EP058: Shadowboxer

[Swamp]

EP058: Shadowboxer

By Paul Di Filippo.
Read by Scott Fletcher (of Podcheck Review).
Musical guest: Andy Guthrie.

Generally speaking, I need only three minutes of concentrated attention to kill someone by staring at them. If I’m feeling under the weather, or my mind is preoccupied with other matters–you know how your mind can obsess about trivial things sometimes–it might take five minutes for my power to have its effect. On the other hand, if I focus intensely on my victim I can get the job done in as little as ninety seconds.

…Now the nation is at war. Or so we’re told. I guess that changes everything. A person like me becomes much more important.

Rated R. Contains violence, some sexual content, and disturbing themes.


Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!

[Unblinking]

I enjoyed this one.  The protagonist was so twisted and unlikeable, but all the little details were compelling enough to keep me going.  I especially liked him naming all of his captors Dave. 

I could've done without the impending Bush assassination at the end.  On the one hand, it fit the story well enough.  But I'm not thrilled about ending the story with the assassination of a real president, even if that president was unpopular and is no longer president.

But overall, I very much liked it.