Author Topic: EP034: Free Will, Baby  (Read 9454 times)

Russell Nash

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on: January 16, 2009, 03:35:06 PM
EP034: Free Will, Baby

By Janni Lee Simner.
Read by Swoopy (of Skepticality).

“Hello, this is Kara Donnelly, with Lucifer Enterprises. Whom am I–”

“Yeah,” the man said, as if he’d been expecting her. “My wife just left me. When she takes me to court next month, I want everything she’s got.”

“Well, I’m certain we can arrange that.” Kara smiled. She’d heard somewhere that if you smiled, your voice sounded more pleasant over the phone. “If I could just get some information, I’ll have one of our representatives call back to arrange a meeting.”


Rated PG. Contains supernatural violence, sexual harassment, and telemarketers from Hell. (Not a redundancy.)



Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!



Zathras

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Reply #1 on: January 16, 2009, 11:09:12 PM
I first read this story when I was stationed in Korea, so it was 1994 or 1995.  It was in a collection, Deals with the Devil, edited by Mike Resnick, Loren Estleman and Martin Greenberg.  It's been a while, but I really enjoyed the book, and if you're interested in those kinds of tales, it's worth checking out.

I was extremely happy to hear that it had made it to Escape Pod.  This was one of the best stories in the book.  The businessmen devils collecting souls versus the gang of angels was a really nice touch. 

I have more to say, but will post it later, I'm not feeling very well.  I wanted to at least post this much since N-sh went through the trouble of putting the thread up.



Russell Nash

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Reply #2 on: January 17, 2009, 12:00:51 AM
Glad to see someone appreciates what I do.



Zathras

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Reply #3 on: January 17, 2009, 10:36:45 PM
Ok, I'm feeling much better now.

Some observations about this story:

I can't think of a better way to embody evil than to use a sexually abusive manager at a telemarketing call center.  Wait, yes I can.  The greasy owner of the call center that just wants to smooth things over.

If Kara tells everyone that they can sacrifice their own soul to save another, doesn't that negate the possiblity?  It's not a sacrifice if you aren't risking anything.

Steve, is there any chance of getting some of the other stories from that collection?  I don't know what kind of behind the scenes work would be involved. 

I, for one, am a sucker for a good Deal with the Devil story.  One of my favorites was on Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Dark Side or one of those shows.  In it, Sherman Hemsley made an offer to the devil, and managed to get out of it.  I'm not going to ruin it by revealing the end, but it's really good.



Zathras

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Reply #4 on: January 17, 2009, 10:50:46 PM
The episode I was thinking of was The New Twilight Zone, "I of Newton".  It starred Sherman Hemsley as the protaganoist and Ron Glass as the devil.  If you haven't seen it, GO FIND AND WATCH IT!!!  C'mon, you know you want to see Shepherd Book before Firefly, don't you?



FamilyGuy

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Reply #5 on: January 17, 2009, 11:22:04 PM
The episode I was thinking of was The New Twilight Zone, "I of Newton".  It starred Sherman Hemsley as the protaganoist and Ron Glass as the devil.

That was a good one.

When will all the rhetorical questions end?


Russell Nash

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Reply #6 on: January 18, 2009, 05:16:07 PM
Steve, is there any chance of getting some of the other stories from that collection?  I don't know what kind of behind the scenes work would be involved. 

The best way to get something going is for fans to write to the authors and tell them about EP.


The episode I was thinking of was The New Twilight Zone, "I of Newton".  It starred Sherman Hemsley as the protaganoist and Ron Glass as the devil.  If you haven't seen it, GO FIND AND WATCH IT!!!  C'mon, you know you want to see Shepherd Book before Firefly, don't you?

Then you should watch Barney Miller.



Zathras

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Reply #7 on: January 18, 2009, 05:21:36 PM
In the case of a collection, should I write the authors of the individual stories, the editors, or both?

I figured Barney Miller might be a bit too much to ask some of the "less ripened" of the forums to check out.   ;)



eytanz

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Reply #8 on: January 18, 2009, 05:31:39 PM
In the case of a collection, should I write the authors of the individual stories, the editors, or both?

I doubt Steve (or Rachel, or Ben) would publish something by a living author without the author's consent, and if you need to get copyright permission from a collection publisher that's probably easier with the author already on board, so I would start with the author.



Zathras

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Reply #9 on: January 18, 2009, 05:40:26 PM
Thanks, eytanz.  I guess I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the book again.  I'm going to hit up my used book stores first.  If I can't find a copy, I'll order one.  This may cause a split in the thread, but would Deal with the Devil stories be more suited for Pod Castle?



stePH

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Reply #10 on: January 18, 2009, 09:24:59 PM
Thanks, eytanz.  I guess I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the book again.  I'm going to hit up my used book stores first.  If I can't find a copy, I'll order one.  This may cause a split in the thread, but would Deal with the Devil stories be more suited for Pod Castle?

Podcastle or Pseudopod, depending on the tone of the story, I guess.  But Podcastle didn't exist when this story ran, right?

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


eytanz

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Reply #11 on: January 18, 2009, 10:04:47 PM
Thanks, eytanz.  I guess I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the book again.  I'm going to hit up my used book stores first.  If I can't find a copy, I'll order one.  This may cause a split in the thread, but would Deal with the Devil stories be more suited for Pod Castle?

Podcastle or Pseudopod, depending on the tone of the story, I guess.  But Podcastle didn't exist when this story ran, right?

Neither did Pseudopod.



stePH

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Reply #12 on: January 20, 2009, 03:53:55 AM
As a new listener to PP, wasn't quite sure of the timeline.  But I was certain about PC.

Anyway, I don't remember this story clearly enough to say whether I think it's better suited to PC or PP.

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H. Bergeron

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Reply #13 on: January 20, 2009, 05:19:17 AM
I think that, aside from the fact that the whole discussion is pointless anyway, if this story were run this week it would run on Podcastle.

Anyway - I liked this story a lot.  It's one that I didn't mind re-listening when I flew home for Christmas and was out of reach of my feeds for a while.


...Why was this thread reposted?  Or is it just a new commentary thread to replace one that got eaten by the board software somewhere along the way?

Formerly Ignoranus - now too big for my britches, literally and figuratively.


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Reply #14 on: January 20, 2009, 05:54:36 AM
...Why was this thread reposted?  Or is it just a new commentary thread to replace one that got eaten by the board software somewhere along the way?
SOMEONE is completely unappreciative of the great Nash's work!

this story was requested to be posted, because someone wanted to comment on it.  its part of a slow process to have comment threads for all EPs based on request.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Zathras

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Reply #15 on: January 20, 2009, 07:50:40 AM
As a new listener to PP, wasn't quite sure of the timeline.  But I was certain about PC.

Anyway, I don't remember this story clearly enough to say whether I think it's better suited to PC or PP.

Even when PP was up and running, this one would have been better suited for EP. 

I was more curious about future stories of this type, but now realize that it depends on just how dark the story is.  If I had to pick one of the three to run this one on, it'd be PC. 

And now, to get back on topic...

I finished Practical Villain, EP 42 earlier this evening.  I am definitely seeking out more of Janni Lee Simner's work.  Thanks, Escape Pod!



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Reply #16 on: February 05, 2010, 05:59:15 PM
This one had some interesting new twists, most notably the ending with her going around and informing people.  BUT doesn't that kind of give a massive loophole?  You make a deal with the devil, get lots of cool winnings, and then wiggle your way out of it?  I can believe it in her case because it was truly a selfless act.  But if someone is forewarned about it, then I don't necessarily see it as a positive thing.