I really enjoyed this story. It had me laughing out loud in several places. Okay, that's not a
huge feat - I laugh reasonably easily - but, still. It was a lot of fun.
<Spoiler>I, like many commenters, also liked the fact that the author chose not to have any of the characters figure out how to reverse the magic. (Though I found myself coming up with my own solutions while listening.) I don't think, given the circumstances, and assuming a certain level of internal consistency to the ficton, that a solution would have been difficult, but it wouldn't have added to the story either, so I appreciated the author leaving it out.
</Spoiler>Hobson's reading certainly had a lot to do with how much I enjoyed this story. When I heard Rachel name her as the reader, I surprised myself a little by saying, "Oh, good!" or "Awesome!" or some such. I hadn't realized just how much I've come to enjoy her reading. And here, she didn't disappoint.
I was one of the ones who got the first version of the file, and I thought she even did the verbal typos well. The one with the finger-snap was pure Theatre of the Mind - I could
picture it!
(I'm keeping this copy even after I download the 'good' version, in case, like a coin with a minted flaw, it becomes a valuable collectors' item!
)
(Oh, and Rachel, in case no one else mentioned it: I use Juice for the feed and while it didn't automatically recognize that there was a new file, it'll be easy enough to go to the subscription tab and click 'Download' for the file to get it again.)
My one complaint is with the timing of Rachel's remarks. I would really, really, really have rathered them be in an afterword rather than the introduction. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed what she said - I
like getting to know the Escape Artists hosts! - but for me, it (and the rating on the blog) gave away too much of what was coming.
The author revealed plot points with (presumably) specific, chosen timing and I found myself anticipating them more than being surprised by them, not because of anything that was telegraphed in the story, but because of revelations made in the introduction and rating.
The rating I could have avoided; not so the intro.
I felt the same way about "Cup and Table" back in August. Without the introduction, I'd have had no idea, until it was revealed by the author, what the story was about. (This may say more about my own cluelessness than about the author's skill.) I would have had the (presumably intended) "Ahh!" moment. I felt a little cheated that I didn't.
I wouldn't have changed a word of that introduction either - I just would rather she'd provided all that interesting, related information
after the story, rather than before.
Maybe I'm just more spoiler-phobic than average, as no one else seems to have the same concern. (Though I have yet to check the comments from "Cup and Table".)