PC146, Giant Episode: The Surgeon's Tale

[birdless]

I gotta say, this one really got to me, for reasons not to do with the primary plot.. I'm not close to my parents, have no desire to be. Can't recall the last time I talked to them on the phone (though its a matter of weeks, not months). So this story made me feel rather bad. I guess I was fascinated by that aspect of it.. his parents tragedy, their art aging them, and how he distanced himself from them was surely also their heartbreak. I thought that added a beautifully sad backnote to the main Zombie Arm story.

The main story itself was creepy and disturbing. The slow reading was PERFECT.. this is not a quick tale, it creeps. It creeps along like an animated arm dragging itself down the street. The way the protagonist falls apart, the way his relationships fall apart, very well depicted.

Scary and heartbreaking at the same time, a weird combination.

I'm so used to being able to hit a "Like" button from FB. Just wanted to express the sentiment about this comment somehow, so Like . =)

[Mav.Weirdo]

As a side note, I liked Anna Schwind's intro and hope to hear from her more often.

[LaShawn]

Just got around to listening to this one. I needed something to keep me occupied as I planted seeds in my garden. Overall I enjoyed it, but for a long piece it was quite slow. I kept thinking throughout the 1st and 2nd parts. "And it should end...NOW. No? Okay, it's gonna end...NOW. Really? Man, this guy loves to ramble..."

Then I reached the part of the arm...and I actually gasped aloud.

Up to that part, it was so slow almost to the point I didn't really care about the protagonist. Afterwards, it kept me riveted. It feels as though the slow parts are needed to make the impact of the arm that strong. Worked for me.

[Gamercow]

It feels as though the slow parts are needed to make the impact of the arm that strong. Worked for me.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I completely agree.  Lulls you into a stupor and then pops up from behind the couch, yelling "boo!"

[FireTurtle]

Color me...ewwwwww!
I tried, lord knows its easy to lull me into even a terrible tale, but the ick factor was way to high for me for to long. In addition, at the risk of sounding like an adolescent male (not that there's anything wrong with that), I kept expecting a scene of, erm, self-love to intrude. Or should I say self-attached hand of beloved-love? I mean, its there, you love it.....
I am a bad, bad, person.

OTOH, loved hearing the narration. It was a bit slow but appropriately slow, since our MC was a deranged old dude. Also, as a complete non-story-related-aside- I am traveling to the land Down Under in less than a week so was all excited and stuff to hear an Aussie accent. It probably kept me gong through the story more than anything!

Someone earlier on mentioned the whole- how was the surgery done aspect- I must confess that I too was majorly distracted by that. And I dispute the fact that he couldn't have added a third arm, I mean if it is already animate, who cares if it is attached at the rotator cuff? Half a humerus obviously got it out of the ocean just fine....

[cdanna]

I realize I am very, very late to the table here but I just have to say how much I adored this story! I just recently started listening to all 3 escape artists podcasts (thanks mom!) and have really enjoyed everything I have heard so far. But this story... I LOVED this story. Maybe its because it covers so many of my favorite topics- the ocean, preservation of dead things, potions and mixtures, the place between life and death. Maybe because of the atmosphere- foggy, mysterious... I just totally lost myself in it. I loved the narration as well, I thought his voice fit perfectly. And I didn't find it to be too slow at all. Loved, loved, loved it. All of it. I cant wait to hear more from both of the authors, and hopefully the narrator as well.

[Fenrix]

It is uncommon to fire all six shots of a revolver with great suddenness when one would probably be sufficient, but many things in the life of Herbert West were uncommon...

"Memories and possibilities are ever more hideous than realities."

Which sums up why I dug Herbert West: The Reanimator more than this one. This had more metaphor than story for my preference.

...Call it Lord of the Ring's syndrome if you like - too much stuff happening after the main plot point is dealt with.

The Stand suffered a bit of that too.

I bet a large portion of that denoumont was originally cut for the first printing and should have stayed that way.

[Wilson Fowlie]

Call it Lord of the Rings syndrome if you like - too much stuff happening after the main plot point is dealt with.

Depends on what you think the main plot point (of LOTR at any rate) is.

[iamafish]

destroying the ring seems like a pretty obvious one.

[Scattercat]

destroying the ring seems like a pretty obvious one.

I would say it's more about the passing of an age, the changing of time.  We saw from the first rumblings of change all the way through to the departure of the last remnants of the old guard.  Thus, the plot properly ends when the ships leave for the Gray Lands.

[iamafish]

well, getting into Mordor and destroying the ring does a pretty good job of driving the story along, so i'm gonna stick with my original assessment.

Sure the passing of an age and the changing of time is a theme, but it's hardly a major plot point.