Escape Artists
PseudoPod => About Pseudopod => Topic started by: Bdoomed on January 29, 2010, 04:29:17 AM
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Just going to copy this directly...
Below is a list of the main episodes that ran in 2009. Nominate your favorite 5 and then we'll put up a poll. Also feel free to express your reasons for why you liked those episodes. Please remember The Rules (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=3289.0) and that it is all in the spirit of Fun.
Pseudopod 174: The Primakov By R.J. Hobbs
Pseudopod 173: Bophuthatswana By Lavie Tidhar
Pseudopod 172: The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft By Nick Mamatas and Tim Pratt
Pseudopod 171: Napier’s Bones By Stephen Gaskell
Pseudopod 170: The Sultan of Meat By James B. Pepe
Pseudopod 169: The Disconnected By David Steffen
Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris
Pseudopod 167: Love Like Thunder By Jim Bihyeh
Pseudopod 166: Something There Is By Joe Nazare
Pseudopod 165: The Copse By Robert Mammone
Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment By Mike Norris
Pseudopod 163: I Am Your Need By Mort Castle
Pseudopod 162: Suicide Notes, Written by an Alien Mind By Ferrett Steinmetz
Pseudopod 161: Fourth Person Singular By Dale L. Sproule
Pseudopod 160: Got Milk? By John Alfred Taylor
Pseudopod 159: Reservation Monsters By Jim Bihyeh
Pseudopod 158: Regulars By Frank Oreto
Pseudopod 157: Wave Goodbye By Felicity Bloomfield
Pseudopod 156: The Leviathan By Blake Vaughn
Pseudopod 155: The Worm that Gnaws By Orrin Grey
Pseudopod 154: Raising Eddie By Mark Felps
Pseudopod 153: The Hay Devils By Colin P. Davies
Pseudopod 152: Hometown Horrible By Matthew Bey
Pseudopod 151: The Undoing By Sarah Totton
Pseudopod 150: Break the Vessel By Vylar Kaftan
Pseudopod 149: Mira By Michael James McFarland
Pseudopod 148: Graffiti By K.S. Dearsley
Pseudopod 147: Orifice By John F.D. Taff
Pseudopod 146: The Button Bin By Mike Allen
Pseudopod 145: Infestation By Matthew Piskun
Pseudopod 144: The Inevitability of Earth By David Nickle
Pseudopod 143: The Looking Men By James R. Kristofic
Pseudopod 142: Camp By Jeremy C. Shipp
Pseudopod 140: The Man Who Sank By Colin P. Davies
Pseudopod 139: Old Ways By Dan Dworkin
Pseudopod 138: Come to My Arms, My Beamish Boy By Douglas F. Warrick
Pseudopod 137: The Reign of the Wintergod By Eugie Foster
Pseudopod 136: The Eyes of the Crowd By Bruce Boston
Pseudopod 135: The Duel By Michael James McFarland
Pseudopod 134: Bait By Joel Arnold
Pseudopod 133: Grave of Ships By Richard Marsden
Pseudopod 132: The Valknut By Dan Dworkin
Pseudopod 131: Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum By Grady Hendrix
Pseudopod 130: The Greatest Adventure of All By Ian McHugh
Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
Pseudopod 128: Bone Mother By Maura McHugh
Pseudopod 127: The Garden and the Mirror By Tim W. Burke
Pseudopod 126: The Ashen Thing By Paul Mannering
Pseudopod 125: The Interview By Mike Norris'
Pseudopod 124: Scavenger By Jonathan Kuhn
Pseudopod 123: Bone Sigh By Tim Pratt
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Here are my five choices:
1) Pseudopod 173: Bophuthatswana By Lavie Tidhar
Stellar on most every level, from evocative imagery to rhythmic language that was fun to listen to. I love the subtler horror, barely tinging the very real events.
2) Pseudopod 150: Break the Vessel By Vylar Kaftan
Only edged out by Bophuthatswana because I got to have an argument over that one. I absolutely adored this story and the intense emotions it evoked. Weaving poetry from literally shit is a feat few can manage.
3) Pseudopod 144: The Inevitability of Earth By David Nickle
Absolutely brilliant central metaphor which leads to a (for some of us) literally panic-inducing final image. Bonus points for super-awesome title.
4) Pseudopod 155: The Worm that Gnaws By Orrin Grey
Old-school creature-feature horror that overwhelms through sheer apostrophal fury. (Seriously, dialect is hard to do well. This story did it well. Reminded me of Twain's mastery of that most troublesome of dramatic conventions.)
5) Pseudopod 138: Come to My Arms, My Beamish Boy By Douglas F. Warrick
This final slot was really a three-way tie of sorts. This one won my choice basically because I'm a whore for literary allusions, even ones that I don't get to feel snotty and superior for recognizing. Plus, the mental images were just chilling.
Honorable Mention
Pseudopod 131: Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum By Grady Hendrix
I like the TWSS stories and wish they were closer to Union Dues in number. I enjoyed the darker tone this one took toward the end. It was a bit like watching Bertie Wooster finally grow up a little bit.
Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
Awesome story with fun images that was hard to listen to because Ben's "small child" voice drives me absolutely up the wall. (Sorry, Mr. Phillips!)
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How can one live up to such erudition? :-)
Pseudopod 134: Bait By Joel Arnold
This is still my fave ep -- maybe an obvious storyline but evocative, atmospheric and with a fantastically apropos reading by Cheyenne Wright. (I wish I had that guy's voice.)
Pseudopod 146: The Button Bin By Mike Allen
Inventive with its "living in another's skin", also included a skillfully woven and unfolded domestic horror.
Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris
For its horribly descriptive and reckless surgery, and its amoral and completely clueless protagonist.
Pseudopod 132: The Valknut By Dan Dworkin
The mobile tattoo gave me the creeps.
Pseudopod 126: The Ashen Thing By Paul Mannering
This was a really creepy tale. You could easily identify with the main characters and since I love dogs so much, the crazed dog acting as... what? point man?... really affected me.
Man, this is hard! I also loved, for various reasons:
Pseudopod 174: The Primakov By R.J. Hobbs (creepy)
Pseudopod 173: Bophuthatswana By Lavie Tidhar (reality)
Pseudopod 165: The Copse By Robert Mammone (atmosphere!)
Pseudopod 163: I Am Your Need By Mort Castle (SO well read)
Pseudopod 159: Reservation Monsters By Jim Bihyeh (great "what-is-a-monster-really?" story)
Pseudopod 155: The Worm that Gnaws By Orrin Grey (good old-fashioned creeps wif a fun eh-wat guv? reading)
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Here are mine:
Pseudopod 167: Love Like Thunder By Jim Bihyeh
Pseudopod 173: Bophuthatswana By Lavie Tidhar
Pseudopod 152: Hometown Horrible By Matthew Bey
Pseudopod 131: Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum By Grady Hendrix
Pseudopod 123: Bone Sigh By Tim Pratt
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I haven't looked at what the others have nominated yet... so here are my choices, pure and untainted.
Top 5 (chronological order):
Pseudopod 123: Bone Sigh By Tim Pratt
Pseudopod 150: Break the Vessel By Vylar Kaftan
Pseudopod 152: Hometown Horrible By Matthew Bey
Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris
Pseudopod 169: The Disconnected By David Steffen
Honorable Mentions:
Pseudopod 131: Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum By Grady Hendrix
Pseudopod 134: Bait By Joel Arnold
Pseudopod 142: Camp By Jeremy C. Shipp
Pseudopod 160: Got Milk? By John Alfred Taylor
Pseudopod 164: Linda’s Appointment By Mike Norris
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I haven't listened to all of stories on the big list, but here are my top five of the ones I have heard:
Pseudopod 155: The Worm that Gnaws By Orrin Grey
Pseudopod 166: Something There Is By Joe Nazare
Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
Pseudopod 161: Fourth Person Singular By Dale L. Sproule
Pseudopod 156: The Leviathan By Blake Vaughn
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Top 5:
1) Pseudopod 138: Come to My Arms, My Beamish Boy By Douglas F. Warrick
2) Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
3) Pseudopod 163: I Am Your Need By Mort Castle
4) Pseudopod 142: Camp By Jeremy C. Shipp
5) Pseudopod 146: The Button Bin By Mike Allen
Other stories I really liked (in no particular order)
Pseudopod 173: Bophuthatswana By Lavie Tidhar
Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris
Pseudopod 155: The Worm that Gnaws By Orrin Grey
Pseudopod 143: The Looking Men By James R. Kristofic
Pseudopod 133: Grave of Ships By Richard Marsden
Pseudopod 131: Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum By Grady Hendrix
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I'm still working on catching up, and will probably go out of my way to hit the ones put on the poll. Consider this my request to make the duration of the poll long enough so I can listen to those stories without feeling rushed. :)
That being said, the most impactful story I've listened to from 2009 is Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris.
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1. Pseudopod 143: The Looking Men By James R. Kristofic
2. Pseudopod 134: Bait By Joel Arnold
3. Pseudopod 159: Reservation Monsters By Jim Bihyeh
4. Pseudopod 132: The Valknut By Dan Dworkin
5. Pseudopod 160: Got Milk? By John Alfred Taylor
This actually made me gag, I had to include it.
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#167 Love Like Thunder
#150 Breaking the Vessel
#146 The Button Bin
#143 The Looking Men
#126 The Ashen Thing
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Well, it was very hard for me to limit the list at a mere five but I did it. All of these tales were ones that made me think twice before turning out the lights or were just so entertaining that I've listened to them repeatedly. I've placed them in sequential order since each one has in one way or another made an impact on this jaded horror fan.
Pseudopod 126: The Ashen Thing By Paul Mannering
Pseudopod 131: Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum By Grady Hendrix
Pseudopod 137: The Reign of the Wintergod By Eugie Foster
Pseudopod 138: Come to My Arms, My Beamish Boy By Douglas F. Warrick
Pseudopod 163: I Am Your Need By Mort Castle
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Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris
Pseudopod 160: Got Milk? By John Alfred Taylor
Pseudopod 138: Come to My Arms, My Beamish Boy By Douglas F. Warrick
Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
Pseudopod 126: The Ashen Thing By Paul Mannering
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any more nominations?
otherwise i'll put up a poll tomorrow
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Pseudopod 126: The Ashen Thing
A wonderful idea of a dog and monster team, a splendidly repellent creature and an
original realistic angle with the disabled hero.
Pseudopod 133: Grave of Ships
A shaggy tale which nevertheless has a good punchline. I like the repetitive phrases of
the storyteller.
Pseudopod 159: Reservation Monsters
Excellent tale. The local detail made it especially interesting and finale was stirring.
Pseudopod 153: The Hay Devils
Great piece of writing with good characters and a novel idea. Builds up to a fine climax.
Pseudopod 143: The Looking Men
Great piece of Hammer horror that could be the pilot for a series.
All the stories were excellently read.
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since i've been quite busy as of late, i'll wait until the weekend to post the poll. squeeze in your nominations before then!
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In no particular order (because it's hard enough picking 5 without having to chose between them)
Pseudopod 123: Bone Sigh By Tim Pratt
Loved this one both on here and on Drabblecast, uncomfortable storytelling of the best kind
Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
Just good on so many levels,
Pseudopod 137: The Reign of the Wintergod By Eugie Foster
I still think PP wwas incredibly brave to run with this one, possibly the most difficult piece I heard on here, superbly read
Pseudopod 167: Love Like Thunder By Jim Bihyeh
My favourite of the Jim Bihyeh storys this year
Pseudopod 173: Bophuthatswana By Lavie Tidhar
Not traditional in any way, but splednidly put togethrt
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Pseudopod 168: El Dentisto que Corta By Mike Norris
Pseudopod 152: Hometown Horrible By Matthew Bey
Pseudopod 129: Bottle Babies By Mary A. Turzillo
Pseudopod 160: Got Milk? By John Alfred Taylor
Pseudopod 123: Bone Sigh By Tim Pratt
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Is it too late to put in some nominations?
I liked, Raising Eddie #154, Infestation # 145, The Worm that Gnaws #155, and Bone Mother #128. Thanks!
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tis not too late because I'm lazy, but i'll probably finally get to putting it up soon. :P
either way it's proved beneficial that I have not yet put it up. :) more nominations!