Author Topic: PC007: Fear Of Rain  (Read 26544 times)

shinma

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Reply #25 on: May 23, 2008, 07:09:50 PM
It took me a while to understand why this story didn't sit well with me.

With some stories (like the Ant King) I could easily identify what it was
that bothered me.  This one took some thought.  Audio stories have two
parts.  The writing and the reading.

The writing wasn't bad.  I disagree with some of the other replies that
state that nothing happened in the story.  Yes, Dee didn't change.  Yes,
Mr. Flood didn't change.  But a town was saved.  And a supernatural
phenomena was instituted.  What bothered me about the story has less
to do with the story itself, and more to do with the fact that I'm using
a very tall yardstick to measure it by.  Of all fantasy, urban fantasy is
my favorite flavor and its unfortunate that I have to compare this story to say
Neverwhere.  In terms of world building, impact, and character it just
felt lackluster.

The reading was very good.  But I realized what bothered me most about
it in both the intro and the story.  I live some 45 minutes from Johnstown,
and every time Johnstown was pronounced like Jonston I
twitched (I think this was mentioned earlier).

So the combination of the two left me feeling like the story lacked punch
and polish.

To add to the 'mention of Aphrodite' discussion.  I don't know if the mention
of the goddess is an allusion to Love of people and the town or not.  I will
point out that Aphrodite (Venus in Rome) wasn't born per se in any greek myth,
but instead created out of sea-foam, and rose full grown from water.  Her
title in greek epic poems was 'Foam-risen' much like Athena was 'grey-eyed'.

Also, many myths (not just greek ones) are often told about heroes (who can
save towns) or to explain natural phenomena that humans didn't understand
at the time (like lighning, or rain falling upwards).
« Last Edit: May 23, 2008, 07:14:36 PM by shinma »



High 5

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Reply #26 on: May 24, 2008, 08:16:20 AM
Too little fiction in this one.
My wife can make it rain on days that I go fishing....

Yeah, well..how is your Dutch then eh?


JoshEnglish

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Reply #27 on: May 24, 2008, 05:29:11 PM

As a result, there was NO STORY.

At the end, I felt cheated.  I had been set up for some kind of lesson; either where Dee proves that people can be true to themselves without adversity, or else where she learns the value of adversity.  Either would have been good stories.  This one came to a screeching halt in the middle of the highway, took my wallet, and kicked me out on the median strip.

I think there was a good story here. Dee, at some point, has to choose between following Flood, or do follow her own heart. The entire buildup of the story was to get her to that critical point of choice, and I think this story did just fine on that account.

Because the major change of the story is limited to one person, it may be a bit more "literary" than fantasy, but the implications of the world being vastly different from the one we live in, and the power of Flood to do things we could only dream of, make this story a great piece of fantasy.

I loved the ending, even though the idea the Dee was essentially handed a magic wand and could wield it perfectly on the first try was a bit too unrealistic. That is, it would have been hard to believe had it been the opening scene of the story, not the payoff.

In that respect, it reminded me of Dark City. All of the sudden the entire world is new, that's the payoff, and I enjoy those kinds of endings  once in a while. What's the point of listening to fantasy if you don't want a little magic now and then?



Planish

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Reply #28 on: June 07, 2008, 06:56:11 PM
I liked it. Giving it a 4 out of 5.
I thought it dragged for about 10 or 15 minutes near the beginning, but the grand finale was very cinematic. ("Bullet Time" rain, anyone?) It evoked memories of a lot of heavy rains I've been in. Or maybe they were carwashes.

Not once did I think of Citytalkers. For me, it was EP046: Natural Order.
Oh, also that scene in The Ruling Class - the duel with The Electric Messiah.

One thing that seemed like a logical slip to me was the explanation/justification used for the floods. Why would flooding the same place over and over again *preserve* a way of life. It seemed to destroy a way of life rather than holding it down, keeping it from developing. That made no sense to me.
The same thing bothered me. Then I just let it go, and added more duct tape to my disbelief suspenders.

Mur was a good choice for narrator. Great to hear her again.

[edit]
If a town is destroyed why would it be rebuilt exactly how it was? How would that keep people locked in their old-fashioned way of life/thinking? Would not insurance money and financial support from the government (...?) lead to an improvement of the town's infrastructure/maybe even making it more desirable for professionals to live there. ... On the other hand this actually makes me wonder why people who survived stayed in the first place. Would they not relocate after one of these devastating floods not having any ties left to the town?
I can never figure out why, in hurricane-prone regions, people may have merely decorative fake shutters on their houses, and when a hurricane threatens they all run out to Home Depot and buy up all the plywood they can nail over their windows and fake shutters. Why not install actual working shutters?
Why do Californians build homes on the side of hills that threaten to slide into the ocean/highway/neighbour's yard if they leave their sprinklers on too long? Oh yes, lovely view, while it lasts.
In dry wildfire areas, why not use terracotta tile or steel roofing?
Why doesn't New Orleans drag in 16 feet of fill? (yeah, yeah, the expense)
Building a home in tornado alley without a basement or some kind of well-anchored safe room?
Naples - hey, that's a volcano up there!
« Last Edit: June 07, 2008, 07:51:44 PM by Planish »

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DarkKnightJRK

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Reply #29 on: June 12, 2008, 05:45:29 AM
My main problem with the story was Mr. Flood's motivation for essentially slaughtering hundreds of people every half a century so that he could slow down progress. Maybe it's just the more sci-fi influenced, futurist side of me, but when I heard that, and Dee's gentler version, I thought, "Well, fuck that noise."

Not a badly told story though. Plus the image of this crazy old man (whom I cast as Jack Nicoloson in my head) pissing and laughing maniacally into the stormy skies was horrifically hilarious.



Archie

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Reply #30 on: June 20, 2008, 12:30:44 PM
Sigh sorry but I didn't like this one at all. The end seemed very obvious and the 'wipe out the town' to 'save the town' was such a weak arguement it wouldn't hold up to any kind of discussion. Surely when Mr Flood had, at one time, been sane, he would have realised how crooked the plan was.

Sorry but a big dissappointment.



Unblinking

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Reply #31 on: January 11, 2010, 03:11:27 PM
'Twas fair to middlin'.

The idea of a flood personified, passing on his crown was an interesting one, but there were some parts I didn't like.  His idea to destroy the town to save it made no sense in many ways already mentioned.  Dee had too much fine control than someone using the power for teh first time should have.  Triggering and amplifying a natural event is one thing, subverting natural laws is another thing entirely.  I didn't understand her affection for Mr. Flood and her desire to save him.  He killed her parents, and she knew that!

I liked the association between urinating and the rain magic, that was a nice touch.



Listener

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Reply #32 on: January 11, 2010, 05:35:05 PM
The end seemed very obvious and the 'wipe out the town' to 'save the town' was such a weak arguement it wouldn't hold up to any kind of discussion.

Generally, gods are pretty single-minded, and they resist change. Terry Pratchett addresses this VERY well in many of his novels. It makes sense to me that Flood thought destroy-to-save was a good idea... G-d did it in the Bible, didn't he? And if it's good enough for Him...

Just a thought.

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