The Audio File: Observable Radio: Season 1 (Part 2)

I don’t really have an introduction to add. So, I’ll get straight to the point. Welcome back to my review of Observable Radio. We’ll be covering episodes 9-15 in this review. If you’re looking for Part One, which covers episodes 1-8, it can be found over here. With all of that out of the way, let’s checkout some more radio transmissions from alternate universes. 

Episode nine is “Fathom Under.” It is set in a world where there has been wide scale ocean colonization. Millions of men and women live and work under the sea. It has been discovered that there is quite a bit of water located beneath the sea floor. The global water crisis has been solved. However, there is something else lurking beneath the subterranean ocean. Something absolutely massive, and something that isn’t pleased with humanity’s meddling.

Oh, well what do we have here? Ah, this is a kaiju episode. The Showa era Godzilla movies were a big part of my childhood. I didn’t so much walk, as much as ran, when Pacific Rim came out in theaters. I am still pissed about how Pacific Rim: Uprising turned out, however. I was very pleased to see references to both Godzilla and Pacific Rim in this episode. Ah, but do I detect some other kaiju references? I also see hints of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, and The Kraken Awakes. Yes, this episode is a fine vintage indeed. Not much more to say. Just a good solid fun kaiju episode.

Very much recommended for all you kaiju fans, and lovers of other giant monsters.

Episode ten is “Best Minds.” It takes places in a seemingly idyllic world ruled over by an A.I. known as Salom. Every year, a select group of students are chosen to attend a very special academy. You have to be among the best and brightest in order to be selected. At the end of term, the students will personally get to contribute their knowledge to Salom. Allen will soon be making his contribution to Salom, but he’s beginning to have second thoughts.

This episode is another anti-A.I. parable. Albeit, one that takes a more allegorical approach to the subject than “Large Models” did. One of the arguments against A.I. is that it steals the labor and knowledge of the lower classes for the benefit of the wealthy and powerful. It also see hints of classic science fiction short stories. I get some notes of “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” Salom is more or less powered by forsaken children; or rather, teenagers, as the case might be. I also see echoes of “Examination Day.” The theme of doing well on a big test actually being to one’s detriment.

Overall, not a bad episode. It didn’t get me excited the way “Fathom Under” did, but still a fairly solid episode.

Episode eleven is “Earworms.” It is set in a world where Earth is experiencing a visit from an alien race. They come in peace, and they really do seem friendly. They are small wormlike beings. Small enough to slip in your ear. But don’t worry, they only want to be your guide, and provide you with some helpful advice and companionship. However, not everyone is convinced of the aliens’ intentions. Some people claim that the aliens are actually an invasion force. One which humanity has welcomed with open arms. But it can’t happen here, can it?

The first thing that came to mind when I listened to this episode was Animorphs. Or rather, the basic set-up of Animorphs, but without superpowered kids swooping in to save the day. Well, save the day, and deal with deep-seated psychological trauma as the result of being child soldiers. Yeah, Animorphs is to kids books what Neon Genesis Evangelion and Attack on Titan are to shonen anime. However, as it was as I was writing this review that I realized there was another influence. This episode clearly draws from the miniseries V. It also deals with aliens who present themselves as friendly, only to later turn out to have not benign intentions for humanity. And yes, it too followed a resistance cell of humans.

Come to think of it, many episode of Observable Radio are tributes to other works of fiction. “Cattle Drive” draws heavily on Soylent Green. “As Below” is a self-admitted prequel to The Time Machine. “Fathom Under” is a kaiju sampler platter. None of this is meant as a criticism, merely an observation.

I can say, completely, of my own volition, that this was another fine episode of Observable Radio.

Episode twelve is “Bloodwork.” It is set in a world where vampires rule over humanity. However, it isn’t as bad as you might imagine. Humanity has experienced an unprecedented era of prosperity and harmony. The only thing the vampire ask in exchange is that humans offer a small blood donation every month. However, not all humans are happy with this state of affairs. There are whispers that humanity are merely slaves to the vampires. Sure, the donation of blood is low now, but what if the vampires decide to raise it? We follow a resistance cell of humans who are plotting to overthrow the vampires.

There are several people who consider vampires something of a cliché. I, however, am not one of those people. I found this episode to be delightful. You don’t typically see too many vampire dystopias. Usually, you get vampires hunting humanity like animals. So, it was a breath of fresh air to see the vampires establishing a Vichy regime. Speaking of dystopia, this episode has even stronger V vibes than “Earworm” did. I guess, in this case, V is for Vampires, rather than Visitors. I also liked seeing cameos from famous vampires such as Dracula and Carmilla. And then there was that ending. Wow, I actually kind of found myself rooting for the vampires. It was just so impressive how they were three steps ahead of the resistance cell.

See, it turns out vampires don’t need to drink blood, and they aren’t immortal. The names are, basically, titles passed from vampire to vampire. Most of the blood they collect is used in agricultural feed, iron and nutrition supplements, or sold back to hospitals. I bring this up because the plan of the resistance was to infect the blood supply with prions. So, they only wound up hurting their fellow humans. George S. Patton famously described Erwin Rommel as a magnificent bastard. I’m tempted to say the same of these vampires.

Now, granted, this does raise some questions. Do vampires have any differences at all from standard humans? Are the vampires really just humans who tricked the other humans into serving them? Pretty impressive if that’s the case, but it’s more fun if the vampires really are vampires. I know this episode had an anti-capitalism slant to it, but it also feels a bit muddled. The monthly blood donations are mandated by the people running the government, and there is no way to opt out of them. So, in other words, taxation. Now, I’m just spitballing here, but I’m pretty sure Cameron Suey is not a Libertarian. However, muddle message or not, this still remains one of my favorite episodes of Observable Radio.

First we got a wonderful kaiju send-up, then we got a vampire dystopia. How is Observable Radio going to top this one?

Episode thirteen is “Palimpsest.” It all began in the 1860s when a comet passed by Earth. Before that, only psychics and mediums had the ability to communicate with ghosts and spirits. After the comet, everyone gained the ability to see and hear the dead. At first, it was a time of great rejoicing and celebration. The living were reunited with their dearly departed loved ones. Slowly, however, things began to change. The psychics and mediums began to get overwhelmed by increasing visions of the dead. Decades past, and with their passing, humanity’s collective clairvoyance grew. Soon, people could see the spirits of animals, but then the spirits of plants began to manifest. What if the visions never stopped? What if humanity gained the ability to see the spirits of every living organism all at once?

How would Observable Radio top “Bloodwork?” Quite well. Quite well indeed. If I absolutely had to pick a favorite episode of Observable Radio, it would have to be “Palimpsest.” I looked it up, and a palimpsest is a manuscript that has evidence of previous writing still on it. You know how when you erase something and you can still sometimes see the outline of what you wrote? That’s an example of a palimpsest. So, I suppose you could say that ghosts are a form of spiritual palimpsest.

I have never encountered a ghost apocalypse story before. Certainly not one anything like this. So, this episode was even more of a breath of fresh air than “Bloodwork” was. I also liked the alternate history aspects of this one. Queen Victoria is far less dour now that her beloved Prince Albert has been returned to her. In our world, she spent the remainder of her life in mourning after Albert died. Meanwhile, the American Civil War ended earlier due to ghosts from both sides pleading for the war to end. Though, I do wonder if anyone listened to what the Black ghosts had to say.

In a way, we are living on top of a graveyard. Ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever existed have gone extinct. It might be cool to get to see spectral dinosaurs, and other extinct creatures. And it would be nice to know that death is not the end, and that there is something on the other side. It would also be nice to see my dog Wolfie and my cat Tiger again. Of course, not being able to see anything due to all of the ghost bacteria would definitely take a lot of the shine off of all that.

There really is not enough I can say about what an absolutely fantastic episode this was. I recommend it in the strongest possible terms.

Episode fourteen is “High Strange.” This episode follows a group of meddling kids who find themselves in a strange town. The town is in the middle of the desert. It is a place where the rules of reality seem to be out to lunch. So, yeah, this episode is basically a crossover between Scooby-Doo and Welcome to Night Vale.

This episode wasn’t bad per se. The idea of a Scooby-Doo/Welcome to Night Vale crossover was a fun concept. However, given the incredibly strong string of preceding episodes, it is hard not to see this episode as a bit of a let down. It doesn’t help that the plot is interspersed with the plot of the finale. The final two episodes deal with Observer and Trapper. As previously mentioned, Observable Radio failed to make me care about the Observer segments. So, it was kind of hard to get invested in the finale.

Now, let me elaborate a bit. Out of Place was an audio drama that took a similar approach; an anthology with a recurring meta plot. The difference, however, is that it made me care about Andrew the Archivist and his personal life. The Observer segments sound like the ravings of a madman, and I couldn't make any sense out of them. As such, I just couldn’t get too invested in the Observer. So, maybe listen to “High Strange”, but skip the two-part season finale.

I don’t want to end this review on a sour note. So, I’ll briefly talk about some of the other offerings from Observable Radio. Cameron Suey has been sharing some bits of his other fiction during the wait for season two. He has published these stories across the internet under different pseudonyms. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I’d listened to one of them before.

“Thaw” follows an astronaut who has been put into cryogenic preservation for a space mission. However, he wakes up to find that something has gone terribly wrong. I had listened to this story on the creepypasta channel CreepyPastaJr. I was pleasantly surprised when the story started playing. It was like meeting an old friend that I hadn’t seen for years. Though, in hindsight, it is unfortunate that CreepyPastaJr is how I know of “Thaw.” He and CreepsMcPasta both got busted for attempting to solicit underaged fans of theirs. But, at least we now have another audio recording of “Thaw.”

I was also quite fond of the story “Sick, Or, The Algorithm.” It follows a man who is being poisoned by a powerful man. The power man has an equally powerful algorithm, and hordes of loyal followers, he can use to help eliminate our protagonist. But the protagonist isn’t going down without a fight. He’s going to get an untainted meal; even if he has to resort to…unconventional methods to do so. This story was almost like a bizarre superhero origin story. Something more along the lines of V for Vendetta. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how the protagonist would outwit the powerful man.

Season two of Observable Radio is going to take a different approach. It will be a single self-contained story told across the season. It is set in the near future, after everyone on Earth has had a vision of an apocalypse involving a solar flare. It seems we will follow a different person each episode, and how the vision has impacted their lives. So, something along the lines of The Phone Booth or The Program Audio Series. Whatever the future holds, I’m excited to see what Observable Radio will do next.

So, there you have it. Observable Radio is an anthology of radio transmissions from parallel universes. It is a fine mix of horror, science fiction, and a bit of alternate history. Tune in if you dare, and I certainly hope that you do dare.

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

The Audio File: Observable Radio: Season 1 (Part 1)

As many of you know, I got my start on my audio drama listening journey with anthology shows. There’s something magical about having each episode be a new present to unwrap. Each story a new adventure to begin. I suppose it was fitting that I also began my audio drama production journey with an anthology. And as I’m sure you have gathered by now, we shall be reviewing an anthology today. We’re taking a look at season one of Observable Radio. 

Observable Radio is presented as a series of radio transmissions from parallel universes. Each episode covers a different universe experiencing, if not an apocalypse, then something rather unpleasant. We have a universe dealing with a kaiju invasion. There’s a universe undergoing a ghost apocalypse. There is one where AI has gotten out of control. There’s even one were The War on Christmas has a far more literal meaning. At the beginning and ending of each episode we get some commentary from Trapper or the Observer. They are…well, actually, let’s put a pin in that for now.

As with many things, I first became aware of Observable Radio thanks to the r/audiodrama subreddit. However, they significantly boosted themselves on my radar by listening to my own audio drama The Books of Thoth. Observable Radio recommended The Books of Thoth alongside several other audio dramas they’d been listening to. So, I decided to return the favor by listening to Observable Radio. I’m happy to report that I give them a recommendation as well. Observable Radio is created by Cameron Suey, and performed by an ensemble of actors and actresses.

Observable Radio reminds me a lot of another audio drama I enjoyed: Out of Place. Particularly the second seasons of Out of Place; which also dealt with apocalypses from across the multiverse. Though, Observable Radio is more conventional style audio drama; in the sense it doesn’t rely as much on narration and after action reports to set the scene. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter approach, mind you. Merely an observation on my part.

Now, on that note, there’s something Observable Radio and Out of Place have in common. I couldn’t review Out of Place without getting into serious spoilers. And the same is very much true here. So, if you don’t like spoilers, consider this your first and only warning.

With that out of the way, let us begin.

We’ll start with a brief word about Trapper and the Observer. I have no clue what was going on there. I could never make heads or tails of what they were saying. It was cryptic to the point of being incomprehensible. Also, I felt the show failed to make me care about those bits. I found myself drumming my fingers during those parts and thinking “Get to the good stuff already!” Let’s be real, the transmissions from the parallel universes are the true stars of the show; as they rightly should be. Thankfully, you can ignore the Trapper and Observer segments and you won’t miss out on anything. Well, the season finale will make no sense, but we’ll get into that.

We shall start with “A Night Indoors.” This episode that place in a world that seems to be presently stuck in the 1940s. We start off with a typical American wartime broadcast, big band orchestra and all. However, there is something sinister lurking in the background. And something is about to go very wrong.

There was technical proficiency here. Observable Radio did an excellent job of mimicking the style of a 1940s radio broadcast. However, the writing left something to be desired. What was the message here? Don’t idealize the past? Nostalgia is evil? Was there even a message, or are we trying to subvert expectations. This was, I think, not the best foot Observable Radio could have put forward. But I felt perhaps there was potential for this audio drama. So, I decided to give the next episode a go.

The second episode is “Cattle Drive.” It takes place in a world that is has been experiencing a food shortage. The Barnyard Flu decimated the poultry and pork supply, but cattle industry has never been better. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however. Joseph Clay is a whistleblower who has uncovered a major scandal within the cattle industry. He is currently on trial, and the outcome will have major ramifications for the cattle industry.

I admit, I really wasn’t sure about this episode at first. Initially, I assumed it was going to have an annoyingly preachy pro-veganism message. I’d already been burned by an episode of Wrong Station that suffered from that problem. The technical aspects of “Cattle Drive” were as good as ever, but I was prepared for my eyes to flying out of their sockets from all the rolling.

Then the ending came, and it changed everything. You see, there are two types of twist endings in fiction. The first is the big mystery everything has been building towards. This is sometimes referred to as the J.J. Abrams Mystery Box School of Writing. Such endings can certainly be fun, but they kind of diminish the re-reading/re-listneing value of the works that use them. The second type, however, is one that recontextualizes everything that came before it. These sort of endings increase the re-read/re-listen value of a work. The most famous example of this is Tyler Durden and the narrator of Fight Club being the same person.

The ending of “Cattle Drive” is the second variety. I thought back to how the episode mentions cattle, but never uses the words beef or cow. You see, Soylent Green is people, and so are cattle. Observable Radio had been on the ropes up until this point. I was seriously considering dropping the show. That ending, and how it completely recontextualized everything that came before it, is what convinced me to stick with the show. This was the point the writers officially had my attention, and I had a better idea of what they were capable of.

Sure, there are some nitpicky things I could say. For example, humans would make a pretty horrible food source due to our high caloric requirements. But you know what, I’m willing to overlook it. If the story is good and holds my attention, I can forgive less than plausible plot points.

All this to say, “Cattle Drive” get two huge thumbs up from me. This is the episode you really want to start with for Observable Radio.

Episode three is “Large Models.” It takes place in a world where everything is run by A.I. They deliver food, they run the power grid, they handle emergency services, and of course they produce entertainment. Everything was working perfectly, up until it didn’t. The AIs began to malfunction. Food stopped being delivered, blackouts went unfixed, and society came apart at the seams. We follow a man named Mitch. He is desperate to find other survivors in the desolated wasteland that used to be Los Angles. He has been communicating with a woman named Hope. She claims to know where other survivors are. But hope can be a dangerous thing when you live in desperate times.

Okay, admittedly, I figured out the twists about halfway through the episode. I’m sure you probably have as well. It is often said it is the journey, not the destination, that counts. I don’t completely agree with that. The Mystery Box, as previously mentioned, is an example where not even the journey can salvage the ending. However, I do agree with the sentiment overall. And the journey with “Large Models” was certainly worth it.

Earlier this year, Spotify put out their usual Wrapped recap. They also included an A.I. summary. It summarized my year of listening in the style of a chat podcast with two hosts. It was almost scary how natural and lifelike it sounded. “Large Models” definitely did a good job of replicating the feel of those sorts of AIs. So, major points to everyone in the voice cast.

I am officially agonistic when it comes to A.I. and the future. I do understand the anxiety everyone feels about how arts and entertainment might become automated. Thing is, this isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. There was quite an uproar among artists when photography started to take off. The writings and correspondence of those artists sounds very similar to modern artists talking about A.I. There’s this fear that photography would put traditional artists into the poor house. But drawings and paintings didn’t disappear.

The genie isn’t going back in the bottle. We don’t have to like it, or be happy about it, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. Personally, the biggest argument in favor of human artists is how annoying AIs can be. I’m sure you’ve all had to deal with the automated phone service. I’d rather talk to an actual human, and describe my vision to them. Same with voice actors. I’ll happily wait for a human voice actor to give me a performance. They are infinitely more likely to know what I mean when I request a specific performance. I don’t use AIs to write my reviews, and I do not intend to change that.

On the other hand, I’m not naive about potential abuse. Imagine how worse scam calls would be if A.I. could perfectly replicate a loved one’s voice. Too much automation would lead to mass unemployment. This is one of the reasons I support some form of Universal Basic Income. There’s also, as the episode demonstrates, the issue of redundancy. Basically, you need to make sure you have enough humans in case the AIs go haywire. So, you don’t want to go all in on automation. At the same time, the AIs won’t always be broken. Which leads back to the mass unemployment issue.

This was certainly a very timely and topical episode. As you’ve noticed by how many tangents I went on. “Large Models” is very much worth listening to.

Our forth episode is “Signs & Signifiers.” The comet Hasegawa is going to be making a rendezvous with Earth. Ah, but don’t worry, this isn’t Armageddon. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean this world will get off so easily. Strange reports have been coming in across the world. It seems that the comet has brought an infection, but not an organic one. This alien invasion is one of sonic origin.

This was certainly not a bad episode by any stretch of the imagination. I enjoyed it overall. However, it did have the misfortune of being sandwiched between two particularly excellent episodes. So, it wound up getting outshone by its siblings. So, it was an enjoyable episode, but just not quite as memorable as some of the other episodes this season. So, let’s move on.

The fifth episode is “The Holiday.” It is set in a world where The War on Christmas has a much more literal meaning. Well, the people of this world simply refer to it as The Holiday. Every year, hordes of children armed with guns, axes, and other weapons duke it out with Santa’s elves on the field of battle. This year, there’s even rumor that the big man himself is going to get involved in the battle.

This was a much more humorous offering that Observable Radio is typically known for. However, it was certainly not unwelcome. There is still some social commentary amidst the humor. You can definitely see a satirization of American gun culture in all of the scenes where parents cheerily talk about weapons shopping with their kids. Come to think of it, there’s a lot of satirizing of suburban America in general. There are scenes of parents who are proud of their kids for enlisting, or being selected, for the big fight. It brings to mind those parents who get way too competitive about school sports. And, of course, nobody thinks to question the annual tradition. After all, that’s not very patriotic. But beyond all the commentary on American life, the idea of a literal War on Christmas got a considerable chuckle out of me.

My present for this episode is two thumbs up.

The sixth episode is “Sweet Hereafter.” The afterlife is real. Or rather, humanity has made it real. AfterCare specializes in creating digital afterlives for all their clients. You don’t have to worry about not having enough time with grandma. Thanks to AfterCare, you can visit her anytime you want. And you can spend as much time…as your subscription plan allows! Isn’t that dandy? But hey, there’s more! AfterCare doesn’t just make digital heaven, it also makes digital hell. That way, criminals and wrong doers will truly have to pay for their crimes. But uh oh, what’s this? It seems there’s been a bit of an issue with the backup files. What will happen to everyone who has been uploaded.

It is a common trope in science fiction to cheat death by uploading your consciousness into a computer. Personally, I’m a little skeptical of how well this would work. The mind is a byproduct of the brain. You can’t just download it like a computer program. All you’d be doing is creating a digital replica of yourself. That’s all well and dandy, but it doesn’t change that fact that I, as an individual, am still doomed to die. AfterCare claims they keep their clients souls on the tapes. But I can’t help but wonder if that’s merely poetic wording. If so, well, then I suppose that’s the point. AfterCare is depicted as a shady corporation.

There’s also, I sense, a commentary on the private prison system with the digital hell. There’s also potential commentary on the death penalty. I see certain parallels. Use the digital hell as a deterrent for crime, but would it really work? Is it needlessly cruel? Should there be a statute of limits for souls in the digital hell? And most pressing of all, what if an innocent soul unjustly gets sent to the digital hell? I can only answer the last question, and I suspect you might know the answer as well.

Well, actually, I do know the answer to one other question? Should you give this episode a listen? The answer is yes, yes you should.

Our seventh episode is “Hollow Ring.” This episode seems to take place in a world where democracy was never invented. Countless dynasties and noble families carve the globe amongst themselves. But this isn’t just lines on a map. There are several megacorporations controlled by noble families. Lord Osmand, the head of House Hanover-Gore has been murdered. It has been quite a while since an assassination has occurred, and this has sent shockwaves across the dynasties. Who is the murderer, and what is their motivation?

There was potential here, but the episode failed to achieve that potential. We get some tantalizing glimpses of this world. We know that Egypt is still ruled by Pharaohs. There’s brief mention of a House of Argos. Perhaps related to Jason of the Argonauts? There’s also mention of a place called Ondonga. Perhaps the Iroquois managed to maintain their independence? Which is odd, given that they didn’t have nobility, and practiced a form of democracy. In fact, the Iroquois Confederacy is one of the longest continuous democracies in history. Only the Icelandic Althing has been around for longer. There’s also mention of luxury airships. I know some people consider airships a cliche, but I like them.

The further back the point of divergence, the more alien of a world you get. This world was certainly alien, but I felt I never got a feel for how it functioned. I felt like I was being thrown in the deep end without an explanation. I certainly wished we would have gotten to know more about the history of this world.

There was so much potential, but this episode failed to make the most of it. Thumbs down, unfortunately.

Episode eight is “As Below.” We follow a community of folks living deep underground. They tend to their crops and keep the great machine running. It’s just as their sacred forefathers commanded them to do. It isn’t much, but it’s honest work. They hold the great machine in an almost religious revere. But some folks are beginning to question that devotion. Perhaps all is not as it seems.

This was another episode that had potential, but didn’t quite hit the mark. Apparently, according to Observable Radio’s social media accounts, this episode is meant to be a prequel to H.G. Well’s classic novel The Time Machine. A way to explain how the Morlocks and Eloi came to be. I guess I can kind of see that. Wells was making a point about class conflict with the Morlocks and Eloi. Though, Wells also seemed to assume that the middle class would never become a thing. The reveal was certainly fun, but I don’t feel the journey was quite worth it. This episode also had the misfortune of being followed by one of my favorite episodes of Observable Radio, but we’ll get into that next time.

For now, however, I unfortunately have to point in the direction of this episode. Thumbs down.

And this is where I’m going to stop for now. I will split the review into two parts to make for easier reading. We’ll cover episodes nine though fourteen next time. I don’t want to end this half on a sour note. Overall, I very much enjoyed Observable Radio. To whet your appetite, I will add that some of the best episodes are yet to be discussed on this blog. I loved getting to hear all these broadcasts from other universes.

Observable Radio is a fine blend of horror, science fiction, and just a hint of alternate history. Always excellent to find another fellow anthology show. If you think the half was great, wait until you see what the back half has to offer. Speaking of which, I should get to work on part two of this review.

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

The Audio File: Untrue Stories

I’m happy to review any audio drama that is asked of me. I certainly hope that is obvious by now. However, I also hope it is obvious that I won’t hesitate to critique anything I find lacking. With that in mind, let’s get right to today’s review. We’re taking a look at Untrue Stories.

Untrue Stories begins in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland in 1948. The writers H.G. Wells and George Orwell have both booked the same cottage for a vacation. The two men cannot stand each other, as they have very different views of the future. However, Wells has an ace up his sleeve. He has invented a bicycle with the ability to travel through time. Wells is determined to settled the debate once and for all. He accidentally travels to the year 1984 after taking a wrong turn. Wells discovers a future of totalitarianism and oppression. A boot to the face forever. Wells befriends a young woman named Julia. She is none other than Orwell’s granddaughter. Together, they conspire to change history for the better. But the Thought Police are hot on their tail, and are determined to ensure that the future of Oceania comes to pass.

This is another review where I was asked by the creator to review it. Series creator Robin Johnson contacted me on Reddit. He said that he had enjoyed my previous reviews, and seen on Twitter that I review audio dramas. I assume he was referring to the Twitter thread that Arielle Nissenblatt (rhymes with this and that) made to showcase several podcast critics, including me. I said yes, and here we are now.

There have been times in my life where I briefly pondered whether H.G. Wells and George Orwell ever met each other. It was merely idle curiosity due to their similar names. Well, as it turns out, they did indeed meet in real life. George Orwell invited H.G. Wells to his London apartment for dinner, and they had a lively discussion about whether or not alone science would create a better world. Wells had full confidence that science would inevitably create a utopia. Orwell, by contrast, believed that science was certainly useful, but that it was necessarily for society to be guided by more than just science alone. The two men vehemently disagreed, and parted on less than amicable terms. Quite ironic, as they both democratic socialists, and otherwise had rather similar political views.

There is the minor issue that H.G. Wells died in 1946, but the audio drama takes place in 1948. But I’m willing to let that slide. We can chalk it up to time travel shenanigans. Speaking of which, it appears that Wells never published his famous novella The Time Machine in the world of Untrue Stories. He never makes reference to the novel. Or maybe he’ll go back in time and inspire his younger self at some point?

Wells also travels to the year 802,701 at one point, and encounters a Morlock, but he doesn’t know what it is. I liked how the Morlock was portrayed as being quite intelligent. I mean, the Morlock aren’t just dumb brutes. They build and maintain machines and clothing. And let’s not forget that they’re the ones keeping the Eloi as cattle, not the other way around. The way the Morlock is described is evocative of the 1960 movie adaption of The Time Machine. Wells says that exiting the time bike’s chrono bubble mid-journey will cause you to age into dust. This is probably a nod to the 2002 movie adaption of The Time Machine. On the one hand, the 2002 movie wasn’t very accurate to the novel, but I did love it when I was a kid.

George Orwell’s depiction as a bit of a jerk might strike some people as odd, but it has some basis in reality. Orwell once compiled a list of suspected communist for the British Intelligence Forces. Among other things, he considered Charlie Chaplin suspicious for being a Jew, and deemed Paul Robeson to be “anti-white.” For reference, Paul Robeson was a black American musician who was also involved in civil rights activism. Oh, and during Orwell’s boarding school day, he was a prefect. He used his position of authority to rat-out any boys he suspected of being gay. Well, they often say to write what you know. It would seem Orwell put quite a bit of himself into Nineteen Eighty-Four.

On a lighter note, the original plans for Nineteen Eighty-Four were also slightly different. For starters, it was going to be called The Last Man in Europe. It was also going to be set in the year 1948. So, I guess that would have made it an early example of alternate history. This is highly amusing, as Nineteen Eighty-Four is quite popular within the alternate history community. However, Orwell’s publisher deemed this too confusing, and convinced him to set the novel in the future. He thought about 1980 or 1982, but then he flipped the last two digits of the current year, and got 1984. Of course, in Untrue Stories, the joke is that the initial version that Orwell comes up with is basically what the year 1984 was actually like. He predicts a world of aviator sunglasses, neon-colored clothing, Rubik’s Cubes, and unrestrained capitalism. Though, to a socialist like Orwell, that would all probably sound pretty dystopian.

Okay, I’ve put it off for as long as I can. I’m just going to be brutally honest here. I did not enjoy Untrue Stories. Let’s get into the full postmortem.

The first strike was the theme music. I’ve listened to many wonderful audio drama themes over the years. The theme music for Untrue Stories, however, is not one of those cases. It reminds me of those toys that are supposed to play music, but what they actually play is basically just electronic screeching. I always tried to fast forward through the theme music whenever possible. Okay, so how was the voice acting? In contrast to the theme music, the voice acting wasn’t bad. Overall I found the performances to be fairly decent. I found Orwell’s voice to be a bit irritating, but I think that might have been deliberate.

Untrue Stories features cameos from numerous 20th Century science fiction authors. Unfortunately, these appearances are little more than cameos, and Untrue Stories doesn’t really do anything creative with them. They basically amount to “Hey, look, it’s Issac Asimov! He wrote I, Robot! Boy, he sure likes to talk about robots!” or “Over there! It’s Ursula K. Le Guin! Ooh, she’s got a secret message codenamed Omelas! Just like the short story she wrote! How wacky is that?!”

These scenes felt like a cutaway gag from an episode of Family Guy. On that topic, I found the humor to be incredibly lowbrow, and at times bordering on sophomoric. The main attempt at humor was making historical figures act like jerks. Almost all of the jokes failed to get even the slightest chuckle out of me.

We learn that Orwell is destined to become Big Brother himself in the dystopian future of Oceania. Orwell finds out, and thinks that this sounds swell. So, he recruits a team of dystopia writers, such as Ray Bradbury and Margaret Atwood, to help make the future as dystopian as possible. If nothing else, they’ll be able to brag about how they tried to warn everyone, but nobody listened. Now, this could have been potentially funny. Have them all act like over-the-top Saturday Morning Cartoon villains, or something similar. Unfortunately, the actors playing the dystopia authors all gave very subdued performances. They all seemed to be under the impression that they were in a completely different audio drama than Untrue Stories. Bit of a missed opportunity there.

Now, I do have to give some moments of praise to Untrue Stories. There is a bonus episode that takes the form of an in-universe television program about how to speak Newspeak. I found this bonus episode to be genuinely funny and clever. I also liked the episode where Wells and Julia change the future into the 1984 of our world. However, they don’t actually travel to the future to see it for themselves. Julia’s clothing changes to a punk style. She and Wells assume, based on this, that they’ve turned the future into an irradiated post-apocalyptic nightmare. Wells then places a computer chip into a Sony Walkman. Said chip is from the far future, and any machine it is placed into turns sentient. The Walkman can only communicate using songs from the 1980s mixtape that it has in it. This leads to several amusing moments. As an aside, I agree with Wells, tea always goes in the cup before milk. That way, you can better control how much milk you add.

So, the team behind Untrue Stories are capable of being legitimately funny when they put their minds to it. I feel, perhaps, that Untrue Stories could have benefited from some more edits and revisions before it launched.

Now, comedy is a highly subjective genre. One of the most subjective, in fact. Untrue Stories had its moments, but overall, I just didn’t care for it. It failed to make the most of a potentially interesting premise. So, unfortunately, I cannot say that I recommend it. But perhaps you feel differently. If this all sounds entertaining, and something you’d like to try, then good for you.

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

The Audio File: Earth Eclipsed

I really can’t think of any way to introduce this review. As such we’re going to skip the preamble, and jump directly to the main point. We’re taking a look at Earth Eclipsed. 

Earth Eclipsed takes place far in the future. Humanity has spread to the stars and colonized the galaxy. This galactic community, known as the Human Concord, is a shining utopia. There is peace and prosperity across all the worlds of the Concord. Dr. Alexine Prometh is the head of the Abacus Project. The Abacus Project aims to find a way to extract and display memories. Dr. Prometh has become a bit of a celebrity because of her work. However, all is not well. Alex soon finds herself captured by an anti-Concord terrorist named Nico Dunn. Nico claims that the Concord is built on a foundation of lies, and its prosperity has come at a steep cost. Dr. Prometh is about to go on a wild ride that will challenge everything she thinks she knows.

I think it is important that I disclose a few facts before we go any further. Earth Eclipsed is created by The Lunar Company. It was founded by three Brazilian guys named Victor Lee, AJ Churchill, and Nicholas Prufer. Earth Eclipsed was their very first time making an audio drama, but they wanted to do more for the world of audio fiction. To that end, they founded Apollo. Apollo is an app designed exclusively for fiction podcasts. It is, I will concede, far from perfect. However, they are working round the clock to iron-out the flaws. They have some very big plans for the future, and I certainly look forward to seeing where they go in the future. And yes, the name Apollo is a reference to the Apollo missions from the Space Race. The characters of Earth Eclipsed often call each other lunar when someone is acting crazy or insane. So, it’s a fun little bit of consistency in branding.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, Apollo was in need of a social media manager and head of community. To be clear, both of those are one job. I saw The Strata quote tweet Apollo’s call for applications on Twitter. Apollo was looking for someone who lived, ate, and breathed audio fiction. So, I thought to myself “Okay, that sound like something I might be good at.” I sent in my resume, and the next thing I knew, I had scheduled an interview of Victor Lee. I aced the interview, and made it to round two. Making it to round two put me in the top ten percent of all applicants. So, next interview was with AJ. I didn’t do quite as well this time, but I tried my best. Ultimately, the role went to Wil Williams. For what it’s worth, Victor said that there were over 300 applicants, and I was among the most impressive.

I like what Wil has done in the role. I’m particularly fond of the “guess the audio drama from the emojis” game they’ve implemented on Twitter. They gave me good tips on quality, and affordable microphones. And I’m eternally grateful to them for helping promote Residents of Proserpina Park’s season three Indiegogo campaign. Quick side note, please donate if you are capable of doing so.

I have maintained good relations with Apollo, and they even commissioned me to created three curated lists of recommendations for the app’s homepage. I was paid fifty dollars per list. If you’re curious, the ones I made were the For Kids, Exceptional Anthologies, and Sci-Fi: Beyond Infinity lists. In fact, I’m told I might to commissioned again in the relatively near future. Now, obviously, I did find Earth Eclipsed via Apollo. I mean, it is kind of hard to miss on the homepage. And if I’m being honest, I was curious to see what it was like for myself.

I went on this spiel because I wanted to be upfront about my connections to Apollo. But having said that, I’m going to judge Earth Eclipsed just as I would any other audio drama. That which is praiseworthy shall receive praise. Anything that I feel is a bit lacking will shall also be noted as such.

Let’s start with the positives. This is The Lunar Company’s very first audio drama, and it certainly starts out of the gate strong. The soundscaping and music are incredibly cinematic. It is easily on-par with anything you might find from a big budget audio drama. AJ Churchill handled the music, and did the sound design along with Shane Rutherford-Jones. You can tell that both of them are no slouches when it comes to working with music and sound. It liked how the music helps paint a picture of the world of Earth Eclipsed. Scenes set within the Concord feature a lot of electronic and mechanical sounding music. Meanwhile, the Outer Worlds feature more acoustic sounding music. You get an emphasis that the Concord is full of many technological wonders, but is also a very regimented and controlled place. It also didn’t escape my notice that the anthem of the Concord sounds suspiciously similar to the national anthem of the Soviet Union. By contrast, the Outer Worlds feel more organic and pastoral.

Earth Eclipsed also has a great justification for being in an audio-only medium. Dr. Prometh gouges out her eyes are part of her work on the Abacus Project. She theorized that pervious memory retrieval attempts failed because the test subjects were overwhelmed by visions of the memories. So, she got rid of the problem by getting rid of her eyes. Concord biotech can easily regenerate lost body parts, including eyes, so this is only a minor inconvenience. Of course, there is the minor snag of getting kidnapped by Nico. So, in a way, we are experiencing the story through Dr. Prometh’s point-of-view, or lack there of.

Speaking of Nico, his ship is call the Gungnir, which is the spear of Odin in Norse Mythology. That’s interesting, because Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to drink from the well of Mimir, and gain knowledge. Rather like how Dr. Prometh sacrificed her eyes in the name of the Abacus Project. Dr. Prometh’s name is an obvious nod to Prometheus; the titan who stole fire from the gods, and gave it to humanity, in Greek Mythology. I can’t really think how that relates to Earth Eclipsed. I’m also not entirely sure what the series title means. It is mentioned that nobody remembers where Earth is. In fact, some people believe that Earth is just a myth. Perhaps it is a reference to how Earth has become eclipsed in importance by the Concord?

The voice actors are all really great. I feel like I’ve heard Nico and Dr. Prometh‘s voice actors somewhere before, but I can’t think where that would have been. I also really love how the Earth Eclipsed website is designed. The episodes all have transcripts, which is very important, as I emphasized in my reviews of Seen and Not Heard and Main Street Mythology. However, each episode’s section also includes a glossary of term. Just click on a term, and a helpful pop-up explains what it means. That was a really nice touch, and quite helpful for a show with a lot of in-universe jargon.

Okay, now for a few things I thought could use improvement. I felt that the first half or so of the series could have done a better job establishing in characters and their world. I felt that it didn’t properly explain why I should care about the characters. I will say that this does improve as the series goes on. I’d say that episode six was where Earth Eclipsed finally found its footing. That part where the Gungnir is trying to escape the gravitational pull of a star had me hooked. Now, I was willing to ride the first season out, and my patients was eventually rewards, especially with regards to the final two episodes. However, not all listeners may be so forgiving. It is always important to try to get your audience hooked within the first few episodes, or they might not stick around.

I feel that the first few episodes don’t really introduce you to the world and characters of Earth Eclipsed, so much as throw you at them. I felt like I got thrown in the deep end without swimming lessons. I would compare this to The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. Consider Phlebas is the first novel in the series, but The Player of Games is generally considered a much better introduction to the world of The Culture, despite being the second novel. It helps that the novels can be read in whatever order you please. I started with The Player of Games, and I can safely say that was the right decision. Consider Phlebas doesn’t really establish who The Culture are, and why you should care. Probably doesn’t help that The Culture are actually the antagonists for most of that book. I don’t know if anyone on the Earth Eclipsed crew have ever read any of The Culture novels, but I think they would like them quite a bit.

Now, granted, I do understand why Earth Eclipsed was a bit coy with its worldbuilding and characters. It relates to the central mystery of the season. The series takes its time slowly pealing back the layers. But, with that, we now need to get into the spoilers.

So, if you don’t want any spoilers, turn back now.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

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

So, we finally get to Nico’s home planet of Sogen. It used to be an idyllic pastoral world. We learn that they had a big debate about whether or not to accept genetic engineering technology from the Concord. After much debate, Sogen rejected the genetic tech, preferring to keep their kids just the way they were born. However, the Concord considered this an unacceptable answer, and attacked Sogen.

It is clear to me that Earth Eclipsed has something it wants to say, but I’m not sure what that something is. We don’t really get any solid arguments for why genetic engineering is bad. Sure, we get some hints that unmodified people are looked down upon, and subject to prejudice. However, the primary argument seems to be that genetic engineering is unnatural. Okay, but under that logic, open-heart surgery, vaccines, dentistry, and two dozen other routine medical procedures are also “unnatural.” Meanwhile, infectious disease, crude oil, and wild fires are all, technically speaking, perfectly natural. Point is, natural is not inherently good, and unnatural is not inherently bad. Personally, I think natural is a word that is overused and poorly understood.

Now, there are certainly arguments both for and against genetically engineering humans. Some people argue that eliminating conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety might deprive us of geniuses. After all, many geniuses and innovators suffered from mental illness. But answer me this: are they geniuses because they suffer, or in spite of the fact that they suffer? I would argue to the later. But I also concede this isn’t an entirely black and white question. What about eliminating disorders such as autism or dyslexia? These conditions can be a burden, especially for lower functioning individuals. However, these conditions often grant unique insights and ways of thinking to those who process them. And moreover, should society put emphasis on “normalizing” neurodivergent people? Or should it emphasize accommodating them, and treating them with kindness and compassion?

From my own experience, I can very much remember my school days, where I was constantly pressured to be more “normal.” But as the years went on, and after I left grade school, I saw attitudes shift towards society becoming more accommodating to those who fall outside the norm. Personally, I would not want to take any procedure that would render me neurotypical. Autism is all about how the brain is structure, and a change that radical would totally rewrite everything about me. In essence, it would be as though I had died, as I would be a completely different individual.

As you can see, there’s a lot of fertile ground to debate the merits of genetic engineering. However, you won’t find any of them in Earth Eclipsed. Though, this is slightly mitigated by the implication that the Concord is using genetic engineering to make its citizens more obedient and docile. Dr. Prometh’s faith in the Concord boarders on religious fanaticism at times. Interestingly, traditional religion seems to have largely died out in the future of Earth Eclipsed. The closest thing is how citizens of the Concord seem to view the government with reverence and devotions. They even swear in the name of the Concord. It almost reminds me of North Korea’s Juche ideology. Some people claim Juche isn’t a religion, but I’d argue it ticks off most of the major boxes.

Also, on a side note, where are the aliens? All lifeforms seems to come from Earth. Humans are the only intelligent species, and even the animals and plants are all imports from Earth. Were all of the planets originally lifeless rocks that had to be terraformed? Or did there used to be aliens, but the Concord killed them, and then covered up their existence?

The creators of Earth Eclipsed have said that they created the series to explore various ideas. Amongst other things, that it is our imperfections are what make us human, the importance of individuality, and fighting back against totalitarianism. Well, I did get that last one, but I feel that the other two themes weren’t articulated as well as they could be. I felt that the first half of the season struggled to find its footing. However, the second half are where things really kick into gear. Episodes six, seven, and eight are where the series really hits its stride.

It felt like season one was a bit of an extended prologue. Okay, so we’ve got everything set up now. Let’s see where Earth Eclipsed goes in future seasons. The keyword with Earth Eclipsed is potential. It is clear to me that everyone involved with the show is very talented, and there world they have created has a lot of promise. Season one was a pretty good prologue, but let’s see what you can do now that you have all of the pieces on the board.

Of course, it might be a while before we get season two of Earth Eclipsed. Obviously, ironing out the Apollo app’s kinks take top priority for the moment. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If the Apollo team can get the app stabilized, and expand upon its features, I think they could have a potentially hot property on their hands. Potential is also the keyword when it comes to Apollo. There’s some very bright things on the horizons at Apollo, and I can’t wait to see them all.

Okay, so what’s my final verdict on season one of Earth Eclipsed? Well, it starts off a bit rough and disjointed, but it managed to stick the landing in the end. I would remind regular readers of this blog that The Program Audio Series also started out a bit rough, but it managed to soar higher and higher once it found its footing. So, I’m going to give a tentative thumbs up to Earth Eclipsed, provided that season two keeps up the momentum.

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

The Audio File: Who is Cam Candor?

In many ways, we are living in a golden age of audio dramas. Dozens, if not hundreds, of new shows premiere every week. And it is a great time for independent producers. You can make a high-quality show from the comfort of your own home. Well, you can with a lot of hard work, and a little help from your friends. There’s no barrier for entry. Don’t like what you hear? Pick up a mic, and be the change you want to see. We’ve also seen major production companies taking an interest in audio dramas. Some of have teamed up with big names from the indie scene to help make shows.

Yes, these are some good times. And yet, many of us worry about how long it can last. What if the indie bubble pops? What if big name companies edge the little guys out of the market? The show we’re taking a look at today taps into many of these fears and anxieties. We’re taking a look at Who is Cam Candor? 

Who is Cam Candor? takes place in a nightmarish near future. Indie audio dramas have completely died out. The audio drama landscape is completely dominated by corporations and major companies. It is impossible to make a successful show without being attached to a major production company. The audio dramas that get churned out by these companies range from bland and forgettable to laughably bad. But in the days before the great indie collapse, there was a person who stood defiant. They are known as Cam Candor, but nobody knows if that’s their real name. They produced some of the most famous, and most mysterious, audio dramas. Cam Candor has became something of a folk hero to those who remember the glory days of indie audio dramas. But who is the real Cam Candor? B.K. Will, Cultural Obscurist and Archeologist, has created an investigative podcast in order to find out. But the question remains: Who is Cam Candor?

Who is Cam Candor? is created by Ann Sloan, creator of The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. As regular readers of this blog will recall, I absolutely adore The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. So, it was only natural that I would seek out Who is Cam Candor? Both shows are members of the Fable & Folly network, which includes many other fine shows such as Alba Salix, We Fix Space Junk, and Harlem Queen.

The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles does touch on serious subject matter, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Who is Cam Candor? takes a similar approach with issues concerning the indie audio drama community. As of late, a lot of big companies are starting to branch out into the world of audio drama. You got major audio drama production companies like QCODE and Realm, but you’ve also got places like Audible and Wondry increasingly dipping their toes into audio dramas. Even Marvel and DC have been trying their hand at audio dramas. Some members of the indie community welcome these shows with open arms, but other are more apprehensive.

I can see both sides of this. On the one hand, big-budget companies can help bring more people into audio drama, and get them interested in the medium. Pull the average person off the street, ask them what an audio drama is, and they’ll probably be scratching their heads. Many normies, for lack of a better term, have never heard of audio dramas. There’s a persistent myth that audio fiction died after television took off. Whenever I describe audio dramas to people, I say that they’re like the modern day version those radio shows from the 1940s and 1950s. The point is, the big-budget shows can help remind the unaware that audio fiction is very much still a thing. And once they’re hooked, there’s a chance that these new listens will seek out more shows, which will lead them to the indie scene.

On the other hand, there’s no guarantee that these new listeners will eventually seek out indie shows on their own. Moreover, the big-budget shows might set new listeners’ expectations sky-high. Most indie shows can’t afford to cast big-name actors. Creating a truly cinematic soundscape, while certainly not impossible for indie shows, is much harder when you’re working with less funds and a smaller team. It is also immensely frustrating when papers like the New York Times or the Washington Post publish yet another article saying “Creator X is Reviving Audio Fiction!” or “Company Y is Reinventing Fiction Podcasts!” Would it kill these journalists to do a five minute Google search?!

Big-budget shows have a much higher marketing budget. They also have built-in connections to the entertainment industry that indie shows lack. There is a fear that indie shows won’t be able to compete with big-budget shows, and will eventually get edged out. Big budget shows also typically don’t do much to promote smaller shows.

So, where do I stand? Personally, I take the middle ground. I think that it is a fair concern that normies won’t expand beyond big-budget shows. However, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possibility of them finding indie shows. I have seen several people who got into audio dramas from Realm, QCODE, or Welcome to Night Vale find their way to places like the r/audiodrama subreddit, and other places that indie creators and fans congregate. There’s a lot of insanely talented people working in the indie community. If they only had bigger budgets, and more resources, who knows what wonders they could create? Well, several big-budget audio drama companies have begun to recruit people from the indie community specifically to utilize their skills and expertise. So, I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of audio drama.

Having said all of that, I do very much understand the concern that big-budget companies might try to monopolize the audio drama market. Who is Cam Candor? taps into these fears, but does so in a humorous and satirical way. And hey, apparently the Great Purge that lead to the downfall of indie audio dramas happened in 2025. I am writing this in mid-2022, and indie audio dramas are very much alive a well. Also, part of that backstory mentions Facebook attempting to branch into podcasting. In the real world, Facebook did indeed try to branch into podcasting…but said attempt quickly died a swift death, and Facebook Podcasts discontinued not long after it was launched. So, I’d say we don’t have to worry about the dystopia of Who is Cam Candor? happening any time soon.

But Who is Cam Candor? is more than just a satire. It is also a celebration of the indie audio drama community. Cam Candor was, apparently, one of the most prolific creators of audio dramas. However, they only made one episode for each of their shows. I guess Cam Candor was unaware of what anthology shows are. Anyway, many of these shows are quirky and unconventional. For example, Mr. Fezziwhig Talks Crumpets follows a man from the Victorian Era who hosts a radio show about cooking. B.K. Will notes that this is rather odd, given that radio hadn’t been invented during the Victorian Era. Evidently, B.K. Will has never heard of steampunk or alternate history. Then there’s Filthy Nuns of the Holy Roman Empire. It follows a gender ambiguous friar named Adbo in Medieval Italy. Adbo is taking confessions from a group of religious prostitutes, who have sworn vows of silence, and is recording these confessions in a manuscript. Amusingly enough, Medieval monasteries and nunneries did have reputation for being incredibly rowdy places.

Then there’s Dante 10th. It follows a sociopath finical advisor named Dante Hen. He’s so bad he winds up in the tenth circle of Hell; as opposed to the nine mentioned in The Divine Comedy. Huh, guess Cam Candor was really trying to put the comedy in The Divine Comedy. Of course, the real star of that particular Cam Candor offering is Satan, and his very campy personality. There are more Cam Candor shows, but I’ll leave them for you to discover.

There’s also a meta joke when B.K. Will discover that one of the signatures of a genuine Cam Candor show is that it includes the sound of a snare drum between breaks in the action. Joke is, this is one of Ann Sloan’s signature sound inclusions in all of her shows.

I see the shows of Cam Candor as symbolic of the indie audio drama community. You get a lot of very quirky and off-the-wall shows. Many of them take the form of comedies, but there’s also serious shows. The fact that most Cam Candor show end after only one episode could be a reference to how several indie shows end after one or two seasons. Hey, sometimes life gets in the way, and unforeseen consequences happen. Let us take a moment to mourn the fact that Lights Out and The Hermes & Hekate Road Show only lasted for one season each.

The quirky and unconventional nature of the indie community is one of the things I love best about it. Sure, not every show can be to everyone’s taste, but there’s always so many great shows to discover. I’ve always found that, for all their flash and cinematic soundscapes, the big-budget show tend to be a bit lacking when it comes to plot. It always feels like something is missing in those big-budget shows. I guess it’s like the differences between eating at a local mom and pop restaurant vs eating at a chain restaurant. You can certainly find tasty food at a chain restaurant, but maybe it won’t hit he spot like your favorite local family-run restaurant does.

However, fictional podcasts, as in ones that only exist in-universe, aren’t the only shows to be found on Who is Cam Candor? Shannon K. Perry, the creator of the audio drama Oz-9, appears as a fictional version of herself. Apparently, Oz-9 got adapted into a theme park attraction and a series of movies. Sounds pretty good, but it is mentioned that the corporations started executing a lot of editorial control over the audio dramas they snatched up. Said control was always to the detriment of what made the shows great. I was vaguely familiar with Oz-9 prior to listening to Who is Cam Candor? However, this cameo peaked my interest, and made me want to check out Oz-9 for myself. I hope that other audio drama creators get to make appearances in future seasons of Who is Cam Candor? 

We also meet a formed audio drama critic who is now a wine/mattress critic. Well, guess I know what I’d be doing in this scenario. 

Now, let’s talk about the voice acting. Ann Sloan takes on not just writing duties, but also voices B.K. Will. She has previously done voice acting, of a sort, in The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. Though, that was mostly bickering with Siri during the commercial segments. Still, she does a fantastic job here. Really captures that investigative podcaster feel. Samantha Gordon, who plays Carlötta from The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles, appears briefly as a receptionist in one episode. And it goes without saying that the voice acting in all of Cam Candor’s in-universe shows is really great. So, points all around for the voice acting.

The about section on the Who is Cam Candor? website is written in the style of the in-universe podcast. I thought that it was a fun touch.

Okay, all well and good, but what do I think about Cam Candor’s identity. Well, to be perfectly honest, I’ve got nothing. This is an Ann Sloan show, so anything goes. Given the limitless possibilities, I have no idea where this show is heading. However, I can’t wait to find out.

Well, there you have it. Who is Cam Candor? is a a satirical look at the fears and anxieties of the indie audio drama community. At the same time, it is also a celebration of the boundless creativity of the indie community. I don’t know where this show is heading, but I’m eager to find out.

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

The Audio File: The Iron Heel

The public domain is a wonderful source of inspiration for artists of all mediums. This collection of works who copyright has expired, or which were never copyrighted in the first place, is extremely fertile ground to remix, reinterpret, recontextualize, or just straight-up adapt, many great works from the past. In doing so, those works are kept alive, and help create new works of art. Where am I going with this? Why, to the audio drama we'll reviewing today, of course. We're taking a look at The Iron Heel.

The Iron Heel is an adaption of Jack London's classic novel of the same name. The framing device is set in the 27th Century. Several centuries have passed since the world became a socialist utopia. An archivist, along with a troop of singers, and a couple other curious individuals, are listening to a series of audio recordings from the earliest days of the revolution. It began all the way back in 1912. Capitalism and corporations had completely run amuck with little to no regulation from the government. The workers of America cried out, but their pleas landed on deaf ears.

It was a grim time to be sure, but the first embers of revolution were beginning to glow. It began in California with a simple worker named Ernest Everhard. He caught to eye of Avis Cunningham, the daughter of a wealthy university professor. Ernest convinces Avis of the righteousness of the socialist cause, and of the plight of the working class. It's a good thing too, for a storm is brewing on the horizon. An oligarchical cabal of businessmen, industrialists, and other robber barons are plotting to seize control of the government and reshape America in their image. In time they shall be known as The Iron Heel.

I first became aware of The Iron Heel, as in the audio drama, when series creator Edward Einhorn accounted it on the r/audiodrama subreddit. The audio drama is three episodes long, and was released in its entirety on, fittingly enough, May Day. For those who don't know, that's May 1st. Not too long about this, Edward contacted me to let me know about the show, and if I'd be interested in reviewing it. I'd previously reviewed his other audio drama, The Resistible Rise of J. R. Brinkley. I said yes, and now here we are.

Jack London often gets thought of primarily as a writer of adventure stories. This view tends to get reenforced, at least in America, by English class. It's here that you'll likely encounter Jack London via stories like Call of the Wild or "To Build a Fire". In truth, however, Jack London wrote several works of fiction which can be classified as science fiction or horror. He was also quite involved in the socialist movement and the labor movement. Jack London ran for mayor twice as a socialist candidate, and lost both times. Unsurprisingly, in later years, London's work proved incredibly popular in the Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern Bloc. In fact, there's a lake in the Russian Far East named Jack London Lake, name in his honor.

The Iron Heel is notable for being one of the first modern dystopian novels, but also one of the first depictions of fascism in literature. It predates Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. However, being the first does not necessarily mean being the best. It is generally agreed that a lot of the ideas and concepts brought up by The Iron Heel were better explored by later novels. The Iron Heel isn't exactly a page-turner; it suffers from pacing problems, and the plot often gets derailed so that London can pontificate about his socialist views. It's not exactly a novel that invites itself for adaptation.

As such, I must admit I was somewhat surprised when Edward Einhorn announced his coming adaption of The Iron Heel. Still, being familiar with Edward's work in the past, I was cautiously optimistic. I should mention that this is a very faithful adaption. Edward doesn't really add or subtract anything from the plot, nor does he throw in any twists or unexpected turns. The production takes the plot of The Iron Heel lock, stock, and barrel. The biggest difference is that the characters in the framing device will periodically sing various songs associated with labor movement, the socialist movement, or some other leftist social movement.

And what fine music it is. I'm a big fan of folk music, and I've actually listened to several of the songs featured in this audio drama. However, there were also plenty of new songs to discover. I particularly liked "Solidarity Forever." It's sung to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." It was a common practice among the socialist movement to take the tunes of popular contemplate songs, and rework the lyrics to be about socialism. This was hardly an unusual tactic. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, did something similar. He reworked popular drinking songs to be about Christianity and Bible stuff.

I also liked The Iron Heel's rendition of "Which Side Are You On?" The lyrics had to be rewritten out of necessity. The original song was written about the 1931 United Mine Workers Strike in Harlan County, Kentucky. Obviously, keeping the lyrics as they were wouldn't work. So, they were changed to be about the members of the resistance movement fearing that the unions have been infiltrated by agents of the Iron Heel. However, the spirit of the original song, and more importantly its tune, have been preserved.

However, one song that didn't do so well was the closing number "The Red Flag." It's sung to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree", but all the singers sound like they're about to fall asleep. To be fair, this is a problem with pretty much all version of "The Red Flag" that use the traditional tune. It's generally agreed that the lyrics are excellent, but the tune and tempo leave something to be desired. The socialist singer Billy Bragg certainly thoughts so, and created what I consider the definitive version of "The Red Flag." It's high energy, accompanied by flutes, drums, and electric guitar, and it sounds exactly like what a song of the revolution should sound like. If Edward and company couldn't have gotten the rights to the Billy Bragg cover, they could at least have taken a page, and made their version of "The Red Flag" more upbeat.

Another aspect of The Iron Heel I really liked is its structure. One of the biggest complaints I had about The Resistible Rise of J. R. Brinkley was that it felt very disjointed, and at times downright schizophrenic, due to its structure. Thankfully, that's not an issue here. Whereas Resistible Rise would switch between the play itself and Edward's interviews with various scholars, The Iron Heel stays 100 percent focused on the play. The end of each episode includes a brief excerpt from an interview Edward did with various experts specializing in the labor moment. The full interviews are available on The Iron Heel's webpage. This makes for a streamlined experience. The focus stays on the play, as it should be, and the interview excerpts never overstay their welcome. It is clear that Edward took what he learned from Resistible Rise, and used it to make The Iron Heel the best it could be.

So, how is the plot? Well, it has a few issues. As I've previously stated, the plot is lifted almost directly as-is from the original novel. Consequently, this means that the audio drama also imported the novel's pacing problems. There's also the somewhat awkward fact that the novel, and audio drama, begin in 1912, a year that has already happened. For example, at one point Germany launches a surprise attack on Hawaii. However, the international forces of the labor movements unite to prevent a war from happening. In our world, the forces of imperialism and capitalism proved more powerful, and thus World War I happened. To be fair, Jack London was hardly the only writer to make this mistake. Hmm, I guess this means that, in the world of The Iron Heel, Bluto from Animal House was right. The Germans really did bomb Pearl Harbor!

I guess this technically makes the audio drama alternate history, but I don't believe in using alternate history as a dumping ground for futures that failed to come true. Hence, why this review is released under The Audio File, no The Alt-Hist File. Still, can't help but feel that it was a missed opportunity to not play up the alternate history aspect. Edward and the gang could have incorporated actual historical figures into the narrative, and set them on alternate paths. Eugene V. Debs, the famous Socialist presidential candidate, would be a shoe-in for such a role. Or maybe have famous businessmen like Henry Ford and J.D. Rockefeller be part of the Iron Heel. Or have other famous historical figures make cameos. The possibilities are endless.

Okay, so how are the Iron Heel as villains? Yeah, they leave something to be desired. At the start, we are shown that things are bad for workers, but it doesn't seem any worse than typical Gilded Age abuses and excess. That's not to say that working conditions during the Gilded Age were light and fluffy. However, give that this audio drama is based on a dystopian novel, I was expecting something, well, more dystopian. I suppose that perhaps this is due to The Iron Heel being more conservative in its speculations, compared to novels such as Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World.

I will say I did like the scene where Ernest confronts some academics at a party. The academics make a big show of being socially aware they are, and how they care about the poor, but it's pretty clear that they mostly just use social causes as conversation starters. They also far more clueless about the plight of the working class than claim to be. In fact, speaking with Ernest is pretty much the first time they've actually talked to a working-class person. Wow, somethings really haven't changed.

Anyway, so the first two episode have a sense of rising tension. Not very much happens, and the Iron Heel itself hasn't even come to power. Then episode three happens and things reach...an anticlimactic conclusion. More tension builds, Ernest and Mavis take a trip to Chicago, where a fight breaks out and... that's pretty much it. We do get some snippets showing how things progressed for the resistance over the years. Apparently, the Iron Heel successfully crushed the revolution, and it took two or three more revolutions before the Iron Heel was finally overthrown. The in-universe explanation is that records from the first revolution are scarce and incomplete by the 27th Century. I should again emphasize that this is all absolutely faithful to the novel. It's faithful, but it doesn't make for the most riveting listening experience. Still, all of the actors gave very strong and compelling performances, so I never felt bored.

Then we get that dreadful ending song, which we've already discussed. I thought to myself "this is one of the whitest pieces of music I've ever listened to." Then a troubling question entered my mind: where are all the black people? There's no mention of black people or other racial minorities, not even in the framing segments. This, combined with the notable lack of black influences in the music, gave the impression that ethnic cleansing had occurred under the resistance. Unions have been some of the most racist organizations in America History. For example, California labor unions layer a huge role in getting the Chinese Exclusion Act passed. So, this got me thinking, how do we know the records are telling the truth?

The real reason the music sounded so white was, well, because most music used by the labor moment was written by white people. As previously mentioned, racial minorities who tried to get involved in unions were often accosted by people wearing white hoods, and waving baseball bats. Still, the wheels of speculations began to spin within my mind.

What if the Iron Heel wasn't as bad as the resistance claimed? Oh, it might have been bad, but what if their flaws and excess were blown out of proportion. Going even further, what if the Iron Heel didn't exist at all? What if it was a boogie man the "resistance" fabricated to justify overthrowing the established government? And what if the resistance wasn't actually heroic freedom fighters, but zealous fanatics trying to force socialism on the world by any means necessary? And what if Ernest and Mavis were just made up for propaganda purposes? And what if there's no black people because the whole thing is actually a left-wing version of The Turner Diaries?

Okay, this is getting seriously speculative, and I doubt any of this was Jack London's intention. Still, there is at least some evidence to suggest this could be the case. During the framing device, some characters question if the record of events is really how things occurred. The main researcher lady says that of course it is...because it has to be. Um, what? It sounds like she's taking it on faith, to an almost religious degree, or possibly has been drinking too much Flavor-Aid. Yes, contrary to popular belief, it was Flavor-Aid, not Kool-Aid, that was used at Jonestown. I guess what I'm saying is, the 27th Century segments made me wonder if the history of The Iron Heel had been written by the winners.

Okay, enough with the speculations. What are my overall thoughts on about The Iron Heel? In many ways, the deck was stacked against the audio drama from the start. It is, if nothing else, incredibly faithful to its source material. And yet that maybe have been its undoing, and perhaps it would have benefited from deviating from the original plot somewhat. Still, there's, mostly, plenty of lovely music to listen to. The cast also make the most of what they have to work with, and give stellar performances across the board.

This audio drama is also much better than any of the audiobook adaptions of The Iron Heel. I realize that doesn't should like much of a compliment. However, I am an audiobook connoisseur, so that is big praise coming from me. If nothing else, The Iron Heel is only three episodes long. Even if you don't like it, you won't have wasted much time. So, why not give it a listen and decide what you think for yourself?

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

The Audio File: Visionaries: Season 1

 If you've been following my last two editions of The Audio File, then you'll know the drill by now. I'm happy to help anyone who ask me to review their audio drama podcasts. However, I also maintain a policy of strict honesty, and I won't hesitate to critique any elements that I think aren't working. I don't really have any more to add, so let's jump right into it. We're taking a look at season one of Visionaries. 

Visionaries takes place in the post-apocalyptic future of 2185. Humans have evolved various superpowered abilities. What these abilities are depend on what eye-color you have. Hence, these powered individuals are known as Visionaries. However, not all humans managed to evolved powers. These powerless individuals are known as Dead Eyes. Dead Eyes are kept as slaves by the Visionaries. This is how it has been for years, but all of that is about to change. The Dead Eyes are about stage a revolt against the Visionaries. But they aren't doing it alone. Rumor has it that a Visionary is leading them. 

I had heard about this show before, and I'd been meaning to listen to it. What finally got me around to it was when I was contacted by Visionaries series creator Richard Seneque. He discovered by reviews from the r/audiodrama subreddit. In particular, he enjoyed my reviews of Lights Out and Sticks Shift Incorporated. I said I'd be happy to take a look at his podcast, and now here we are. 

On the technical aside of things, this is a very well produced audio drama. The audio is very slick and professional sounding. The audio is the same high-quality sound you would find in any professionally produced audio drama. The actors as also quite talented. I don't know if they are professionals, but they certainly sound professional. The sound effects and music are well done, and there's plenty of them, which keeps the audio drama properly immersive, and contributes to the professional feel of it. 

Another aspect I liked was how the narrator will describe the scenes and the action. It reminds me of various recorded plays I have listened to, mostly stuff written by Shakespeare and Sophocles. They too will feature narrators who describe the action for the benefit of the listening audience. It is good that it reminded me of those plays. Fall of the Shah did something similar due to it nature as a docudrama. It also reminds me of those podcasts that adapt prose short stories into audio. Honestly, descriptive narration is something I miss from those short story podcasts, and I wish more audio dramas would consider incorporating it. There's certainly a lot that a little bit of descriptive narration can add to an audio drama. 

Okay, I put it off as long as I can so let's get to it: the podcast has more than a few issues. Let's start with the setting. The premise makes this sound like the audio drama is going to be a science fiction adventure, but it wound up being fantasy. The powers of the Visionaries are pretty much magic in all but name. There's some official artwork on the podcast's website that depicts Seer's Rock, one of the settings of the series, as a medieval-style castle that wouldn't look out of place on the cover of a fantasy novel. The names are the  characters also wouldn't be out of place in a fantasy novel. This podcast feels much more like a fantasy that was wearing the skin of a science fiction podcast. 

Now, to be fair, the audio drama's website does specifically describe Visionaries as a fantasy podcast. And I wouldn't have minded that if Visionaries didn't bill itself using clear science fiction elements; such as the setting being a post-apocalyptic future, or the Visionaries' powers being explained by evolution. When you include stuff like that, it creates certain expectations within your listeners. So, when your podcast then turns out to be fantasy, it kind of feels like false advertising. It would have been better, I think, if the podcast had gone the full nine yards and set itself in a separate fantasy world.  

We get some hints and justification about why the world has reverted into a quasi-medieval fantasy world. There's mention that there was a World War III, and that the Visionaries banned pretty much all advanced technology because they didn't want another war. Well, that's what they say at any rate. I suspect the real reason for the ban was because technology might put Dead Eyes on equal footing with Visionaries. 

The setting just felt reminiscent of at least a dozen or so young adult fantasy novels, which aren't something I typically seek out of my own volition. Which is interesting, as I've always felt that those novels were just re-skinned young adult dystopias. Oh, science fiction dystopia, especially ones like The Hunger Games, might not be as common as they once were, but fantasy young adult, especially ones set in secondary fantasy worlds, often hit a lot of the same beats as young adult dystopia. Oppressive ruling classes, generic badass (usually female) protagonist, love triangle, getting cool clothes at some point, rebellion to overthrow the oppressive kingdom, deadly challenge or quest that must be completed, it's all there. 

I should add that Visionaries doesn't follow this formula as slavishly as other examples I can think of. For example, we have a male protagonist, no love triangle, no quest beyond the rebellion. 

The worldbuilding felt like it left something to be desired. It felt like I was being plopped in the middle of the story without being given much to go on beyond the whole slave revolt angle. This is particularly bad given the aforementioned use of the narrator. Give me a sense of this world; descriptions of clothing, food, social customs. I suppose it is possible these things are being saved for future seasons, but I still found their absence annoying. 

Richard has said that he intended Visionaries to be a commentary on racism and discrimination. Essentially, what if we discriminated people based on eye color, rather than skin color? If this is meant as allegory, well, then we have some issues. Let's have a brief refresher on terms. Allegory is a form a storytelling where everything in the story is meant to be a stand-in for something else. Applicability, by contrast, is where a story can be interpreted numerous way because it is written in such a way that it could apply to numerous things, even those the author might not have known about. If we interpret Visionaries as an allegory, then we have a problem. 

In our world, white supremacists claim that whites are inherently superior to other races, despite there being no evidence to support such claims. In the world of Visionaries, the Visionaries claim to be superior to the Dead Eyes...and they're absolutely correct. Yeah, doesn't really work as an anti-racism allegory. However, if we take the audio drama as applicable, then we could see it as applying to discrimination against the physically handicapped, but also having some elements of racial discrimination. Applicability would also work because Visionaries don't seem to care much about skin color anymore. Though, as mentioned, that just means they focus on eye color. The official artwork does seem to show the slaves as multiracial. They also look like they got lost on their way to a Mad Max themed BDSM club, but I digress. 

As for the characters, I struggled to keep track of who was who, which is never a good sign. I just didn't find that any of them really made much of an impact on me. I'd also like to take a moment to clarify a point. I know it sounds like I've been ragging on the official artwork, but I actually think it is quite good. It looks like something you'd find in a high-quality indie comic. Besides the castle and the slaves,my of get to see what the different colored eyes look like. 

Look, I need to be perfectly honest with you guys. This isn't the sort of podcast I'd normally seek out: especially after I realized just what kind of podcast this really is. It's not that I'm opposed to this kind of fantasy. The Two Princes is set in a fantasy world, and I very much enjoyed it. Though, it took a considerably different tone than Visionaries does. 

Now, that having been said, I must give Visionaries the benefit of the doubt here. I still encourage all of you reading this to checkout Visionaries. It might not have been my cup of tea, but maybe it will appeal to you in was that it doesn't for me. At the end of the day, it is important to try things for yourself. It didn't matter what other people say or think about an audio drama, what matters is what you think, even if that goes against the consensus. I give you all full permission to like things I don't like, and to dislike things I do like. I will not hold it against you. 

In sort, listen to Visionaries and decide what you think about it yourself. Season one is only five episodes long, and the episodes themselves aren't very long in length. You can easily binge it in one sitting. So, even if you don't like it, you won't have lost too much time. 

Well, I think that covers everything for now. I will see you guys next time.