Out of Place follows a man named Andrew Moss. He had been studying history in university, but wound up dropping out. Still, he's making the best of things. He's gotten hired as an archivist for a mysterious organization called The Carruthers Institute. He's cataloging historical artifacts, but there's something off about them. The artifacts seem to contradict recorded history. It soon becomes clear that the artifacts are from parallel worlds where history went differently. Andrew must examine the artifacts to determine how the history of their worlds differs from our own. All the while, Andrew ponders who his mysterious benefactor is.
I first became aware of Out of Place when I chanced upon a post on the r/audiodrama subreddit. I click on the post, which spoke quite highly of the show, and I saw the two magic words: alternate history. Specifically, the show was recommended for lovers of alternate history. In that moment I knew I had to give this show a listen. I proceeded to binge the entire show, and here we are now.
Out of Place is part of the Midnight Disease network of audio dramas. It includes several other fine show, like Theatre of Tomorrow. Out of Place is created by Ben Counter, who also voices Andrew. It is produced by Pacific S. Obadiah, who is the founder of Midnight Disease. The episodes are presented in the form of audio logs that Andrew has recorded. This means that Ben has to carry the entire show all by himself. Well, with the exception of the final episode of the season, but we'll get to that in due time. Anyway, there's no music or sound effects; it's just purely him narrating. In situations like this the narrator is going to make or break the show. Thankfully, Ben's narration is all that Out of Place needed to succeed.
Out of Place managed to do something I would have previously said was impossible. It combined alternate history and horror, and did so to great effect. It also did so without resorting to the typical Nazi victory or Confederate victory scenarios. Some episodes hint at supernatural elements, but for the most part, the horror is derived from down-to-earth alternate history. Much of the horror comes simply from the cruelty of humans to their fellow humans. The premise of a man cataloging strange artifacts for a mysterious organization reminded me of the SCP Foundation. In fact, I'd argue that Out of Place is almost a better SCP podcast than most of the actual SCP podcasts.
All right then, so just what are these artifacts? Let's have a look, shall we?
Before we got further, a brief warning. Due to the short run time of each episode, usually in the neighborhood of fifteen minutes or so, it is impossible to talk about the episodes without spoilers. So, consider this your one and only warning. If everyone who wants out is gone, let's get into it.
Well, actually, just one more little thing I'd like to add. The episodes often include bits at the beginning and end where Andrew talks about his life. He will often talk about how things are with his boyfriend, and his boyfriend's niece, who has moved in with them temporarily. Now, this might seem innocuous, but don't be fooled. It becomes very important by the end of the season. As such, it really pays to listen to the episodes in sequential order. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let’s properly get into it.
Our first item is a skull that has received trepanning. It was a practice some ancient cultures did to release evil spirits from a skull, or relieve pressure from a head injury. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Well, other than that this skull clearly comes from modern times. Only a few decades in the past, in fact.
This episodes is actually numbered as episode zero. Out of Place uses episode zero to set the tone and style for each season, or in this case, for the series. So, in that regard, it isn't bad. That said, I get the sense that we can do better here. Let's see what the first official episode has to offer.
The first official artifact is a pamphlet advertising the Italian town of Rosaria. It's one of those picturesque Italian countryside town tourists love to flock to. It wasn't always called Rosaria. That was the name it changed to in the 19th Century. Prior to that it had a name you might be more familiar with: Pompeii.
This was the episode where I felt I could properly gage what Out of Place would be like. Would it be totally crazy and off the rails, or would hew closer to realism? It seems that Out of Place is hewing closer to realism, but adding a few twists along the way. In all likelihood, something along these lines probably would have happened if Pompeii hadn't been destroyed by Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii was a resort town, and can best be thought of as an Ancient Roman version of Las Vegas. In the grand scheme of things, Pompeii just wasn't that important. It probably would have developed into a sleepy little Italian town. There probably wouldn't be as many ruins in our world, but I'd imagine it would have at least a few.
But wait, what is this? One of the major tourist attractions in Rosaria is a temple built into the side of Mount Vesuvius. The temple is dedicated to Jupiter, and it is recommended that visitors not bring children younger than sixteen due to disturbing imagery within the temple. Just what did the people of Pompeii do, or believe that had to do, to keep Vesuvius from erupting?
One of the recurring themes of Out of Place is that there is only so much that Andrew can learns from studying the artifacts. We just don't know the full context behind the artifacts. Of course, given what Andrew can surmise, the worlds they come from seem like they aren't very nice places. This is all to the advantage of Out of Place. Horror thrives in the margins. That is, horror often does best when you don't explain everything, and leave some ambiguities. It doesn't matter if the knock at the door is because of a serial killer or a monster. What matter is that there is something behind the door, and it wants in. That was one of the principals that Alfred Hitchcock operated under in his films.
Alright, the first official episode is pretty good, let's see if we can keep up the momentum.
Our next item is a Faberge egg, and a large one at that. Interior includes a map of the Russian Empire. Ah, but not the one form our world. The map includes Korea, Japan, and assorted islands of the Pacific as part of Russia. So, we're dealing with an alternate Russo-Japanese War, where Russia emerged victorious. Okay, points for creativity. The Russo-Japanese War doesn't appear too often in alternate history. But this is Out of Place, so surly it isn't that simple?
Examining the egg further we find a jeweled flea. Why a flea of all things? Well, fleas do help spread the bubonic plague. Germ Theory was only developed in relatively recent times, but disease warfare has been used for centuries. The Mongols often threw dead bodies at the enemies in hopes of spreading disease. Cortez and his troops did something similar during the Siege of Tenochtitlan. So, perhaps this alternate Russia utilized disease warfare against Japan. For reference, the Russo-Japanese War happened about a decade before World War I. What would the Great War have been like if it had unrestricted biological warfare on top of everything else? Or here's a thought, what if it really was the war to end all wars? As in, what if humanity got totally whipped out by the unrestricted germ warfare? There's a lot of very dark possibilities now that Russia has let the genie out the bottle.
Okay, so Out of Place can keep the momentum up. Let's see if episode three will bowl a turkey.
Out third item is an ornately carved Louis XVII desk. In our world, Louis XVII never actually ruled as King of France. In fact, he died in prison while he was still a child. He was called Louis XVII by the various Pro-Bourbon factions. However, it would seem that the events of the French Revolution went a bit differently in the world of this desk. The carvings depict scenes from Classical Mythology, but with Louis XVII in the starring roles. It's all rather reminiscent of the artwork produced under Louis XIV, the great Sun King himself.
But that's not the most noteworthy thing about that desk. That would be a group of hidden carvings. They depict the royals eating the revolutionaries and violently tearing them asunder. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette watch the proceeding accompanied by a mysterious bearded man. I kind of get the feeling that the carvings aren't meant to be symbolic.
In our world, Louis XVI wasn't a bad king per se. Well, he was certainly incompetent, and didn't really have a good grasp on statecraft. I've always gotten the impression that he'd rather have spent all day attending to his beloved clocks. He was incompetent, but certainly not a tyrant. You could argue he had the deck stacked against him. Louis XIV crafted a court where the affair of state revolved around him, and him alone. Making things tailored specifically to him created issues for his successors.
In the world of this desk, however, it appears that Louis XVI went a bit insane. It also appears that the Royalists successfully crushed the Revolutionaries. Perhaps, Louis became paranoid, and felt the need to take harsher measures? Or here's another thought. Many of the great empires of Europe hoped to become a new Roman Empire. Perhaps, Louis wished this for France, and closely emulated Rome, including the bits of Rome best left to the dustbin of history. Perhaps, the Kings of France went mad with power after crushing opposition to their rule?
And what about the mysterious bearded man with the thunderbolts? Who is he? Is he a mad monk a la Rasputin? Did the Royalist create their own religion, a reverse Cult of the Supreme Being, and he is their high priest? Or maybe, just maybe, Louis XVI managed to get the gods of old to intercede on his behalf? Or perhaps the man is some sort of Lovecraftian abomination? Hey, there are at least a couple episodes that do hint at supernatural happenings. It's a big, big multiverse, after all. Then again, sometimes a pipe is just a pipe, and maybe I'm overthinking it. After all, the darkness within the hearts of mankind can bring forth plenty of terrors all on its own.
Right, I think we need to move it along. Suffice it to say, we have bowled a turkey with this one. And it is at the start, so that makes it a sizzling turkey.
Our fourth item is a copy of Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer. It was that book that claimed to have all sorts of secret information about the ways of witches, how to identify witches, and how to combat them. However, this version doesn't speak of witch trials in the past tense. It has entries on executing witches using steam-looms, and the use of electro shock and chemical injections to induce confessions. It would seem that this edition of Malleus Maleficarum comes from a world where Witch Hunts and Witch Trials never ended.
We all like to think that the arrow of morality inevitably arcs towards justice and equality, but this isn't always the case. True, Western Civilization did, in large part, reject superstition and religious fundamentalism in favor of the values of the Enlightenment. But, had circumstances been slightly different, this might not have been the case. Even today we are still haunted by the specters of the past. Look at how many people take horoscopes and astrology seriously. For that matter, look at how many people don't believe in climate change, or who think vaccines are a conspiracy to spread autism.
I grew up in what could be considered part of the Bible Belt, and can well remember what things were like during the George W. Bush years. It certainly felt like America was speeding towards religious extremism, jingoism, and a new unenlightened Dark Ages. I often worried about what would happen to America if things kept going that way. Sometimes, it certainly felt like we'd go back to burning people for witchcraft before long. Thankfully, that's mostly not how things turned out. Though there are times I'm reminded the threat hasn't totally vanished.
The point is, our enlightened modern world exists on a knife’s edge, and I'd argue came about via luck as much as anything else. I guess the moral of this episode is about how delicate our freedoms and liberties are, and how we shouldn't take them for granted. Never say "it could never happen here." What sort of world would still treat Malleus Maleficarum as a serious book? Certainly not one I want to visit any time soon. And yet, maybe it isn't as far off as we'd all like to think. This was a very thought-provoking episode, and I applaud the writers for that.
Our next item is a stone marker with writing on it in Hebrew. The text speaks of a massacre that happened to the Jewish residents of London's East End. Specifically, one that occurred during the Jack the Ripper murders.
This one is going to need some more context. Jack the Ripper is one of the most notorious serial killers, but nobody knows who he was. This has led to quite a bit of speculation about his identity. This was especially true during the murders. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the people of London searched for targets to lash-out at in their fear. There were rumors that the Ripper was Jewish, and this did lead to small scale antisemitic riots. The police considered several Jewish individuals as candidates for the Ripper's identity, but never made this information public. The fear was that this would lead to more antisemitic violence. In the world of this artifact, however, the police weren't so prudent. This resulted in several pogroms against the Jewish population of London.
You don't need much to create a dystopia. Sometimes, all you need is a localized tragedy. On the whole, this world probably isn't too different than ours. The London Pogroms would certainly be a black mark on British History, but honestly, I don't see them leading to any major changes in the grand scheme of things. Still, this world is worse off because of that tragedy. This kind of ties in with what I said about the previous episode. Jewish Britons won't be able to say "it can't happen here" because it did happen to them. I wonder what World War II would be like for them? They would surely think back to the horrors of the London Pogroms, and perhaps fear that Britain might throw them under the bus to appease Germany.
This was an unexpected, but quite powerful, episode to be sure.
Our next artifact is a poster from the Monterey Pop Music Fest of 1967. There's plenty of big-name bands, including one called The Family, with lead vocals by Charlie Manson. Yes, it would seem that Charles Manson's dreams of being a musician actually panned out in the world of this poster. They're listed as playing many songs, including one called "Helter Skelter." It could be a cover of The Beatles song...or possibly a reference to the race war that Manson believed was coming.
There is a tendency within alternate history towards the dystopian. Or at least, there is something of an unwritten assumption that our world is the best of all possible timelines. There are several reasons why this is. However, I think that one of the most likely reasons is that it is generally more fun when things go wrong. A lot of alternate history fiction are set in objectively horrible worlds, but they make for entertaining fiction. This episode kind of makes me feel that Andrew suffers from this thinking as well. Well, he strikes me as a pessimistic and cynical fellow, so maybe that contributes to it.
Is it possible that Charles Manson is still a depraved racist lunatic in the world of the poster? Potentially, and that certainly the interpretation that Ben Counter wants us to go with. However, Andrew seems to assume that Manson was preprogrammed to be evil. There is the whole debate over nature vs. nurture, but personally, I think it is a bit of both. I think we all have inclinations towards certain things, but we're also very much products of our environments. Nothing is set in stone when it comes to alternate history.
Also, I'm not sure race war is the term I'd use for the conflict between the United States and the Native Americans. That's not to say it wasn't terrible, and that there weren't deliberate efforts to destroy indigenous cultures and peoples, but I'm not sure comparing it to the Helter Skelter is fitting. Especially since ninety percent of all indigenous peoples in the Americas were killed by disease.
Now, none of this is to say I thought this was a bad episode. I did very much enjoy it. However, I feel that Andrew is a bit too unimaginative in his thinking at times. Perhaps the leaders of The Project should have scouted for someone who reads alternate history, or has an interest in alternate history.
Moving along, our next time is a series of aerial photographs of a Soviet gulag. Ah, but this isn't just any gulag. The photos come from the Moon in 1968. It would seem that the Space Race took a very different direction in the world of these photos.
Astute readers of this blog will recall that love alternate histories of the Space Race, or one that involve manned spaceflight. So, I enjoyed this one. It would seem that the Space Race kicked into gear earlier in the timeline of the photos. I often wondered about the possibility of lunar gulags. I've come to the conclusion that mostly likely they wouldn't be worth the effort. Why bother with the logistic of space colonization when Siberia is much more cost-effective? However, I'm willing to overlook implausibility if it results in a good story. To me, it is important that alternate history fiction be entertaining first and foremost. Plausibility, while it can make for good fiction, is an attribute, not a virtue. And this episode certainly grabbed my attention.
I guess maybe a lunar gulag might not be too implausible if the Soviets were serious about lunar colonization. They could use the prisoners as a free labor force to construct the colonies. And if they get sick and die, well, they were only prisoners. Plus, being able to control the very air they breathe is a great deterrent against riots and revolts. An objectively terrible stimulation for the unlucky prisoners, but it makes for entertaining fiction.
Next up we have a statue from the Republic of Arizona. It is a statue of Timothy McVeigh, the man behind the Oklahoma City bombings in our world. He was in the army prior to that, but got kicked out for insubordination. In the world of this statue, however, McVeigh stays in the military, and had quite the career.
Well, this episode went in a very different direction than I expected. When I heard Arizona Republic, I assumed this was going to be a world where the Constitution never got adopted. It is a semi-popular scenario in alternate history fiction to have the Articles of Confederation remain the governing document of America. This inevitably leads the United States to Balkanize early on, with each state, more or less, becoming its own nation. The Articles of Confederation had a lot of issue that the Constitution fixed. Under the Articles, all decisions by Congress had to be unanimous, Congress couldn't raise funds for an army, and there was a distinct lack of centralized federal authority.
Could an alternate Timothy McVeigh have staged a coup against the American government? I mean, I guess it isn't totally impossible, given the right circumstance. Not totally impossible, but I think extremely unlikely. Andrew monologs at the end about how America is fragile and teetering on the edge of collapse. However, I find that to be more than a tad hyperbolic. True, there are many instances where America might have turned into a dictatorship had circumstances been different, and yet here we still stand. We had a Civil War, but the rebels, and their slavery loving ways, were soundly defeated. We've had peaceful transfer of power for over 200 years. We did have bit of a hiccup in 2021, but you'll notice that those conspiratorial lunatics were soundly defeated, and failed to achieve their goals.
Not a bad episode, and I will certainly give points for originality. Still, I certainly don't agree with the conclusions that the episode draws.
Next up, in our catalog of the strange, is a newspaper article. It tells of a viral outbreak that occurred in Central Africa. The virus started from chimps, but apparently it could spread to humans as well. It worked by attacking the immune system itself. Thankfully, the virus was successfully contained and eradicated before it could get too far. In our world, we know this virus as AIDS.
This was a nice change of pace. I have mentioned that alternate history has a tendency towards the pessimistic. So, it was nice to see an episode that attempted to imagine a better world. It was also nice to see an episode the shook up the formula a bit. I didn't have to wait for the other shoe to fall, or try to figure out what the twist would be. On the surface, this is a world where the AIDS Epidemic never happened, and this is a very good thing. Beneath the surface, that's exactly what this world is.
Perhaps, there would be less prejudice against homosexuals. Oh, there would still be plenty of prejudice against homosexuals. Religious groups would no doubt still be trying to pray the gay away. Still, gays wouldn't be associated with the stigma of AIDS. Maybe, just maybe, this would means acceptance of LGBT individuals would happen sooner. Perhaps, just perhaps, the victories of the Gay Rights Movement would be achieved quicker. I'd certainly like to think that it would be possible. So, I applaud Ben Counter for going against the grain, and daring to envision a better world.
The next addition of the collection is a record dating from World War I. One side plays a song called "Eat Your Mushroom, Kaiser Bill." It's a jaunty marching song about giving the kraut's what they deserve. On the flip side is a sad, mournful song drawing attention to the suffering people of Belgium. You see, the mushroom in the first song refers to a mushroom cloud. This record comes from a world where Britain developed the atomic bomb in the middle of World War I.
This is one of those alternate history scenarios you don't see too often, but has a lot of potential. Now, in terms of plausibility, this is perhaps not the most realistic timeline. You need more than just scientific know-how to build an atomic bomb. You also need an industrial base capable of supporting your production. I'm not sure that World War I-era Britain had that sort of industrial capacity. They could possibly have compensated for that by pooling their resources with other members of the Entente. However, I get the feeling that the British Empire would not share such a big advantage with other nations. So, maybe not plausible, but it has a lot of potential for storytelling.
World War I was a war fought with 19th Century battle tactics, but 20th Century weaponry. The nations of Europe barely comprehended the deadly potential of the new weapons of war they had created. So, what if you were to add atomic bombs to the mix? This was an era when generals still believed they had to achieve total surrender from enemy forces. World War I also marked the first step in the decline of the British Empire, and European imperialism as a whole. The British Empire of this alternate timeline now has quite the Sword of Damocles to ensure its dominance over the world. Imagine if the British were to use atomic bombs to quell uprisings within their colonial empire.
This certainly sounds like a world heading for some very dark places. But I do see much storytelling potential here. I also really liked that we actually get to hear what the songs sound like. It really helped add to the immersion of the experience.
Our penultimate item is a series of lead sheets covered in Latin writing. Ah, Ancient Roman curse tablets. It curses Septimius Severin for a failed expedition beyond Hadrian's Wall. The tablets speak of the absolute massacre of the legion Severin lead, but it also curses the Son of Neptune. It was someone, or something, that fought on the side of the Caledonian tribes.
This was an interesting episode, and in a way, a fitting bookend for the first season. Our first official episode involved Ancient Rome, and here we are with the Romans once again. It would seem that Septimius Severin lived a couple years longer than he did in our world, but this doesn't seem to have made too big of a splash on history. But oh, what is this? The backs of the tablets contain an image of a monster straight out of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Is this the Son of Neptune? More importantly, is the image symbolic, or might it be representative? Well, in another fitting bookend, it starts off mundane, and then goes totally off the rails. As I've said before, it's a big, big multiverse. Who knows what might be lurking out there?
An excellent bookend to our collection of the strange and extra-contextual. Now, onto the finale.
Our final item is a warning sign from Los Alamos, New Mexico. Specifically, near where the Manhattan Project was conducted. It warns about encountering unusual humanoids and entities from other dimensions. Andrew is about figure out who his mysterious benefactors are.
I'll admit, maybe not the strongest finale, if only because I guess most of the major twist, but not terrible. The Project is indeed from another universe, and they travel between universe conducting research. So, then we discover...actually, know what? I know I've had to spoil the episode for the sake of dissecting the alternate history, but I'll leave the finale for you to discover on your own. I will say I liked the choice Andrew made, and it was a fitting conclusion to his character arc. He goes from a loner who doesn't feel he has much to live for. But he realizes how much his boyfriend, and his boyfriend's niece, really mean to him. His life isn't perfect, but they make it just a little better, and that something to take comfort and joy in.
And so that was season one of Out of Place. It was absolutely fantastic, and you better believe I immediately dived into season two. So, expect a review of season two before too long. There are plans for a possible season three at the moment, but that's kind of up in the air. Personally, I'd love to see some of the worlds featured in season one fleshed out and expanded. There is a lot of storytelling potential here. Still, whatever comes, I have full faith that Ben and the gang will make it absolutely fantastic.
So, there you have it. Season one of Out of Place combines alternate history and horror to frighteningly successfully degree. Give it a listen if you're a fan of either genre, or if you're a fan of both. Believe me, you will be extremely glad that you did.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
Loved this podcast, shame it's so underrated.
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