EP280: Endosymbiont

[Faraway Ray]

Wife and I listened to this one tonight on our way home from visiting relatives. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I didn't like it, but it felt more like an effort to explain a concept to the reader (well, listener) than it did a fully realized story. I guess it'd be hard to make this one without spending so much time on the fiddly bits, but there's really not a whole lot going on in it.

Someone else mentioned that they weren't sure what was different about the last time where she did not choose to go back to the hospital. I would've liked a better explanation for that too. You can make an argument that no matter the door, she was just choosing a different way to die. I didn't see what the great appeal was of her choice in the end.

Edit: One last nitpick. Can we stop comparing Asian peoples' eyes to almonds? Why isn't there an opposite to this? "Doctor O'Malley narrowed his hazelnut eyes."

[washer]

Hey, got around to hearing this one late, as it seems I've been doing too often of late.

I liked this story a lot.  I wasn't 100% on-board for the first five or ten minutes and then the unpronouncable doctor uttered "Lullaby" and BOOM!  I was laser-focused til the end.  I liked this one a lot, and the implications it had for a technology singularity were ones I'd never considered.  Very original, and very well written.

[kibitzer]

I wasn't 100% on-board for the first five or ten minutes and then the unpronounceable doctor uttered "Lullaby" and BOOM!  I was laser-focused til the end.

So you're saying "Lullaby" is your trigger-word, too?

[eytanz]

I decided that the discussion of almonds, eyes, and science has grown to the point where it deserves its own thread, so I gave it one. You can find that discussion here if you wish to read or contribute to it.

[LaShawn]

Wow. It's not often that I care for stories that have two people talking about scientific stuff that go over my head, but this story pulled it off very well. Still got a little lost, but I found myself caring for what the MC was going through. I also liked how the story tied emotions to the science, as well as her relationship with her parents, particularly her mother. Very touching.