Author Topic: EP548: A Prayer at Noon  (Read 5357 times)

eytanz

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on: November 05, 2016, 09:46:23 PM
EP548: A Prayer at Noon

AUTHOR: John Shade
NARRATOR: Amber Pracht
HOST: Norm Sherman

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It was a day into the third sun when the patchwork man rode into town.

I remember the dust scrabbling at my eyes, and the folk that had gathered on the sidewalks to watch him plod past on a chugging, nearly-spent machine horse. As he came to me, the stitched segments of his face shifted into a new configuration, a hinted smile or frown, and his torso swung around, my breath seized. I’d been around men before, but he was something different. Something more. He was ugly, though, with a wiry frame and a large head set on top, wads of crusted hair sprouting between the seams across his skin. He rode toward us, confident as anything. I braced as he reached down, but he plucked my little sister, Ester, from the crowd instead. The town went silent but for the constant shuffle of wind-blown sand.

With his god-strength, the patchwork man tossed Ester into the air like an aerialist, and set her down to swelling applause. The dread was broken. Our prayers had been answered at last.


Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!



cwthree

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Reply #1 on: November 05, 2016, 10:46:17 PM
I enjoyed the content of this story, but not the reading. Too fast, no inflection - I felt like the reader was just trying to get out over with.



SemaphoreRaven

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Reply #2 on: November 06, 2016, 12:22:20 PM
I agree that the reading was too fast. It made the entire story feel like one manic run-on sentence.



Frank Evans

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Reply #3 on: November 06, 2016, 04:28:58 PM
I quite liked this story. The quasi western vibe reminded me of Of Blessed Servitude, which is one of my all-time favourite stories from Escape Artists. I liked that the author gave us glimpses of the wider world and its history, without giving us the full answers. It left me with a lot of questions that I'd love to see followed up on (not to imply that this wasn't a complete story in its own right). I'd be very interested in following Sasha on her search for Ester and the factories. 



DerangedMind

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Reply #4 on: November 07, 2016, 06:59:51 PM
I didn't mind the reading of the story -- I felt it suited the image I had of Sasha.  I wasn't a huge fan of the story though.  It was only 'ok' for me.  But, I'm not a fan of Western styled stories, so that may have been the problem for me....



Unblinking

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Reply #5 on: December 01, 2016, 03:59:15 PM
I liked this one, the constant arms race, and just hoping to stave it off as long as you can.  I was glad that at the end she was able to shift to trying to take an active opposition against it instead of just playing defense.



Ichneumon

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Reply #6 on: December 06, 2016, 05:58:44 PM
Crazy guns, dying desert world, superhumans, mysterious plants... Made me think of the anime Trigun, but without the slapstick



Devoted135

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Reply #7 on: January 26, 2017, 08:11:17 PM
I liked the world building and the set up, but was frustrated by the initial setup of the story. She doesn't seem to have been at all prepared for this, where did their protector go? I was engaged by the battle and the conclusion though. So I guess it was a mixed bag for me.



acpracht

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Reply #8 on: January 26, 2017, 09:06:37 PM
I liked the world building and the set up, but was frustrated by the initial setup of the story. She doesn't seem to have been at all prepared for this, where did their protector go? I was engaged by the battle and the conclusion though. So I guess it was a mixed bag for me.

:) Devoted's finally getting caught up... Hehe.



Devoted135

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Reply #9 on: January 27, 2017, 03:15:16 AM
I liked the world building and the set up, but was frustrated by the initial setup of the story. She doesn't seem to have been at all prepared for this, where did their protector go? I was engaged by the battle and the conclusion though. So I guess it was a mixed bag for me.

:) Devoted's finally getting caught up... Hehe.

Haha, right? Soooo behind on commenting! :o



CryptoMe

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Reply #10 on: November 30, 2017, 03:27:37 PM
The story was okay. I really, really didn't like the reading (one manic run-on sentence sums it up nicely, SemaphoreRaven!)
One thing that I really liked about the story is when the Patchwork Man lets his facade crack and show his own demons and vulnerabilities. That was interesting.