McDaid's amazing story "Keyboard Practice" as an MP3

John McDaid's amazing, Nebula-shortlisted science fiction story "Keyboard Practice" is now available as a free MP3.

Earlier this month, I blogged about how John had posted a free electronic edition of his groundbreaking story "Keyboard Practice, Consisting of an Aria with Diverse Variations for the Harpsichord with Two Manuals," which I had the good fortune to workshop with him some years ago. Keyboard Practice is a mind-bending, playful, hilarious story about artificial intelligence and the Goldberg Variations, and it has earned John a spot on the shortlist for the 2005 Nebula Awards.

I made the same list with my story Anda's Game, and I recently released an MP3 of game-blogger Alice Taylor reading it aloud in three parts (1, 2, 3). (Incidentally, Anda's Game was workshopped by John as well).

Now John has released his own reading of Keyboard Practice as a 60MB MP3. I can't wait to listen to this on the way to the office today. I wish every story on the Nebula shortlist was available this way!

60MB MP3 Link

(via John McDaid)

Update: Remmelt's posted a torrent of this file. BTW, I finished listening to it today and MAN is it ever good. Better than I remembered, even.