Escape Artists
PseudoPod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Bdoomed on November 26, 2015, 08:41:10 PM
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PseudoPod 466: Bad Newes from New England (http://pseudopod.org/2015/11/26/pseudopod-466-bad-newes-from-new-england/)
by Moaner T. Lawrence
“Bad Newes from New England” is original to Pseudopod – the story payment will be donated to RUNNING STRONG (http://indianyouth.org/), a Native American charity.
in addition to being a regular contributor to the world’s largest horror publication, Rue Morgue: Horror In Culture & Entertainment (http://www.rue-morgue.com/) (and a member of their Rue Crew), MOANER T. LAWRENCE is also a regular contributor to Germany’s largest horror publication, VIRUS (http://www.raptor.de/virus.php/). To date, his published works include several movie and book reviews, interviews with authors, actors, and other colorful individuals, as well as art and cultural articles pertaining to the genre. He has been listening to Pseudopod as of October of 2007, and in that time has come to dream that he might one day be worthy of riding the pod’s sacred sound waves before embarking on the rest of his fiction career.
Your narrator – Dave Robison’s voice work has appeared on audio fiction podcasts across the internet, including the Drabblecast, Starshipsofa, Tales to Terrify, and all the Escape Artists Podcasts. He’s been contracted – through his production company, Wonderthing Studios (http://www.wonderthingstudios.com/) – to do the audiobook narration for Tim Ward’s novel “SCAVENGER: EVOLUTION” and Terry Irving’s “THE DAY OF THE DRAGON KING”. In addition to hosting the fabulous “Roundtable Podcast (http://www.roundtablepodcast.com/)”, Dave has launched a new venture… Vex Mosaic (http://www.vexmosaic.com/), an e-zine featuring essays on culture and society through the lens of pop-culture media!
“This act of goodwill stirred great cheer in the people of New Plimouth and, with freshly raised spirits, they bade the Wampanoag enter; opened home and hearth in the spirit of God, and offered to share their modest bounty; whereupon the Wampanoag made entrance, each savage family pairing off with one of our own. I, Chief Massasoit, the chief’s bodyguards, Hobomok, Captain Standish, and Pastor Brewster removed to Mr. Allteron’s house in front of the corn fields. Two of the chief’s children also joined us: His eldest son Wamsutta, a man of twenty years who was often short of patience, and suspicious of all Europeans, and his gentle daughter Amie, a girl of sixteen years who was ever amicable toward everyone.
As we entered Allerton’s cottage, I had expected to greet Mr. Billngton’s wife as she was to be our matron for the festival, however Goody Winslow stood in her place by the fire looking quite haggard and overworked. I inquired of Goody Billington’s whereabouts, whereupon Dr. Fuller quietly informed me that Mr. Billington had died a short while ago, as well as the vexing news that Captain Standish had known of this and had not seen fit to inform me. The captain begged pardon, and insisted that, though he had learned of Billington’s passing, he did not wish to interrupt the proceedings. Wishing not to spoil the festivities I held my peace, whereupon our guests removed took their places at the tables outside, whilst the women set to their proper places preparing supper. I informed Chief Massasoit of the recent losses from our peace party, and the satchem spoke in admonishment, stating that he had warned us not to trust the Massachusetts, but that he was not a little overjoyed to hear of Squanto’s passing; accusing him of being a trouble maker, and stating that if the Massachusetts had not killed Squanto, the chief may have very well done so himself. Amie, unlike her father, had been fond of Squanto. News of his death, caused her much distress. At length supper was prepared, and we soon found our table set with a cornucopia of delights: Cheate bread, butter, salt, a selection of fruits and cheeses, a few boiled lobster which I prayed with all sincerity the chief would not be insulted by, indian corn, fowl, deer, pompion pottage, and apple cider. We joined hands, and Pastor Brewster led us in grace, zealously giving thanks to God almighty for being on land, the generous bounty that He, and our savage neighbors, had bestowed upon us, and, that if it be His will, that the Lord continue to look after us and to help propagate our colony to fruition.”
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Listen to this week's Pseudopod. (http://media.libsyn.com/media/pseudopod/Pseudo466_BadNewesFromNewEngland.mp3)
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I hate zombies. I find zombie stories tedious. Pseudopod has thrown out a few exceptions to this. This story was not one of them.
That being said, I liked the setting, and I liked the characters. I felt there was a reality to the way they interacted with each other, and with the land. This story had the potential to be fantastic, except, you know, the zombies.
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This is the first episode of Pseudopod I've listened to a second time. I don't enjoy reading epistolary stories, but find they work much better for me in audiobook format. "Bad Newes From New England" really used the historical setting well, slyly taking advantage of what the modern reader already knows in order to create moments of both gallows humour and dread.
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I guess we have an answer for Roanoke Island, the Lost Colony might have been over run by walkers.
This story was a good bit of fun. I agree that audio seems to be the best way for me to enjoy epistolary stories.
The setting felt real, characters and their interactions felt realistic, even the "Savages" initial refusal of entrance then the realization that these people could either help fight or soon be part of a growing siege.
The golden voice of our narrator was spot on and carried the emotional beats with clarity.
The ending was nice, a zombie lashed to the wheel of a crowded ship of the dead sailing to reap revenge and to callously spread the same fate far and wide in the old world.
Finally, that image of the zombie going back for seconds into the girls skull will stay with me.
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I am still not-a-zombie fan, but zombies aside, this was fun to listen to because the author put so much research and care into the setting, the language and the history.
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The First Thanksgiving... WITH ZOMBIES!
I am generally one with zombie fatigue as well, but I enjoyed this story because it was a familiar setting but one which I've not seen used in zombie fiction, as far as I could tell it was well researched, and I do tend to like epistolary formats, especially historical epistolary formats.
Unless these zombies are very atypical, I don't think the Mayflower is actually going to reach Europe. It takes more to sail a ship than just strapping a mindless walking corpse to the wheel and that's a long way for the boat to survive without something intelligent steering it (though it has the advantage of the passengers not needing food so even if it's becalmed for a while the zombies will still live on).
Anyway, whether the zombie-ship-to-Europe plan works or not, I think the intent is still enough to be a good ending point for the story.
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Found this one quite fun. Not sure that my not being part of the whole thanksgiving thang means I enjoyed it less or more. Regardless, I'm not normally much of a zombie fan — but this one kept my attention. For the setting if nothing else.
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I guess we have an answer for Roanoke Island, the Lost Colony might have been over run by walkers.
Fast walkers or slow walkers? ::) Anyway, I'm enjoying this far more than "Saturday". I'm giving it a second listen so that I can piece together what happened with that twisted ending.
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Love it love it!
the rant about the pope was a joy to listen to, "footstool of Mephistopheles" has entered my lexicon.
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I hate zombies. I find zombie stories tedious. Pseudopod has thrown out a few exceptions to this. This story was not one of them.
That being said, I liked the setting, and I liked the characters. I felt there was a reality to the way they interacted with each other, and with the land. This story had the potential to be fantastic, except, you know, the zombies.
Same here. The thanksgiving connection was kind of fun, and the writing/reading wasn't bad, it was just the elements of the story that didn't work for me.
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Fast walkers or slow walkers? ::)
Well, I guess they can be slow because these characters are among the few who can claim to have never seen a George Romero film.
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I loved it, but the ending was a little too dark and misanthropic for my tastes. I was totally waiting for the settlers to win the day and give us a "and that's the real reason why we celebrate Thanksgiving."
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Great piece! What is the weapon called a beetle?
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A beetle is sort of like a mallet for heavy pounding jobs. Here's a link with a diagram: http://www.dalzielbarn.com/pages/TheFarm/Tools.html
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A belated thank you for that info, MH!! : )
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Cool idea for an alternative history Thanksgiving story. Would the story have had more impact if it wasn't based on real people though? I can't decide.
Love it love it!
the rant about the pope was a joy to listen to, "footstool of Mephistopheles" has entered my lexicon.
For a second or two I thought the narrator was railing against "potpourri" until I figured out he meant "Popery."
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I truly enjoyed this...so much so that I subscribed. One of the many fantastic parts was when a zombie was slowly approaching as the protagonist was working through the intricacies of loading and firing his flashpan gun. I don't understand it when people say they tire of zombie stories. I wouldn't care if every story was a zombie story...the whole Derridean thing about the ambiguity of life/death and breakdown of order can never grow old. It's the writing and descriptions and characters that matter, and this original story does all that very well.