Someone suggest me an audiobook for KSP.

[mushroomman]

I like to listen to audiobooks while I play KSP. But I don't really know what to listen to next. I'd mostly prefer some sort of low science fiction (if that's even a thing). You know, things that aren't too overboard with the techy stuff. I'd also like something fairly mainstream so I actually have a chance to find it. Thanks!

[SteevyT]

Kenneth Opal's Airborn series is pretty good, Not sure if there is an audiobook version of it though.

[mushroomman]

Kenneth Opal's Airborn series is pretty good, Not sure if there is an audiobook version of it though.

Yeah, but I've already read that.

I haven't really read a whole lot of science fiction though so there are quite a few things to chose from.

[Spartwo]

Arthur.c.clarke fits the description

[mushroomman]

Arthur.c.clarke fits the description

And so he does. I guess I should listen to the Space Odyssey series thing, since the movie was so good. Thank you. This should keep me set for a while.

[Custard Donut (In Space)]

Not space exactly but SF and aliens in it, John Christopher's "The Tripods," It's a trilogy the first of which is called "The white mountains."

[Capt'n Skunky]

Some of the Heinlein Juvenile series would be good. It's not really deep but has all the things that make for good stories and you can't go wrong with Heinlein sci-fi. It should still be popular enough to find on audiobooks.

Now that you've mentioned it, I'm going to see if I can get one for my tablet.

Cheers!

Capt'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[EndlessWaves]

2001 isn't my favourite, but it's worth reading for the sequels. 2010 and 2061 are good books.

If you haven't read the classics then those are very easy to read and non-techy in the best way.

Rendezvous with Rama & The Fountains of Paradise - Arthur C. Clarke (the sequels to Rama are good but a completely different style).

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein

The Foundation series - Isaac Assimov. Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation are the three classic ones, but there are acceptably written sequals and a prequel as well.

Protector, Ringworld - Larry Niven.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card. Disappointing sequels.

Some less universal/well known books I'd also recommend are:

Grass - Sherri S. Tepper

The Uplift War - David Brin

The Miles Vorkosigan books - Lois McMaster BuJold

The Honour Harrington books (On Basilisk Station is the first one) - David Weber

The Night's Dawn Trilogy - Peter F. Hamilton (Reality Dysfunction, Neutronium Alchemist, Naked God - packaged as a trilogy but in fact one long continuous story so you need to read/listen to one after another).

I'm tempted to put something of Stephen Baxter's on the list as I'm a fan but he does tend to be a hard SF writer. You could try something like Raft, which has lots of non-techy imagery in it and mirrors the kerbalverse in that the celestial bodies are rather smaller than in our universe.

[SmallChange]

I've found anything by Larry Niven (well, maybe not the Ringworld stuff) pairs excellently with KSP, but he's the opposite of "low on the techy stuff". He's more the "Explain the theoretical fusion engine able to push a gas giant" type.

[EndlessWaves]

He's more the "Explain the theoretical fusion engine able to push a gas giant" type.

I haven't read a world out of time so I don't know how detailed his description of the fusion candle is but I would generally say the opposite. Aside from the Flatlander detective stories the only real technical descriptions I remember are the ringworld books but even there it's only to advance the story/create spectacular imagery.

He does write about some concepts like genetic engineering and anti-matter but generally only so he can make a crazy golf course with shifting gravity fields on an asteroid called kobold without it seeming too silly.

[maackey]

I know its not strictly science fiction, but Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are absolutely fantastic. Plus there are like 30 of them, so they'll satisfy for quite a while. (I myself have not even finished the series, but I can't listen to books while studying or working, because it just turns to background noise, and I have no idea whats going on when my brain actually tunes back in.)

[katateochi]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!!

It's not techy, well ok, its very techy, but all the tech is fictional and totally insane;

"The principle of generating small amounts of finite improbability by simply hooking the logic circuits of a Bambelweeny 57 Sub-Meson Brain to an atomic vector plotter suspended in a strong Brownian Motion producer (say a nice hot cup of tea) were of course well understood  and such generators were often used to break the ice at parties by making all the molecules in the hostess's undergarments leap simultaneously one foot to the left, in accordance to the theory of indeterminacy.

Many respectable physicists said that they weren't going to stand for this, partly because it was a debasement of science, but mostly because they didn't get invited to those sorts of parties."

And don't forget the PanGalactic Gargle Blaster, a drink, the effects of which are like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.

Although the Guide is 5 books (the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy of 5) it was first a BBC radio series and I think that is its finest medium. The books are well worth reading thou, but the movie, well, I went and got a lobotomy after it so I couldn't tell you.

[mushroomman]

By this point I've gotten 2001 off Itunes and I am content. Thanks for all of the suggestions and I'll look back here when I'm done with the 4 Odyssey books.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!!

It's not techy, well ok, its very techy, but all the tech is fictional and totally insane;

"The principle of generating small amounts of finite improbability by simply hooking the logic circuits of a Bambelweeny 57 Sub-Meson Brain to an atomic vector plotter suspended in a strong Brownian Motion producer (say a nice hot cup of tea) were of course well understood  and such generators were often used to break the ice at parties by making all the molecules in the hostess's undergarments leap simultaneously one foot to the left, in accordance to the theory of indeterminacy.

Many respectable physicists said that they weren't going to stand for this, partly because it was a debasement of science, but mostly because they didn't get invited to those sorts of parties."

And don't forget the PanGalactic Gargle Blaster, a drink, the effects of which are like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.

Although the Guide is 5 books (the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy of 5) it was first a BBC radio series and I think that is its finest medium. The books are well worth reading thou, but the movie, well, I went and got a lobotomy after it so I couldn't tell you.

I have actually read the first 4 books, but I gave up because the plot just got much too confusing for my little head

[katateochi]

By this point I've gotten 2001 off Itunes and I am content. Thanks for all of the suggestions and I'll look back here when I'm done with the 4 Odyssey books.

I have actually read the first 4 books, but I gave up because the plot just got much too confusing for my little head

tbh the books by the 4-5th do go a bit odd. That's why I much prefer the radio plays. The first two are almost word for word identical (as they were basically transcribed from the radio version). Then they diverge a bit. The radio plays are just so wonderfully old school British in the way its presented and you don't get that so much from the books. The use of language and the pronunciation is just sublime, infact, I might have to listen to them again now!!

[geb]

The Red Dwarf books are good (except Last Human, which is just weird)

They're better than the original series, and the audiobook versions are excellent.

[EndlessWaves]

I know its not strictly science fiction, but Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are absolutely fantastic.

Are there any decent readings of them though? That sort of comedy is very hard to convert into audio form.

The Red Dwarf books are good (except Last Human, which is just weird)

They're better than the original series, and the audiobook versions are excellent.

Is that the Chris Barrie version the BBC broadcast? I hadn't realised what an excellent mimic he is.

If you're willing to consider audio drama as well as audio books then The Eighth Doctor Adventures is well worth a look, some of the writing is a bit silly but the performances by Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith are generally excellent.

[envivor]

I've read the Red Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. Its a very elaborate story about the colonization of Mars, spanning several centuries. I don't know if there is an audiobook about it, but its worth the read! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy

If you think about colonizing Duna, this is a great read whilst you cruise towards Duna in 1x speed

[geb]

Is that the Chris Barrie version the BBC broadcast? I hadn't realised what an excellent mimic he is.

The radio version had a lot of the story cut out. There are unabridged audiobooks available too, also read by Chris Barrie.

[Exal]

I would listen to spin ward fringe. It's a pretty good space story line, listen to origins first

[The Jedi Master]

Rocket Boys is VERY Kerbal, if you like memoirs.

[EndOfTheEarth]

2010 by Arthur C. Clarke. Do it during a Jool mission; that's all I could think about while reading it.

[kookoo_gr]

Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson a series of seven si fi books. I loved reading them

[maackey]

Are there any decent readings of them though? That sort of comedy is very hard to convert into audio form.

I love the narrations by Nigel Planar. Intentional misspellings and puns sometimes take a few seconds to hit, but he does a very good job conveying them IMO.

[Gabe]

I recently found The Martian by Andy Weir. I think it's only available on Amazon in Kindle & Audible Audio formats. The price is great.

It's about an astronaut stranded by accident on Mars.

Doesn't sound funny? I laughed out loud reading on the train so many times.

Great pace, science without going off on a tangent and the aforementioned humor.

I read it so I can't vouch for the audio version but it is unabridged.

[Dr. Muttonstache]

Now this isn't a audiobook ,but a podcast. Just look up the Joe Rogan Experience, he sometimes has guests like Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Graham Hancock, though by far his best guest is Duncan Trussell. Topics include but are not limited to: The Universe, Fart Theory, Stoned Ape Theory, and other things.

It's great, just go have a listen.