Author Topic: EP374: Oubliette  (Read 13446 times)

Talia

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Reply #25 on: December 21, 2012, 03:21:32 PM
Cute story, but what really made it for me was the ending, which left me grinning. Always nice when a story leaves me with a smile.



ElectricPaladin

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Reply #26 on: December 28, 2012, 06:58:07 PM
If I recall correctly, the connection between Oubliette and this story is that Oubliette comes from the same root as the English word "Oblivion." The idea of an Oubliette is that you throw someone you don't like down there, leave orders for her to be fed and watered occasionally, and then... forget about her. Forever.

I think the idea is that the main character is similarly imprisoned. He can't forget, but since the memory is so thoroughly imprisoned, he may as well.

Anyway, I loved this one. Classic, clever, slightly-tongue-in-cheek sci-fi at its best. Not terribly remarkable, but fun and clever. Four Zeppelins.

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Fenrix

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Reply #27 on: December 31, 2012, 05:46:15 PM
As to the title of the story I'm going along with the prison interpretation. Since the specific word is oubliette and not oublier, I think that the space monster is imprisoning the military janitor in his own mind rather than allowing forgetfulness. The space monster wants the ability to remind the military janitor that if it does not apply the lotion to the skin, it will get the hose again. But the space monster is just a little to lazy to be bothered with making a skin suit out of him.

I'm sure Alasdair will do a bangup job as interim editor, and I'll be very interested to see who fills the shoes permanently.  Didn't Alasdair fill her role as Pseudopod host when she stepped down some years ago too?  Maybe he'll be the permanent editor, which I certainly wouldn't complain about.  :)

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Alasdair5000

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Reply #28 on: December 31, 2012, 07:15:59 PM
Or to put it another way, I am Escape Artist's' very own version of Carl Agathon aka Helo. SOLID, reliable and not especially irradiated anymore:)

Oh I'm also now co host of Escape Pod. Happy new year everyone:)



CryptoMe

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Reply #29 on: January 02, 2013, 05:47:47 AM
Happy New Year one and all. I look forward to all the new things coming this year.

I enjoyed this story. It was fun and mind bendy, in a good way.
My only complaint is that it was over too quickly. The story was actually the perfect length for what it needed to do, but it did leave me wanting more.
As for the title, I also think that the alien's planet is in a sort of self-imposed Oubliette - forgotten about by design.



Gamercow

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Reply #30 on: January 11, 2013, 04:29:59 PM
Very much enjoyed this one, and David was the perfect narrator.  His accent fit the character just wonderfully.

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TheTrueBrian

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Reply #31 on: January 25, 2013, 05:19:33 PM
Oubliette from the Old French Oublier, which means "to forget." An oubliette was, literally, a place you dumped someone to forget about them. Considering the mind play and memory meddling, I say the title fits.

Credit goes to my French teacher and "The Labyrinth."

Also, awesome story. Loved the lack of seriousness in it. "Oh yeah, we'll bring back bigger guns!" "Oh yeah, I'll wipe out your brains." ::pop:: "Hmmm. You win. Laters."

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Unblinking

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Reply #32 on: February 05, 2013, 03:44:07 PM
Credit goes to my French teacher and "The Labyrinth."

Labyrinth was where I'd heard the word too.  :)  It always makes me think of the reversible door.



Scumpup

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Reply #33 on: February 07, 2013, 10:56:51 AM
I first encountered the word in Gene Wolfe's "The Shadow of the Torturer."



Listener

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Reply #34 on: February 07, 2013, 01:22:26 PM
I first encountered it in "Narcissus in Chains" by Laurell K. Hamilton.

See? Softcore horror CAN be educational!

(I use the word a lot in my therapy sessions -- I had to teach my therapist what it meant.)

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Max e^{i pi}

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Reply #35 on: February 07, 2013, 01:45:08 PM
I first encountered it in "Narcissus in Chains" by Laurell K. Hamilton.

See? Softcore horror CAN be educational!

(I use the word a lot in my therapy sessions -- I had to teach my therapist what it meant.)
Really? I'd think that most people with a grade-school level education would know at least two definitions for "can".

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childoftyranny

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Reply #36 on: April 11, 2013, 10:40:15 PM
And here I come long after the parade, all the ticker tape cleared up to say I honestly didn't like this one. The main character wasn't that interesting to me, I kind of feel like his similar to "hero" in Scalzi's Little Fuzzy, but in this case, instead of grudgingly giving credit, at the end I still didn't like him. I know part of it is that the tongue in cheeks sarcasm of this story is just the kind of humor I had enough of at some point and stopped finding more than mildly amusing. Because of that I would have a hard time saying I felt this was well written, I find the style to not be terribly enjoyable, but I don't see the story as being flawed in that manner, just not not for me.



Mobus

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Reply #37 on: May 14, 2014, 11:21:56 PM
I have been looking for this story for months now. It stuck with me after I first read it months ago but I couldn't remember the title. Finally.