Acid Bath REVIEWS
A Step Back in Time About a Leap Forward in Space By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) 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 so popular as a book among teenagers of that period: after all, we were all exploring space since the first space rocket (Germany) in 1942, the nights of watching for extraterrestrials so popular in the 1950s, the 1957 launching of the Russian rocket that placed Sputnik in the heavens, and the 1969 historic first moon walk. All of us were curious and hungry for the experience of studying space, wondering whether other planets supported life, or if there were other solar systems existed that supported advanced forms of life that were planning visits to the earth. ACID BATH is the story of one John who experiences aliens and the mysteries of encountering creatures who could communicate through strange voices contained in even stranger bodies. In this reconstruction of Garson's story a company aptly named Fantastica has used all the elements of contemporary techniques to bring the story to life on an audio book format. Listening to this beautifully produced tale, narrated by Max Bollinger and enhanced by some exceptional music and sound effects and alien voice distortions so realistic they jolt the listener, is not unlike the infamous Orson Welles WAR OF THE WORLDS. It has just enough of the purity and naiveté of early space sci-fi circa 1950s adventures to make it a collectors item, but it now stands alone as a very entertaining technically modernized version of a classic tale. ACID BATH works on every level - a welcome addition to the world of audio books!

By A. Chandler (Austin, TX, USA)

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... 

To Earth – ever triumphant! 

By Oakshaman (Algoma, WI United States)

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. 

Space Race Nostalgia

By Martin Warminger (UK)

A space pioneer at a lonely outpost is captured by aliens and condemned to die. Can he hold out until the relief ship arrives...? 

I understand that this story by Vaseleos Garson was written in the 1950s, a time when space flight became a reality for the human race and there is a sense of wonder in its telling that reflects that age of goggle-eyed expectancy. Russian born TV producer and writer, Max Bollinger, narrates the tale beautifully, his Russian vowels adding yet another link to that time of east-west space-racing. 

Unlike the usual style of audio book, this 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'. 

As other reviewers have indicated, this is a short story, not a full length novel and as such should be balanced against price. Nevertheless, this is a charming audio book which evokes a period feel of Dan Dare style early space travel and alien encounters which no boy, or even `old' boy should miss.

An Audio Book 

By Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas)  USA

Set in the outskirts of the solar system, "Acid bath" is an audio adaptation of Vaselos Garson's 1952 story. 

The tale is enriched with music and special effects that make it very special. "Acid Bath" mixes old and new. The story was very popular when it came out in 1952--everyone wanted to know about space then. 

Our hero, John, gets the chance to experience aliens who communicated strangely with him. He is a space pioneer who is captured by aliens and given the death sentence. Narrated by Max Bollinger, the story is lovely and the music and special effects make it all the more interesting. 

The story's new treatment rests on Bollinger but it mangoes to keep its nostalgic charm. Perhaps the fact that the story is not long adds to its uniqueness. I found it fascinating and have already listed to it three times. 

Where to Order

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