Untouched by Human Hands

Robert Sheckley

Mar 2015 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir, Harlan Ellison, and Stefan Rudnicki

About this audiobook

Untouched by Human Hands consists of thirteen stories of beings who dwell on the strange borders of reality. Some of these stories tell of people you know or of events that might happen—but haven’t yet. Some will take you to the furthermost reaches of the sky and to planets whose names are unknown this side of Arcturus. And some—perhaps the richest and most memorable of these stories—open into the interior of strange minds to reveal the reflection of ourselves.

This classic collection consists of the following short stories:

“The Monsters”“Cost of Living”“The Altar”“Shape”“The Impacted Man”“Untouched by Human Hands”“The King’s Wishes”“Warm”“The Demons”“Specialist”“Seventh Victim”“Ritual”“Beside Still Waters”

Ratings and reviews

Every story in this collection left me feeling satisfied. Fun science fiction from Robert Sheckley's incredible imagination. There are multiple readers. Most are good. One of the male narrators speaks with vocal creak almost all of the time, making him difficult to understand. It distracted me from the story.

About the author

Robert Sheckley (1928–2005) was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous, quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist, and broadly comical. In 2001 he was named an Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Gabrielle de Cuir is a Grammy-nominated and Audie Award-winning producer whose narration credits include the voice of Valentine in Orson Scott Card’s Ender novels, Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Tombs of Atuan, and Natalie Angier’s Woman, for which she was awarded AudioFile magazine’s Golden Earphones Award. She lives in Los Angeles where she also directs theatre and presently has several projects in various stages of development for film.

Susan Hanfield is an Audie Award–winning narrator who comes from a strong classical theater background and loves bringing deep characterizations to all of her work. She has narrated over twenty books, including Ru Emerson’s six-book Night-Threads series.

Harlan Ellison has won the Edgar, Hugo, and Nebula awards for his speculative fiction. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Stefan Rudnicki is a Grammy-winning audiobook producer and an award-winning narrator who has won several Audie Awards and been named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices. Stefan’s early singing career included choral and solo concerts at Carnegie Hall, Judson Hall, and Lincoln Center.