Pseudopod 69: The Excavation

[Bdoomed]

Pseudopod 69: The Excavation

By Ben Thomas

Read by Alasdair Stuart

“There is a fossil bed here,” he declared, “that I could publish
on for the rest of my life.”

Thom’s tendency was to become worked up about every dig he
supervised, but he’d never claimed he could spend the rest of his life
on a single one.

“Of course, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow, but wait till you
see what I’ve found. You’ll feel like a boy in a toy shop!”



Listen to this week's Pseudopod.

[eytanz]

I enjoyed this story. It doesn't have much depth, but what was there was pretty effective. And I really enjoyed Alasdair's reading this time - he's always been good but I feel he's getting better at the nuances of pacing when narrating a first person past-tense story.

[Jim]

Being a Lovecraft fan, I dug this one, no pun intended.

[Thaurismunths]

Great Story!
I'm a big Lovecraft fan, so this story struck home, but I really enjoyed that the author didn't intellectually patronize us. Even though I don't know much about paleontology, and some references did go over my head, that didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.

[eytanz]

Great Story!
I'm a big Lovecraft fan, so this story struck home, but I really enjoyed that the author didn't intellectually patronize us. Even though I don't know much about paleontology, and some references did go over my head, that didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.

Yes, I forgot to mention this, but I really liked this aspect of the story as well.

[bolddeceiver]

Ditto to everything said so far.  Great story.

I don't usually notice editing.  I see people in the episode commentary talk about problems with the editing, and I have to listen back very closely to percieve anything.  This one I really noticed it; the cuts were harsh and obvious, usually not allowing a natural pause between lines.  It didn't really harm my enjoyment of the piece, but it was noticable.

[Yossarian's grandson]

I'm also a big fan of Lovecraft and the Cthulu-mythos, so this story felt like familiar ground. A bit too much like familiar ground, actually. Even the introduction, structuring of the story and the personalities of the characters could've come straight from H.P.. Not a bad thing, by all accounts, but....done before, often.

That said, I was very curious to see what would actually come out of the hole. And even though the creatures could have done with a bit more exposition in my taste, they were suitably ante-dilivian to fit the atmosphere.

[gelee]

Great story.  Well executed in the Lovecraftian style.  Reading seemed a bit on the quick side, but I had no trouble keeping up.

[Listener]

To me all Lovecraft stories follow a similar theme:  Cthulhu and his minions or someone like them did stuff, and now some stupid human is letting them all out and disaster ensues.  I realize they're probably much more nuanced than that, but I really can't get into Lovecraftian tales.

I didn't mind the story for its own sake, but the narrator was just too scientific -- like, he was writing this all down after the fact, maybe in jail for arson or somesuch, and as such the climax didn't feel... well... climactic.

Final verdict:  Eh.

[eytanz]

To me all Lovecraft stories follow a similar theme:  Cthulhu and his minions or someone like them did stuff, and now some stupid human is letting them all out and disaster ensues.  I realize they're probably much more nuanced than that, but I really can't get into Lovecraftian tales.

Actually, very few of the actual Lovecraft stories (i.e. the ones by Lovecraft, as opposed to the ones written in his style) follow that plot. Most of them actually are: "person discovers horrible secret about his past/his family/his friends/the world and goes mad."

[Listener]

To me all Lovecraft stories follow a similar theme:  Cthulhu and his minions or someone like them did stuff, and now some stupid human is letting them all out and disaster ensues.  I realize they're probably much more nuanced than that, but I really can't get into Lovecraftian tales.

Actually, very few of the actual Lovecraft stories (i.e. the ones by Lovecraft, as opposed to the ones written in his style) follow that plot. Most of them actually are: "person discovers horrible secret about his past/his family/his friends/the world and goes mad."

Okay, then strike "lovecraft" and replace with "lovecraftian", maybe?  Or maybe I'm just reading the wrong lovecraftian stories.  But of all the ones I've read and the ones I've heard on PP, I've only really enjoyed one (it was in the Year's Best F&H 3, but I don't recall the title).

[eytanz]

To me all Lovecraft stories follow a similar theme:  Cthulhu and his minions or someone like them did stuff, and now some stupid human is letting them all out and disaster ensues.  I realize they're probably much more nuanced than that, but I really can't get into Lovecraftian tales.

Actually, very few of the actual Lovecraft stories (i.e. the ones by Lovecraft, as opposed to the ones written in his style) follow that plot. Most of them actually are: "person discovers horrible secret about his past/his family/his friends/the world and goes mad."

Okay, then strike "lovecraft" and replace with "lovecraftian", maybe?  Or maybe I'm just reading the wrong lovecraftian stories.  But of all the ones I've read and the ones I've heard on PP, I've only really enjoyed one (it was in the Year's Best F&H 3, but I don't recall the title).

I agree that most people who follow in Lovecraft's footsteps do a far poorer job than he did. Not that Lovecraft is perfect - he is repetitive and his writing style feels outdated - but one of the great things about Lovecraft is how most of his stories are of a relatively small scale horror, but lying on the backdrop of a far greater horror. Often, the heros will survive the immediate threat but be unable to deal with what they learnt. Most "Lovecraftian" stories that I've read take the backdrop and put it in the forefront, making it far less interesting in the process.

[Thaurismunths]

I realize they're probably much more nuanced than that...

Nope, not really. So don't feel bad.

My favorite bit about Lovecraft is that he always say "It was indescribable and horrible beyond comprehension!!!!!" then describes it in ways you can comprehend. And he does it 5 or 6 times in a story.

[wakela]

Thomas' descriptions were rich and colorful.  Especially at the beginning and especially at the end.  I'd like to read more of his stuff.  But I thought the story was a little slow to get going, too predictable, and not very imaginative.  It was a bit too Lovecraftian.  I thought it followed Lovecrafts "I got this crazy/brilliant friend, and he uncovered dark secrets, and he's dead, and I have to go on knowing them, and no one will believe me" formula.  I'm thinking of "From Beyond" and "The Hound."

[DDog]

Listening to y'all it seems I get more enjoyment out of the story because I've never read any Lovecraft... I had fun listening to it. Not really a whole lot else to say. The paleontology jargon was cool, although the titles of their field kept changing seemingly at random. More prefixes seemed to pile onto it by the minute.

I'm kind of intrigued that the fire did in fact seem to destroy the creatures--we spent all that time building up the "it's like nothing we've ever SEEN!" and then it turns out they're just carbon-based after all. And if they weren't carbon-based, we should've seen more explosions.

[jdw]

This was a lot of fun; the story was captivating and cleanly written, and I really enjoyed the reading. One of my favorite P-pods thus far. Thanks, gents!

[Russell Nash]

I haven't read much Lovecraft, so I guess I avoided that trap.  I liked the way we just got the sci-talk thrown at us.  I understood enough to know it wasn't Star Trek fake tech, but didn't feel the need to really get all of it.  I wasn't really scared at all by the creature. 

Anyway, I'm rambling.  I guess I give it an OK.

[Anarkey]

Did anyone else feel like this story drew too heavily from Caitlin R Kiernan's work?  It was A LOT like Threshold only shorter and without the beauty of language one usually gets from Kiernan.  Also minus the angsty youths which I didn't miss as much as I missed the pretty pretty prose.

Maybe it's one of those same playground things because she does paleontology plus Lovecraft.

I also didn't love the infodump at the beginning.  "Here, let me tell you the whole history of these people you have no reason to care about so I can tell you a story about them in roughly 5 minutes.  Please note, their history is unremarkable in any way, but I will subject you to it nonetheless."

And I spent a lot of time wondering at the credulity of the narrator... every time he was like "this is the discovery of a century! But wait, there's more!  That's an even bigger discovery of a century!  What unusual sort of circumstance could have caused this!", I wanted to smack him and say "too good to be true usually isn't either good or true!"  This guy definitely plays the lottery, because gullible is his middle name.

At any rate, if any of you really 'dug' this story (as Jim says), I would recommend Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Threshold" as good follow up reading material.

[Rigger]

It's been a while since I was on these forums, but this episode dragged me out of my anti-social hole.

I just wanted to say to Alasdair that whatever recording technique you used for your reading was quite outstanding; please do so more! I often will skip your readings, intros, or closing comments because well... the sound quality tends to hurt my ears. However, this time I found you very enjoyable to listen to. Well done!

As for the story it's self, I am fascinated by prehistoric life and what they could possibly have been like. This episode was a definite treat.

[Jim Bihyeh]

I recently listened to this story after visiting Providence, RI and walking down Benefit Street. This story - like Lovecraft's - did an excellent job (pun totally intended here) excavating the indifferent and ancient into the vivid and modern horrors. Yes, tropes were well-played in this tale, but - like any good Van Morrison guitar melody - it never felt tired.

The idea of digging in darkness for the greatest mystery you can imagine for an answer that will illuminate your life is all the more intriguing simply because it just might end it. The layers peeled back chaotically here, but with effective structure, good as any geological strata you find in a roadside cross-cut.

Ben Thomas ought to have his back well-patted for this one. 

[Unblinking]

I also didn't love the infodump at the beginning.  "Here, let me tell you the whole history of these people you have no reason to care about so I can tell you a story about them in roughly 5 minutes.  Please note, their history is unremarkable in any way, but I will subject you to it nonetheless."

I've got to say I agree with Anarkey regarding the infodump, it could've used more of a hook.  That aside I liked the story overall, despite its cardboard characters.  Fossils have always interested me, even though I didn't necessarily follow all the sci jargon.  Since they said repeatedly that these creatures did not have "tentacles", they had "flagella", it would've been nice if they told me what the difference was.  I just pictured them as tentacles anyway, so there! 

I haven't read any Lovecraft, which by many of the comments probably helped me to enjoy this story better.  I do wish that it had explained some things a bit more, like how do these apparently water-based creatures travel through the air, how did it get encased in rock anyway if it was still alive, what happened to the friend's hand, why did his friend refuse to tell him what he thought he'd found.  I do realize that not every detail needs to be wrapped up neatly with a bow, but since each of these things was hinted at numerous times, it just drew attention to the lack of answers.

[Fenrix]

I was recommending this story to a friend today, and realized I hadn't commented on it. I'm not going to add a whole lot to the discussion, but I'm going to echo the beginning of the thread.

I like Lovecraft. I liked this story. I think it does a good job of taking Lovecraft's style and story structure and making new stories with them. The fact that I was recommending this story specifically to a friend should cover everything else.

At any rate, if any of you really 'dug' this story (as Jim says), I would recommend Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Threshold" as good follow up reading material.

I'll have to add this to my "to read" pile. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Millenium_King]

Ha!  What a wonderful story!  I LOVED it!  This is one of the rare, rare, rare occassions in which someone has played the Lovecraft notes and managed to make music with them.  From the scientific main characters, to the academic tone (which was never hard to follow - although I am fairly familiar with pre-Cambrian life myself) to the slumbering horror awakened by those who would pry too deeply - this one did it all.

The language was absolutely wonderful and I was enchanted by the Lovecraftian prose which, nevertheless, managed to avoid his usual diatribe of "unspeakably" superfluous adjectives.  In general, it was more adroit than Lovecraft, for which I must praise the author mightily.

...that being said, I think it actually suffered a little (and this is just my opinion) for not delving into pulpiness enough.  Act 1 was a little slow and dull (especially compared with Act 2 and 3).  I would have liked to see a little bit of "telegraphed" ending to keep us on our toes and build some dread through the otherwise hum-drum beginning.

Also, personal opinion here, but I would have liked to see more of a hint of the larger creature below.  I realize a huge yellow, squid-like eye with square pupils, swivelling to fix on our poor scientist as he (foolishly - and in absolutely spot-on Lovecraftian fashion - delved into the excavated pit) would not have fit in with pre-Cambrian life, but something big and shocking (similar to the reveal in "The Shunned House") with which to preface the flow of hydroid (GREAT word) horrors would have been appreciated.  But, then again, that's my opinion.

Finally, my one other nit-pick might be that, although the horror escaped, the majority of it was destroyed.  Never end a Lovecraft story like a Jason movie - the horror should not escape, it should merely hint at far, far, far WORSE to come.  The secret of the abyss is always that it conceals, at its heart, a darker and deeper abyss.

But those minor things aside, this one was fantastic.  Great job and great choice for PP.

EXCELLENT reading by Al, too.  It's no small feat to speak clearly a thick, heady diction more fit for being chewed upon.

(Apologies for the breathlessness of this review, but it speaks to how much I enjoyed this story.)

[Millenium_King]

After reading the comments, I will say that this one followed "At the Mountains of Madness" or perhaps "The Whisperer in Darkness" the most.  The flow of flopping monsters at the end, however, recalled the chamber of Abhoth in the Clark Ashton Smith story "The Seven Geasses."