CoW Ep: 189 Staff Pick 2015 – Amicae Aeternum

[danooli]

Episode 189: Staff Pick 2015 – Amicae Aeternum by Ellen Klages

Narrated by Rikki LaCoste, Isis LaCoste and Fiona “Princess Scientist” Van Verth
Audio production by Rikki LaCoste

Originally published in Solaris’ The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 9, and Tor.com (March 2015)

Every year in January, Cast of Wonders takes the month off to recharge our batteries, plan the year ahead, and highlight some of our favourite episodes. As part of joining the Escape Artists family, this year we’re pulling out all the stops. We’re running 10 staff pick episodes over the month, each one hosted by a different member of the Cast of Wonders crew.

We hope you enjoy audio producer Rikki LaCoste’s favorite story from 2015, Amicae Aeternum by Ellen Klages and narrated by Rikki LaCoste, Isis LaCoste, and Fiona “Princess Scientists” Van Verth. The story originally aired April 19, 2015 as Episode 164.

It was still dark when Corry woke, no lights on in the neighbors’ houses, just a yellow glow from the streetlight on the other side of the elm. Through her open window, the early summer breeze brushed across her coverlet like silk.


Click here to listen to Episode 189
Click here to read text of the story

Original Episode 164 notes:
This week we have a special a full cast audio production for you, Ellen Klages’ Amicae Aeternum.

Ellen is the author of two acclaimed YA historical novels: The Green Glass Sea, which won the Scott O’Dell Award, the New Mexico Book Award, and the Lopez Award; and White Sands, Red Menace, which won the California and New Mexico Book Awards. Her story, Basement Magic, won a Nebula Award in 2005. In 2014, Wakulla Springs, co-authored with Andy Duncan, was nominated for the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus awards, and won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella. Ellen lives in San Francisco, in a small house full of books and other strange and wondrous things.
Learn more at her not-updated-often enough website.

The story has three narrators for you. First, we welcome back Fiona “Princess Scientist” Van Verth. Fiona narrated The Girl With The Picollo from our Little Wonders special in September last year. Fiona is a 7th grader, and sometimes videoblogger – you can see her daily Advent Calendar podcast every year in December.

Rikki LaCoste was the co-creator and co-host of the quirky and provocative podcast Kakophonos Internet Radio (presently in suspended animation). He’s a reoccurring narrator for the Escape Artists short fiction horror podcast, Pseudopod. He’s also a musician and the creator of an eclectic musical project called Panthea, which can be listened to on Bandcamp.

Isis LaCoste is the pre-teen daughter of Rikki. Like her father, Isis is an aspiring young actress, a prolific artist and musician who also has a Pseudopod narration to her credit. In 2014 Isis won the award for Dramatic Excellence in her school. She and her father live in Toronto, Canada.

Now that you’ve listened to the story, here’s the lullaby Rikki wrote!

Tags: Cast of Wonders, Ellen Klages, friendship, generation ship, going away, growing up, Isis LaCoste, Princess Scientist, Rikki LaCoste, Science Fiction, Staff Pick, travel, Young Adult fiction

[Tango Alpha Delta]

Wow - normally when I'm told I'm going to feel like I've been punched in the feels, that kind of prevents said punching. But this was nicely done, all around.

I've kicked around an idea for a set of stories based on the idea of one of these sorts of ships for a while, but never thought about this angle.  (Too amazed by the tech and the setting - I guess I share that with the parents.)

Rikki, Isis, and Fiona really nailed this performance, too. Now I need to go play this for my own teen princess-scientist! 

[Unblinking]

Great story.  

Generation ships are one of those things that makes practical sense and is probably the most practical possibility for interstellar travel, but there's a lot about it that would suck.  For the generation starting the mission--you get to live in a tin can after leaving behind everything you know on your planet.  Middle generations--it wasn't even your choice to live in a tin can, but you're going to live there until you die.  End generation--you have always lived in a tin can, but now you get to leave everything you know to go live a harsh life as a settler.\

This story did well focusing on one relationship that was going to be broken by leaving.  I thought the idea of making a relic of their friendship was a clever way to give the most heartfelt goodbye.

[Not-a-Robot]

This I liked.  Very much.

A well done personal story wrapped inside the history-making event. 

[kibitzer]

I adore this one, and the fabulous audio production provides a frame for the story to shine. In one sense, it's no different than a childhood friend moving to another city. But in another, there's a deep poignancy to the finality of the move away. This one, as the popular saying goes amongst the young people, really punched me in the feels.

[Devoted135]

I love the concept of telling the story of a girl leaving on a generation ship through this lens. It makes such a vast, unimaginable situation seem very personal. Which of course it is for those involved!

[Fenrix]

This story meets the (John W) Campbellian ideal of providing a science lesson while never forgetting to be a story and having an emotional impact. Nicely done, and great production.

[Kaa]

This is, I believe, my favorite episode in all of the Escape Artists podcasts. I've come back to it again and again. It's just so goddamned perfect, I can't even.