Escape Artists

PseudoPod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Bdoomed on December 17, 2017, 07:50:28 PM

Title: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: Bdoomed on December 17, 2017, 07:50:28 PM

PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume (http://pseudopod.org/2017/12/17/pseudopod-573-bitter-perfume/)

by Laura Blackwell (http://pseudopod.org/people/laura-blackwell/)
Narrated by Emily Smith (http://pseudopod.org/people/emily-smith/)

This story was originally published in She Walks in Shadows anthology, eds. Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, October 2015 from Innsmouth Free Press. Prime Books issued the American edition, which is called Cthulhu’s Daughters. This will be its first reprint.

Some listeners will recognize characters and story elements from H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cool Air.” That’s because this story was written for She Walks in Shadows, an anthology of stories containing female characters from Lovecraft’s stories. All contributors to the anthology were women. She Walks in Shadows won the 2016 World Fantasy Award in the anthology category, and “Bitter Perfume” received an Honorable Mention from Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 8 editor Ellen Datlow.

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Listen to this week's PseudoPod. (http://traffic.libsyn.com/pseudopod/PseudoPod573_BitterPerfume.mp3)

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: Scuba Man on December 21, 2017, 01:16:40 PM

Eeeek. This episode had some distortion of very heavy duty proportions. Too true. Too true. Timestamp ~ 5:12. I don’t know all the audio engineer lingo... it sounds like the narrator was too close to the mic. I’m used to Alasdair’s buttery crisp (?) man vocals.

I’ll try messing arround with my iPad’s EQ settings.  :(

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: Scuba Man on December 21, 2017, 01:22:05 PM

What an odd episode! Unnerving vibe.
Running commentary...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Timestamp 15:06. Um, these characters aren’t exactly.... well... human. Are they? “The Adam’s Family”. The elder gets a snortful of Pb based or Ar laced paint!? Wha!? Timestamp 17:20. A poisoner? Okaaaaay. Timestamp 22:20. Wait! Who poisoning whom? An elder who can’t/won’t die? This episode has elements of a prior Pseudopod episode, “The Shooting Way”. Timestamp 25:14. I had an exhillerating ah-ha moment. The TWIST in the story. Narrator, you did a fantastic job pulling me into the story & then pulling the rug out from under me. ;D by 25:26, I was laughing! Sarah’s line about autopsies was bizzare. I was shaking my head with double-takes. Oh, Alasdair, your outro was spot on & tied up any loose ends from the story. Crap, that last scene with mum in the freezer made me think of Meatloaf motorcycling out of the freezer in the Musical scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show! Now, I’m humming, hot-patootie-bless-my-soul!

I’m so sharing this with my spouse. It describes her relationship with her mum (minus, well, the obvious). Yeah, I know. I’m happily hitched. 28 years and as sweet as bitter almonds. 8)

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: laurablackwell on December 22, 2017, 05:22:56 AM

Thank you for the commentary! I've always wondered how "Bitter Perfume" would read/sound to people who aren't familiar with "Cool Air," and reading all your double-take moments was both reassuring and delightful. I'm chuckling to myself now. Yes, Emily handled the slow creep of weirdness beautifully, and Alasdair's comments at the end were dead-on. I couldn't be happier with the treatment this story's gotten.

And as for your spouse and her mum...um. Well! I guess that means they're...close?  :-\ But I'm pleased that you like the story enough to share it!

Quote from: Scuba Man on December 21, 2017, 01:22:05 PM

What an odd episode! Unnerving vibe.
Running commentary...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Timestamp 15:06. Um, these characters aren’t exactly.... well... human. Are they? “The Adam’s Family”. The elder gets a snortful of Pb based or Ar laced paint!? Wha!? Timestamp 17:20. A poisoner? Okaaaaay. Timestamp 22:20. Wait! Who poisoning whom? An elder who can’t/won’t die? This episode has elements of a prior Pseudopod episode, “The Shooting Way”. Timestamp 25:14. I had an exhillerating ah-ha moment. The TWIST in the story. Narrator, you did a fantastic job pulling me into the story & then pulling the rug out from under me. ;D by 25:26, I was laughing! Sarah’s line about autopsies was bizzare. I was shaking my head with double-takes. Oh, Alasdair, your outro was spot on & tied up any loose ends from the story. Crap, that last scene with mum in the freezer made me think of Meatloaf motorcycling out of the freezer in the Musical scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show! Now, I’m humming, hot-patootie-bless-my-soul!

I’m so sharing this with my spouse. It describes her relationship with her mum (minus, well, the obvious). Yeah, I know. I’m happily hitched. 28 years and as sweet as bitter almonds. 8)

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: adrianh on December 22, 2017, 10:53:18 AM

Been looking forward to hearing this one — and wasn't disappointed. I thought Emily nailed the narration and a super twist on Cold Air.

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: Fenrix on December 22, 2017, 03:04:25 PM

If folks want to listen to a good version of Cool Air, I recommend this one: http://hppodcraft.com/2011/07/13/reading-5-cool-air/

It is by no means necessary to appreciate this story, as it stands completely on its own, but it makes a nice pairing like cheese and wine.

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: laurablackwell on December 23, 2017, 01:28:29 AM

Thanks for the tip! I love "Cool Air," although I did want to be kinder to Mrs. Herrero. Whether I was much meaner to Esteban is another question.

Quote from: Fenrix on December 22, 2017, 03:04:25 PM

If folks want to listen to a good version of Cool Air, I recommend this one: http://hppodcraft.com/2011/07/13/reading-5-cool-air/

It is by no means necessary to appreciate this story, as it stands completely on its own, but it makes a nice pairing like cheese and wine.

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: laurablackwell on December 27, 2017, 12:38:19 AM

Thank you so much! I was thrilled to hear this story getting the full PseudoPod treatment.

Quote from: adrianh on December 22, 2017, 10:53:18 AM

Been looking forward to hearing this one — and wasn't disappointed. I thought Emily nailed the narration and a super twist on Cold Air.

Title: Re: PseudoPod 573: Bitter Perfume
Post by: Katzentatzen on January 27, 2018, 10:42:50 PM

This story is why immortality scares me, because of the possibility that it could turn non-consensual.