Author Topic: PC224: The Navigator and the Sky  (Read 12284 times)

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Reply #25 on: September 18, 2012, 02:05:33 PM
Just for clarity. ThomasTheAttoney's comments in red!

Okay.  Would be much more readable if the quoted sections were all quotes.



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Reply #26 on: September 18, 2012, 08:58:05 PM
I'd love to hear more folklore and such around these parts, Polynesian or otherwise. The imagery of Sky killing the stars and the aftermath of that was pretty awesome.

The narrator had a great voice and accent, but the un-conversational pauses detracted from the overall effect. Narration's hard and takes a lot of practice, so I can sympathize.

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Reply #27 on: September 20, 2012, 03:05:41 AM
I had a really hard time connecting with these characters and staying with the unfolding story -- seemed to bounce right off my brain. I think some of the problem was with the unfamiliar names; I couldn't keep track of who was whom, or even their gender. And I think I found the islander belief system or world-building... quaint. Quaint rather than intriguing.


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Reply #28 on: September 20, 2012, 05:26:45 AM
I must step in and say that I loved this mythical tale.  And I think it needs to be read as a myth rather than a prose story.  There was such rich imagery and themes of family and sacrifice and revenge/redemption.  I like was these people seem to be at the mercy and in debt to the Gods, but they also have a power of their own.

Dave intro was a perfect backdrop for this storry speaking of his three generations at Hawaii and seeing the turtle.  Great episode!

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Reply #29 on: September 22, 2012, 06:35:53 PM
Long time listener, first time poster.  I really enjoyed this story and found myself unexpectedly moved by the end when the narrator was looking into his wife's face after his long journey.  Though it seems unfair that the granddaughter would have to be left behind on the mainland, it makes sense that things won't be fair when you have gods directly intervening in your lives. Thought the narration was great and didn't notice all the pauses mentioned by others.  Thanks!



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Reply #30 on: September 29, 2012, 04:06:48 PM
I found the first ten minutes or so of the story very hard to get into, which I think was partially a combination of lack of context as to what was going on (the combination of an in medias res beginning with a world whose basic cosmology is quite different to ours and crucial to understanding the story is not ideal in audio, where it's hard to re-read segments until they make sense), and partially the relatively low energy reading which clashed with the initial urgency felt by the characters. But once I got past the initial bump, and the story moved from the set-up to the journey of the grandfather and granddaughter, I found myself enjoying the story - and the reading - more and more, until by the end I really loved both.



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Reply #31 on: October 08, 2012, 03:44:17 PM
While slow to get going, I did find myself enjoying the story. The narration was a bit off, but the native accent made it work all the same.

With a little work, I could totally see this being produced by Studio Ghibli (despite my general dislike of anime). Of course, they would shift the focus away from the father and make the story about the grand daughter.

I agree with others that the story didn't gain traction until the stars fell from the skies, then it had me. This could use a bit of rewrite and be a truly great story.

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Reply #32 on: October 08, 2012, 04:28:49 PM
I quite enjoyed this story, but like many others, I missed a few things at the beginning. I went ahead and listened to the whole thing through on the first time, piecing together the first 10 minutes or so as I went along.

On a relisten, I'd agree that the first 10-20 minutes of the story are maybe a bit slow or confusing, but they all do make sense. More importantly, my guesses after listening to the last 3/4 of the story, having been confused initially, were spot on. I think most of you can figure it out.

This is not going to be in my top 10 or anything, even for this year, but it wasn't a bad story. It was just really long and had a confusing/dull start. Once you get past that start, the whole thing is very engaging, and the world interesting.

Also, no offense to anyone, but I'm not sure how you could not get that Sky, Earth, etc are proper nouns. It seemed self-evident from context, but also from the voice, at least to me. I would suggest that the inability to determine that Sky was a proper noun is certainly not universal, and may be more subjective than an objective failing of the narrator, whom I liked well enough.



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Reply #33 on: November 09, 2012, 04:47:32 PM
Have to echo everyone else. Great story, but the narrator will have to learn how to pause. I had trouble discerning one section from the next. Other than that, wonderful story. I especially liked how the gods fighting each other to protect the humans.

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Reply #34 on: November 09, 2012, 05:08:59 PM
Have to echo everyone else. Great story, but the narrator will have to learn how to pause. I had trouble discerning one section from the next. Other than that, wonderful story. I especially liked how the gods fighting each other to protect the humans.

It's probably not just the narrator that is responsible for pauses.  If the sound editor sees a long pause, they might edit it out, or they might add it if it helps clarify a section break.  Yes?  I agree that pauses would be good, however they are introduced.