Escape Artists
Escape Pod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: eytanz on November 17, 2017, 03:26:51 PM
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Escape Pod 602: Trash Talk (http://escapepod.org/2017/11/16/escape-pod-602-trash-talk/)
AUTHOR: Holly Schofield (http://hollyschofield.wordpress.com/)
NARRATOR: Robert Gonyo (http://www.robertgonyo.com/)
HOST: Mur Lafferty (http://murverse.com/)
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I’m not a complainer, not me. I roll with the punches. I’ll be just another dead trash collector in about ten minutes but, hey, that’s okay. My son won’t die and, here’s a bonus, my life insurance policy will pay out.
Unless they consider it suicide.
Here we are, hugging in the middle of my living room, me in my robo-assist, my fists locked behind Ricky’s head, up high, like a boxer’s. Ricky, that’s my son, he’s pinned right against my chest.
I can’t see much now, things are blurry; must be sweat that’s in my eyes. Maybe that’ll save me ’cause it’ll short out the servos sooner or later. That was a joke. I’m hanging tough. By the way, guys, before you do anything down at the cop shop with this voice record, edit out all the emotional crap Ricky and I said earlier at the beginning, like right when it started recording, okay? Kinda embarrassing.
(http://escapepod.org/wp-images/podcast-mini4.gif) Listen to this week’s Escape Pod! (http://traffic.libsyn.com/escapepod/Escape_Pod_602_Trash_Talk.mp3)
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Wow.
Just Wow.
*This* was a great story. The narration was amazing. The characterization was amazing. Despite it being a short story, I felt I knew the guy, and felt for him. The portrayal of the problems that 'normal' people have with tech in the future was great.
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Wow.
Just Wow.
*This* was a great story. The narration was amazing. The characterization was amazing. Despite it being a short story, I felt I knew the guy, and felt for him. The portrayal of the problems that 'normal' people have with tech in the future was great.
Ditto.
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I loved how the scope of this story was so limited to just a few minutes, one pair of eyes, one event -- and the narrator leads us through it in effectively real time. It really let me immerse myself in the protagonist's thoughts and feelings around a single point in time.
It reminds me a little, in that way, of "The Very Pulse of The Machine."
The narration was ... ace. I don't think I've heard this guy before but I hope you find reasons to bring him in again!
This story got me thinking about the heroic, stoic version of hypermasulinity shown here -- "I'm not a complainer, not me."
If he were a hero in a cape, I'd think, he's just a hero -- he's supposed to be unattainable. But this guy's a regular Joe -- I feel invited to compare him to the men in my life ("now there's a real man.") And I start to think about how this character's adopting this version of manhood is a part and parcel of the unjust, class-divided, off-brand-medical-miracle, defective-home-brew-superman-suit future the author some how manages to portray so thoroughly in just a few words. And I love it.
Thanks, author and EP! :-)
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Wow.
Just Wow.
*This* was a great story. The narration was amazing. The characterization was amazing. Despite it being a short story, I felt I knew the guy, and felt for him. The portrayal of the problems that 'normal' people have with tech in the future was great.
Ditto.
The aural post-script after the story hit the nail on the proverbial head. Would I like an exo-suit in my old age? Yes! Would I want all the fancy dancy safety-interlocks and the big red panic stop button? Hell yeah. Do I fear such inequity in enhancements? Yep...
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Well that was EXTREMELY HORRIFYING. ScubaMan, I also fear the inequity of enhancements.
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I like an epistolary story and despite virtually telling us how it will end at the beginning of the story, I was still surprised. Distracted by both the cunning writing and fine narration are my excuses.
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In my early developmental years, I thought garbage men were the coolest and aspired to have that job hanging off the side of the truck and running the big pneumatic press. So this story spoke directly to a piece of my heart. Great job building a fully realized world in such a compact space, and the narrator did a great job.
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Throwing in a "me too" for the great writing, excellent concept, and bang on narration.