Just to let listeners to high quality audiobooks know, Steven Pacey’s unabridged recording of The Heroes is now available on Audible.co.uk. Sorry to say, and due to circumstances entirely beyond my or anyone’s control, for the foreseeable future it won’t be available to US listeners, who will continue to get the previous version read by Michael Page. Apologies for that, Pacey fans, but such is the rights situation.
EDIT: After some consultation with my Dark Masters at Orion Publishing, I am reliably informed that Steven Pacey will also be reading A Red Country in due course, and that it will be the one and only version both sides of the pond.
21 comments so far
I wish Stephen Pacey read all audiobooks.
Stephen Pacey is a great reader up there with Neil Gaiman and Stephen Briggs as my favourites. Not sure I will rebuy heroes as I certainly enjoyed the version I have.
You and me both Lazlo.
Sad, but okay. Page does a great job, too. Will Red Country get read by Pacey in the U.S., or will Page be doing that one as well?
Pacey’s reading of The First Law trilogy is epic. I am having as much fun listening to this as I had reading the books. It’s great to hear that he has done Heroes as well.
When I read this I made the sound “Garg!” because I live in the US. I cannot recall a time when I’ve ever made that sound.
Damn you terrible copyrights laws that are not universal.
looking forward to it, got to wait for my audible credit…
I was so disappointed when I found out that Page would be doing The Heroes. Pacey is an amazing narrator, his work on the First Law series and Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
are my favorite audio books.
So if i live in the states I just cant get Pacey’s version?
That sucks
Please tell me it will be Pacey doing A Red Country and not page
Joe, Just to change the subject, wondered if you had seen this article by Anthony Horowitz..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/feb/27/anthony-horowitz-do-we-still-need-publishers
worth a look!
This is so wrong. Pacey’s reading of The First Law series was absolutely brilliant.
This is such BS. I refuse to buy Best Served Cold or The Heroes in ANY format (Audible, Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover) until we can get the Pacey version of these books in the U.S. I’m more than happy to spend the money, but not on a second rate version. I don’t know who made the call on this, but they’re an idiot. Read the reviews of the Michael Page version of these books over at Audible. It’s horrible. Even the sample made me cringe.
Is this the similar situation to why in the UK there are audiobooks to China Mieville’s The SCAR and IRON COUNCIL? In the US we like nice things too.
Jim,
Don’t know what the situation is there. You can get audiobooks of Best Served Cold and the Heroes in the US, just with a different narrator. Let me attempt to explain this. US rights to the First Law trilogy were sold to Pyr, but did not include audiobooks or ebooks. US rights to Best Served Cold and the Heroes were sold to Orbit US, including ebooks and audiobooks. At that time there were no audiobooks of any of my books. They made an agreement with tantor media in the US to make audiobooks of best served cold and the heroes and distribute them in the US. The audiobook of Best Served Cold duly appeared, the first of my books to come out in that format, read by Page. Some time later, in the UK, a decision was made to record the First Law books, they chose Pacey to read them. Everyone loved them. They were made available in the US as well. But since a recording of Best Served Cold was available already, the UK took that recording rather than do one of their own. The Heroes was then recorded in the US, with Page, according to the original deal, and made available in the UK as well. However, it started to become clear that Pacey’s version was the preferred one, so I urged the UK publisher to re-record Best Served Cold and the Heroes with Pacey, which they eventually agreed to do. This was pretty much above and beyond the call of duty for them since there aren’t that many books that will get the expense of being recorded once let alone twice. The original deal with Tantor media still holds, however, they bought rights to publish audiobooks of Best Served Cold and The Heroes in the US. Obviously they continue to hold those rights. Having gone to the expense of recording the version with Page they get the opportunity to market it in their territory. Annoying for US listeners who like Pacey, but there’s really nothing to be done about it, I’m afraid.
Personally I loved Best Served Cold by Page because it had mostly all new characters so Pacey’s read didn’t conflict with my ears. Although Cosca was in both series, I thought Page’s version was superior and he really breathed life into him that was not there in the First Law Trilogy. I also liked Shivers better by Page and liked how he changed his voice after he lost his eye.
With that said, I really would prefer the Heroes with Steven Pacey reading as many of the characters were in the First Law Trilogy and not in Best Served Cold. Page’s Dogman, Gorst, and many others are complete opposites from Pacey’s and I found it so distracting I finished listening to the book after only a few chapters.
So since it is not available in the US on Audible is there some other way to buy the audiobook on CD through a UK seller or on Ebay?
Being a fan of these books living in the US I’m pretty annoyed by this. Pacey’s narration of the First Law trilogy was absolutely fantastic and I’d love to hear his versions of the standalone books.
I’m almost finished with Best Served Cold at the moment and will be moving on to The Heroes right after, and while Michael Page isn’t bad he just isn’t on the same level as Pacey in my opinion.
I understand there’s nothing that can be done and I’m glad to hear that Pacey will be the only narrator for The Red Country, but this is very aggravating nonetheless.
Hmmm. Are there, in fact, Magi pulling the strings at Orion Publishing?
Behind closed doors, of course
Any idea of how long it will be before A Red Country is available via audible?
Many thanks
Eh there should be something worked out. I have already bought the page versions and would be more than willing to throw more cash just to get my hands on paceys versions and would bet im not the only one by a long shot. This is just a nice swift kick in the balls. Hell you could double the price and i would still be down. Ive never been more ready to hand over money… maybe one year this will change 🙁
I’m of the same opinion as Troy. I would buy both versions of the audiobooks if it meant I could get the Pacey versions. I drive 3-5 hours a day and only listen to audiobooks and cherish the books that have high quality productions and keep same narrator.
Since the Page versions are available in both areas I assume Orbit has an exclusive deal for the U.S.? If it’s not an exclusive deal could the U.K. publisher possibly be persuaded to offer them in the U.S.? I’d make it my new hobby to annoy them daily if it would make it possible.
If the deal prevents it from ever happening does anyone know of a legal way for someone in the U.S. to get the Pacey versions? Is there a CD version that can be purchased and shipped to the U.S.?
Say one thing for Steven Pacey; say he makes other readers sound like tools!
When I think the words “say one thing,” I think them in Pacey’s voice. Not to take anything from Page. He does an awesome Locke Lamorra. I just have that original impression that I can’t shake.