Author Topic: PC465: Never Truly Yours  (Read 2155 times)

Ocicat

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on: April 12, 2017, 02:14:22 AM
PodCastle 465: Never Truly Yours

by Marion Deeds
read by Abra Staffin-Wiebe
hosted by Graeme Dunlop
A PodCastle Original!

Rated PG-13

October 13, 1931
Dear Neville
I remember you asked me once, darling, how I got my outrageous name. You were laughing, a highball glass in your hand, at the time——convinced, I’m sure, that I would have some witty story about a character from musical theater or a wager made and lost. Just as I know, when I’ve said to you that I’ve had a bad life and done terrible things, you probably pictured a humble mother—perhaps a seamstress—a gamekeeper father, or me betting too much at Baccarat and frequenting speakeasies.


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Marion Deeds writes speculative fiction and urban fantasy. She is a reviewer and columnist for Fantasyliterature.com



Abra Staffin-Wiebe  (AWE-bruh STAFF-Inn WEE-bee) loves dark science fiction, cheerful horror, and futuristic fairy tales. Dozens of her short stories have appeared at publications including Tor.com, Escape Pod, and Odyssey Magazine. She lives in Minneapolis, where she wrangles two small children, three large cats, and one full-sized mad scientist. When not writing or wrangling, she collects folk tales and photographs whatever stands still long enough to allow it. Go to aswiebe.com to discover her fiction about fluffy pink murderbears, firebirds bearing gifts, and other things beautiful and bizarre.

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Father Beast

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Reply #1 on: April 16, 2017, 12:17:51 AM
Wow! I really dug this one.

You know, this story is basically one big infodump. Which just underscores that I love infodumps. I like that she recognizes that the backhanded magic of her name mostly shields her from a lot of the consequences of her less than honest lifestyle, but she fails to recognize that it also subjected her to the totally unwarranted attempted murder of her by her sisters.

Comeuppance has a distinctive voice, and I almost feel as if I know her a bit after listening to this story. I think I have to listen to it again. And did somebody mention that this character also shows up in some of the author's other works?



Katzentatzen

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Reply #2 on: April 24, 2017, 07:54:23 PM
Loved the main character, such a distinctive voice, but not sure what she did the Neville and/or his sister. I know this would make much more sense if I had read the source material and that annoys me. I wish the story could stand on its own better.

"To understand a cat you must realize that he has his own gifts, his own viewpoint, even his own morality."
--LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN


Father Beast

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Reply #3 on: April 25, 2017, 10:21:33 AM
Loved the main character, such a distinctive voice, but not sure what she did the Neville and/or his sister. I know this would make much more sense if I had read the source material and that annoys me. I wish the story could stand on its own better.

It seemed to me that she had gypped him out of some large gem, which she names early on.