An adaptation of Garson's classic old-school scifi in the tradition of the paperbacks and pulps.

01 The Steel-Blues
02 Outside Solar System
03 Solarians and Extraterestrials
04 Examination Room
05 Yellow Liquid
06 The Hemlock
07 SP Ship
08 Water Cannons 

ACID BATH is at once a mixture of old and new. The story by Vaseleos Garson dates back to 1952 and is a sparkling treasure of a sci-fi adventure story popular as a book among teenagers of that period.

Unlike the usual style of audio book, this release has a music and effects soundtrack backing the narration giving it a radio play feel rather than a straightforward reading. 

Someone has also been playing with some Dalek-voice electronics allowing the aliens to have strange mechanical voices. The whole effect gives a slightly 'boys own' ambience which is not unpleasant and is a nostalgic link to those years of sitting in front of the 'wireless'.

"When you are a Lone Watcher, and strangers catch you unawares, you don't stand still…" 

"For 400 years scientists had been preaching preparedness as Earth flung her ships into the reaches of the solar system, taking the first long step toward the conquest of space…" 

"There are other races somewhere, they argued. As strong and smart as man, many of them so transcending man in mental and inventive power that we must be prepared to strike the minute danger shows…"

Reviews:

"To Earth – ever triumphant!

If you admire stories of the Patrol and of Lone Watchers at the edge of the solar system then this tale is for you. 

I was not quite sure what to expect from this audio book at first but I was very pleasantly surprised. This is classic old-school scifi in the tradition of the paperbacks and pulps. It is the sort of story one would expect of Andre Norton, Isaac Asimov, or A.E. van Vogt. I had almost despaired of finding anything in this heroic and promethean spirit nowadays. 

The production is excellent- the sound effects, voice characterizations, and background music fully support the story telling. 

I look forward to any future releases in the same spirit."

-- Oakshaman (Algoma, WI United States)

"I'm a books-on-cd lover but not a sci fi fan per se....still, I loved it.

Because we often travel via car, we are never without a books-on-tape (old school name) which are now books on cd. Because of this we've sampled some of the best...(so good you don't want to stop driving even if you reach your destination!) and the worst (put everyone in the car, and almost the driver as well, to sleep) and we've heard a range of narrators as well. 

I don't typically gear my tastes towards sci-fi however, I'll admit it...nonetheless new is good and we just listened to Acid Bath on a weekend trip. 

I have to say, I liked the originality as much as the story. I've never heard a story set to an orchestral background to enhance the storytelling and I LOVED the idea. Whereas we typically hear narrator only during a book on cd, this was almost like getting the best of both worlds...interesting sound effects and music enhancing the tale and that, on a long car trip, was refreshing. Think "special effects for the ears"! 

Think back to silent films...not that I am old enough to recall them in the theater but I've seen em in film study class as well as elsewhere. You didn't just read the words, but you had scary music when reading a chilling part of the film, exciting music during a cliffhanger, etc. It's a double effect...I'm surprised it hadn't been thought of before. We very much enjoyed the artistic combo. 

While someone mentioned that this is a story from the 50s I'd never heard of it before (perhaps because I wasn't born until the 60s?!) but it seems Sci-Fi is timeless I suppose...we both enjoyed this science fiction tale that spliced some humor into a tale woven together of what else but sci-fi typical lore of aliens and humans, ray guns, space ships and all those other futuristic quips...read in a pleasing British accent, with an adventurous story line and a backdrop of orchestra timed appropriately at each part of the tale to coincide with what is occurring. 

It made our trip seem shorter and, I must admit, brought me an interest in perhaps exploring a few more sci-fi tales...we give it four thumbs up and recommend it..."

-- A. Chandler (Austin, TX, USA)