Escape Artists
PodCastle => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Heradel on July 06, 2010, 07:42:52 PM
-
PodCastle 112: The Somnambulist (http://podcastle.org/2010/07/06/podcastle-112-the-somnambulist/)
by David J. Schwartz (http://snurri.livejournal.com/)
Read by Elizabeth Green Musselmen (http://darkmatterknits.com/)
Originally published in Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy (http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780979624605)
The somnambulist brakes at the intersection of two suburban streets–Ivy Something Lane, Something Creek Road. Her headlights illuminate the 2 A.M. silence. She leans over to open the passenger side door and her husband, in the body of a grey squirrel, jumps in. He’s been gone twelve days, in a double-door trap, in a coma, trekking across astral space and chemically treated lawns. Earlier today his human body died. The somnambulist cried herself to sleep; salt tracks have dried upon her face.
She pulls the door shut and sits up. The squirrel-husband hops over to her, his tail arcing after him like an echo. He climbs the arm of her teddy bear pajamas and perches upon her shoulder.
The somnambulist–her name is Judy when she’s awake–has been married for ten years. Her husband calls himself a trader, and this is perhaps the best description of what he does, but he has been called other things; magician, sorcerer, devil. Within the profession these terms have little meaning. He traffics in power, which is more or less what Judy has always believed.
“The hospital,” says the squirrel-husband. At least, she hears a voice, and the squirrel is the source. The somnambulist turns towards the highway.
Rated R: Violence, Language, Adult Themes
-
I liked this one a lot, and the "Seeping Judy" pun made me smile. I appreciated that their relationship was subtly dysfunctional, and I enjoyed the moment of Judy taking her destiny into her own hands, much to her husband's dismay. I also enjoyed the husband's conflicted pride at his wife's strength and independence and would have liked to see more of that. The narrator says that he had to love her for the magic to work; I would have liked to see more of his regret at having to take over her body, his desperation to conquer her and secret desire not to succeed. But... maybe I'm giving him too much credit. Maybe he wasn't meant to be at all sympathetic.
I think the best thing about this story was the atmosphere. Mundane suburbia mixed with astral projection and symbolic mysticism/magic. The setting turned my crank, perhaps a little more than the story did, but this is more a reflection of the strength of one than the weakness of the other.
Oh, and Dave, don't worry about your daughter. That whole "don't wake a sleepwalker" thing is total BS. It's based entirely on the belief that a sleepwalker's soul is absent and she'll be injured by premature waking, which would be awesome, but isn't true.
I hope so, anyway. My fiance sleepwalks and I'd hate to dislodge her soul. It's bad enough when something else gets in there, even when she's at home; it'd be worse if something actually displaced her. I'd never hear the end of it.
-
Oh, and Dave, don't worry about your daughter. That whole "don't wake a sleepwalker" thing is total BS. It's based entirely on the belief that a sleepwalker's soul is absent and she'll be injured by premature waking, which would be awesome, but isn't true.
I hope so, anyway. My fiance sleepwalks and I'd hate to dislodge her soul. It's bad enough when something else gets in there, even when she's at home; it'd be worse if something actually displaced her. I'd never hear the end of it.
Oh, thanks for that. I hadn't heard it before. Now that I think about, I can't actually remember where I heard it...
Congrats on your engagement, BTW :)
-
I liked the story a lot for the awesome concept of sleeping ninja assassins. Unfortunately, it got mired down in scads of exposition, a couple of tense changes that I'm sure were intentional but didn't really work in audio, and the whole thing with Death and the gods on a boat listening to a baseball game -- which was a story in and of itself.
So, great concept, passable execution, overall enjoyable but not blow-me-away-ing.
-
Upcoming marriage, at this point. The date is August 15th! We're naming all the tables after fantasy places, and the temptation to seat my parents at Mordor is nearly uncontrollable. We'll probably put them in Luthadel, instead.
-
Please God tell me you're not kidding about having a table called Mordor at your wedding!
-
Please God tell me you're not kidding about having a table called Mordor at your wedding!
I'm not kidding about naming the tables after fantasy places, but we're actually probably not going to use Mordor. The trouble is, my Mom hates fantastic literature with a fiery passion, but my Dad is an old-school Tolkeinist, knows I have tension with my mother, and is going to be sitting next to her wherever we put them. I don't actually want to upset my parents, just mock them a little, so we'll have to put them somewhere a little less obvious.
There will be a table called Tortal, though, and certainly a Lothlorien.
-
Yeah, that totally makes sense, and it's an awesome idea.
I hear London Below is nice that time of year!
Okay, sorry to detract from general Somnambulist discussions. Onward!
-
I agree with Listener. I am left wondering about the possibilities of this story, but felt the delivery was off for some reason. I love the concept and
I also don't understand where the cheese love comes in... ;) (although, i do love cheese. )
-
I agree with Listener. I am left wondering about the possibilities of this story, but felt the delivery was off for some reason. I love the concept and
I also don't understand where the cheese love comes in... ;) (although, i do love cheese. )
She = loves cheese.
He = gives her everything she wants to earn her love (so he can steal her life)
She = eats cheese (nom nom nom)
He = I can has life?
She = No!
-
The thing I liked about this story was that there was a lot of dream logic in it. You know, the kind of things that would just be weird in real life, but make perfect sense when they happen in dreams. For me, it's even more believable because some of those things come up in my own dreams. The part where she pulls out the sword reminds me of a time when I pulled a splinter out of my heel and it just so happened to be eight inches long and intricately carved.
-
The thing I liked about this story was that there was a lot of dream logic in it. You know, the kind of things that would just be weird in real life, but make perfect sense when they happen in dreams. For me, it's even more believable because some of those things come up in my own dreams. The part where she pulls out the sword reminds me of a time when I pulled a splinter out of my heel and it just so happened to be eight inches long and intricately carved.
Neat. I wonder how much your husband/wife got for that beauty :P.
-
She = loves cheese.
He = gives her everything she wants to earn her love (so he can steal her life)
She = eats cheese (nom nom nom)
He = I can has life?
She = No!
LOLTales?
(I like it!)
-
She = loves cheese.
He = gives her everything she wants to earn her love (so he can steal her life)
She = eats cheese (nom nom nom)
He = I can has life?
She = No!
LOLTales?
(I like it!)
So did I. Made me grin.
-
Upcoming marriage, at this point. The date is August 15th! We're naming all the tables after fantasy places, and the temptation to seat my parents at Mordor is nearly uncontrollable. We'll probably put them in Luthadel, instead.
One does not simply get seated at Mordor!
-
I thought this was a great story. Slightly surreal, as any story centered around dreams should be. And I personally absolutely adored the image of Death & company chillin' at the lake, downing cold ones.
Interestingly, I wasn't sure if the husband was calling himself a "trader" or "traitor." At first I thought it was the former (and checking the excerpt below proves that accurate), but as the story progressed I saw that "traitor" would be appropriate as well. Now, that's not a connection I'd necesarily make reading it in print - its just an interesting consequence of hearing the story read aloud. A good example of what a difference hearing a story vs. reading it may make.
-
Interestingly, I wasn't sure if the husband was calling himself a "trader" or "traitor."
I had the same experience. I decided on trader, based on other things that went on (though I think 'broker' is the more general term), but yes, 'traitor' works - in a different way - also.
-
The thing I liked about this story was that there was a lot of dream logic in it. You know, the kind of things that would just be weird in real life, but make perfect sense when they happen in dreams. For me, it's even more believable because some of those things come up in my own dreams. The part where she pulls out the sword reminds me of a time when I pulled a splinter out of my heel and it just so happened to be eight inches long and intricately carved.
Neat. I wonder how much your husband/wife got for that beauty :P.
I don't know. I woke up, but I do know that by that point my dream husband and everyone else had switched to looking entirely different from how they looked in the first part of the dream and I was perfectly okay with that because dream logic said so. That happens to me a lot. For me, it would make perfect sense if somebody started looking like a squirrel.
-
Interestingly, I wasn't sure if the husband was calling himself a "trader" or "traitor."
I had the same experience. I decided on trader, based on other things that went on (though I think 'broker' is the more general term), but yes, 'traitor' works - in a different way - also.
I figured "trader" right away, probably because we first meet him occupying a squirrel's body, and I had Charles DeLint's novel Trader in mind, which begins with two men finding themselves having swapped bodies overnight.
-
I agree with Listener. I am left wondering about the possibilities of this story, but felt the delivery was off for some reason. I love the concept and
I also don't understand where the cheese love comes in... ;) (although, i do love cheese. )
She = loves cheese.
He = gives her everything she wants to earn her love (so he can steal her life)
She = eats cheese (nom nom nom)
He = I can has life?
She = No!
sweet :D thanks
-
I've heard this title a lot recently, though I can never remember where, so I was glad to see it here! And I really enjoyed this, especially the warped dream logic used throughout. The evil astral projecting necromantic squirrel husband was such a bizarre and great story element.
And I really hope that ElectricPaladin's LOLcat cliff note is immortalized in story feedback in an upcoming episode. ;D
-
I loved this story. This is how romances should end... "You must make the ultimate sacrifice for me!"
"Um, no."
And then he died. Wonderful.
-
I heard 'traitor' and never once, trader.
Anyway, this was another one for me that just didn't go anywhere it could have. The ideas were very interesting, the whole concept of who the husband was was great, but there was never enough detail or building up. It was like reading the last chapter of a story. I feel like a lot more could have been done with these interesting ideas and decent characters. What I think would have really made it work is if there had been at least one full 'mission' in the beginning, with character interaction and the whole lot, to solidify the characters and setting.
-
I heard 'traitor' and never once, trader.
Anyway, this was another one for me that just didn't go anywhere it could have. The ideas were very interesting, the whole concept of who the husband was was great, but there was never enough detail or building up. It was like reading the last chapter of a story. I feel like a lot more could have been done with these interesting ideas and decent characters. What I think would have really made it work is if there had been at least one full 'mission' in the beginning, with character interaction and the whole lot, to solidify the characters and setting.
-
Since my number of posts is rising, my forum status is now "Peltast"! I had to look it up, and Somnambulism was one of the words of the day on dictionary.com.
"som·nam·bu·lism
/sɒmˈnæmbyəˌlɪzəm, səm-/ Show Spelled[som-nam-byuh-liz-uhm, suhm-] Show IPA
–noun
sleepwalking.
Origin:
1790–1800; < NL somnambulismus, equiv. to somn ( us ) sleep + ambul ( āre ) to walk + -ismus -ism
—Related forms
som·nam·bu·list, noun
som·nam·bu·lis·tic, adjective
sem·i·som·nam·bu·lis·tic, adjective"
Just thought it was a funny coincidence. And I realized I never commented on this story when it aired! I loved it.
-
Just thought it was a funny coincidence. And I realized I never commented on this story when it aired! I loved it.
I'm not sure what coincidence you're referring to. The story is about sleepwalkers, and the fact that it's named The Somnambulist is because it is about sleepwalkers. Or were you talking about something else? I'm not disagreeing, necessarily, I'm just not sure what you're referring to.
-
Just thought it was a funny coincidence. And I realized I never commented on this story when it aired! I loved it.
I'm not sure what coincidence you're referring to. The story is about sleepwalkers, and the fact that it's named The Somnambulist is because it is about sleepwalkers. Or were you talking about something else? I'm not disagreeing, necessarily, I'm just not sure what you're referring to.
Oh wait, I think the coincidence is that the word of the day happens to be the same as the story title shortly after the story release. I don't know how I missed that the first time--never mind!
-
You, um, blinked?
-
You, um, blinked?
Impossible! Avatar names don't lie. :D
-
Just thought it was a funny coincidence. And I realized I never commented on this story when it aired! I loved it.
I'm not sure what coincidence you're referring to. The story is about sleepwalkers, and the fact that it's named The Somnambulist is because it is about sleepwalkers. Or were you talking about something else? I'm not disagreeing, necessarily, I'm just not sure what you're referring to.
Oh wait, I think the coincidence is that the word of the day happens to be the same as the story title shortly after the story release. I don't know how I missed that the first time--never mind!
You got it ;)
-
My ex wife used to sleepwalk all over the house. She wrote on walls and mirrors, fixed herself drinks and bowls of cereal, and drew maps and pictures, all without waking up. It was, in turns, disconcerting and amusing.
It was never as awesome as this story.
Probably because I am not a dickhead sorcerer. Why are those guys always trying to trade other people's mortality for their own? That's just rude.
-
My ex wife used to sleepwalk all over the house. She wrote on walls and mirrors, fixed herself drinks and bowls of cereal, and drew maps and pictures, all without waking up. It was, in turns, disconcerting and amusing.
It was never as awesome as this story.
Probably because I am not a dickhead sorcerer. Why are those guys always trying to trade other people's mortality for their own? That's just rude.
Did the maps lead anywhere cool? I bet they were treasure maps. Or maybe maps to Faerie, or to Hell.
-
Sometimes, it is good to not wake up a sleepwalker. Like my old roommate who started throwing punches when awakened suddenly or out of a sound sleep. I eventually started using a poking stick to wake him up.
I liked this one, though I can't really say why. It just worked in a very straightforward way for me.
-
My ex wife used to sleepwalk all over the house. She wrote on walls and mirrors, fixed herself drinks and bowls of cereal, and drew maps and pictures, all without waking up. It was, in turns, disconcerting and amusing.
It was never as awesome as this story.
Probably because I am not a dickhead sorcerer. Why are those guys always trying to trade other people's mortality for their own? That's just rude.
Did the maps lead anywhere cool? I bet they were treasure maps. Or maybe maps to Faerie, or to Hell.
Actually, the one I remember best was a map leading to the cemetery plot she planned to be buried in. Take from that what you will. Another time she wrote a long poem on the several mirrored panels of her closet door. And then there was the time she did magic tricks, pulling gold coins and other small items out of the empty pockets of the jeans I was wearing as we lay in bed. Hell, even if she was faking being asleep, that's gotta be difficult to pull off with your eyes closed, right?