CCBC-Net Archives
[CCBC-Net] Odyssey Award
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Brian Kerr-Jung <bkerrjung>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:13:44 -0400
I'm new to the list, so, hi, everyone! I've thoroughly enjoyed the discussion so far.
Just finished listening to Nation and it was fantastic. Stephen Briggs has been so invested in recording Terry Pratchett's work that he's practically the audio book version's co-author, which is why I think this book, and so many others the pair has done, works so well. If you haven't already, I highly recommend listening to the audio book versions of Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books (The Wee Free Men, Hatful of Sky, and Wintersmith). The comic characters in these books provide Briggs with a great showcase.
(BTW, I'd recommend any and all Pratchett/Briggs audio books. If you had to criticize Pratchett you might say that he does nearly the same thing over and over again. But he does it so well that you just don't care. I especially recommend the YA books by Pratchett because he seems to be the most generous towards his younger characters. He tends to satirically skewer any and all adults.)
If an author can't read his own work as well as someone like Sherman Alexie can, he/she would be well advised to find a partner like the one Pratchett has found in Briggs, who believes as deeply in the work as the author. Just about any professional actor can enunciate, come up with acceptable voices, and get the pacing right, but in the end there's often a bit of soul missing.
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:13:44 -0400
I'm new to the list, so, hi, everyone! I've thoroughly enjoyed the discussion so far.
Just finished listening to Nation and it was fantastic. Stephen Briggs has been so invested in recording Terry Pratchett's work that he's practically the audio book version's co-author, which is why I think this book, and so many others the pair has done, works so well. If you haven't already, I highly recommend listening to the audio book versions of Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books (The Wee Free Men, Hatful of Sky, and Wintersmith). The comic characters in these books provide Briggs with a great showcase.
(BTW, I'd recommend any and all Pratchett/Briggs audio books. If you had to criticize Pratchett you might say that he does nearly the same thing over and over again. But he does it so well that you just don't care. I especially recommend the YA books by Pratchett because he seems to be the most generous towards his younger characters. He tends to satirically skewer any and all adults.)
If an author can't read his own work as well as someone like Sherman Alexie can, he/she would be well advised to find a partner like the one Pratchett has found in Briggs, who believes as deeply in the work as the author. Just about any professional actor can enunciate, come up with acceptable voices, and get the pacing right, but in the end there's often a bit of soul missing.
-- Brian Jung http://mrchompchomp.blogspot.comReceived on Thu 16 Apr 2009 11:13:44 AM CDT
