Pseudopod 139: Old Ways

[Russell Nash]

Pseudopod 139: Old Ways

By Dan Dworkin
Read by Jenna Sharpe (who incidentally also voices Naija in Aquaria)

The man in the doorway was backlit by the low hanging sun, and when he told her about Ray it didn’t seem real. “Dead?” “Yes ma’am, I’m afraid so.” Fatima gripped the front of her blouse and twisted. She steadied herself against the door jam, and when she spoke it was a whisper, “Imkonsiz…” The detective frowned, as he was not learned in Uzbek, “I’m sorry?” “I say, is impossible.” Everything about her was fragile and too thin — her wrists, her neck, even the skin on her face, which was translucent in the morning light. “I wish you were right about that, ma’am.”


This week’s episode sponsored by Audible.com, who offers you a free audiobook download of your choice from their selection of over 40,000 titles.



Listen to this week's Pseudopod.

[raysizemore3]

Freaking-a. I almost zoned out on this one-- it was slow to develop, and the narration was almost soothingly good-- but I found the thread about halfway through and was totally enthralled by the end. Great story.

[MacArthurBug]

Not really my cup of tea. The reading wasn't bad, nor was the story for that matter, but it did nothing for me.

[Listener]

I really liked the way she did the mother's voice.

I figured it out just before the big reveal, which I think is the goal of the Genre Twist* -- reveal enough that the reader figures it out before the characters do. The story did start out slowly, but I don't think it was ever intended to be a "fast" piece. Too many stories I think depend upon fast pacing and familiar characters/narrators, but this story was both slow and had non-American characters with their own beliefs. The fact that Fatima and her mother had been in the US as long as they had... it all made sense and the characters were very real.

I found this story MUCH better than The Valknut, which I didn't really like at all. But then, I like Criminal Minds (and not just for Garcia; my Criminal Minds OTP is Garcia/Morgan, FWIW). I wanted to like The Valknut more than I did because of who wrote it, but I think this story is much closer to something you might see on CM (minus the raising-of-the-revenant angle) and maybe that's why I liked it better.

* -- I just submitted a definition for this on Urban Dictionary. I'll let you know when it's approved.

[MacArthurBug]

I'm obsessed with criminal minds- perhaps that even partially got my hope up, or maybe I just was listening in the wrong snarl of traffic. 

[Bdoomed]

ha, just listened, it got me, i didnt figure it out before it hit.
thats just one of those "oh shit." moments

and loooooooved the reading

[DKT]

Excellent reading - I think that's what hooked me into the story. The twist at the end surprised me. I actually thought Raymond would come back pissed off and kill everyone because he was a victim of violence. So when it was revealed that he faked his death and the body was really somebody else's - sweet. I would've liked to have heard what happened next, but at the same time, it also works really well.

Well done on both ends. Thanks for the listen.

[Zathras]

Good story.  The foreshadowing was well done, and not too heavy handed.  I think the end was a bit too long, though.

[Loz]

Spencer Reid, Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

No, that was a great story, and a great reading but, it's Friday night, which means Criminal Minds is on telly. See you tomorrow.

[Unblinking]

The writing itself was very good, and I was impressed by the narrator--each of the characters sounded very distinct and sounded like real people, excellently done.  I didn't mind the slow pace, the characters were rich, and the setting seemed real, but I thought the ending was too predictable.  Maybe I've just seen too many shows or movies where someone fakes their death by burning another's body beyond identification, but that was the first conclusion I jumped to, and when the cop started talking about financial troubles that just reinforced that thought.

[Millenium_King]

I found this one absolutely fantastic, yet absolutely disappointing all at once.

The story was a little slow to develop, but quickly started to pick up steam.  The writing was absolutely spot on, never confusing and very strong.  The characters were well drawn and realistic.

I at first assumed this would be something of a classic "conjurin' tale" as seen through an Eastern European lens (as opposed to "Raising Eddie" which was a "rustic America" take).  But the twist at the end was absolutely lovely and set this one a little higher than the rest.

That being said:  except for the twist, the story was pretty predictable and, because of that, had trouble holding my interest.  Once the twist occured, however, I was riveted.  I felt super-let down because I wanted to hear what happened AFTER the homeless man was brought back to horrible life.

I think this story would have worked better had the first act been cut, the 3rd act made the 2nd and a new 3rd act written where Fatima and Ray have to confront the monster they have inadvertantly created.  I was actually filled with dread once they realized their mistake - I'd hoped to see that played out.  I cared for Fatima by that point, and the thought of the zombie eviscerating her was not something I wanted to see.  I felt that some dramatic tension was lost because this started too slow and ended too early.

The narration was EXCELLENT.  One of the best by far.  All the accents were well done and her voice was soothing and beautiful.

Likewise, Alasdair did a stellar outro on this one.  The revenant is makeing a return - and it's much more subtle now.  Of the revenant stories here, this was probably my favorite.

[Fenrix]

Great narration and fun story. Speaking of the narration, how has EA only gotten her for a single story? I need more competition in the top reader list.

I realized when he showed up on her doorstep in perfect condition, I knew that he had not been raised. The foreshadowing pointed at and that there was something else in the grave. Something wrong. I was perfectly fine being lulled by the great narration but I wasn't moved until the twist, which emotionally shifted it completely with an audible "Oh shit".

I think this story would have worked better had the first act been cut, the 3rd act made the 2nd and a new 3rd act written where Fatima and Ray have to confront the monster they have inadvertantly created.  I was actually filled with dread once they realized their mistake - I'd hoped to see that played out.  I cared for Fatima by that point, and the thought of the zombie eviscerating her was not something I wanted to see.  I felt that some dramatic tension was lost because this started too slow and ended too early.

Although I tend to agree with MK about the first act being slow, I'm not sure I'd want to see Act 4. I just need to know it's there, and something awful is going to happen. I've read enough Stephen King to accept that the Act 4 in my head is way better (or at least more effective for me) than what is likely to hit the page.