Author Topic: EP038: L’Alchimista  (Read 5151 times)

Russell Nash

  • Guest
on: September 25, 2008, 06:59:50 PM
EP038: L’Alchimista

By N.K. Jemisin.
Read by Paul Tevis (of Have Games, Will Travel).

Guest Host: Salim Fadhley.

She did not particularly care whether he paid; it wasn’t her inn. But at his words she lifted an eyebrow. “What sort of challenge?”

“A very special one.” He slipped a hand into his coat like an old-fashioned pistolero, but before Franca could worry he pulled out a bulging sack made of what looked like deerhide. He set this on the table — carefully, Franca noted.

“You are willing to follow a recipe? So many chefs of your caliber think themselves above the direction of others.”

She lifted her chin. “I was head chef for Parliament once — before that bastard Berlusconi, anyhow. While I was there I had to make Florentine dishes like a Florentine and Venetian dishes like a Venetian and the Madonna help me if I did them wrong. If the recipe is sound, I can follow it.”


Rated G. Warning: Food descriptions may be intoxicating. Do not listen before grocery shopping.


Referenced Sites:
Resonance FM



Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!



Thaurismunths

  • High Priest of TCoRN
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1421
  • Praise N-sh, for it is right and good!
Reply #1 on: September 25, 2008, 09:22:14 PM
I've been waiting two years to comment on this story.
It has to be my my A, #1, top fantasy story of all time, and one of the best stories on EP over-all.
It has everything: Food. Magic. Mystery.
Paul did a fantastic job breathing life in to Jemisin's incredibly inventive story.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


eytanz

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 6109
Reply #2 on: September 25, 2008, 10:29:22 PM
This was a wonderful story. A bit hard to listen to, because I kept get distracted by the wonderful food descriptions and I required frequent rewinding to catch what I missed :)



Anarkey

  • Meen Pie
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 703
  • ...depends a good deal on where you want to get to
Reply #3 on: September 26, 2008, 08:01:10 PM
I agree with Thauris; this is one of my all time favorite EPs.  Love, love, love it.


Winner Nash's 1000th member betting pool + Thaurismunths' Free Rice Contest!


slic

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 727
  • Stephen Lumini
Reply #4 on: October 01, 2008, 12:59:42 AM
I first started listening to Escapepod during my weekly commutes from Springfield, IL to Indianapolis, IN and this was the fourth story I listened to.  Back then I didn't have any mp3 player, so I would open up my laptop on the passenger seat and play them.  After listening to this story the first time, I actually pulled over and started the story again, I liked it that much. 

When I made cds in attempts to convert others to escapepod this was always one of the tracks.



Void Munashii

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 267
  • twitter.com/VOIDMunashii
    • Mallville - A Journal of the Zombie Apocalypse
Reply #5 on: October 01, 2008, 04:08:14 AM
  I do not know if I would go so far as to say this is one of the best (too much good stuff to choose from, doncha know), but it certainly was an awesome and entertaining story.

"Mallville - A Journal of the Zombie Apocalypse"
http://mallvillestory.blogspot.com


Unblinking

  • Sir Postsalot
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 8729
    • Diabolical Plots
Reply #6 on: February 12, 2010, 05:57:24 PM
I liked it, but not nearly to the magnitude that others did.  Throughout the whole thing I was wondering what the mysterious stranger's motives were--Did anyone else get the sense that he was malevolent during the body of the story?