PC020: Cup and Table

[cuddlebug]

My biggest gripe against the story is a problem I have with a lot of Escape Artists productions; that is, that it was hard for my imagination to keep pace with the reading. When a story has as many fantastical elements as this one, I find that I would need to pause for a moment, slow down my reading a bit, to wrap my imagination around what's going on.

I don't mean that as an indictment of the reading; it's just a comment on the nature of the beast.

... and that is exactly why I DIDN'T LIKE this story. When reading the comments posted here in the forum I kept thinking, 'what ... where was that ... I missed that', completely missed the sex-scene for one. This is not a criticism of the story or the -casts in general, as ryos seems to imply, it just is an indication of how I listen to audio fiction and that certain stories I simply cannot listen to on my way to work walking along roads where I have to pay attention to the traffic or the people, who might be friends or co-workers. I guess, being still relatively new to audio-fiction I have not acquired the skills necessary to split my attention and focus on the audio while ignoring the visual, which has always been a predominant sense to me.

I will have to listen to this one again, curled up on my couch, giving enough space to my imagination and I might get a completely different impression. So I guess this is just an example of how outside factors can play an essential role in how we perceive a story. Many other stories I have listened to on my way to work were perfectly fine, but this one was simply too dense and requires my FULL ATTENTION. which maybe speaks for the story rather than against it.

[contra]

My fav podcastle yet.  : D

I always like things that jump around in time, I have no idea why.  Maybe I enjoy the speculation.  Doing it like this, worked very well, and I'm glad it wasn't what I feared, that he was just looking back over his life from death.  That is a good thing.

All the characters had interesting abilities, absorbing parts of things you eat. bleh.  Seeing an animal living when its on your plate, cooked.  All good images and ideas that I will carry onwards from this story forever.

Also I liked then end.  heh heh

But I cannot discount the influence / horror that Bonekickers finale I watched last night, may have ravaged my brain (words cannot describe how bad the ending was); so I was very much in the mood for a good Artherian tale.  This fit the bill very well.

[Sylvan]

"Cup and Table" was an amazing story and I'm glad to come back to posting in the forums after so long away.  (Granted, I usually only post when I have something to say and -about this tale- that's the case.)

I think that what makes this story so strong isn't just that it's about the Grail but that it deals with epic-scope events in a well-paced manner without feeling short-changed.  Additionally, the cast of characters is simply amazing.  These are a group of diverse individuals I could see as well as hear:  that's impressive for a spoken-word story!

I know that some folk have voiced their disatisfaction with the ending, but -for me- that's one of the high points.  I enjoy not putting words in God's mouth and leaving it up to the reader to think about things.  After all, the story isn't about answers:  it's about the Quest to find them.  Having God sum up the meaning of life, the Universe, and everything in any answer other than "42" would seem cheap and like tawdry prosthletyzing.  By focusing on the journey and not the destination, the author lets the reader come to personal conclusions that last long after the story ends.

For me, at least, that's the hallmark of brilliant writing:  to linger in the reader's mind.

Well done!

Yours,
Sylvan (Dave)

[Roney]

But I cannot discount the influence / horror that Bonekickers finale I watched last night, may have ravaged my brain (words cannot describe how bad the ending was)

Indeed.  Let us never speak of it again.  People told me that it had become more entertaining after the dreadful first episode, but I think that last one may even have been worse.  Note to foreign viewers: stay away from Bonekickers if the BBC manages to sucker your network execs into buying it.

[Heradel]

But I cannot discount the influence / horror that Bonekickers finale I watched last night, may have ravaged my brain (words cannot describe how bad the ending was)

Indeed.  Let us never speak of it again.  People told me that it had become more entertaining after the dreadful first episode, but I think that last one may even have been worse.  Note to foreign viewers: stay away from Bonekickers if the BBC manages to sucker your network execs into buying it.

They lost me at the snake.

[slic]

I enjoyed the story quite a bit - nothing to add that isn't already posted.

And I'll go on record as saying I really enjoyed the intro.  The PC staff has been getting a lot of flack about overlong intros that spoil story content or themes.  This intro was long, and tangentially related, but I think Ann did it right.  She gave solid background material that gave a context for the story in the history of literature, without saying anything about this story in particular or it's take on things.  And the intro was enjoyable in it's own right, as the story of her growing appreciation of the Arthurian legends.  Maybe it helps that I'm also a bit Arthur obsessed, and have also read a lot of the modern versions and original sources. 

It worked for me just because I could tell Ann was geeking out about it.  And even though I'm not a huge Arthurian nut (I mean I like it and all, but that's it), hearing someone so honestly geeking out about it was fun. 

For those interested in other Arthurian stories of a sci-fi nature, let me direct your attention to Camelot 3000.  Written by Mike Barr and drawn by Brian Bolland it is quite good - they even work the Holy Grail in to the story quite significantly, Ann, so it's even got that going for it.  Though the ending is just a tiny bit lame.  Written over 20 years ago, it's still fun and pretty inexpensive.

[stePH]

For those interested in other Arthurian stories of a sci-fi nature, let me direct your attention to Camelot 3000.  Written by Mike Barr and drawn by Brian Bolland it is quite good - they even work the Holy Grail in to the story quite significantly, Ann, so it's even got that going for it.  Though the ending is just a tiny bit lame.  Written over 20 years ago, it's still fun and pretty inexpensive.

I managed to collect the first eight or nine issues as they were first being published, but kicked the comic habit before the end.  I'll see if any local public library has a trade paperback collection, as that's my preferred way to read comics.  (I'd give up my left testicle for a single-volume edition of The Incal but I don't think such a book exists.)

[MacArthurBug]

Overall I really really liked this one. Snd liking this is something of a big deal for me since I burned out on King Arthur/Merlin/KotRT stories YEARS ago. However I've one complaint: ANOTHER story about drug addicts? Really? Bah I'm really sick of this. It's not just Mr. Pratt, and he did it REALLY well. But I'm really really tired of druggie/drugged/addicted characters. *sigh*

[Lionman]

I'm trying to merge the threads and maintain post order, but it was looking pretty ugly. Work In Progress.

Wow, I didn't even notice that it wasn't a regular thread until now. How was Lionman able to create it?

Apparently this section's tag that says Mods-Only got left off. It's great that he, and all of you, want to talk about the story, but trying to merge threads gets really ugly because we can't change post order (it's locked to the time of the posting). Anyway, this is the best solution without going into the DB and changing post times, so this interlude over, back to the story.

Thus, I stand as a testiment to both being a n00b in this forum, and the power of not knowing what you can't [or aren't supposed to] do!  I plead ignorance, but am really glad I didn't get pounced for making a mistake like that.  Besides, I really did want to make a positive contribution about the story.

[stePH]

Overall I really really liked this one. Snd liking this is something of a big deal for me since I burned out on King Arthur/Merlin/KotRT stories YEARS ago. However I've one complaint: ANOTHER story about drug addicts? Really? Bah I'm really sick of this. It's not just Mr. Pratt, and he did it REALLY well. But I'm really really tired of druggie/drugged/addicted characters. *sigh*

I think that what all the Escape Artists podcasts need, is more stories about drug-addicted prostitutes.  At least one a month (per podcast) if not more.

[wintermute]

I plead ignorance, but am really glad I didn't get pounced for making a mistake like that.

Hehe. Lionman... pounced...

*giggle*

[Lionman]

I plead ignorance, but am really glad I didn't get pounced for making a mistake like that.

Hehe. Lionman... pounced...

*giggle*

*facepalm*

Alright, well, 'pounced' wasn't the right word.    Should I have used 'jumped' instead?  Mmmm...maybe not. 

[stePH]

I plead ignorance, but am really glad I didn't get pounced for making a mistake like that.

Hehe. Lionman... pounced...

*giggle*

*facepalm*

Alright, well, 'pounced' wasn't the right word.    Should I have used 'jumped' instead?  Mmmm...maybe not. 

"Bounced" maybe? 

[Lionman]

I plead ignorance, but am really glad I didn't get pounced for making a mistake like that.

Hehe. Lionman... pounced...

*giggle*

*facepalm*

Alright, well, 'pounced' wasn't the right word.    Should I have used 'jumped' instead?  Mmmm...maybe not. 

"Bounced" maybe? 

Ah-hem...er...well, the Cup and Table, right...  Yes, very intersting story.    I enjoyed the idea that it was 'a world before reality' where the God stayed around this time around.. 

[Rachel Swirsky]

Has PodCastle had any other drug addicts?

[Heradel]

Has PodCastle had any other drug addicts?

Osteomancer?

[Rain]

Overall I really really liked this one. Snd liking this is something of a big deal for me since I burned out on King Arthur/Merlin/KotRT stories YEARS ago. However I've one complaint: ANOTHER story about drug addicts? Really? Bah I'm really sick of this. It's not just Mr. Pratt, and he did it REALLY well. But I'm really really tired of druggie/drugged/addicted characters. *sigh*

I think that what all the Escape Artists podcasts need, is more stories about drug-addicted prostitutes.  At least one a month (per podcast) if not more.

I can just imagine what kind of response a story like that would get

[wintermute]

Has PodCastle had any other drug addicts?

Osteomancer?

The Ant King had addictive gumballs.

[stePH]

Has PodCastle had any other drug addicts?

Does "The Osteomancer's Son" count?  Snorting bone powder seems a bit suspicious to me.

 

[Ocicat]

Has PodCastle had any other drug addicts?

14 Experiments In Postal Delivery.  Bosch paintings are drugs.   

[stePH]

Has PodCastle had any other drug addicts?

14 Experiments In Postal Delivery.  Bosch paintings are drugs.   

And I don't care how much he loves her ... a man would have to be high to mail a woman his knicky-knacks.

[wintermute]

Van Gogh had to get drunk off his nut on absinthe just to mail someone his ear

[Hatton]

This was one that I enjoyed from the end to the beginning... I think the command/request was a brilliant wrap to a story in a world gone mad!

Something that I'm finding about a lot of the stories I listen to on EP and PC (I'm not a pseudo listener, not into horror), is that I'd love to see series created out of them.  There are a lot of authors that do a great job quickly creating characters that the audience can sympathize with and want to know more about.  This is one of them - I could seriously see a whole series about the Table and the exploits of their teams around the world.

Of course, if this was the first story and Sigmund's request was granted, the Table would not have the same purpose.  Not saying that it wouldn't exist, since gnostic groups always exist, only that they might be searching for something else.  Damn those paradoxical loops!

[lateral]

Great story, the first one I have listened to more than once.

Overall I really really liked this one. Snd liking this is something of a big deal for me since I burned out on King Arthur/Merlin/KotRT stories YEARS ago. However I've one complaint: ANOTHER story about drug addicts? Really? Bah I'm really sick of this. It's not just Mr. Pratt, and he did it REALLY well. But I'm really really tired of druggie/drugged/addicted characters. *sigh*

I think that what all the Escape Artists podcasts need, is more stories about drug-addicted prostitutes.  At least one a month (per podcast) if not more.

Agreed. It is a refreshing character fault. In this case it even fuels the whole story. More edgy is more good.

[The Dunesteef]

I liked this one a lot.  Then again, that's not saying much.  After "Impossible Dreams," all you have to say is Tim Pratt, and I'm there.  I love his stuff.  This one seemed like an effed up X-men to me.  I agree with hatton, it would make a good series.