The Audio File: Silvertongues

The new year has arrived, but there is still a lot of old business to attend to. Chief among them is that my requested reviews queue has got quite the backlog. So, I’m going to try to put a dent in that. To the best of my ability. Anyway, enough with the rambling, let’s get on to the main event. We’re taking a look at Silvertongues. 

Roscoe Talbot and Tavi Jones are almost literally in paradise. They run a juice bar in beautiful Hawaii. It’s a simple life, but they don’t have any complaints. Until now that is. Roscoe and Tavi have discovered that there are absolutely no records of their existence. No driver’s license, no social security number, no records of housing or employment. Absolutely nothing. In fact, they can’t even recall anything about their lives from before they started working at the juice bar. Well, there is one exception. They find a news article about Roscoe competing in a limbo contest on the island of Kalalani. Roscoe and Tavi must travel to this mysterious island to uncover the truth about their past. But danger lurks around every corner. Kalalani is ruled by a mysterious figure named Kai. To call him a cult leader is a major oversimplification. Kai has a way with words to a supernatural degree. When he says jump, his followers don’t even have to ask how high, or when to stop. You could say Kai is a real Silvertongue.

Silvertongues is created by Josie Eli Herman and Michael Alan Herman. They both previously created the audio drama The Call of the Void. As you might recall, I quite enjoyed The Call of the Void. So, as soon as Silvertongues was announced, I was very eager to see what Josie and Michael had cooked up this time. And they certainly did not disappoint with their second audio drama.

I should start by discussing the format of Silvertongues. The episodes alternate between main episodes set during the Present Day, and minisodes set seven years earlier. The minisodes do eventually catch up to the start of the main episodes. They’re also very important for unraveling the secrets of Roscoe and Tavi’s past. So, make sure you don’t skip the minisodes.

Let’s start by talking about the soundtracks. Silvertongues has some absolutely fantastic music. The opening theme starts things off strong with some funky 1970s inspired beats. Then we’ve got the closing theme with some groovy disco-inspired music. Of course, the soundtrack is also capable of getting more sober and introspective during those serious scenes. Honestly, the soundtrack for Silvertongues has easily become one of my favorite audio drama soundtracks. Each episode is introduced by the dulcet sounds of local DJ Seth Budarocci. I liked how the last line of the final episode is him giving a sign-off. It was a nice little touch.

I was very excited for the story to be set in Hawaii. I was going on a bit of a Hawaiian kick around the time I listened to Silvertongues. Also, I really wanted to try an açaí bowl after I heard about them on Silvertongues.

I really want to visit Hawaii, and I’ve already got a list of places I want to see. I want to see the Iolani Palace and the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. I want to visit a black sand beach and explore the Hawaiian rainforests. I want to see the lava fields, and I want to visit the Valley of the Temples. It might be fun to go snorkeling too, but we’re getting sidetracked here.

Some of you might be wondering if Silvertongues is set in the same world as The Call of the Void. It was established in The Call of the Void that the multiverse does exist, and we even briefly encountered an alternate version of Topher. Well, Silvertongues does feature the unexpected return of a character from The Call of the Void. 

Ladies and gentlemen, listeners of all ages, Fargo Kaminski is back. Ah, but Fargo isn’t alone. We also get to meet her sister Tasch. She is just as crazy as Fargo, but also like Fargo, Tasch is quite good at what she does. Tasch is one of the best, if not the best, pilot in all of Hawaii. Granted, her landings sometimes leave something to be desired. She flies an old Soviet cargo plane, well, that’s where most of it came from. The other bits came from here and there, occasionally being held together with duct tape.

Fargo does briefly mention that she dealt with some crazy stuff in the swamps of Louisiana. This would seem to confirm that Silvertongues is set in the same world as The Call of the Void. However, Tasch is voiced by Josie Eli Herman, who also voiced Etsy in The Call of the Void. You’d think that Fargo would have commented on how similar Tasch and Etsy sound. Then again, this is Fargo we’re talking about. It is entirely possible she did notice, but didn’t consider it worth commenting on.

There is a third character who falls into the crazy, yet awesome, category. Darcy Bennet has a name that is clearly a reference to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. And let’s see, what else am I forgetting? Oh, right. In terms of personality, he’s basically Crocodile Dundee. Yes, Crocodile Dundee, not Steve Irwin. Steve was an awesome Australian dude, wasn’t afraid to get up close with dangerous animals, but he was not crazy.

And don’t bring up the time with the stingray. I get asked that three times, at minimum, whenever I work in the stingray gallery at the Shreveport Aquarium. That was a freak accident. He didn’t see it, and it didn’t see him. It reacted like a scared animal, not out of malice. Nine times out of ten, stingrays will swim away rather than sting. If they sting, there’s a risk their barb will get stuck in whatever they stung. And if it gets ripped out…well, imagine ripping out a fingernail, but twenty times worse.

Getting back on track, Darcy is the go-to guy for, well, just about anything you need. Need a boat on short notice? He’s got you covered. Need someone who knows a thing or two about snakes, deadly and otherwise? He’s your man. He’s also…well, he’s certainly enthusiastic with explosives, at any rate. Darcy is voiced by Michael Alan Herman. I would not have guessed that had I not listened to the credits. I listened a little more carefully after that, and I kind of picked it up. Still, quite an excellent demonstration of Michael’s range.

Now, you might have noticed I’ve been neglecting Roscoe and Tavi. This isn’t because they are bad characters. They were certainly engaging enough. However, much of Silvertongues revolves around their quest for identity. So, it is kind of hard to discuss them without getting into spoilers. There is one more character that we have to discuss before we get to that.

Kai is the titular silvertongue. Well, one of them anyway, but more on that in the spoilers. Kai has what can best be described as the power of persuasion. Everyone who hears his voice is compelled to obey any command he gives. And I do mean any. For example, if he tells you that you are chained to the floor, you will not be able to get up. Doesn’t matter that there isn’t anything physically holding you down. Kai’s power will make you believe that you are chained to the floor. Kai rules over Kalalani as an iron-fisted dictator and wannabe demigod. Kai claims to have been chosen by the gods of the island to rule Kalalani.

I’m a bit reminded of Amy Carlson. She was the leader of the Love Has Won cult who, among other things, claimed to be the reincarnation of the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele. As you might imagine, Native Hawaiians weren’t too pleased to see a White woman from Colorado claiming to be one of their deities. The cult faced considerable protest when they attempted to move to Kauai.

This does kind of tie into something I’d been thinking about. Now, Hawaii is notable for being the only majority minority state of the United States. Asian are the largest demographic group at about forty percent of the population. Whites, by contrast, are only about twenty-two percent of the population. Hawaii is also the most multiracial state, as mixed race people account for twenty-one percent of the population. Native Hawaiians, of full-blood ancestry, are about seven percent of the population.

I bring all of this up because I kind of felt that Silvertongues was a bit lacking in the diversity department. Now, I have to be fair here. Since this is an audio drama, an inherently non-visual medium, it is hard to tell what race everyone is supposed to be. Also, Kalalani, gives the vibe of one of those exotic resorts attended almost exclusively by rich White people. Still, the lack of Asian people does feel a bit off. Though, granted, this is a common issue with fiction set in Hawaii, but created by mainlanders. The lack of Native Hawaiian characters also creates some slight problems that we’ll get into in the spoilers section.

Speaking of which, the time has come at last. If you don’t want any spoilers, turn back now.

Last chance, are you sure you wish to continue.

Okay, if everyone who wants off the ride is gone, let’s get into it.

When I heard that Michael Alan Herman would be voicing Kai, I joked to myself that Silvertongues might prove to be a gender flipped version of The Call of the Void. As it turns out, this wasn’t entirely off. So, a few years before the events of the story, Kai was exposed to radiation from a meteor. This is how he got his powers. Admittedly, this makes the science fiction in Silvertongues about as soft as it was in The Call of the Void. I’m reminded of those 1950s science fiction stories where radiation was basically magic, and could do whatever that plot required. Of course, it isn’t how hard or soft your science fiction is, but what you do with it that counts. And Silvertongues did tell a very compelling, and thrilling, story.

Ah, but Kai wasn’t the only one exposed to the radiation. A pair of federal investigators were also investigating the meteor. Their names were Roscoe Talbot and Tavi Jones. Roscoe got the same dosage that Kai did, and also has the same ability that he does. Roscoe and Tavi followed Kai to Hawaii. However, it turns out that silvertongues are not immune to each other’s abilities. And thus, the plot was set in motion. I had been suspecting that this might be the case for a while. However, there was an additional twist I didn’t see coming.

Kai has a complete god complex. He believes that the gods of Kalalani have chosen him to rule the island. However, towards the end of the series, it turns out that the gods of Kalalani are real. As you might imagine, they aren’t pleased with what Kai has done to the island. Now, this isn’t bad in and of itself, and there is a lot of potential with the idea. However, I feel it could have come with a bit more foreshadowing. There was nothing to suggest they were anything other than figments of Kai’s megalomania. This is what I meant about the lack of Native Hawaiian characters. Granted, not all Native Hawaiians follow traditional beliefs, but perhaps a character that does could have been used to foreshadow the existence of the gods.

The dynamic between Roscoe and Tavi, when Roscoe is rediscovering his power, reminded me of the dynamic between Etsy and Topher in The Call of the Void. Though, with the genders reversed. Also, I must give praise to Dan Johnson. He made Roscoe sound like the last person who would have anything special about him. Of course, Sabrina Dahlgren, who voices Tavi, is no slouch in the voice acting department either.

By the end of the series, Roscoe and Tavi don’t have all of their memories back. In fact, they might never recover them at all, and will have to move forward with their lives anyway. I was reminded of the experience of people with amnesia. Contrary to what television and movies would have you believe, getting your memories back isn’t as simple as bonking your head again. Sometimes you slowly recover them, sometimes you get some back, but not all. And there are those who never truly recover their memories. For better or worse, our memories are part of what makes us who we are. It can be hard to maintain a sense of identity when you can’t even remember who you were.

The ending of Silvertongues touches on all of these themes. Still, Roscoe and Tavi have each other, and they are as close as ever. So, personally, I give them strong odds and a healthy prognosis. There are a few other revelations I could mention here, but I’ll leave those for you to discover.

There don’t appear to be any plans for a second season of Silvertongues. The series ends on a fairly definitive note. However, season one of The Call of the Void seemed to be closed and done, yet we got two more seasons. We know that there’s been two silvertongues; who’s to say that there aren’t more lurking out there? Alternatively, perhaps there might be other meteors, with other radiation, and other side-effects. I will also add that the ending of Silvertongues didn’t feel rushed like the ending of The Call of the Void’s first season was. Rather, it was more like the satisfying ending of the third season.

Whatever the future holds, I can say that I had a great time with Silvertongues. It was a thrilling adventure set on the sunny shores of Hawaii. It was an excellent follow-up from the team behind The Call of the Void. Come take a thrilling tropical auditory vacation from the comfort of your own home. 

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: The Call of the Void

I have my tastes and preferences when it comes to audio dramas. Having said that, at lot of times, I won’t know if I’ll like something until I give it a try. As with many things, finding a great audio drama often comes down to pure chance and luck, more than anything else. Though, I certainly hope my reviews help you to find great audio dramas. There’s no much more to add, so let’s get right into it. We’re taking a look at The Call of the Void. 

Topher Sommers is a tour guide who works at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. He’s got a fairly good life, and is reasonably happy. Then his father, a prominent physics professor, disappears. Topher and his sister Simone try to retrace their father’s steps. This leads Topher to a palm reader named Etsy Delmen. She went to school with Topher, but he kind of forgot about her over the years. Etsy is hide a few secrets of her own. Topher and Etsy hit the road to retrace Mr. Sommers tracks, while Simone stay behind in New Orleans. Topher and Etsy are about to find more than they bargained for. They will discover arcane symbols, deranged cultists, morally questionable experiments, and eldritch horrors from beyond this universe. This is The Call of the Void. Stay tuned, stay sane.

I had known about The Call of the Void for a while. I’d seen it get recommended alongside shows such as Spaceships, The Strata, and Residents of Proserpina Park. The Twitter account for The Call of the Void even followed and unfollowed me a couple times. I did follow them back eventually, but I think I ought to explain my process. I don’t follow shows on Twitter until I have caught up with all available episodes that they have. It’s nothing personal, it’s just how I conduct myself. But it was also clear that The Call of the Void was trying to get my attention. Okay, it worked. You guys twisted my arm enough, and I gave the show a listen.

I sometimes get the feeling that shows follow me on Twitter in order to fish for a review. As such, I must repeat what I said during my review of We Fix Space Junk. If any of you who create audio drama would like a review, just be direct. You can message me on Reddit, or send me a direct message on Twitter. You can also comment on one of my many posts on r/audiodrama, or the other subreddits I post in. Or you can message me on Facebook; I'm active in the Audio Drama Lovers group and the Audio Drama Hub group. You can also message my Facebook fan page for this blog, Sam McDonald's The Audiophile. Point is, there's a lot of way to get in touch with me. The best way to guarantee that I'll review your show is to directly contact me. As you might have noticed, I'm more than happy to give any show a shot.

I’ll admit that horror investigation audio dramas aren’t really my go-to genre. Despite this, The Call of the Void managed to hold my interest for all three seasons. I was worried that things would move too slow, and both the mystery and plot would drag on. Thankfully, this was not the case. The plot moved at a decent speed. In fact, there were times when season one felt like it was moving a bit too fast. Fortunately, these pacing issues were smoothed out in seasons two and three. I was also intrigued by the references and connections to the Lovecraft Mythos. I am a fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Let’s see: incomprehensible eldritch horrors from beyond this universe, deranged cultists who worship said eldritch horrors, mysterious archaic symbols, academics driven mad by the eldritch horrors. I don’t know about you, but that all sounds pretty Lovecraftian to me.

Also, as someone from Louisiana, I’d be lying if I said that The Calling of the Void being set in Louisiana didn’t intrigue me. My dad’s side of the family is from throughout the greater New Orleans area. So, I’ve visited New Orleans on quite a few occasions over the years. While we’re on the subject, points for getting the pronunciation correct. Those of us from Louisiana pronounce it New Or-Lens, not New Or-leans. I realize this makes no sense to non-Louisianans, but that’s how we pronounce it. Saying it as Or-leans is a good way to get yourself marked as a tourist. Also, points for remembering that Louisiana is divided into parishes, not counties. It is a legacy from our days as a colony of France and Spain, who were both Catholic nations. Louisiana is one of only two states that don’t use counties. The other one is Alaska, which uses boroughs.

Let’s talk about the characters, starting with Topher. As previously stated, Topher has a degree in history, and works at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. It is a real museum that is located in the French Quarter. I’ve been going to New Orleans for many years, but I haven’t been to the Pharmacy Museum yet. I’ll have to correct that next time I’m down there. It certainly looks like and interesting place, and I’ll be able to mark it on my Atlas Obscura list, which is a nice bonus. I’m kind of tempted to ask if Topher Sommers is in just to see how the tour guides will react. As someone with a bachelor’s degree in history, I can confirm that Topher working as a tour guide checks out. A lot of history majors hope to work in museums someday. Though only a lucky few actually manage to achieve that dream. It helps if you can find work at a smaller museum, but even then it can be a bit dicey.

I also liked how Topher has a habit of cheerily rattling off disturbing medical history facts. That’s something else that is common to history majors. Depending on what your focus is, you can get desensitize to some pretty grizzly stuff fairly quickly. I helps if you’re a fan of Horrible Histories, both the books and the television series. I did my senior paper on the history of Mesoamerican civilizations. Human sacrifice was an unavoidable topic, as were religious rituals involving flaying and blood letting. Unavoidable, but I was never really phased by it all. In fact, I took a more nuanced view. At least the Aztecs and Mayans killed people because they thought it was required to keep the world running. The Romans, by contrast, killed people just for entertainment. Yet we don’t discount all the achievements the Romans made because of that.

Time to move on to Etsy before this turns into a Mesoamerican History lecture. Etsy works as a palm reader at a voodoo shop, and she actually has psychic powers. When I first start listening, I was worried that The Call of the Void would fall into the stereotypical depiction of Voodoo. In real life, Voodoo, known in Haiti as Vodou, is a syncretic religion that combines traditional West African religions with Roman Catholicism. It believes that there is a creator god, but he’s preoccupied with keeping the universe running. So, the day-to-day affairs are relegated to lesser spirits known as loa. Practitioners of Voodoo don’t worship the loa, but they do serve them, and give them offerings. Voodoo is a religion like any other. All of that folk magic stuff is known a Hoodoo, also known as root working. Besides the similar names, both Voodoo and Hoodoo are practiced in New Orleans, and there’s been some cross-pollination over the years.

But “voodoo dolls” are totally fake. West African religion often uses dolls known a Fetishes for rituals. Europeans mistook these for Popits, which are a form of folk magic from Europe, and ironically closer to the traditional view of voodoo dolls. The confusion persisted and the myth of the voodoo doll was born. Having said all of that, Louisianans will happily sell “voodoo dolls” to gullible tours, often for a very high price. Hey, don’t give me that look. Louisiana’s economy has been in the toilet for decades. We get excited every time a new Popeyes opens because it means seven or eight new jobs. Swindling drunk gullible tourists helps keep our economy floating.

Thankfully, Etsy’s job was a red herring. Tourist Voodoo is just a bogus in The Call of the Void as it is in our world. Etsy get her powers as a result of experiments she was subjected to as a child. Her mother believed that subjecting Etsy to sensory deprivation experiments would lead to her being able to reach into other universes. And it did, sort of. Etsy can experience another person’s memories by touching them. So, I guess she’s kind of like Rouge from X-Men. Of course, the experiments also lead to her making contact with an entity known as The Void. It is entropy and nothingness incarnate, and it is trying to enter our world. I would argue that, in many ways, Etsy is the true protagonist and driving force of the series. Her connection to The Void drives much of the action across all three seasons.

That said, we do experience Etsy’s story, for the most part, from Topher’s point of view, for the most part. It kind of like those anime where the girl character appears on the cover, and is the one who gets the attention from the fandom, but the boy is the viewpoint character. This is especially amusing, as I believe that’s suppose to be Etsy on the series title card.

There’s also a colorful cast of side characters. Etsy has gotten into numerous run-ins with the law over the years. As such, she’s well aquatinted with Officer Mason. He kind of sounded like Rabbi Bengelsdorf from the HBO miniseries adaption of The Plot Against America. Though, it was just coincidence, as they’re played by separate actors. Officer Mason starts off as a grumpy middle-aged man, but he warms up to Topher and the gang with time.

Topher’s sister Simone is also an enjoyable character. My only complaint with her is that she works at a bakery in season one, but then she’s studying theoretical physics in season two. It felt like there was no set-up for that, and it felt like it came out of left-field. Also, she used to work at a bakery, and she has a boyfriend named…Baker? I mean, its not really anything major, but it a little on the nose.

In season two we get to meet Fargo Kaminski. Under normal circumstances, she’d be like one of those crazy conspiracy loonies you see on The History Channel. However, though more than a tad eccentric, she prove to be a valuable ally to Topher and Etsy. Fargo lives out in the swamp, and has a pet alligator. She just does. And yeah, maybe she’s a little crazy, but hey, its a Lovecraft-inspired story. Pretty much everyone is going to be a little crazy.

I’d now like to take a moment to talk about the voice acting. Etsy and Topher are voiced by series creators Josie Eli Herman and Michael Alan Herman. They both look fairly spot-on for how I envision Etsy and Topher looking. In fact, that’s Josie cosplaying as Etsy on the series title card. Needless to say, they portray their characters quite well. Michael nails Topher’s dorky, but endearing, personality. Likewise, Josie really captures Etsy’s conflicted nature. She gives an understated and somewhat emotional detracted performance, but also give subtle hints at the sadness and trauma Etsy carries within her. I must also give praise to Amanda Buchalter’s performance as Simone. She and Michael sounded like that could pass as actual siblings. Really, the entire cast gives very strong performances. I have not complaints there.

As I noted at the beginning, The Call of the Void draws heavily upon the works of H.P. Lovecraft for inspiration. The Void itself wouldn’t be too out of place in a Lovecraft story. Even the way it factors into the plot of The Call of the Void evokes Lovecraft. H.P. Lovecraft came up with a pantheon of Great Old Ones with a very detailed mythology. However, the Great Old Ones usually don’t directly appear in Lovecraft’s short stories. They’re usually lurking just off-screen, for lack of a better way of putting it, and manipulating things from the shadows. The Void only directly appears a few times, but its presence is very much felt. 

The main antagonist of season two is known as The Yellow King. This is an obvious reference to The King in Yellow. The King in Yellow was created by Robert W. Chamber. However, Lovecraft was a big fan of Chamber’s work, and incorporated The King in Yellow into the Cthulhu Mythos. Speaking of Cthulhu, I get the impression that the title of the series might be a reference to “The Call of Cthulhu.” Topher, Etsy, and the gang are also menaced by Night Gaunts at the end of season two, and the start of season three. Points for picking one of the more obscure Lovecraft monsters.

Topher is a big fan of Lovecraft’s work as well. However, we only find this out towards the end of season two. Considering all of the Lovecraftian motifs, starting all the way back in season one, Topher really should have spoken up sooner. Also, when faced with a dark cyclopean city in season two, Topher likens it to R’lyeh, the resting place of Cthulhu. Uh, given that the Yellow King is the antagonist of season two, wouldn’t Carcosa be a more fitting comparison? A supposed Lovecraft fanatic like Topher really should have picked up on that.

Also, The Call of the Void bills itself as science fiction, but it’s really science fiction to the same extent that Stranger Things is. Though, this isn’t too surprising, given that the creators are big fans of Stranger Things. They’re also big fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Parts of the finale for The Call of the Void remind me of what the lion-turtle said to Aang in the Avatar finale.

Okay, so now we’re going to have to get into some major spoilers. If you don’t want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

If everyone who wants out is gone, let’s get into it.

Now, I stated that season one felt like it was moving too fast. That also extends to the ending. Etsy gives into despair decides to help the cult summon The Void…and then, in the very next episode, changes her mind, decides she does have something to live for, and seemingly banishes The Void. It was such a jarring whiplash of an experience it almost bordered on comical. It felt like the production team wasn’t sure if they’d get more than one season, and were trying to hastily wrap things up. Nothing about the season one ending feels earned or satisfying.

However, the team seems to have realized this, and seasons two and three have much better pacing. It is also clear that they were playing the long game this time. In fact, season two and three feel like they are two halves of a single continuous story arc. They take time to properly develop Etsy and Topher’s characters and motivations. We get proper build-up for Etsy’s growing feeling of despair, but also how Topher acts as her rock in troubled waters. The ending of season three has a similar set-up to the ending of season one, but the execution is much better. In fact, the series ending almost feels like an apology for the way season one ended.

And this is actually in keeping with the series’ Lovecraftian roots. Lovecraft was famous for being a pessimist and a nihilist, but a surprising number of his stores had happy endings. Or at the very least, ended in ways that weren’t completely horrible. The Dunwich Horror, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath all qualify. A case could be made that even The Shadow Over Innsmouth counts, given that the protagonist comes to terms with what happens to him.

The fact that Topher and Etsy finally become a couple is even sweeter when you remember that Josie and Michael are married in real life.

I also loved the episode of season two where Etsy flickers in and out of multiple universes. In one universe, she meets a Topher who works at the botanical gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He’s a botanist, rather than a history major. Well, he calls himself an herbologist, but that’s probably what botany is called in that universe. This Topher, known as Christopher, loves to rattle off facts about deadly plants. You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The idea that Etsy’s powers were surging in way she couldn’t totally control was very clever, and leads to some twists that I did not see coming.

If there is a central message to The Call of the Void, it is that bad things happen, often to good people, and the world is an often cruel and unkind place. But there is still hope despite all of this. A light within the darkness. Bad things may happen, but they can be overcome. It helps if you can find people who genuinely love and care about you. Darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light.

Well, it took me a while to get her, but I’m glad that I gave The Call of the Void a try. Don’t sit on this one like I did. Give it a try today. It is well worth your time. Come for the Lovecraft homages, stay for the engaging characters.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.