Escape Artists
Cast of Wonders => Episode Comments => Topic started by: danooli on January 18, 2016, 09:16:15 PM
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Episode 184: Wine for Witches, Milk for Saints by Rachael K. Jones (http://www.castofwonders.org/2015/12/episode-184-wine-for-witches-milk-for-saints-by-rachael-k-jones/)
Narrated by Kevin M. Hayes
Audio production by Jeremy Carter
Originally published in Intergalactic Medicine Show (http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/) (November 2014)
We ran Rachael K. Jones‘ full bio last week when she narrated Hat Trick (http://www.castofwonders.org/2015/12/episode-183-hat-trick-by-beth-cato/) by Beth Cato. So this week, let us tell you about some of her own work.
For example, we ran Rachael’s excellent Makeisha in Time as Episode 176 (http://www.castofwonders.org/2015/08/episode-176-makeisha-in-time-by-rachael-k-jones/). The story was originally published by the sadly soon-to-shutter Crossed Genres (http://www.crossedgenres.com/) magazine, and then again on PodCastle (http://www.podcastle.org/2015/01/06/podcastle-345-makeisha-in-time) narrated by the excellent K. Tempest Bradford.
But did you know Makeisha in Time was also one of the Top 100 podcast episodes featured on NPR’s new earbud.fm (http://www.earbud.fm/episode/makeisha-in-time/)? Or made the John Joseph Adams Notable list for 2015 (http://www.johnjosephadams.com/best-american/2015-notable-stories/)?
This is Rachael’s second year of professional publication, so her final year of eligibility for the Campbell Award (http://www.writertopia.com/awards/campbell). Please consider her when you’re making your best-of posts this year.
Wine for Witches, Milk for Saints is narrated by Kevin M. Hayes. Kevin has been reading science fiction since he was old enough to read, and has been writing it for almost as long. He is active in the Pittsburgh SFF organization, Parsec and helps put on Confluence, a genre fiction conference every year. He has had stories published in Six from Parsec and Triangulation as well as TV Gods and most recently in The Realm Beyond. He has narrated other stories for Pseudopod and, amazingly, has also published a few limericks. He lives in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with the love of his life, some of her children and all of her cats.
My grandmother would have disapproved of a Tinker in a Father Christmas suit, my customary dress in the children’s hospital each December. She believed no good could come of frivolity in our profession, when a routine procedure could end in tragedy. I saw her point when I found myself delivering bad news in costume to a 7-year-old and her sick friend on Christmas Eve.
Click here to listen to episode 184 (http://archive.org/download/Wonders184/Wonders184.mp3)
Click here to read the text of the story (https://docs.google.com/document/d/10jTjqAhEi86b3uhUiVcEonEqluhmx9PPL_6FIgsaZ6s/edit?usp=sharing)
Tags: Tags: Cast of Wonders, children, Christmas, cogs, Fantasy, illness, Kevin M. Hayes, medical science, miracles, Rachael K. Jones, Santa, Steampunk, tinker, Young Adult fiction
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I really loved this story. Rachael is, at this point, one of my favorite short story writers and I will pick up a publication sight-unseen if her story is in it.
The worldbuilding here was really neat, how the society has managed to turn a curse into a blessing, using a magical curse as practical medical solution, a way to cure incurable illnesses. Interesting world, with an interesting occupation at the heart of it. I love the interaction between the protagonist and the witch character in particular, and how by the end he has taken on the appearance of the witch and that ends up being what makes the children more able to trust him again, how he uses the people-gears to power the car to get them all back where they're going even though that is taboo.
Fun and interesting worldbuilding with a neat mix of science and fantasy, characters I could care about, interesting themes. Wonderful job.
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This is a wonderful and tightly constructed story. Great pacing. Deep worldbuilding. Thematic layers of the mythology and the present blending to awaken self-realization. So many tiny gears in such a compact space all working together to deliver a comprehensive whole.
I my head this is animated by Studio Ghibli.
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I really enjoyed this! What a fascinating world and protagonist. I didn't really think I needed to add another podcast to my listening list, but clearly I've been missing out on some great stories here.
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Awww. Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Y'all make me want to write more stories in this world! :D
I really enjoyed the narration on this one, too. He really nailed the Befana poem at the end, and I loved how he did everyone's voices. :D
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Awww. Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Y'all make me want to write more stories in this world! :D
Mission accomplished! Is there anything else we can do to push you further in that direction? :)
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Awww. Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Y'all make me want to write more stories in this world! :D
Mission accomplished! Is there anything else we can do to push you further in that direction? :)
Asking the truly important question :)
More stories in this world would be fantastic!
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I suspect a supply of Gluhwein might be an effective factor.