Escape Artists
PodCastle => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Talia on June 12, 2012, 04:13:44 PM
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PodCastle 212: Squonk and the Lake Monster (http://podcastle.org/2012/06/12/podcastle-212-squonk-and-the-lake-monster/)
by P.M. Butler (http://www.blairhippo.com/).
Read by Wilson Fowlie (of the Maple Leaf Singers).
A PodCastle original!
Sometimes, you don’t realize how bad a bad idea _really_ is until your best friend is suddenly plummeting head over ringtail to his certain death.
Squonk and Slowfingers had been playing catch–well, _trying_ to play catch. You see, Squonk was a dragon, and his best friend Slowfingers was a raccoon. They were both apprentices to a wizard named Wendel. They liked hanging around each other, but there wasn’t a lot they could _do_ together. Unlike most of Squonk’s other friends, Slowfingers didn’t have wings; and unlike Slowfingers’ other friends, Squonk had to be very careful to not step on him.
But according to Wendel, being a wizard didn’t mean you ran away and hid from problems; it meant grabbing your problems and showing those problems who’s boss. So Squonk had come up with the idea of playing a nice game of catch.
It worked like this: Slowfingers would pick an acorn, and throw it as hard as he could–from the top of a tall tree, since his throws needed the head start. Squonk would try to watch the teeny tiny acorn as it bounced off leaves and branches and stick out his paw where he thought it would land. After inspecting his paw carefully to confirm he’d missed, Squonk would set another acorn in his paw and use a talon on his other paw to flick it at Slowfingers. If he was lucky, he’d get it somewhere near the tree Slowfingers was in, and Slowfingers could watch it go by.
This was every bit as frustrating and not-fun as it sounds.
Rated G.
(http://escapepod.org/wp-images/podcast-mini4.gif) Listen to this week’s PodCastle! (http://media.rawvoice.com/podcastle/media.libsyn.com/media/podcastle/PC212_SquonkAndTheLakeMonster.mp3)
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I haven't started listening to this yet, but I just want to say that when I saw the title come up in iTunes a little while ago, I may have squealed--yes, squealed--"Squoooooonk!"
Only then, of course, realizing I was in my cube. At work. Surrounded by people who only suspected I'm strange. Until today.
Yay. Squonk. :)
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OK, I'm all done listening, now. While I don't think it's the best Squonk story, I did enjoy it. Especially Wilson Fowlie's voices. OMG, man, what are you? A reincarnation of Rich Little?
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(Mild) Spoiler (that a particular monster is in the story):
Some people might be interested to know that for the last few summers, my family and I have vacationed at the lake in which Ogopogo is purported to live (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogopogo)!
Haven't seen it, though...
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I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Why are these not available in picture-book format? If you need people to inundate a publisher to convince them there's a market, I will totally help out with that.
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Wilson Fowlie is one of my favorite narrators and he is awesome as ever here.
But eh, I didn't care for this. My least favorite of the Squonk series so far. The first one was great because it was novel and fun. The second one was great because we got to see Wendell have to put up with Squonk as an apprentice. The third one was in general okay, but totally worth listening to just to hear Wilson voice the horrrrrible owl.
This one, I didn't really find anything appealing about. The characters aren't novel anymore. Wendell was barely onscreen at all. There wasn't really any tension for me (they go to find a sea monster, they find a sea monster, realize he's a jerk, and leave, that's it), and I didn't really find it funny. One thing that I find strange about the series too is how simplistic the dialog is. The narration is written to be at a comfortable level of complexity (simple enough for kids but not grating) but the dialog is written at a much simpler level, so simple it feels like picture book dialogue put into a children's novel, which I found grating on my nerves.
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Cute :) I agree that it wasn't the best Squonk story, but it was still a cute little romp.
And, to say that Wilson Fowlie is a fantastic narrator would still be an understatement. I am continually amazed and impressed by the talented people that Escape Artists continues to find and use, both authors and readers.
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, and I didn't really find it funny.
And, here's where I realize you and I have completely opposite senses of humor. :P This was the funniest of the Squonk stories by a mile, in my book.
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, and I didn't really find it funny.
And, here's where I realize you and I have completely opposite senses of humor. :P This was the funniest of the Squonk stories by a mile, in my book.
Really? The funniest part of the Squonk series to me was, I think, Wendell trying to teach Squonk to be a wizarding apprentice. Grumpy wizards and well-meaning but rather dense superhuge carnivorous imaginary birdlings, awesome.
That's why it's so hard to sell humor, I guess. Because everyone's funny bone can be sensitive to completely different things...
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I really thought that this was too weak a story for Podcastle to produce. I definitely did not enjoy this and actually grew more and more irritated as it went along. I have not listed to the other Squonk stories and am willing to give the author the courtesy of listening to them, but if this story is any reflection of the others my hopes are not high.
I didn't really find it funny.
Not at all for me either. I even found the voices chafing- which is a shame because Wilson is such a great narrator.
I usually try and find something positive to say but I just can not find anything here. Yeah sure it addresses some important lessons for youngsters, but this is done limply. As has been alluded to above, maybe this would work as a picture book where some illustration would take our mind of how pointless much of the dialogue was and how boring the "journey" was.
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I thought this was a cute little children's story, and I don't think that's an insult. I want to learn this story to tell it to two little boys I know, showing why it's a bad idea to try and drown your little brother.
And I liked the Goth crow.
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I enjoyed but didn't love this story. Some of the simpleness tickled my funny bone, like the tautology of "he's a jerk because he's a jerk"; and the kiddiness of the characters seems relatable. (The "my thing is awesome, your thing is lame" aspect. Which might be a short description of a lot of the internet.) But all in all, I'm glad that PodCastle can swing from the serious to the silly.
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I got so excited when I saw Squonk on my ipod! Having listened to each of the three previous episodes, I have to agree that this is probably the weakest of the bunch. However, that's like saying that one episode of *insert your favorite comedy here* wasn't quite as good as the others you've seen. I still enjoyed it, I still had a few "heh!" moments (listening in the lab notwithstanding), and I still couldn't praise Wilson Fowlie's reading enough.
One thing that I find strange about the series too is how simplistic the dialog is. The narration is written to be at a comfortable level of complexity (simple enough for kids but not grating) but the dialog is written at a much simpler level, so simple it feels like picture book dialogue put into a children's novel, which I found grating on my nerves.
While I agree with this observation, I don't happen to find it grating. Squonk and his friends seem to be the educational equivalent of human 5-6 year olds, and that's just how they speak. :) Of course, human 6 year olds don't go off to meet Ogo Pogo without parental supervision, so there's that. :P
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More Ogopogo news (http://nimblenoms.blogspot.ca/2012/06/ogopogo-canadas-loch-ness-monster.html).
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Excellent reading, Wilson, as always.
I didn't care much for this story either.
Where the previous Squonk stories brought across the general stupidity of the characters as slightly amusing, this time it was just annoying.
I don't want to come off nasty or anything, but the general knowledge that the characters in this story seemed to posses wouldn't fill a tweet.
I mean, really guys? Surprised that a rose bush hurts? Surprised that you can't shout under water? Surprised anew each time that raccoons don't have wings?
To illustrate the point: when Ogopogo asked Squonk "What, are you stupid?" that first time I actually shouted in an overcrowded bus "YES!".
On the upside, I suddenly had more standing room :P
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I'd suggest this iteration was written a good bit more tongue in cheek. It was pretty silly, and the obliviousness on each characters' part was done on purpose to up the general sillyness.
That's why I enjoyed it so much. It was extra-silly, and I love silly. :)
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I'd suggest this iteration was written a good bit more tongue in cheek. It was pretty silly, and the obliviousness on each characters' part was done on purpose to up the general sillyness.
The other Squonk stories were silly. This just came across as a bunch of mentally deficient first graders.
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I'd suggest this iteration was written a good bit more tongue in cheek. It was pretty silly, and the obliviousness on each characters' part was done on purpose to up the general sillyness.
The other Squonk stories were silly. This just came across as a bunch of mentally deficient first graders.
They were supposed to be a bit dim. That was the point, I think, the naivety of the characters being played for laughs.
I guess that doesn't work for a lot of people, though, which is too bad. (and completely unfathomable to me, but just one of those things.. some people don't like chocolate, etc :P).
Was right up my alley personally.
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I'd suggest this iteration was written a good bit more tongue in cheek. It was pretty silly, and the obliviousness on each characters' part was done on purpose to up the general sillyness.
The other Squonk stories were silly. This just came across as a bunch of mentally deficient first graders.
I agree. In the previous stories Squonk and his pals just seemed naive, especially when confronted with things which they're not familiar with like the wizard and his wizarding ways. In this one, they didn't seem naive, they seemed irredeemably stupid to the point that I'm surprised that any of them have survived this long, and stupid about things which are parts of the forest that surround them which they've grown up around.
If their stupidity was exaggerated for comic effect in this one, it didn't work for me.
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This was one of my least favorite PodCastle stories.
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This was one of my least favorite PodCastle stories.
Why?
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Links to the previous so folks can easily catch up (it's worth it hataz)
Squonk the Dragon (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=1324.0)
Squonk the Apprentice (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=883.0)
Squonk and the Horde of Apprentices (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=4411.0)
I saw a new Squonk in my feed, so I jammed all four on a disc and listened with my wife who had been exposed to a single Squonk story previously. She loved them all. I laughed out loud during several portions, including the stories I had already heard (some three times or more).
This may be the weakest of the four, mainly because it stands alone least effectively. However, I felt this was a Very Special Episode about the meaning of friendship and bullying. Being the weakest of the four still has this story in good company.
I think I have isolated the problem, and identified why there is so much hate for this episode. All three previous Squonk stories came with strong warnings prior to even the opening music. I will blame Ray Bradbury. Without his passing and the resultant grieving, Dave would not have overlooked the warning system. I'll forgive you dropping the ball this time, PodCastle, but give us warnings of fun and the requirement of child supervision before the next one.
And haters, if you really want to pick on a PodCastle episode, go kick Senator Bilbo (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=2079.40) around a bit. That one was trying to be lofty, whereas this one was trying to be fun. That objective was satisfied.
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I think I have isolated the problem, and identified why there is so much hate for this episode. All three previous Squonk stories came with strong warnings prior to even the opening music. I will blame Ray Bradbury. Without his passing and the resultant grieving, Dave would not have overlooked the warning system. I'll forgive you dropping the ball this time, PodCastle, but give us warnings of fun and the requirement of child supervision before the next one.
That could be it.
Had I engaged my 6 year old mind to listen to this I might have enjoyed it more.
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This was not my favourite of the Squonk stories - it felt like it didn't have any of the really stand out comedy moments the previous three instalments did - but a lesser Squonk story is still quite wonderful, in my opinion.
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I have to say I wasn't a big fan of this. It just felt out of place on Podcastle. In the same way that there are separate children's sections in a library I think that this story should have been on a podcast aimed at children. At 34 I am beyond this kind of simplistic narrative with it's clunky "Be careful what you wish for" message.
That's not to say there weren't positives. The reading was good, with a nice range of distinct voices for each of the characters and yes, if I'm objective, it is a nice children's story.
But honestly? Have an Playpod (or some-such) cast for kids if you want but please no more Squonk on Podcastle.
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I think eliminating all Squonk stories on Podcastle would be going too far, but I'm speaking as one who has been with Squonk from his first appearance on EP. I think where this one fell a bit flat was that it got away from the core Squonk/Wendell relationship. A lot of these other characters serve as a good backdrop, but it is the interaction between Wendell and Squonk that has made these stories work. Maybe they need to go on a quest and leave the horde and Miss Tweedlechirp behind for a while.
That said, I did like Despairing Nevermore, but the story overall was a bit bland.
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I think eliminating all Squonk stories on Podcastle would be going too far, but I'm speaking as one who has been with Squonk from his first appearance on EP. I think where this one fell a bit flat was that it got away from the core Squonk/Wendell relationship. A lot of these other characters serve as a good backdrop, but it is the interaction between Wendell and Squonk that has made these stories work. Maybe they need to go on a quest and leave the horde and Miss Tweedlechirp behind for a while.
I agree with this. I love a good quest. And a Wendell/Squonk quest would be fun. I could really like that. Preferably a quest that puts more at stake than saying "hi" to a lake monster.
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I have to disagree with the people who don't like these, but for a very specific reason.
I am the mother of an adopted son (he's 6 now) with special needs. We are adopting again within the year.
These stories are FANTASTIC-- pardon the pun-- when looked at through the lense of someone with an adopted child, or a child with special needs.
(Or, in my case, both.)
I don't know if the author has any experience with my world, but the characters are tenderly written and deal gently with so many of the subjects that my son and children like him deal with-- feeling out of place, having trouble making friends, looking for people who are "like him," dealing with bullies, etc. etc. Even the goth crow is an identifiable character when you've been dealing with foster children for as long as I have.
Mrs. Tweedlechirp's loving and no nonsense approach to parenting is even identifiable. I like that she's not the throwaway parent that gets tossed aside in some quest for "real/wonderful/magical/whatever" biological parents.
Anyway, yeah, I hope someday all these stories are put together in an anthology.
Jenny
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Yes, speaking as another mother, I adored this story. Can't wait to let my son listen to it. And there were some sweet quotes in this story. "'Later' can mean 'never'--right?" Ahhh...good stuff.
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And I liked the Goth crow.
ALL crows are Goth. It's kind of their thing.
Man, lake monsters are jerks. This explains why my recent expedition to Lake Champlain yielded no results. Champ is just under the boat giggling to himself. Jerk.
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I think I'm just going to with I enjoyed this one, and hopefully others disappointment with it means the others with come across even better!
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I think I have isolated the problem, and identified why there is so much hate for this episode. All three previous Squonk stories came with strong warnings prior to even the opening music. I will blame Ray Bradbury. Without his passing and the resultant grieving, Dave would not have overlooked the warning system. I'll forgive you dropping the ball this time, PodCastle, but give us warnings of fun and the requirement of child supervision before the next one.
You know, I think you're probably right on this regard. In hindsight, I can't believe I didn't slap the content warning on this one. Will definitely rectify that next time a Sqounk story comes our way.
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I think I agree with most folks that this was a decent story, but in the Squonk continuum it was not in the top three. Perhaps because it took away from the main storyline, which was that Squonk wanted to become a wizard.
Also, I may have been oversaturated on bullying stories having just watched "Griff the Invisible" a couple of days prior (review coming next week on escapepod.org).
My Bluetooth seems to fuzz out on certain voices when they hit certain notes, and it happened a lot with Wilson, especially with his voice for Squonk. I did love the portrayal of Despairing Nevermore, who I believe is my favorite character now.