Escape Pod

Okay, I have been really lax on my Escape Pod reports, even though I listen to them as soon as possible. So here are my November Escape Pod overviews.

EP130: What We Learned From This Morning’s Newspaper by Robert Silverberg
The Silverberg stories seem dated to me. This was an interesting tale with a twist at the end that did not quite satisfy. It was more ennui than conclusion, though in a fun way. Rather than just slap a moral on the end, Silverberg gives us something more disturbing. Mash up challenge: Follow "What We Learned...." with The Mist by Stephen King. heh

EP131: Hesperia and Glory by Ann Leckie
I enjoyed this story. It had a very 'John Carter of Mars' feel to it as well as the victorian aesthetic which I have found very appealing in such novels as The Prestige. I need to come back to this when I next try to revise my story The Zombie King and Mr. Cooke, which also takes the form of a letter. I learned a great word from the Escape Pod forums: Epistolary is a story in letter or diary format. Cool.

EP132: Sparks in a Cold War by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
An interesting story that brought up a number of questions. It felt almost incomplete, though it did have an ending. I just wanted to know more about the setting, especially the technology. It was interesting that the story just went BAM here we are in the middle of the story, and there was some background, but I feel like just a paragraph or two more of explanation would have been nice. How did the self folding, self transporting stuff work? What was with the cut-grass? I did not get right away that the environment was so harsh. Also, it kind of bothered me that the three trouble-makers were women and then they all had to be killed. It's a woman author, but the story still feels mysoginistic to me. If the story had been written by a man, I think he would have to take the hit on that one. Wierd. I liked the ending.

EP133: Other People’s Money by Cory Doctorow
A little tough to understand the reader, but she had a nice voice. Personally I enjoy the challenge and the exposure to non-American accented English. The story was okay. Not really my bag. Interesting ideas, as many people mentioned on the EP forums, without much action or growth. I think the latter point is the key. It would be okay to have a piece that was mainly dialog, but I want the characters to go somewhere, learn something new... change.

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