Author Topic: PC222: The Secret Beach  (Read 12245 times)

John_in_Calgary

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Reply #25 on: September 06, 2012, 09:27:26 PM
I really liked this story. The character was one that I understood and the way that Tim Pratt took a story element and subverted it to make it the hook in his story was brilliant.

I want to echo the call of more Tim Pratt stories!

Solid work from podcastle. Thank you for the story.



chemistryguy

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Reply #26 on: September 10, 2012, 10:53:09 AM
Fantastic story.  I've obviously not heard enough of Tim Pratt's styling, or wasn't paying enough attention.  I will do so from now on.

For such a short story, the main character was amazingly fleshed out.  I totally related to this one.  Dave, you became the main character, and I in turn became him as well.  Well done to both author and narrator.

The ending caught me by surprise as it seems to have done for many others.  I often quote a line from Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) to my nervous 6 year old son.  "Do one thing every day that scares you"  Would I choose to become the do-er instead of the do-ee?  I'd like to think I would.

I have no criticisms other than this being too bloody short  81D




chemistryguy

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Reply #27 on: September 10, 2012, 10:55:40 AM
Also:  Congrats on the audio book deal!


MDS

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Reply #28 on: September 14, 2012, 07:05:22 PM
I am not sure how I feel about the ruthless action of the protagonist -- he seems to think his actions are justified, when they clearly are not, other than by the fact that he wants to escape his own failures, so he steals someone else's destiny. The first-person narration makes the actions especially disturbing. Hope it all ends poorly for him and he gets whats coming to him.

I'm not a huge fan of contemporary-urban-landscape fantasy, and it was especially weird to be biking through Berkeley as I was listening to this.



chemistryguy

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Reply #29 on: September 17, 2012, 04:58:58 PM
I am not sure how I feel about the ruthless action of the protagonist -- he seems to think his actions are justified, when they clearly are not, other than by the fact that he wants to escape his own failures, so he steals someone else's destiny. The first-person narration makes the actions especially disturbing. Hope it all ends poorly for him and he gets whats coming to him.


Why does it have to be "beach guy's"  destiny.  He's just sitting around waiting for others to bring him items for "his" quest.  I saw him as the first test that the protagonist had to pass.  If I wasn't driving at the time, I would have applauded.

Would you give up the key you'd been keeping all your life?  The key that you knew on some level was part of a greater destiny?  To find your life amounted to being a placeholder and just accept it?

This story inspired the hell out of me. 


zoanon

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Reply #30 on: September 17, 2012, 09:19:06 PM
LOVE IT! the MC reminds me of myself back when I was a more depressed emo teen :P
I always had the feeling in the back of my head that I was just the background in someone else's life.

so GO MC! take charge of your own story.


I also agree about beech guy, just sitting there is no way to begin a quest, if your not going to try, some one else is (and did).



LaShawn

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Reply #31 on: October 22, 2012, 05:17:08 PM
This story reminded me of when my husband and I went on our "2nd" honeymoon to the Philippines, where he took me to a beach where his family went to every summer. The beach was one of those out of the way places, pretty run down now. My husband walked down the sand, telling me how he used to collect seashells and how they all slept in this beach house that is now crumbling ruins, and I should have seen it back in the day OH GOD WHAT IS HE DOING WITH THAT OAR NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Seriously. That's how this story was to me. I was lulled in by the beauty of the beach that I seriously didn't catch the dark side of things until it came, at least to me, right out of the blue. That was...disturbing. Not that I didn't like it.

On a lighter note, omigosh, CONGRATS DAVE! Sorry that I'm just now getting to hear your good news. I'll have to check it out.

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