Author Topic: EP560: Run  (Read 6169 times)

eytanz

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on: February 02, 2017, 11:34:26 AM
EP560: Run

AUTHOR: C. R. Hodges
NARRATOR: Eden Royce
HOST: Alasdair Stuart

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The claxon blares three times: all clear. We file out of the underground shelter and up the serpentine lava tube. Our semi-annual hibernation drill, bureaucratic gibberish for run down to the emergency shelter and hide, is now monthly. I’m all for avoiding nuclear annihilation, but I wish the drills weren’t scheduled so close to lunar sunset.

I jostle my way toward the front of the long line headed for the surface modules. It’s been fourteen Earth days since I’ve talked to my best friend. Sure we could have emailed or texted, even from two-hundred and thirty-nine thousand miles away, but that would be cheating. We’re the Interplanetary Morse Code Club. Sally is President, Earth District; I’m Vice President of Lunar Operations. It’s a small club.


Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!



Jethro's belt

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Reply #1 on: February 03, 2017, 02:38:54 AM
I like me some in Solar System SF. The Morse code was an unusual starting place and a little hard to follow at times, even with the narrative. Nevertheless I found myself listening intently even though I suspected where it would end with the foreshadowing. Well done.   



Frank Evans

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Reply #2 on: February 03, 2017, 03:00:45 PM
I enjoyed this, although I think I would have enjoyed this more a year ago when it didn't seem like the world might actually get to the point of nuclear drills again.

The story did a nice job of building up a sense of creeping dread. There wasn't really any question as to whether the colony was going to get bombed, only when it would happen and if there would be enough warning for people to get to the shelter. The best possible outcome in this scenario was that people would make it to the caves in time to survive a nuclear bombardment and likely die a slow death stranded underground on the moon while the earth destroyed itself. Not the most cheerful of endings. While this was clearly a sci-fi story, I think it could have done equally well over at Pseudopod.

None of the above is meant as a criticism. As I said, I really liked the story. Thought it was well written and narrated. I think I just listened to it at a time when I'm a bit more concerned than usual about the state of the world and this certainly didn't help my outlook. 



VranaCat

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Reply #3 on: February 08, 2017, 02:04:47 AM
I enjoyed this one.  To me it sits in that illusive realm of "decently convincing character driven hard SF." A lot of times hard sf gets a bit obsessed with it's own cleverness, which can get a bit eye roll worthy, but this was satisfying, and although I couldn't vouch for the reality of the piece it felt like a "the world 10 years from now" in an enjoyable if slightly bleak way.



Kittenpox

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Reply #4 on: February 14, 2017, 04:11:10 PM
I'm inclined to agree that the timing for this story wasn't exactly ideal, especially given the "if we [had] them why can’t we use them?" opine of a certain new political leader. (But let's not dwell on that. Hearing about real-world politics isn't why we listen to / read sci-fi, after all.)

Even though it wasn't exactly the most uplifting of tales, I very much enjoyed this story and though the ending especially was particularly well-written. :)



Piet

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Reply #5 on: April 22, 2017, 11:44:31 PM
Excellent story.

As mentioned by other commenters, this story is timely considering that somehow major powers have ended up with seriously flawed, ego-driven leaders, thereby increasing the likelihood of mutual nuclear annihilation. The story shows that vintage technological solutions may provide a means of circumventing government surveillance and possibly maintaining lines of communication in the event of nuclear war. The relevance of the story is obvious, given that government surveillance is already a reality, and nuclear EM pulses can easily take out the communications networks we have become so reliant upon. Given the way things are going, we are likely to see more fiction in the Dr. Strangelove tradition of the Cold War era.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2017, 04:31:24 AM by Piet »

It's not the destination...it's the glory of the ride.


CryptoMe

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Reply #6 on: December 03, 2017, 05:42:23 PM
This was brilliant! I loved how it showed the friendship of children across the political divide, pointing out that we are all just people. I also enjoyed the loyalty tension for the main character; she has kinship ties to one group, friendship ties to another, and location ties to a third. The story didn't dwell on it much, but you know from small things she says that she is very aware of it. Having grown up in similar circumstances myself, that part really spoke to me.



VTDorchester

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Reply #7 on: April 24, 2019, 08:38:17 PM
Hello! This is one of the first episodes of Escape Pod that I ever listened to, and I was glad that I did.

I enjoyed what I thought of as a retro-futurist vibe to the story, the tension and the use of younger protagonists without it necessarily becoming a 'kids story.' 

After listening to Run, I was inspired to write an impending-apocalypse story of my own.

I have now become a casual Escape Artist's listener, and look forward to encountering stories of similar calibre in the future.

Thank you, C.R. Hodges and Eden Royce for writing and performing this delightful tale.



VTDorchester

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Reply #8 on: May 03, 2021, 10:24:30 PM
Two years after hearing the episode for the first time, I listened to it again just now (during my quest through all the EP episodes.)

Today, this story made me cry.  ::)

Still well done and extremely likely to make my short short list when I eventually get to it.

(And the short story I mentioned writing two years ago? Nowhere near as accomplished, but published!)