was hit by meteor. The planet was devastated by the catastrophe. The next scene shifts to the death of Father Gordon the leader of the tribe. Father Gordon’s last words were instructions to teach the generations the things he had written. Three thousand cycles later the tribe is still living by his words.
We shift to the next scene where a slender girl, Alysa sits next to a stream crying. The girl has a new baby sister. She is angry that she will have to share with her new sister. Her clan was called the Field Folk. A young man from a tribe called the Trailman approached her. She knew she was not supposed to speak to a Trailman. Her tribe considered them savages.
The next scene returns us to the stream. Once again Alysa is crying. Her father has died of a mishap. Alysa had planned to join Orion and his tribe but now felt she needed to stay and help her mother.
Alysa’s father was a trader. Her clan needed another to take his place. A female had never served as a trader but Alysa volunteered. The matter was taken before the council and it was agreed she could serve as a trader to the Trailmen.
Alysa is a strong, brave character. She was willing to step out of the role tradition was forcing her into. There is a strong message in this tale for everyone including children. We should never force a stereotype on a person. Sometimes rules are to be broken. Tradition can be restricting. I quickly became caught up in Alysa’s tale. I found myself cheering her on. The different voices added much to the story. The narrator was very good. This story is strong in family and friends. It encourages adolescents to dream big, to take chances.
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