Author Topic: EP231: Solitary as an Oyster  (Read 31782 times)

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Reply #50 on: January 04, 2013, 02:51:50 PM
Seems like folks need to donate money and see if they can still get the 2011 gift box of Christmas stories. The recording of this story in that set is perfect. I think the female narrator there really added more to this story.

It's hard to come up with something original with which to parody A Christmas Carol, since it's been done umpteen million times by every show/movie known to man.  But this one manages it--I've never thought of a Ghost Hunters meets Scrooge scenario.  I liked how the crew of three were each pulled along with the spirits one by one, liked the way the hunters tied in with the plot.  I wasn't really feeling Jenny's angst--it seemed genuine, that's the most important part, but I didn't really feel like I understood her.  Good show!  I wonder what will happen for Christmas 2010?

Amusingly enough, I thought the same thing about the uniqueness before I listened to this before the Carnacki one over on Podcastle. Both amusing and enjoyable in their own way, but I think I liked this one more.

Ha, and I wrote that post years before writing my own Christmas Carol tie-in.  :P



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Reply #51 on: January 04, 2013, 03:14:56 PM
Seems like folks need to donate money and see if they can still get the 2011 gift box of Christmas stories. The recording of this story in that set is perfect. I think the female narrator there really added more to this story.

It's hard to come up with something original with which to parody A Christmas Carol, since it's been done umpteen million times by every show/movie known to man.  But this one manages it--I've never thought of a Ghost Hunters meets Scrooge scenario.  I liked how the crew of three were each pulled along with the spirits one by one, liked the way the hunters tied in with the plot.  I wasn't really feeling Jenny's angst--it seemed genuine, that's the most important part, but I didn't really feel like I understood her.  Good show!  I wonder what will happen for Christmas 2010?

Amusingly enough, I thought the same thing about the uniqueness before I listened to this before the Carnacki one over on Podcastle. Both amusing and enjoyable in their own way, but I think I liked this one more.

Ha, and I wrote that post years before writing my own Christmas Carol tie-in.  :P

I think you also did a good job with finding a unique angle. It beats the usual we get from film and television which just puts new window dressing or casts new people as the characters (it feel as if any long-running sitcom, particularly family-oriented ones, has had some variation on it). I can't think of a lot of examples from literature that do this, which makes sense, as if you're going to read A Christmas Carol, why not just read A Christmas Carol? The only cheap cop-out I can think of is a version that would modernize the language and setting. If it's in text it needs to really bring something new to the table.

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