Pseudopod 049: Big Boy

[Holden]

Hilarious. Zombies are people too!

[Russell Nash]

So maybe it is time for a ZombiePod.

Yes, please! Though that may be done better as a video podcast.

Check this out.  http://www.lulu.tv/?p=12072

No matter what happens, Mur keeps coming back to us.

[Planish]

I rather liked this one. Yes it did recall Cell in the sense that the action gets underway very quickly and the final outcome is not given. I do think that it had a short-term happy ending.

I don't care what cause the Crazy people to go Crazy, but didn't it say something about the fire starting at some sort of research facility? Sort of like the "Captain Trips" virus thingy in The Stand, it's never determined for sure and it doesn't matter.

Our Hero has the Quest of getting back to his family; his character evolves to the extent that he twice decides to disobey authority figures (which saves his personal ass), and even decides it's okay to allow contact with an icky girl (thinking of others, how mature); and there is conflict. All Good Things for a story to have.

I loved the idea of him hiding under the porches, which provides a bit of relief from the tension yet gives us a pretty good look at what the horror is. Channel 7 Action News Live coverage, from the safety of our living room.

The dispassionate way the kid observed the horrific events seemed to me just to give a sense of him being in shock while they were happening, yet still being able to function and try to get to safety. Worry about post-trauma stress later.

[bolddeceiver]

I agree with the comments about the kid seeming too grown up, but not in the same way.  His actions seemed pretty in line with the plausible; I work with kids and know that in certain extreme situations they can be frighteningly together.  No, what bugged me more was from the very start the dialogue and inner monologue.  While I am fully on board with "kids are more tuned in than we think," there is the plain fact that 9-year-olds, even realy mature ones, don't talk like adults.  I know that this is just an extension of the phenomenon of fictional characters not talking like people really talk (perfect complete sentences unless they're being characterized as stupid or rural, lack of "umms" and repetition, etc), but for some reason I found myself less able to get past the unrealism.

Still, great story.  I really like the "fresh perspective on overdone horror scenario" angle.

[Unblinking]

I really liked this one for its fresh perspective on the zombie genre.  I didn't think the kid acted too old at all.  It shows he's a special kid yes, but I didn't think it was unrealistic or anything.

Maybe I just immersed too much in the perspective, but I didn't foresee the dad being alive.  It ended up being a really good twist for me. 

I didn't care for the open ending though.  It came off more like the author forgot to put the last page of the manuscript into the envelope before sealing it up.  I mean, is it really that open?  The dad has already shown himself to be a badass, and is aware of what the crazies are capable of.  The particular crazy guy inside the house did not show the slightest interest in living flesh, only in disassembling the people on the bed.  He would be a sitting duck for anyone who decided to shoot him.  So where's the openness?  Unless the dad was stupid enough to come within arms reach, I don't see an attack by the crazy being successful.

[Fenrix]

Sorry to throw a severed hand into the works, but this story fell pretty flat for me.  I think the writing was a little sloppy and the story could have been half as long.  "There was a face at the window.  It had blood on its face."  "He heard the sounds of ripping and smacking."  What's the sound of smacking?  "Moans filled the air like helium balloons."  You mean they all raced up to the stratosphere while a brass band played Anchors Away? 

I really enjoyed this story, and I overlooked the sloppiness up until the end. There were hints early and throughout that Mom was not being faithful to Dad. There was no need for the full description in the yard full of zombies. It really broke the pacing and tension.  They wanted to make sure that we saw the horse, that it was indeed dead, and that they were, in fact, beating it. We still could have kept the "Lady or the Tiger" ending without the unnecessary exposition of Mom's infidelity.

The story was always the boy reuniting with his family. During the exposition about the moster in the house, the parent's relationship became the focus of the story. It was a weird unnecessary turn.

[Millenium_King]

This one gets a big thumbs down from me.  To be honest, it had little to do with the plot - I just couldn't stand the language or pacing.  The story plodded along in the beginning (why didn't it just open with the explosions?).  But what bugged me most was the language: it was so clumsy that it yanked me out of the story over and over again.  Esp. "blood ran copiously" - is that really a word a 9yo would use?  The narration wobbled between coming from Peter's perspective and a more "adult" tone and diction.  Likewise, the story was overwritten in many, many places (cf. description of the mall.  "Nearby" would have been enough description).  Finally, Peter acted in all cases like a little adult - not a child.  He had adult sensibilities, adult thoughts and considered things from a calm, rational, detached persepctive that had none of a child's sensibilities.  Yes, some children are very bright - but they always have childish concerns first and formost.  eg. would Peter really not tell his dad about the newscast because he was worried his dad wouldn't be able to safely reach him?  Or would he not tell him about the newscast because the teacher would overhear and he'd get in trouble?  A child has different priorities than an adult and usually fears the disapproval of authority figures more than actual, physical danger.  An adult is wise enough to (hopefully) know better.