Author Topic: PC462, ARTEMIS RISING: Stay  (Read 3987 times)

Ocicat

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on: April 01, 2017, 07:55:32 PM
PodCastle 462, ARTEMIS RISING: Stay

by K.C. Ball

read by Tina Connolly

hosted by Kelly Robson

A PodCastle Original!

Rated PG-13.

An almost-bass voice said something I didn’t catch. Higher voices giggled, then five kids moved out of the shadows into the hard light of the parking lot.

Two boys, three girls; none a day beyond eighteen. Bumping against each other. Laughing for no reason. At ease and full of life, the way kids are when they believe adults can’t see or hear them.




K.C. Ball lives in Seattle with her wife, Rachael Buchanan. Her speculative fiction has been published in various online and print magazines, including Analog, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction and Lightspeed. Some of her stories are collected in Snapshots From A Black Hole & Other Oddities from Hydra House Books. K.C. is a 2010 graduate of the Clarion West writers workshop and a 2009 winner of the Hubbard Writers of the Future award.



Tina Connolly is the author of the Ironskin trilogy from Tor Books, and the Seriously Wicked series from Tor Teen. Her novels have been finalists for the Nebula and the Norton. Her stories are collected in On the Eyeball Floor and Other Stories, from Fairwood Press. She is one of the current co-hosts of Escape Pod, and her narrations have appeared all over. She lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, and her website is tinaconnolly.com.

Listen to this week’s PodCastle!



Dwango

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Reply #1 on: April 04, 2017, 07:36:56 PM
The relationship of the couple in this story really resonated with authenticity.  It was real with the arguments, the miscommunications, and the differences of opinion.  When the one character could not let go of the cases, it really showed how she just could not see the problem with bringing back the girl.  She cannot understand her partner's concern and realizes, but doesn't realize the pain that is being caused.  This happens so often in relationships where we have a blind spot and just cannot see it.  In some way I wonder if she is suffering from her own issue, such as autism, where she needs so badly to take each case, even though it becomes obvious there is a problem.

I do see some problems in the resolution.  The kids attacked the father and did not attack the detectives.  I would think it would be the other way around, as the daughter knows her parents, but has only a negative relationship with the detectives.  They resorted to violence once, why would they suddenly stop and even plan up a solution with them. 

Also, being a father, I'm not too keen on the girl being on the streets and getting in a relationship so young.  A caring family would also be concerned for their daughter and worried about her future, though I doubt a girl would run away from such a family.



Father Beast

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Reply #2 on: April 05, 2017, 01:28:30 AM
Wow, what a delightful story.

I kept thinking that these were dogs were a result of magical bleed over from the Quileute tribe, and that one of the main women was also an exotic ( a null, or immune), made it more fun. Too bad we couldn't see more or hear more about the witch, who seems to be always off camera, despite that she has some actual lines.

I was a little put off by how often I yelled at the mp3 player, telling them they should find out why the girl keeps running away. Me, if I'd had to go fetch her a second time, I would investigate the situation more.

In the end, I was brought back by how the shifter girlfriend forced the null girlfriend to face that she was being willfully blind in much the same way that the mother of the shifter runaway was being. Each thought they were being loving, and doing harm by their supposed love.

I really dug this, I may have to bury it in the backyard and dig it up again to enjoy again sometime.



coldequation

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Reply #3 on: April 11, 2017, 08:09:14 AM
I've been listening to PodCastle for a few months now, and I have enjoyed most of the stories it has to offer.  This story was the first one that I really didn't like.

I love stories about supernatural detectives, so a shapeshifter, a null, and their sometime helper the witch sounds like a great trio of investigators.  In fact, these characters were the highlight of the story.

Unfortunately, it's the rest of the characters I have problems with.  From the frumpy but very competent cops at the hospital, to the headstrong teenage missing persons case, to the overly-protective WASPy parents we're supposed to dislike, these seem like cardboard cutouts of people from other, more interesting stories.  Their behavior becomes so predictable to be almost cartoonish, and my empathy for any them ran out very quickly.  I found myself waiting for the story to become more interesting, but in the end, there was only the long-telegraphed twist, and a lukewarm denouement.

I think this setting and these characters show great potential for good stories, and I would surely give a novel about them a chance.  The Pacific Northwest is one of my favorite places, and the punkish magic of the streets gives the promises of mystery and danger.  But please, build a better supporting cast!   



Ichneumon

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Reply #4 on: April 27, 2017, 05:42:26 PM
Given the intro, I was expecting more of a PNW vibe than I got from this story. I didn't really like the 16 year old pregnant runaway part of the story, but I guess if you are a magical dog person, it's ok? Like the protagonist said, two years at that age make a huge difference as far as maturity and decision making. I was also a little disappointed we didn't see more hints of the magic that is supposedly all around if you know where to look. But, I did like the story.