When I was fifteen I read a fiction story in The New Yorker where the mentor figure says to the naive young lead,

‘…fads in literature come and go, but the Russians will always be with us.’

That phrase stuck with me and I decided that it was high time I educate myself in the wisdom of the Russians. And being quite realistic about what I would sit down and read, page for page, I asked my long-suffering father to purchase Crime and Punishment on Audible. 

My dad has had an Audible subscription since the late ’90’s and lucky for me, we share much of the same reading preferences. I’ve been listening to books on his account for over twenty years now. I’m not sure why, of all the Russians, I decided Crime and Punishment was the work I’d start with — but it was.

This was still years before the iPod, and most CD players back then didn’t play MP3 files, so my dad, the saint that he is, burned C&P to some 40 million CD’s.

I delved into that great work while running around Minnesotan lakes, CD player in hand—skipping when jostled too much—or stripping wood for my mom’s living room remodel.  I know that in my youth I was oblivious to much of Dostoyevsky’s genius. But not all of it. And I’ve since gone on to love more of his and other great Russians, to the point where I can honestly agree with that first statement I read so many years ago — the Russians will, indeed, always be with us. 

Bandwidth issues have essentially disappeared. Downloading, listening and acquiring books via audio has never been easier, cheaper or more accessible to everyone  — no more CD’s, no more high productions costs, no more skipping CD players. People who might otherwise never have felt comfortable picking up a book are reading books with their earbuds. Audio is by far the fastest growing sector of book consumption, I suspect because listening is our most natural way to participate in the art of story. I find it quite exciting — we’ve come full circle, back to the origins of storytelling itself — to when stories were first heard and spoken. We are listening to a stories, just as families and tribes first did, gathered around a campfire, where a master craftsman would tell a story directly to his audience. 

All this preamble is to say… 

I’m officially launching my very first audiobook!
I never thought, as a teenager listening to Crime and Punishment, that I’d every say this, but you can now go online and use your subscription or purchase outright, a copy of The Year of the Rabid Dragon in audio format. 

Click here to Download from Audible

I’m so pleased, after making it through the production process myself, to add my book to to Audio Library. (Available wherever fine audio is downloaded).

The production was read and mastered by Alex Knox.  I think he did a great job. It wasn’t an easy project, considering all the languages and foreign language aspects!

And realize, if you haven’t listened to an Audio book yet, or don’t have an Audible subscription, you can

listen to Rabid Dragon for free with a one-month trial

Click Here for Free Audible Trial

I’d love to hear what you think! — let me know if you give it a listen!