Author Topic: EP177: Usurpers  (Read 47867 times)

Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
Reply #25 on: September 29, 2008, 08:34:21 PM
I think the story was too long to really support the sentence-fragment style of writing, at least as an audio presentation. The story was interesting. My college roommate ran cross-country and it appeared to be pretty draining.

I suppose the underdog winning was inevitable.

I think this story would have been just as good if it didn't involve SF.

I lost the thread of the whole Asics guy calling King and putting him into a program. There was no payoff to that whole part of the storyline, IMO.

Not bad.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #26 on: September 29, 2008, 08:43:11 PM
Audible.com Promotion!
Get your free audiobook at: http://audible.com/escapepodsff

Isn't about time Stephen pointed out that this offer is NOT available in some countries (the UK for example)?

Why should I?  It's not my podcast.  But okay -- this offer is not available in some countries.  You're welcome.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Heradel

  • Bill Peters, EP Assistant
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2938
  • Part-Time Psychopomp.
Reply #27 on: September 29, 2008, 08:59:16 PM
Audible.com Promotion!
Get your free audiobook at: http://audible.com/escapepodsff

Isn't about time Stephen pointed out that this offer is NOT available in some countries (the UK for example)?

Why should I?  It's not my podcast.  But okay -- this offer is not available in some countries.  You're welcome.

It depends on how many international listeners there are, and we don't have those numbers. We do have a rough count of the international forumites, and it's mostly US-based, with some UK.

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


Vanamonde

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 15
Reply #28 on: September 29, 2008, 09:21:12 PM
Why should I?  It's not my podcast.  But okay -- this offer is not available in some countries.  You're welcome.

Identity Theft..cool.



Talia

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2682
  • Muahahahaha
Reply #29 on: September 29, 2008, 10:25:27 PM
Heh. I swear, I have 100% opposite tastes to everyone else on here.

Not one of my favorites. I mean it seemed to be well written, but the language was.. I donno if it was a little dense for me, or just that I was having a hard time following the sci fi aspects of it. I was very hazy on what exactly was going on. I mean, I guess some of them had some sort of implants or injections or something? And King had some sort of special training? To me this was at core a sports story, the sci fi aspects just squeezed in here and there in such a way I couldn't really see how they were affecting things. I mean I think you could easily strip all references to any of the sci fi-ish stuff from it and pretty much have the identical story, just shorter.

Maybe I missed something. Maybe I need to listen to it again (though I don't want to..). Maybe I need to read it instead of listening.

As a nonathlete, this story had absolutely nothing I could identify with in any way. Maybe that's the issue.  Maybe I'm not smart enough to get it cuz I'm out of shape :p
« Last Edit: September 30, 2008, 03:26:59 AM by Talia »



veganvampire

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 22
Reply #30 on: September 30, 2008, 12:03:25 AM
Didn't it bug anyone else that the scentences seemed to be about 2 words apeice?  It was so disjointed that I just couldn't follow it and skipped to the end about eight minutes in.



deflective

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1171
Reply #31 on: September 30, 2008, 12:15:15 AM
not really, it actually felt familiar.
maybe that's just me.

maybe there is a division, those in sports and those who usually have time to complete their thoughts.



mumblebear

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #32 on: September 30, 2008, 02:11:09 AM
Three differences between King and rich, gene-modded losers.  King doesn't have money.  King doesn't have mods.  King can't think with pronouns.

I think this is the first EP story I genuinely detested.  The King-this, King-that style grated on my nerves.  It sounded too much like special glove-equipped gorilla from the movie Congo.  Also, I just didn't care if he won or not.  Maybe the race was unfair.  Maybe the other runners used money, connections and dirty tricks to tip the scales in their favor.  But other than being the underdog, there was almost no difference between the protagonist and antagonists.  They were arrogant pricks who liked to crush the weak...He was an arrogant prick that liked to crush the weak.  Not much difference there.

Maybe if he was one of those guys that was nice off the track (or out of the ring, or off the field) but turned into a raging monster for competitions, I might have understood him better.  I've known amateur NHB fighters like that.  But I just didn't see that in this story.  I think the line that best summed him up--although it certainly wasn't meant to--was "...royal ass."

I definitely look forward to next week's promise of different words in a different order.



tpi

  • Peltast
  • ***
  • Posts: 93
Reply #33 on: September 30, 2008, 07:46:19 AM
Heh. I swear, I have 100% opposite tastes to everyone else on here.

Not with me. I think exactly alike with you in this. I found it very hard consentrate to the story, thought it was very boring at places. And the science fictional aspect seemed slight. Maybe I should try to listen it again, but relistening that seems about as enthralling as visiting dentist's office.  :)


ajames

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 358
Reply #34 on: September 30, 2008, 11:30:36 AM
Ajames listens to story. Story terse, hard, real. Ajames breathes in, breathes out. No pain. Ajames has been training, listening to stories sent weekly via remote internet connection. Long stories, short stories, funny stories, sad stories, weird stories. Ajames is ready. Ajames hears a car approaching. It tries to pass him on the right. Ajames veers right. Car honks horn, pulls back, attempts to pass Ajames on the left. Ajames keeps even with car until past speed trap, then bursts ahead, veers left, slams on brakes. Other car turns out of way sharply, careems off road. Ajames suppresses a laugh, keeps focus on road. Blue and red lights flash. Ajames curses cell phones, feels heart beat quicken, skin flush. Ajames white, Caucasian. Police metal, robotic. Ajames has trained for this; Ajames has trained for everything. Pushes fear down, heads car towards top of high cliff.

---------------------------

Thanks for the story Steve, very enjoyable, even if it might not be recommended for listening while commuting!



wintermute

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1291
  • What Would Batman Do?
Reply #35 on: September 30, 2008, 11:58:06 AM
Ajames: LOL!

Science means that not all dreams can come true


Talia

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2682
  • Muahahahaha
Reply #36 on: September 30, 2008, 12:34:52 PM
well played, ajames. I do believe I enjoyed your post sigificantly more than the story :D



DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #37 on: September 30, 2008, 03:42:07 PM
That was hilarious, ajames.


WillMoo

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 36
Reply #38 on: September 30, 2008, 05:03:46 PM
I was going to do something along the lines of what Ajames did but now I will not. So far I am only about 10 minutes into it and the sentence fragment writing is bugging me. It sounds like King has morphed in to Tarzan.

Also, "Found himself running by himself, following daily instructions from an email address." would work better if "Found himself running alone ..." but that is just a nit to pick. I will finish the story before commenting further.



slowmovingthing

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 7
Reply #39 on: September 30, 2008, 07:13:24 PM
I am having problems putting this into words but I will try.
I am currently fighting a respiratory infection, and I am at the point where the muscles in my chest are getting tired and sore.
Listening to this story made it hurt to breathe.
Sympathetic pains I know, but the first I’ve ever felt listening to Escape Pod.

The many stories on escape pod have affected me in a few ways:
Filled me with joy
Filled me with hope
Filled me with dread
Brought a few tears out
Plagued my dreams for days

But this is the first time a story has brought physical pain to me.

I’m pretty sure I don’t want to experience that again.

That being said, I largely enjoyed the story.

I did take issue with the ending.
Throughout the story the prose would vacillate from direct (when King is speaking about himself or his environment) and suggestive (when king is speaking of what his secretive trainers have done to him). So to take a suggestive tone when King is describing what happens after the race, although possibly literarily more effective, breaks the pattern that the author setup for King through the earlier parts of the story. It struck a bad chord with me.



ieDaddy

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 55
    • Experiences of an Inland Empire Dad
Reply #40 on: September 30, 2008, 07:41:32 PM
Absolutely-friggn'-loved it!

As an ex-runner/ex-wrestler I know about extreme training and running.  Think running is hard?  Try doing it in a plastic sauna suit to lose those extra 2 pounds and make weight right before a match.  Talk about doing crazy things for the love of the sport and competition... Yeah, this story brought back good memories.  And I also get that not everyone understood why you go through the pain.  It's a personal thing and quite frankly there's no points for second place.  That's why i spent long hours running at night, lifting weights, sweating.  And what do I have to actually show for it?  Box of 2 buck medals and after 20 years I'm still listed on my high schools "greatest wrestling team of all time" roster.  It may not mean a lot to some people but at the olympic trials it's either you go to the olympics or you go home (hint: I didn't go to the olympics)

I actually thought the e-mail training coach was a brilliant addition because it's what gave him the edge over the enhanced athletes.  It's even available today from a plethora of websites in a somewhat generic fashion (but if you go to www.nikeplus.com you'll see just how sophisticated and personalized these systems are getting).  It was his extra training and sacrifice that beat the best enhancements money could buy.  That's a huge message in today's "a pill will fix your problems" world.

As for the reading style - If you've ever watched sunday night football with John Madden you'll understand fragmentary sentences for 4 hours along with the occasional non-sequiter.  I personally loved the style.

Great story!



Hatton

  • Peltast
  • ***
  • Posts: 88
    • Front Porch Political Talk
Reply #41 on: September 30, 2008, 08:26:16 PM
This one goes down as a dislike for me; the sentence fragment style was just too disjointed.  I couldn't focus on the story because it.

Normal is just a setting on the washing machine.


thomasowenm

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 364
  • Servant of The Orator Maleficent
Reply #42 on: September 30, 2008, 08:26:46 PM
King has Bob Dole syndrome.  Ajames really put in context what I absolutely hated about this piece.   I absolutley hate people who talk in third person,  especially when they are talking to theirselves.  I could not even find I liked  this person who was so concerned with others playing fair, then cheats to win.  I wonder is the moral of the story, the end justifies the means... as long as it benifits you and not somebody else.



stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #43 on: September 30, 2008, 08:55:34 PM
And I also get that not everyone understood why you go through the pain.  It's a personal thing and quite frankly there's no points for second place. 

Or as I've heard it said, "'Second place' is just the first loser."  ;D

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


DaveNJ

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 16
Reply #44 on: October 01, 2008, 12:32:41 AM
King has Bob Dole syndrome.  Ajames really put in context what I absolutely hated about this piece.   I absolutley hate people who talk in third person,  especially when they are talking to theirselves.  I could not even find I liked  this person who was so concerned with others playing fair, then cheats to win.  I wonder is the moral of the story, the end justifies the means... as long as it benifits you and not somebody else.

King isn't speaking in third person, though. It's not a first-person via third-person narrative. It's simply a third person narrative that replaces most pronouns with the direct article.

Also, how does King cheat to win?

I dunno, it seems like I'm the only one who likes it when Escape Pod runs sports stories. This story is absolutely amazing to me, and if you haven't tried it yet put it on while you're doing a run. The staccato pacing matches up almost perfectly with running a few miles, and even starts to taper a bit at the end when King would be tiring.

There's just so much to like here. Sci-fi social commentary, a retelling of the John Henry tale, a truly fascinating character, a unique voice in Zumsteg's writing, and all fit within a very basic story formula.

This is the only story from Escape Pod I've ever listened to more than three times, and every time I hear it I find something new or interesting in either the way it's written or in the subject matter.

I'd recommend everyone give this story a go while running. Maybe it'll help people follow the pace better, which can be daunting in audio form.



slic

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 727
  • Stephen Lumini
Reply #45 on: October 01, 2008, 12:54:31 AM
I'm on the team that disliked this story.  I do appreciate the style and I'm all for trying different ways of telling stories, but it shouldn't have been for the entire length of the story.  Perhaps it would work better when I'm running, but any fiction that needs that kind of help is in trouble as far as I'm concerned.  In hindsight, I could see the effect being useful during the actual running of the race.

Also, how does King cheat to win?
I think throwing the elbow would be where I start.  And to pre-empt any "But at that level they all do it" reply, let me just say "That's still cheating" and "No they all don't, some athletes have integrity"

I dunno, it seems like I'm the only one who likes it when Escape Pod runs sports stories.
If you haven't already, you should head over to Podcastle and get "Anywhere There's a Game".  Decent story and sports related.  I enjoyed it.



Void Munashii

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 267
  • twitter.com/VOIDMunashii
    • Mallville - A Journal of the Zombie Apocalypse
Reply #46 on: October 01, 2008, 04:06:25 AM
  Once again we have another sport I'm not interested in in a story I really enjoyed. I found this to be a really tense story that had me gripping the steering wheel a little harder, and pushing down on the gas pedal a little bit heavier than normal.

  I found King to be somewhat, no make that very, unlikable, but compared to the genetically altered kids, I could not help but root for him. The story seemed just harsh enough that he could actually lose the race despite the fact that success would be artistically correct (for lack of a better term)

  One thing I did not totally get; It was stated that the shoes stolen from the modded kids were designed for their running style, right? So how did King know which person shared his exact running style to allow him to get the benefits of using them? Am I off on the idea that the shies were made for each individual, or was it just the knowledge that he stole them that gave him a psychological edge?

 

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


ajames

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 358
Reply #47 on: October 01, 2008, 10:37:52 AM
My earlier whimsical post was really just whimsy - I did enjoy this story. The style grated upon me at first, but after awhile I adjusted and then got into it.

I ran cross country competitively in high school and not so competitively in college, and the scholarships, prestige, pressure, and cheating put this story somewhere in the future for me more than anything else. Maybe other cross country runners have different experiences than I did?



WillMoo

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 36
Reply #48 on: October 01, 2008, 02:29:25 PM
I am not sure how this is going to sound but her goes anyway. Wouldn't the rich parents who want to genetically modify their children opt for higher intelligence rather than physical characteristics? It appears to me that the lower income segment of today's society is the one that is looking for the physical based scholarships.

The Tarzan speak ruined the story for me.



DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #49 on: October 01, 2008, 04:13:53 PM
I am not sure how this is going to sound but her goes anyway. Wouldn't the rich parents who want to genetically modify their children opt for higher intelligence rather than physical characteristics? It appears to me that the lower income segment of today's society is the one that is looking for the physical based scholarships.

The Tarzan speak ruined the story for me.

It's possible.  I'm sure some of them would.  But I think there are still a bunch of rich parents who have their egos tied to sports for whatever reason (they played and failed/suceeded themselves, living vicariously through their children, or just want that kind of glory) that I was able to buy into it.