If I Were You
Written by: L. Ron Hubbard
Published by: Galaxy Press  
Pub Date: September 8, 2008
ISBN: 978-1592122905
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours

    Some of the best writing came out of the 1930s and 1940s, or known as the golden age, in which writers would publish their works in Pulp magazines, which was the opposite of the glossy magazines at the time. A few of these great authors were H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Buroughs, Robert E. Howard, Max Brand, Elmore Lenard, L. Ron Hubbard, and Ray Bradbury. The economy was tough back then, well it still is today, and these provided a much-needed income for the writers.

Recently I had a chance to work with Galaxy Press who publishes a line of audiobooks from the stories by L. Ron Hubbard called Stories from the Golden Age. Galaxy Press sent me a few audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

If I Were You originally appeared in the February 1940, issue of Five-Novels Monthly and is about 90-minutes, in which the main character is a midget named Little Tom Little or otherwise known as The King of the Midgets. Tom hates being a little person and a sideshow freak. He has a wonderful attitude toward everyone else, except for the ringmaster Herman Schmidt, who is a terrible human being and treats Tom like dirt.

The Great Secret
By: L. Ron Hubbard
Published By: Galaxy Press
ISBN: 978-1592122493
Pub Date: September 8, 2008
Approx. 2 hours

The Great Secret is one of five audiobooks that Galaxy Press sent to me free of charge for an honest review. These audios are from the Stories of the Golden Age, which represents the periods of the 1930s and 40s. During the years, writers such as L. Ron Hubbard published numerous short stories in pulp magazines. Included in each two CD set is a thirty-seven page booklet about L. Ron Hubbard.

Bruce Boxleitener, who starred in such popular television shows as Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Babylon 5, narrates The Great Secret that was originally published in the April 1973 issue of Science Fiction Stories. While searching for the mythological city Parva, a starship crashes leaving only one survivor, Fanner Marston, who wants to control the universe. He has heard the stories of The Great Secret that lies within the walls of Parva and he knows that city really does exist. The Sun’s rays are extremely hot on this unknown planet. He has no supplies, and he could die of thirst at any minute, but obsession with power force him to beat the odds as he continues the search for the great city.

The Crossroads
By L. Ron Hubbard
Published by: Galaxy Press
ISBN: 978-1-59212-241-7
Release Date: June 28, 2010

    I recently had the opportunity to review some audio books, courtesy of Stories from the Golden Age in exchange for a few reviews. I’ve written book reviews and DVD reviews, but never an audio review, so I was intrigued and agreed to review a few of the titles. Within a week, I received a box with five audios (each on two Cds), a free copy of the ASI Magazine, and a small calendar.

    The Crossroads was originally published in the February 1941 issue of Unknown magazine. The story involves a farmer Eben Smith, who was told by the government to destroy his crop’s surplus to help stabilize the failing economy. He is tired of the government controlling everything while people are starving. He loads his wagon with fruits and vegetables and heads for the city. His plans come to halt when he comes upon a bizarre crossroads, consisting of four odd roads. Each of these roads takes Eden to different realities, where he comes across soldiers and strange beings. Just because he cannot reach the big city does not mean Eben cannot barter his goods.