Author Topic: PseudoPod 630: Steadfast  (Read 2505 times)

Bdoomed

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on: January 14, 2019, 09:54:02 PM
PseudoPod 630: Steadfast

Author: Trisha J. Wooldridge
Narrators: Alethea Kontis, Kyle Akers and Alex Hofelich
Host: Alasdair Stuart

Originally published under the title “Steadfast in the Face of Zombies” in Once Upon an Apocalypse anthology that went out of print shortly after publication due to publisher buyout.

Show Notes
This short story has a special place in my heart because it was a challenge to write. I was invited by the anthology’s two editors, and as much as I adore fairy tales and study them for fun, I couldn’t think of one to adapt. Finally, Rona, three days before the deadline, messaged me, “Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘Steadfast Tin Soldier. Go!'” and I did it… It’s also the first short story where I had that writer’s moment of curling up in the coffee shop while working on a scene with tears pouring down my face saying, “I swear, it’s the scene! I’m fine–I promise!” Feel free to guess which scene that was.



Dear Suzanne,

I only got here and our camp’s on light discipline, which means that a shambler horde is close. Most of us can’t sleep and are up writing and sharing these tiny LED headlamps.

Dave’s company is at this camp, too. We saw each other at mess, and he looked like crap. Worse when he saw me. No one told him I’d been drafted. He never expected it with my bum leg. He said no one was talking about the front lines, but if they drafted someone like me, things must be really bad.





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Scuba Man

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Reply #1 on: January 14, 2019, 10:28:02 PM
Hell. The outro was biting.
...
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
...And yes, sir... I heard your shudder at the end (before you talked about supporting the pod). Was it intentional? Does it matter?

Good god, man. Alasdair Stuart.  That outro was of your best ones yet.
Sincerely,
ScubaMan. Toronto, Ontario.

I'm a stand-up philosopher until 2024. Then, I move onto my next gig. I'm a gentleman forester and farmer. I also enjoy jumping into Lake Huron and panicking the fish.


South of No North

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Reply #2 on: January 19, 2019, 05:50:23 PM
Hella Good.

Emotionally tugging at multiple points.
Enjoyed the maturing of the character from Susie to Susanne. While she remained Susie as he last knew her.

Very glad it did not end with, "Dear Susie....Send Brains!!"

Good job all around from story to voice work to outro this is why Pseudopod is simply The BEST.

"Yes, of course I can blame you. Without them, where would all of us outlaws be? What would we have? Only a lawless paradise...and paradise is a bore. Violence without violation is only noise heard by no one, the most horrendous sound in the universe." --The Chymist by Thomas Ligotti


TrishEM

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Reply #3 on: February 14, 2019, 07:28:52 AM
This one was really good. I was particularly impressed with Susie's evolution to Suzanne. I know some people get tired of zombie stories, but I'll keep listening as long as the HUMAN parts of the stories are so well done.



Fenrix

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Reply #4 on: February 15, 2019, 01:08:54 AM

This one was really good. I was particularly impressed with Susie's evolution to Suzanne. I know some people get tired of zombie stories, but I'll keep listening as long as the HUMAN parts of the stories are so well done.


This is part of why, after discussing with the author, that we decided to reprint under the title "Steadfast" so as to not encourage those folks to hit the skip button without giving Suzanne and Peter a chance.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Scuba Man

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Reply #5 on: August 19, 2019, 09:47:40 PM
BTW, I'll delete my comment about episode 630-PseudoPod from Pseudopod's metathread....

I'm a stand-up philosopher until 2024. Then, I move onto my next gig. I'm a gentleman forester and farmer. I also enjoy jumping into Lake Huron and panicking the fish.


Scattercat

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Reply #6 on: August 26, 2019, 05:12:48 AM
Andersen was kind of a nasty piece of work, when you look back at it.