The Audio File: Poe Theatre on the Air: Season 2

A new year means discovering new show, but that doesn’t mean we can’t revisit old friends. In fact, today we’re going to visit a friend from when I first started taking requests for audio drama reviews. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at season two of Poe Theatre on the Air.

We’ve had our fun at the asylum of Dr. Maillard, but it is time to move on. Specifically, we’re going to a delightful Parisian café. Our host is an American expat named Zach Yeager. He used to work the crime beat for a Parisian newspaper. Zach found himself in need of lodgings. As it so happened, C. Auguste Dupin was in need of a roommate. Dupin has an incredibly brilliant mind, and a true knack for solving mysteries. However, he has about as much common sense as a lemon. Thus, Zach found himself having to be Dupin’s babysitter. Still, Zach made the best of things, and even got to help Dupin solve some mysteries. Zach will regale us with three tales of mysteries he and Dupin investigated.

I had known that this is the direction Poe Theatre on the Air would be heading for a while. Alex Zavistovich allowed me to see the scripts before this season was recorded. I flipped through them, but I’m of the opinion that audio dramas are meant to be listened to, not read. So, I eagerly awaited the finished product.

Alex pitched this season to me by comparing it to the television shows Monk and Psyche. This got my attention immediately. Monk was one of my absolute favorite shows when I was growing up. I always found Mr. Monk’s struggles to be incredibly relatable. I also quite enjoyed Psyche. It helped that Monk and Psyche always played back-to-back every Friday.

I can certainly see the influence. This season had a humorous bent to it, but also knew when to take itself seriously. Dupin is clearly a brilliant detective, but he struggles with social situations. It’s not that he’s depressed or nervous. He has a surprisingly sunny and cheerful disposition. Rather, he seems to have absolutely no clue how to interact with other people. He frequently overshares information, he follows strict routines, he often misses when he has upset people or hurt their feelings. He also doesn’t understand why silly things like rules or laws should interfere with his investigations.

All of this makes him come across as though he is autistic. Which is interesting, because Adrian Monk also always struck me as autistic. I know he canonically has OCD, but that is often co-morbid with autism. And I don’t know if Alex Zavistovich intended for Dupin to come across was autistic, but it is an interesting parallel.

Complicating things further is the setting. Much like season 1, the exact time period is a bit ambiguous. It seems to be vaguely set in the past, but that’s about it. Interestingly, the original short stories were also vague about when they were set. So, perhaps the audio drama is set before autism was formally recognized. On an unrelated note, though this season is set in Paris, all the actors use their natural accents.

Another influence from Monk and Psyche is the way that Dupin solves the crimes. The original short stories, surprisingly, don’t really have Dupin finding that many clues. In fact, he usually doesn’t even mention clues until the denouement. By contrast, Poe Theatre on the Air makes a point of having Dupin uncover numerous clues. That way, you can follow his train of thought, and it doesn’t feel like he’s pulling things out of his ass.

Although, I do wonder when Dupin and Zach find time to sleep. They stay up till all hours of the night, but we clearly see them working during the day, and they aren’t sleep deprived. Eh, we can write it off as another of Dupin’s many quirks and idiosyncrasies. Dupin is a chevalier, which means knight in French. So, I suppose that makes him Sir Dupin, the eccentric rich detective who likes to slum it in the city.

There are some other slight changes compared to the original shot stories. For example, the narrator didn’t have a name in the short stories. Also, the police department includes far more women than the original stories did. For example, the police chief is named Honoré, and she is Zach’s love interest.

Also, “Murder in the Rue Morgue” features an orangutan. I bring this up because, apparently, the orangutan is a source of much contention among Poe scholars. Specifically, regarding what it is supposed to represent. Arguments have been known to get rather heated at Poe conferences when the orangutan is discussed. I found this amusing.

The Dupin short stories proved quite influential on numerous fictional detectives. Before there was Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, there was C. Auguste Dupin. However, despite creating the template for the detective story, Poe only ever wrote three short stories starring Dupin.

However, Poe Theatre on the Air has been keeping busy. In fact, they’ve expanded their adaptations beyond just Edgar Allan Poe stories. They adapted the short story “The Eye That Saw Death” as part of a festival dedicated to the works of Tennessee Williams. The story follows a rich person who lost their sight, but received an eye transplant. However, they soon become haunted by specters and visions from the donor’s life.

I can see why Poe Theatre went with this one. The plot won’t be out of place in a Poe short story. For example, invokes optography, which shows up in a couple of Poe’s short stories. Optography was a, since discredited, scientific theory that the last image the eye witness before death becomes recorded onto the retina. The general tone and atmosphere is also reminiscent of one of Poe’s horror stories. Interestingly, “The Eye That Saw Death” was almost lost to history. Tennessee Williams never published the story in his lifetime, but it was rediscovered by chance in 2015. Hopefully, this will help it get known to a wider audience.

But that’s not the only non-Poe story that Poe Theatre has adapted. They’ve also done adaptations of “The Terror of Blue John Gap” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is titled “The Beast in the Caves.” This one features our good friend Zach Jaeger traveling to Britain to investigate rumors of a fearsome beast inhabiting an abandoned mine. Ah, but all is not necessarily as it seems.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote more than just Sherlock Holmes. He penned several horror and science fiction stories. Personally, my favorite are his Professor Challenger stories. Poe Theatre put their own flourish on this story. In the original, the monster turns out to be a giant bear that has evolved to live underground. Poe Theatre on the Air goes with a different monster, but I’ll let you discover what the surprise is. Admittedly, I did kind of see the twist coming, but it was very well done. I felt it maintained the feel of growing suspense and dread; just like the original story did. Arthur Conan Doyle stories are very hit or miss for me, but this was a good adaption. It is nice to see Poe Theatre occasionally trying new things, and expanding beyond Edgar Allan Poe. 

Well, there you have it. Season 2 of Poe Theatre on the Air brings some great adaptions of the C. Auguste Dupin short stories. We also get a couple adaptions that expand beyond the works of Poe. I don’t know where this audio drama is going next, but I can’t wait to find out.

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

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: Blum

Audio dramas can be found all over the world. I’ve always been particularly interested in what the audio drama community outside the Anglosphere is like. Unfortunately, the only language I speak is English, and this can be a major stumbling block. However, sometimes I get lucky, and the stars align just right. And by that, I mean a non-English audio drama gets re-released in English. Such was the case with the audio drama we’ll be reviewing today. We’re taking a look at Blum. 

Blum follows a university student named Emma Clark. She has traveled to Switzerland to research an artist named Ursula Blum. Ursula Blum was a painter who lived during the early 20th Century. However, she was also a composer, and dedicated her life to researching the possibility of using music for healing. She was involved in a lot of esoteric groups and secret societies. In particular, Blum was intrigued by the concept of the Music of the Spheres. Emma isn’t the first person to research Ursula Blum. Five years ago, another student named Clara Torres disappeared while researching Blum. Emma is determined to find out what happened to Clara. She’ll also do whatever it takes to discover Ursula Blum’s secrets.

I had known about Blum for quite some time. As is often the case, it first got on my radar when I was pursuing the r/audiodrama subreddit. I was intrigued, but then I saw that it was only available in Spanish. Blum is produced by the Spanish audio drama production company El Extraordinario. However, there was a potential silver lining. If it made the weekly roundup list, then maybe, just maybe, an English version might arrive someday. Time passed, but eventually my faith was rewarded. However, I got tied up with requested reviews, so I couldn’t listen right away. But then I finally got a gap in my schedule.

I share what I’ve been listening to every other Sunday on the Twitter feed for my own audio drama, The Books of Thoth. Naturally, one Sunday I mentioned I had listened to Blum. El Extraordinario was happy to hear this, and I promised them I would give a full-length proper review of Blum when I have a chance. And so, here we are now.

I have a degree in history. I spent my freshman year at a liberal arts college. It didn’t work out, but eventually I found myself at LSUS, where things turned out better. I bring this up, because Blum really tapped into that feeling of being a liberal arts major. The liberal arts are fairly interdisciplinary. History, music, art, literature, philosophy; no matter your major, you’ll get a bit of everything eventually. So, like the protagonist of a Marcel Proust novel, I felt enveloped by a strong sense of remembrance for my own days in university.

The scenes at St. Gallen’s Monastery were particularly fun. Learning about the musical notions that medieval monks used took me back to my days in Music Appreciation and Music Theory. Though, I also admit I got excited because one of the segments in Agent of Byzantium took place at St. Gallen.

Blum is quite possibly one of the best tourist ads for Switzerland I have ever encountered. I really wanted to go visit Switzerland after I listened to Blum. This, of course, is very much by design. Blum was commissioned by Switzerland Tourism in hopes of attracting more visitors for Switzerland. However, it never felt like I was listening to an ad, or any sort of product placement. It is very clear to me that series creators Manuel Bartual and Carmen Pacheco have a deep, and genuine, love for Switzerland and Swiss culture. That love is stitched into every aspect of Blum, and the audio drama is all the better for it.

But that’s not the only area where love shines through. This is, ironically, felt the most in scenes where sounds are absent. There was clearly a great amount of care put into the sound design of Blum. Emma often finds herself in various museum galleries. There is a certain ambiance to these scenes in how they are quiet in a specific way. I have spent much of my life exploring museums and art galleries. As such, I’m well acquainted with the sounds of such buildings. These scenes were recorded in actual galleries to properly capture this ambiance.

But, of course, Blum is certainly no slouch on the other end of the spectrum. One of my favorite scenes is in the first episode. Emma talks about how music and religion have been intertwined for centuries. We get a montage of music being using in religious ceremonies from around the world. It was a very well crafted sequence; felt like something out of a non-fiction podcast. On that note, Blum really nailed the true crime investigation vibe. Each episode opens and closes with a bit of classical piano music. There’s also a few more bit of classical music liberally sprinkled through the audio drama.

I must also take a moment to praise the voice acting. Emma’s voice actress did an especially good job. There were a couple time she pounced certain words more along the lines of British English, even though Emma is supposed to be American. Make me wonder if the voice actress might not be American. But if that is the case, she did an absolutely amazing job of maintaining the accent. Come to think of it, Clara was pretty much the only Spanish character in the entire podcast. I wonder if, perhaps, Emma was from Spain in the original Spanish version of Blum. Whatever the case, it never felt like anything had be lost in translation. There was clearly effort put in to ensure the English version of Blum would live up to its Spanish predecessor.

Okay, I want to choose my words carefully for this next part. I want to make sure nobody misconstrues what I’m saying here. Blum reminds me very much of a Dan Brown novel, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. Look, I’m aware that Dan Brown has a bit of a bad reputation. Yes, he often gets pretty significant facts wrong in his novels, and maybe his novel aren’t exactly high literature. But that man knows how to write a page-turner. If nothing else, he got me interested in the various artists he mentions in his books. Another big appeal of his books is that, for lack of a better way of putting it, they are travel porn. They are often filled with loving descriptions of various European cities. I always wanted to travel and see the world, and Dan Brown’s novel let me indulge those fantasies. Thankfully, I did eventually get to visit Italy, and I even got to see all the places mentioned in Angels & Demons when I was in Rome.

Blum evokes that same sense of wanderlust with its lovingly detailed descriptions of Swiss cities. It also incorporates art and classical music into a plot about solving a mystery. However, unlike Mr. Brown, the writers stayed true to actual facts and history. So, you get all the good parts of a Dan Brown novel, in audio format, but none of the downsides. For example, Ursula Blum is an entirely fictional character. However, she was inspired by several real life artists and musicians.

Speaking of the mystery, just what is the Music of the Spheres? We have known since Ancient Greece that all music can be converted into mathematics. But what about the reverse? Can math be turned into music? There have been attempts to translate the orbits of the planets into music. Under the Ptolemaic Model, the planets were believed to occupy different celestial spheres, hence the name Music of the Spheres. But what if it goes deeper than that. What if there is a music written into reality itself? This appears to have been the opinion of Ursula Blum and the various esoteric groups she belonged to.

Okay, now comes the part where we have to get into spoilers. So, turn back now if you don’t want any of that.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

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

So, as Blum progressed there were hints dropped that Emma was poking into things better left alone. I got some cosmic horror vibes. Perhaps there was something Lovecraftian afoot? Would it turn out to be something that mortal minds weren’t meant to comprehend? Something that would drive Emma into madness?

Well, I suppose that it is a matter of perspective.

You see, Emma does uncover the music Ursula Blum had been researching. It turns out to be incredibly beautiful. So beautiful that it makes Emma feel as though she is flying. So beautiful she can see the connection that binds everything together. So beautiful that she completely fails to notice that she jumped out a window.

I was reminded of my own short story “Chain Reaction.” It is about a man who goes crazy and starts a religion based around rollercoasters. He has a very similar experience where the rollercoaster god shows him the connections that bind all things together. The rollercoaster explains that it can’t show him this too long, or he might forget to eat and drink.

Well, as they say, great minds think alike. I thought the big reveal was very well executed. I liked the way it explored that concept of pantheism. It is the idea that everything within the universe contains a spark of divinity. Or, to put it another way, that the universe itself is God.

Blum was an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish. It appealed to my inner liberal arts major. It was like taking an auditory vacation to Switzerland. It was a great introduction to the world of Spanish audio drama. I cannot recommend it enough. You should listen to it as soon as possible.

I certainly hope this means we might see more El Extraordinario audio dramas getting translated into English. I also hope we might see audio dramas from other parts of the world getting translated. Perhaps, even some English audio dramas getting translated into foreign languages. But whatever the future holds, I’m glad that the world of audio drama is ever expanding. It is great to see more countries joining the party.

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

Comic Review: Siege Town

I have been ask to review audio dramas many times. I’ve also been asked to review audiobooks on a few occasions. Today, however, we are breaking new ground. This is the first time someone has asked me to review their comic book. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at Siege Town. 

Siege Town take place in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. We follow two brothers named Robert and Charles. They are from America and…well, actually, we never find out why exactly they’re in the Soviet Union. Anyway, they’re traveling across Russia on their motorcycles, and they’ve recently stopped in a rural town. They’ve decided to stay at an inn run by an incredibly creepy man named Igor. He isn’t exactly popular with the townsfolk. In fact, the townsfolk have decided they’ve had enough of Igor, and they’re out for blood. Charles and Robert are about to find themselves in the middle of a major siege.

I was approached to review Siege Town by Ben Ruffett. He is attempting to found his own comics publishing house called Witching Hour Comics. He raised the funds for Siege Town over on Kickstarter. Currently, you can only receive a copy of Siege Town by being a backer to the Kickstarter, but Ben hopes to change that soon. Ben has seen me share my comic book reviews over on Reddit, and asked if I’d be willing to review Siege Town. I said yes, and he shipped me a copy. It was the first time I’d receive a package from a foreign country, in this case Canada. So, that was kind of exciting. He did address it to Arthur Drakoni, which is my Reddit username. Caused some minor confusion when my parents found the package while I was at work. That was my fault. I should have clarified who it should be addressed to.

So, the first thing that strikes me about Siege Town is that, physically speaking, it is a very constructed. Holding it in my hands, it felt like I was flipping through something produced by a professional comic book company. The pages are glossy and strong, the cover is slick and shiny, the binding holds well. It even has the smell that you get from a professional comic book. Ben and his team clearly put a lot of effort into making sure their comic met the physical standards of a professional publisher.

The same goes for the artwork. It is all drawn and colored very well. Andrey Portilla did the drawing, and Cristian Ramirez handled the coloring. The artwork is very evocative of Vertigo during the heyday of series like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, or the various horror titles Vertigo published. Wasn’t really into the horror side of Vertigo myself, but I know enough to recognize the influence.

So, there’s a lot of care put into the artwork and physical presentation of Siege Town. I just wish the writing and plot had received the same level of attention. The plot, when you get down to it, is really just there to set-up the fight scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very well drawn fight scenes, but I would have preferred if the plot had a bit more meat to it. The other issue I had is that the plot introduces a lot of potentially interesting elements, and promptly does nothing with them. 

For example, Robert and Charles are traveling through the Soviet Union during the 1950s. That was the height of the Cold War, and most Americans couldn’t just waltz into Russia to have a look around. So, what brings Robert and Charles to Russia? What are they looking to accomplish? Beats me, as the comic never provides any answers. In fact, the unusual setting never really factors into the plot. You could set the story in rural America during the same time period, and nothing would change.

On an unrelated note, the beginning of the comic makes a list of all the various peoples who have invaded Russia over the years. You get the usual suspects; Napoleon, Hitler, the Mongols…and the Russian Empire. Yeah, apparently, the Russian Empire invaded Russia. It would seem that the script could have used a tad more proofreading.

It is also established early on that Igor has a collection of killer ants. This is set up as thought it is going to playing a major role in a big climatic scene. However, the most that happens is that it breaks open, the ants bite one of the villagers, whop quickly brushes them off, and that’s it. On that note, I feel that Igor’s characterization was a bit rushed. Everything about him practically screams serial killer at the top of its lungs. Frankly, what were Robert and Charles expecting when they decided to spend the night? It might have worked better if he started off more innocuous, but then gradually revealed his true colors. This would also add to the sense of rising tension as the villagers close in, and make their motives a bit more mysterious.

Now, I didn’t hate Siege Town. I’d been going through a stretch where I hadn’t read a comic book for a bit, and it was nice to be back in the saddle. I was reminded of all the reasons I love comic books as a medium. There’s certainly an audience for comics that put heavy emphasis on action scenes. There’s certainly a lot of people who enjoy the Hellsing manga. That having been said, I am not part of that audience. If you are, however, then perhaps you might want to look into Siege Town.

The last few pages of the comic make mention of some upcoming comics from Witching Hour Comics. They both kind of sound like the same plot as Siege Town, but in different settings. The one that is set on a Moonbase sounds promising, but I’m concerned about the execution. Especially since the other one is about a bunch of Vietnam veterans in a small town in America. I certainly hope my critique about Siege Town’s setting doesn’t turn out to be prophetic.

So, that was Siege Town from Witching Hour Comics. It looks like a professional comic, down to the smell. It has artwork evocative of Vertigo. The story, however, leaves something to be desired.

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

The Audio File: Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature

The new year is here once again, and that means plenty more audio dramas to review. And I know precisely where to start. I’ve been wanting to review this one since last year. Without further delay, let’s get right into it. We’re taking a look at Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature. 

Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature is presented as a series of recordings from a second year Literature and Classics class at Harbridge University. Anterra is a civilization discovered only six or seven years prior to the recordings. It dates back to over 60,000 years ago. This makes Anterra significantly older than any previous known civilizations. It was discovered when rescue drones were sent to recover a sunken Chinese submarine. The Chinese government has been rather secretive about archeological finds from the ruins of Anterra. However, some discoveries have made their way to the West. In particular, quite a few discoveries relating to the mythology and literature of Anterra. These finds offer a tantalizing glimpse into a civilization unlike anything that came after it.

We follow the class as they explore the fascinating mythology and archeology of Anterra. However, there’s something sinister lurking in the background. Many strange occurrences happen throughout the course. Could these mysterious happenings have something to do with Anterra?

One day, for no particular reason, I found myself scrolling through the Realm Media website. I came across a show called Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature. It was made in association with Wolf at the Door Studios. They’ve been involved in several audio drama productions, such as season three of the DUST podcast and Batman Unburied.

The title sounded intriguing, and so did the premise. At first, I thought it would be like a fictional college course about xenoarcheology. That is, archeology applied to the past civilizations of alien planets. I assumed that Anterran referred to the Antares star system. But no, that wasn’t quite the case. Oh, it takes the form of a fictional college lecture, but Anterra is a purely terrestrial human civilization. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly disappointed by that initially. However, what I got instead was just as good, if not better. 

The sound-design is phenomenal. I loved the use of ambient background noise. Sometimes, whenever I’d hear a car driving by, or an ambulance siren, I’d pause the podcast to see if it was real or not. The audio is done in such a way as to give the impression that it is a recording. We can hear the professor fairly well, but sometimes he’ll move around and get fainter until he comes back. We also don’t always fully hear the students, depending on where they are seated. Thankfully, we can get the gist thanks to the professor’s responses. Though, some students are heard clearly if they’re close to the recording device. That, and if they happen to be an important character to the plot. The episode where a music professor comes and plays some recreations of Anterran music was a nice touch. It's one thing to talk about how unusual Anterran music was, but it is far more effective to actually hear how unusual it sounds.

Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature also has an amazing sense of atmosphere. Things start off normal, but there’s a sense that something is lurking in that background. That’s there something just a little off about everything. At first, it just seems like the usual incidental mishaps that might occur in a college classroom. A bit of water spilled on the floor, the lights going out, the professor having a sudden headache. But it all starts to add up after a while, and can’t just be dismissed as coincidence. There’s something going on, but what could it be? And what connection does it have to Anterra?

I have stated on a few previous occasions that I am a history major. As such, I can attest that the dialogue, and the general presentation of the class, is very true to real life. I was frequently reminded of my own time in college. Granted, nothing mysterious or supernatural ever happened during any of my history courses. The professor reminded me of several professors I had over the years. This is the first time I’ve encountered an audio drama that takes the form of a college lecture course. It certainly makes from a very fun change of pace, and I hope to see more show that use this format.

There’s a debate amongst the students of the class as to whether or not the professor is telling the truth, or if he made Anterra up. It was pretty clear to me that the professor was telling the truth. Still, even if he had been crazy, I’d probably have still signed up for his course if I could. Everything about Anterra and its culture is utterly fascinating. Everyone on the Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature team clearly put a lot of thought and dedication into crafting Anterran culture. In fact, they’ve included a small list of real world inspirations on the series website.

The general culture of Anterra appears to be vaguely Polynesian. The names all have a vaguely Polynesian feel to them. This does make sense, given where the ruins of Anterra are located. Anterran Mythology has a number of unusual features. For example, it was humanity who created the gods, not the other way around, in Anterra. The Anterran creation myth says that the first human was a woman named Teotia. She helped to shape the Earth, but her creation would reset itself if someone wasn’t observing it. She had children, the number nine is very important to Anterran culture, and they slept in shifts. But then Teotia decided they needed a more permeant solution. So, she created the 1000 eyed-god Ikopaa to always watch over the world. Thus, the world was preserved, and humanity could grow and multiply.

The first parallel that comes to mind is Argus Panoptes from Greek Mythology. Argus, much like Ikopaa, was covered in hundreds of eyes. Though, Argus was a fairly minor character, rather than a major world-preserving deity like Ikopaa. Very unusual that it was a human who created the gods. Gods are on a much higher power scale than humans. Some mythologies speak of humans who ascended to godhood, and ever gods who temporarily become human. But I can’t think of a single mythology that has humans creating the gods.

But you can also tell a lot about a civilization based on the monsters it imagines. This is true of Anterra as well. One Anterran myth tells of how a goddess of beauty fell in love with a mortal woman. They had five daughters together, but this angered the other gods. So, they drugged the goddess and ripped apart her children. The goddess decided to defy the other gods and bring her children back to life. She stitched them together into a Frankenstein-style monster, with nine arms and ten legs. Unfortunately, the monster still felt the pain and suffering of the daughters, and killed the goddess.

Apparently, this legend came from a time when Anterrans were placing a lot of emphasis on loyalty to the collective. That is, they expect everyone to be loyal to society as a whole above all else. Even loyalty to one’s family was discouraged in favor of loyalty to the collective. So, you can see that in the myth. The goddess defied the other gods in the name of her daughters, and she paid dearly for her transgression. There have been plenty of societies that prioritize the collective good, but few who do so at the expense of family units, especially in pre-industrial society.

But there’s more to Anterra than just myths and legends. There’s plenty of archeology and history to discover. One cultural institute of note was that of the Idiot King. Anterra culture has a reverence for darkness and the unknown. So, in the early days of Anterra, a child would be selected to be taken to an elaborate underground palace complex. The child would be fed and treated well, but it would never be taught anything. There was a group of diviners whose job it was to interpret the will of the Idiot King. Whenever there was a major problem, especially involving the unknown, the diviners got advice from the Idiot King.

This is very obviously a reference to Ursula K. Le Guin’s famous short story “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” It’s a little strange that none of the characters ever brought this up. “Omelas'' is frequently taught in philosophy and ethics courses. If nothing else, the professor should have been familiar with it. You can also see parallels to ancient oracles, such as the famous Oracle of Delphi. The general consensus is that such oracles would deliberately word their prophecies in ways that could have multiple meanings. That way, people saw what they wanted to see. And if the prophecy failed to come true, well, then you just picked the wrong interpretation. Perhaps the diviners of the Idiot King operated under a similar principle.

And yet the Anterrans were also strangely progressive in many ways. For example, everyone got to pick their own gender. Children were referred to with gender-neutral pronouns until their coming of age ceremony, which is when they got to pick their gender. Anterra did have a caste system, but this too was oddly progressive. The caste system was less of a tiered pyramid, and more of a pie chart. No one caste was necessarily better or worse than the other, and there was some degree of relative mobility within castes.

I could keep going, but I’ll leave some of the myths and culture of Anterra for you to discover on your own. Suffice it to say, the worldbuilding of Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature is top-of-the-line.

I liked the way that the professor handles the stranger aspects of Anterran culture. He presents them in a very matter-of-fact sort of way. It isn’t totally non-judgmental, but that’s understandable. We’re all human, and we all have our biases. Still, the way he approaches it is from a perspective of “What does this tell us about Anterran culture?” That is an excellent perspective, and probably the best to strive for. When you study ancient civilizations and/or non-Western cultures, you’ll often encounter things that don’t mesh well with modern sensibilities. However, the question to ask is not “How well does this jive with modern Western sensibilities?” but rather “What does this tell me about this civilization that I’m studying?”

My only real point of criticism would be that the Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature website hasn’t been very good about keeping up to date with the transcripts. Only transcripts for the first three episodes are available. It would have been nice to know how to spell the names of various Anterran gods and people for this review. Realm is usually pretty good about keeping up to date with the transcripts for it’s shows. As I have often reiterated in the past, transcripts are very important for listeners with hearing difficulties.

Now, it is time for some speculations. I’ve got a few theories about the mysterious happenings. One of the characters is Hai Rong, a foreign exchange student from Canada. Though, her parents were originally university professors in China. She makes a couple statements that suggest she’s quite familiar with Anterra. Almost on a personal level. Could it be that Anterra isn’t so dead after all? Could Anterran society have continued, somehow, in the shadows. Alternatively, Anterra is indeed gone, but what if the myths and legends of Anterra are more than just stories? Or here’s a thought, what if, somehow, Anterra discovered the secret to immortality, and Hai Rong is an Anterran? And on an unrelated note, is Harbridge is a fictional university, or did Harvard and Cambridge merge, and the series takes place in the near future?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see. And I certainly can’t wait to find out. I listened to several shows from Realm, but none of them really knocked my socks off. I’m pleased to say that Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature finally broke the streak. It has a great sense of atmosphere, amazing worldbuilding, and I love how it took the form of a college lecture. I strongly recommend giving it a listen as soon as possible.

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

Book Review: Inceptio by Alison Morton

 I hang out on a lot of alternate history groups on Facebook. This means I often cross paths with several independent alternate history authors. Many of them produce some very promising sounding novels. Sometimes, when the planets align just right, these books even get released as audiobooks. And as I've said before, I'm more than happy to help those who ask for reviews. Where am I going with this? It relates to the book we're going to be reviewing today. We're taking a look at Inceptio, Roma Nova book 1, by Alison Morton.

The Roma Nova series is set in a world where a group of several patrician families fled the city of Rome after Emperor Theodosius outlawed paganism. The leader of this group, named Apulius, had a Celtic father-in-law who owned lands to the north of Italy. In time, these lands would become a new nation: Roma Nova. Eventually, Old Rome fell, but Roma Nova endured as the final remnant of the old pagan Roman Empire. The story of Inceptio begin in the modern day in New York City. Karen Brown has her life turned upside down when she is nearly assassinated. It turns out that Karen is the granddaughter of one of the most powerful women in Roma Nova. It is decided that the best course of action is to bring Karen to Roma Nova for her own safety. Karen has known about Roma Nova from stories her mother told her, but now she's about to experience it for herself.

I have known about the Roma Nova series for a while due to various post and interactions Alison has made in the Alternate History Online group on Facebook. Of course, the series wasn't initially in audio, and I've covered before how that is an issue. Thankfully, the first four books in the series have been adapted into audiobooks, and now here we are. Usually, I like to read most or all of a series before I review it. However, as I somewhat know Alison, I thought it would be polite to go ahead and review the first book in the aeries as a gesture of kindness and appreciation.

Okay, let's delve into the history of Roma Nova itself. That is, the nation not the series, but I'm sure we'll probably talk a bit about that as well. I've already told you the basics, pagan patricians fleeing persecution founded their own nation. The Roma Novans made alliances over the years and expanded their territory. By the present day, they're about the size of Luxembourg, and are located about where Slovenia is in our world. However, it is also mentioned that Slovenia still exists. Traditionally, silver mining served as the backbone of the Roma Novan economy, and proved a major boon in the early days of Roma Nova. These days, Roma Nova is home to many tech companies and start-ups. Roma Nova has traditionally been leaders in technology and innovation.

So, Roma Nova caught some lucky breaks early into its history. It's high enough in the mountains to be easily defensible, but not so high that they can't grow all of the delicious foods Romans like to eat. It has the basis for a good economy, and has managed to avoid most major conflicts. This isn't to say that Roma Nova never got involved world affairs. For example, they contributed troops to the Battle of Vienna in 1683. They also helped push back the forced of Napoleon IV. From this, we can gather that the Napoleonic Wars went differently than in our world. Still, Roma Nova stayed out of the World Wars. Certain lines of dialogue imply that the German Empire won World War I, only to break-up later. More recently, Roma Nova has, begrudgingly, joined their world's equivalent of the European Union and NATO. Apparently, the Soviet Union is still around, and the Eastern Bloc equivalent isn't too far from Roma Nova.

Maybe Roma Nova did catch some lucky breaks, but I'd say they're at least somewhat plausible. Nations like Luxembourg and San Marino survived by playing major powers-off of each other, and other such tricks, but just as often, they survived due to pure chance and dumb luck. Sometimes reality really is stranger, and more unbelievable, than fiction. The only real issue I can think of is that Christian nations might not have been very willing to do business with a staunchly pagan nation like Roma Nova. Still, the Norse established quite the trading network before they converted to Christianity, so you never know.

We'll came back to Roma Nova in just a minute. For now, let's go across the Atlantic and see what things are like in North America. It's is mentioned that Louisiana and Quebec are, basically, dominions of the French Empire. This, along with how the United States never expanded beyond the Mississippi River, suggest that the Seven Years War went differently than in our world, assuming it even happened at all. America is called the Eastern United States, because there was supposed to be a Western United States to go along with it, but never materialized. The leaders of the American Revolution were more fragmented than in our world, so the British were able to quash the rebellion. However, America was granted independence in 1865. Also, the Dutch held onto the New Netherlands until 1813. Despite this, New Amsterdam is still called New York, as it is in our world. So, it would appear the Second Anglo-Dutch War happened differently, if it happened at all.

I spot a few issues here. First off, it's kind of odd that the British left America full stop in 1865. Wouldn't it make more sense for America to become a self-governing dominion, and then transition to full independence like Canada did in our world? Or perhaps the Revolutionary War could have been averted all together. It is speculated that, had the French won the Seven Years Wars, and either gained the Ohio River Valley or kept their North American colonies, it might have resulted in Britain's North American colonies having a closer relationship with their mother nation, and thus being considerably less likely to rebel.

On that note, the fact that the Dutch kept the New Netherlands until 1813 also makes an alternate American Revolution questionable. The New Netherlands would cut British North America in half. This would cause New England and the Southern Colonies to drift further apart in terms of culture and their relationship to each other. This means a united revolt is unlikely, especially since the South was traditionally largely Loyalist, and perhaps more so in such a scenario. In fact, even if they did get independence, the colonies might choose to become separate nations. This is sort of like how Australia and New Zealand as separate nations, despite being former British colonies locate relatively close to each other.

Okay, but even assuming the disunited British colonies would choose to be a single nation, why would New Netherlands be part of them? They were ruled by a separate nation, got their independence sooner, and presumably have a very different culture compared to British North America. I should have noted this before, but it is mentioned that Alaska is a colony of the Eastern United States. This is despite the EUS lacking any land bordering the Pacific Ocean. Uh, how does that work? Does the EUS own the Panama Canal? For that matter, is the canal even in Panama, or is it in Nicaragua?    

We're also given hints that the Native Americans survived in the western portions of the Eastern United States due to the British sticking around. I highly doubt this, given that Canada and Australia screwed over their native populations just as much as America did. It is also mentioned that the capital of the Eastern United States is Washington. First off, Washington wasn't a preexisting city. It was created after America got its independence as a city that was neither Northern nor Southern. Even if it somehow still gets founded, I seriously doubt it would be named after an anti-British rebel...unless Washington fought for the British in the world of Roma Nova.

Now, one touch I did like is that there is still resentment amongst some people, especially in rural areas, over Britain suppressing the rebellion. In our world, a disturbingly high number of people bemoan the fact that the Confederacy lost the American Civil War. This resulted in the Lost Cause narrative, which deified the Confederates as noble defenders of the South, and totally ignored the brutality and inhumanity of slavery. So, it is possible that something similar happened with the American Revolution in the world of Roma Nova. 

Okay, so the worldbuilding outside of Roma Nova has some issues. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Roma Nova is the focus of the novels, as it rightly should be, and the rest of the world is primarily there to add flavor to the setting. Obviously, this means that rest of the world wouldn't have the same amount of attention and detail put into it. I've done this a lot of times in my own writing, and so have plenty of other alternate history writers. The depiction stood out to me as an American. I'm sure that there are certain things about British History I've missed in my own writings.

Okay, now that we've got that out of that way, let's talk about characters, and a but more about Roma Nova itself. Karen is actually the Anglicization of our protagonist's real name, Carina. Her mother was Roma Novan, her father was British, and she was raised in the Eastern United States. She speaks Latin due to taking Saturday Morning Latin Class. She serves, in this novel at least, as the audience surrogate. We learn about Roma Nova through her eyes, and she the one who asks questions that explain how Roma Nova works.

She has a love interest in the form of Conrad Tellus. He's half-Austrian and half-Roma Nova. I kind of had a hard time envisioning him. The church my family attended had three ministers, one of whom was named Conrad. As such, I always associated Conrad as being an old man name. Though, I concede, this is more of a just me issue.

So, a bit about Roma Nova I should have mentioned before. Roma Nova has an extremely high degree of gender equality, and they always have. In fact, in certain regards, women have the upper hand in Roma Novan society. Early in the history of Roma Nova, men had to commit to the defense of the fledging nation, while women were left to run the settlements by themselves. Women quickly rose through the ranks of the new government, and some even joined in the fledgling army of the new nation.

This isn't as crazy as it might sound. Imperium, the right of rule, was very important to Roman society. How much imperium you had depended on your social standing. The male head of household would have the most in a villa, but it wasn't uncommon for his wife to have the second most imperium within the family. Furthermore, highly martial societies such as the Spartans, the Mongols, and the Aztec often had great gender equality because women had to keep things running while the men were off to war. I should also probably mention the inspiration for the series. Alison first got the idea for Roma Nova when she visited some Roman ruins as a child. She began to ponder what it might have been like if woman had been allowed to rule the Roman Empire.

Despite Roma Nova being a republic, Carina's grandmother, Aurelia Mitela, is one of the most respected people within the Roma Novan government. In fact, Carina's family is practically royalty by Roma Novan standards. She even remarks on how it is like The Princess Diaries...which was somehow still written, meaning Meg Cabot must somehow still exist. This raises an even bigger question: does Rick Riordan exist in this world? If so, did he still write Percy Jackson and the Olympians? And what would the Roma Novans think of it? Hmm, I guess that's really only a question I would care about.

Modern Roma Nova pays homage to its ancient roots in numerous ways. Gladiator games are still a popular, but they're no longer to the death. You also can't maim or seriously injure your opponents, and everyone where's safety gear. Police departments enjoy bread and honey rather than doughnuts or...whatever it is British police officers stereotypically eat. Roma Nova, as mentioned, worships the traditional Roman gods, but secularism is on the rise in more recent times. And they all still speak Latin...somehow. Roma Nova might have taken step to preserve the language, but look at how many languages Latin splintered into in our world. Surely, Latin in Roma Nova would have gone through at least a few changes?

Roma Nova certainly sounds like a fairly nice place. I'm not sure if I'd want to live there, but I certainly would want to visit it if I could. I did like that it isn't shown to be completely perfect and does have its own problems. For example, Roma Nova currently has a bit of an illegal drug problem, and they had a civil war back in the 1960s. The flaws made Roma Nova feel more like a real place.

Inceptio is really about setting up the action for the rest of the series. In that regard, it does an excellent job. My only complaint would be that the ending felt a tad rushed. Other than that, Inceptio is an excellent book. I really will have to get back to checking out the other books in the series. Thankfully, this will be easy, because the first four Roma Nova books are available as audiobooks. Inceptio is narrated by Cailin Thorburn, who does an excellent job.

So there you have it. Inceptio is a great start to what looks to be a very promising alternate history series. It has my attention, and I’m eager to see where the story goes from here. Check it out if you haven't already. 

Well, I think that's enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Yowie

As I'm sure I've said many times before, but there are a lot of hidden audio drama gems out there. They're just waiting to be discovered, but find them is another matter. That's a one of the reasons I created The Audio File. I like helping people find quality audio fiction. Am I going somewhere with this? Yes, I always like to add a little preamble before we get to the main event. We're taking a look at the audio drama Yowie.

Yowie takes place in Australia and follows a man named Ian Linville. The police believe that he murdered his wife and son, as well as a park ranger, on a camping trip in the Grampians National Park. However, they were never able to pin evidence on him, so he walked on a technicality. Now, Ian is conducting an interview with an investigative journalist to set the record straight. He says that he did not murder his family. Rather he claims they were kidnapped by Yowies.

As I've mentioned before, I'm more willing to take a gamble on podcasts that are shorter in length, which was a point in Yowie's favor. Personally, I think it was exactly as long as it needed to be for the story it was trying to tell. Also, I was very much intrigued by the Australian setting. I loved all things Australia when I was a kid. My dad got me a set of nightshirts that each had a different Australian animal on them. Kangaroo, koala, wallaby, wombat, kookaburra, I had them all. I even convinced by parents (or was it grandparents?) to buy me a didgeridoo; though I never really learned how to play it. I really wanted a boomerang, but I was always scared that I'd hurt myself. And yes, The Crocodile Hunter was one of my favorite television shows. When my first-grade class had a day where we all dressed up as people from different countries, which obviously meant I picked Australia.

Australia always seemed like a land of mystery and adventure. I've gotten a more nuanced view as I've gotten older, but I still have a soft spot for the land down under. I do hope I might get a chance to visit it someday. Now, let's address one bit of formation before we go forward: what is a Yowie? Basically, a Yowie is like the Australian version of Bigfoot/Sasquatch. Contrary to that time Scooby-Doo and the gang went to Australia, Yowies are not vampires, and have no connection to vampires. Well, now that we've got that cleared up, let's continue.

First of all, this is a very well-made audio drama. The voice acting, sound effects, and music and all very professional. I always appreciate when podcasters are willing to go the extra mile to create a truly great listening experience. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Yowie was a finalist in the 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. It was nominated in the Fiction and Outstanding Production categories. Though it might not have won, I'm sure Just Intertainment, the production company behind Yowie, was still very proud. 

Now let's discuss the story. Right from the start it is pretty clear that the Linville Family is incredibly dysfunctional. Ian and his wife Sarah frequently get into fights and arguments, while their son Aaron clearly doesn't want to be on the camping trip. Ian also clearly isn't pleased that Aaron doesn't like to do stereotypically manly things like hunting. So, from the start I suspected that something was up, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It also confused me that they were hunting deer, since deer are not native to Australia. However, I looked it up, and it turns out that deer were imported to Australia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Yet another species the British brought over to remind them of home; and which then wreaked havoc on the local ecosystems.

Ian is also incredibly reckless with his guns, and has fairly lax attitudes towards gun safety. Admittedly, my knowledge of Australian gun law is fairly limited, so I don't know if that was meant to be social commentary or not. As much as I enjoyed Yowie, and did very much enjoy it, I couldn't shake the feeling that I might have gotten more out of it if I was Australian. That isn't to say that it is incomprehensible to non-Australians. Far from it, the plot is perfectly coherent. Still, I do wonder if Australians might pick-up on certain things that I may have missed.

The Yowie themselves are depicted as largely peaceful creatures who almost compelled eschew violence in favor of pacifism. I say almost because, if push comes to shove, they're more than capable of defending themselves. It actually takes a couple episodes before the Yowies make a proper onscreen appearance. Oh, but don't worry, there's still plenty of suspense to be had, especially after the Linvilles run-over a park ranger. It is while they're on the run, trying to avoid detection from the authorities or anyone else, that the Linvilles notice a strange creature following them. Well, Aaron had noticed a strange blue-eyed creature earlier, but that's when the Yowie really start playing a role in the story.

It would seem that the writing team took the approach you see in a lot of horror movies. You don't immediately reveal your monster; you give little hints and fleeting glimpses. This allows the audience to build-up the monster in their minds. There is no better special effects department than the human imagination. Of course, I wouldn't go as far as to call the Yowies monsters.

Okay, I've put it off for as long as I can. We've got to talk about the spoilers. I'm talking the big ones. So if you don't want any of that, turn back now.

This is your last chance. You sure you want to go forward?

Well, okay. If you're still here, let's begin.

Well, the second shoe finally dropped. The final episode changes just about everything about the series. Turns out Ian was indeed lying. There weren't any Yowies. Ian accidentally shot Aaron during their hunting trip. Then he killed a park ranger who came to investigate the noise. Finally, he killed Sarah when they got into an argument. Oh, but we aren't done yet, turns out Sarah was pregnant at the time because she'd been having an affair. The man she'd been sleeping with turns out to be the reporter interviewing Ian. He suspected the truth, and was just trying to get Ian to admit it.

Ah, but why was Ian so forthcoming? Because he doesn't intend for the truth to get out. He kills the man, switches their drivers licenses and IDs, and cuts off the man's fingertips and slashes his face so he can't be identified. When the police arrive, they assume Ian is the one who has been murdered. And thus, a serial killer evades capture.

I mean, damn, didn't see that coming. I mean, I suspected that Ian was lying, but I wasn't expecting him to murder the interviewer so brutally. I also didn't see the interviewer being Sarah's lover, and the father of her unborn child. Admittedly, I am a bit disappointed that the Yowies didn't turn out to be real after all. Still, I would say overall the podcast is good for what it is.

I almost wish we'd get a sequel series where he continues his killing spree across Australia. Maybe the twist could be that he's the reincarnation of notorious Australian serial killer Albert Fish. Or at least, thinks he's the reincarnation of Albert Fish. Wait, no, Albert Fish was American. Hmm, I’m sure there’s some Australian serial killer who could fill the role. 

Joking aside, I absolutely loved Yowie, and I'd love to see the team work on another project. Based on how Yowie turned out I expect nothing but the best from them. Well, I don't think there's much more that I can add. Yowie is a thrilling and suspenseful tale of secrets, lie, mysteries, and maybe a few cryptids. It might be only five episodes long, but it is lean and mean, and more than worthy of your time.

Well, I think that's enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Terms

There are many times that one great podcast leads to another. If I really enjoy a podcast, I'll take a look at any other works the creators might have made. For example, I absolutely adored the podcast 1865, and I went to see if Airship, the company behind it, had anything else to offer. That brings us to the podcast we'll be reviewing today. We're taking a look at the podcast Terms, from Airship and Wondery.

Terms is a modern-day political thriller that follows lame duck president Oliver Pierce. Lame duck means a president who has been twice elected and is about to finish their second term. A highly contentious and controversial election has resulted in Republican nominee Charles Dunwalke becoming president-elect. Despite also being a Republican, Pierce is appalled at Dunwalke's victory. He fears that Dunwalke will undo all the hard work his administration has carried out. Moreover, Pierce feels that Dunwalke will be a disaster for America and the world at large. He's got to stop Dunwalke by any means necessary. The clock is ticking, and Pierce has only got seventy-three more days until Inauguration Day. But just how far is Pierce willing to go? What lines is he willing to cross?

I'm not usually inclined to seek out political thrillers; but I was extremely impressed by what I'd listened to with 1865, and I needed something to fill the 1865-shaped hole in my life while I wait for season two. Since Terms is created by Lindsay Graham, Rob McCollum, and Michael Federico, two of whom also had a hand in making 1865, I was reasonably certain that Terms would be of similar quality.

Well, admittedly I was a bit weary when I read the initial premise. I was a little worried that it might turn out it be an "Orange man bad!" show that would beat listeners over the head with that message. Charles Dunwalke certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to Donald Trump. Still, I decided to give the series a fair shake. When they got to an episode where we meet a Dunwalke supporter I was worried the supporters would be portrayed as ignorant, racist, uneducated hayseeds. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how nuanced the portrayal of Dunwalke's supporters turned out to be. They are shown to be working-class people with blue-collar values, who feel that their voices are being ignored by Washington. They feel that the establishment needs to be shaken up, and if that shake-up takes the form of Charles Dunwalke, then so be it. They're also shown to not be blind to Dunwalke's faults, but again, they view him as their best chance of finally having their voices be heard. After that, I was much more relaxed about the show.

Lindsay has said that the point of Terms is about the workings and process of government, not debates about political policy. Obviously, it draws inspiration from government procedurals such as The West Wing. Terms might draw parallels to modern politics, but it does so as a springboard for discussing the workings of government. Lindsay has also said that he didn't want the show to be about Democrats vs. Republicans. This is why Pierce and Dunwalke are both Republicans. And obviously they had to both be Republicans, because there's no way anyone like Dunwalke could possibly get nominated as a Democrat, much less elected. I suppose the series could have work if they were both Democrats, but Dunwalke's entire character would have to be totally rewritten. For that matter, we don't know much about Pierce's positions on pretty much anything, only that he was a very popular president, and he views Dunwalke as trouble.

Moreover, Lindsay and Rob have both said that they view radical tolerance as being what America needs to get through these increasingly tumultuous times. That is, that while we don't need to agree with each other, we should be able to understand and accept each other's differing views and opinions.

Throughout the series there's a running question of how far Pierce is willing to go to ensure his plan for America. Dunwalke is certainly an unsavory fellow, but does that justify taking such drastic actions? It's a bit like on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Caesar might have done some questionable thing, but did mean the other senators were justified in killing him? We'll get back to this particular theme in just a minute.

I mentioned that I came into this podcast via 1865, and it is certainly interesting to compare and contrast them. In fact, in many ways Terms feels as though it was the test run for what would become 1865. They're both government procedural and political thrillers that focus on presidents who got into the Oval Office via controversial means. They also feature protagonists who view said president as a threat to America, and view it as their moral duty to oust the president by any means necessary. Again, this is unsurprising as both podcasts share creative teams. Both podcasts also feature original music scores, sound effects, full casts, and other things that result in a true cinematic experience.

It was certainly interesting to see some of the things Pierce tries to do to prevent Dunwalke from taking office. For example, at one point he tries to persuade the electors of the Electoral College to change their votes. I realize that I've got a few international readers, so let me explain how that works. For my American readers, this will probably be stuff you already know. In America our elections are done via an Electoral College. The number of votes each state gets is determined by their number of representatives in Congress. Each state gets two senators regardless of population, and then a certain number of representatives in the House of Representatives. How many representatives you get is determined by your population. So, three is the minimum number of electoral votes a state can get. How these votes are cast is determined based on who gets the most votes in each state. We do a first past the post, winner take all system. So, for example, if a state votes Democrat it is expected that the electors will cast all Democrat votes.

However, the electors are allowed to override the votes of the public, but this rarely happens to a great extent. For example, during the 2016 election a few electors cast votes for candidates who weren't even on the ballot. 270 electoral votes are needed to be president, which Donald Trump still achieved despite this. The person who wins is called president-elect because they have been elected, but haven't yet taken the Oath of Office. The Electoral College system means that it is possible for someone to lose the popular vote, as in votes overall, but still be elected president thanks to the Electoral College  There are arguments for and against the Electoral College, but I that's better saved for another time. The Electoral College determines the Vice President in a similar fashion. Keep that in mind, it turns out to be import later in the show.

One more thing I ought to explain for our international readers. In America a president can be elected for a maximum of two terms of four years each. This was started because George Washington, America's first president, stepped down after serving two terms. All other presidents followed his example, even though there was no official rule. Then, Franklin Delano Roosevelt ran for four terms in office, but died in the middle of his fourth term as a result of polio. After that, Congress added and constitutional amendment making the two-term limit official. The two terms don't need to be consecutive, but thus far, only Grover Cleveland has served two non-consecutive terms has president. And we've already gone over what lame duck means. The only exception to the two-term limit is if a president dies in office. The former Vice President is allowed to finish the remainder of the former president's term and then run for two of their own for a maximum of ten years.

Terms clocks in a little over three and a half hours. You can probably binge it in an afternoon or two. I bring this up because now we have to talk about some major spoilers for the finale. So turn back now if you don't want to know.

This is your last chance. Sure you want to keeping going?

Okay, you must want to know, or already do.

The season finale ends on Inauguration Day. Dunwalke is about to take the Oath of Office when suddenly military forces descend on Washington DC. Pierce appears on television announcing that he has ceased control of the military, instigated martial law, and suspended the Constitution  Moreover, he plans on totally rewriting the Constitution, but assure the American people that they'll do it together as a nation.

Well, damn. I did not see that coming. So yeah, Pierce was so determined to ensure his vision for America that he staged coup and overthrew the democratically elected government. Remember what I said about the show asking if the ends justify the means? Well, here is your biggest example of that. We started off as The West Wing, and we ended up as 24.

That is a hell of a cliffhanger to end on, and I'm dying to know what happens next. However, from what I understand Terms has been put on the back burner so that the team can focus on 1865. Don't get me wrong, Terms is great, but if it means more 1865, I'm willing to put up with Terms going on hiatus for the foreseeable future. As much as I loved Terms, I'd say 1865 is easily the superior show of the two.

It is good that shows like Terms and 1865 are bringing more diversity of genre to the podcast landscape. I know Lindsay ruffled a few feather when he said that audio drama is dominated by science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I don't think that was meant as a judgement, simply as statement of fact. And, well, he's not wrong in that regard. Though I will slightly disagree with him. Car chases might be hard to pull off, but I think a race car audio drama could be pulled-off reasonably well.

Don't get me wrong, I love my speculative fiction shows, but I'd love to see more historical fiction and down-to-earth type shows get some more love. Audio drama can tell all sorts of stories, and we're all the better for having more diversity of genre.

So there you have it. Terms is a modern-day political thriller about the workings of government, and how far we're willing to go for our beliefs. Well, I think that should do it from me for now.

I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Poe Theatre on the Air: Season 1

I am always happy to give reviews to podcasters who ask me, especially if they've enjoyed my previous reviews. I'm glad to do my past to help promote podcasts, and it often leads me to some truly undiscovered gems. That brings us to the podcast we're taking a look at today. We're taking a look at season one of Poe Theatre on the Air. 

Poe Theatre on the Air is a production of the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre. Each episode is an adaption of a different Edgar Allan Poe short story. While by-and-large faithful to the source material, the writers make sure to put their own spin on the stories. This largely relates to the framing device. The framing device is that you, the listener, are a guest at the asylum of Dr. Maillard. He has developed a radical new treatment to cure the mentally crippled, and he considers all of the inmates his children who have lost their way. Each of the inmates are the protagonist of a different Edgar Allen Poe short story, and they will be sharing their tales with us.

I share The Audio File and The Alt-Hist File over on the Audio Drama Lovers group over on Facebook. If you ever see me over there, feel free to say hi. Not to brag, but my reviews always seem to be reasonably popular with the other members, and I have gained a few fans. One of these fans, named Alex Zavistovich, reach out to me about a podcast he's involved with. Obviously, that podcast is Poe Theatre on the Air. I had a few reviews to take care of, but I agreed to give it a listen and review it later.

I'm glad that I did, because I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The team is going for the shared universe approach with Poe's short stories. Even Dr. Maillard and his asylum hail from a Poe story. Specifically, he's from "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether." That was always one of my favorite Poe stories. Poe Theatre on the Air is a fully performed audio drama with actors, music, and sound effects. This gives it a key advantage over a podcast that would just read the stories. The language used in Edgar Allen Poe's writing is a bit archaic by modern standards, and that can be a stumbling block for a lot of people. By contrast, the dialogue and bits of narration Poe Theatre on the Air uses are more modern, while still being a bit formal when needed. This allows the listeners to really focus on, and enjoy, the content of the stories.

Of course, this could not work without a talented team of voice actors. Thankfully, Poe Theatre on the Air has quite the team of voices at its disposal. I should also mention that Poe Theatre on the Air has been featured several times on NPR. Okay, now that we've covered all of that we can delve into the individual stories.

Our first story is "The Tell-Tale Heart." You've probably heard of this one, but if not, it's the one about the person who kills the old man and is then haunted by the sound of his beating heart.

With our first episode, we see what I meant about the writers putting their own spin on the story. The original "Tell-Tale Heart" leaves a lot of quest in unanswered. We don't know the narrator's gender, or their relationship with the old man, or even the motive for the murder, beyond a hated of the old man's eye. As such, it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. So here, the narrator is a woman working at the inn the old man owns. Admittedly, I've never been the biggest fan of "The Tell-Tale Heart." I remembering linking it as a kid because of when I discovered it was used as the basis of that episode of SpongeBob where Mr. Krabs regifts some boots to SpongeBob; but the boots are very squeaky, so he steals them and hides them under the floorboard of the Krusty Krab. Then he is haunted by the squeaking of the boots until he confesses and eats the boots.

It was neat to discover that connection on my own as a kid. I studied the story in English class in middle school and enjoyed it. Then I got older, and the story just didn't hold the same charm for me. I guess it was because I'd seen it parodied and homaged so many times that I just wasn't as effective as it once was. Still, for what it's worth, I think I liked this episode more than the original story.

The second story is "The Black Cat." This story is about a man who's wife loves animals and has turned their home in a menagerie. However, he has never been a lover of animals, and he does not care for the black cat, despite how often it shows him affection. He pokes out the poor cat's eye, and eventually hangs it. He thinks his troubles are at an end, but then he brings home a new black cat for his wife. There's something hauntingly familiar about the new cat, and it drives the man insane.

I had not previously read the story, but I very much enjoyed this episode, and it made me want to seek out the original. I have a beloved orange tabby named Tiger, so I say the protagonist got what he deserved in the end. It is unclear when the stories are set. I assumed the 19th century, just like the originals. Certain details do back this up, such as the police being Irish. I mean, it's not impossible for a modern police officer to be Irish, but that was more of a cliche you tend to see in stories set in the past. Additionally, there's no references to any modern technology, which would back-up my original assumption.

It is interesting to compare and contrast this story with "The Tell-Tale Heart." Both stories feature unarmed narrators, though the podcast gives them names. Both stories involve the protagonists committing heinous acts because of an eye. And both stories have the protagonists thinking they've gotten away with killing, only to be haunted by the deceased. Well, that is, unless they've simply gone crazy. From what I've gathered, the protagonist hating animals was a slight deviation from the original, but I understand he was a bit of an unreliable narrator in the original story. The actor playing the protagonist gave an especially strong performance. All in all, an excellent episode.

The third story is "Morella." This story tells of a man who has married a woman named Morella. He married her for her brilliant and intellectual mind. However, she's developed an obsession with the occult, and he fears this may lead down a dark path.

This one wasn't bad, but it didn't especially blow me away. I could guess where this story was going about a halfway through. That's usually not a problem for me, but it worked against the story here. The part where the main a character is driven to madness and shouts "Morella! Morella!" was supposed to dramatic, as it shows that Morella has triumphed and driven him to despair, but it just came across kind of annoying to me. I will say it did make me wonder about when the series is set. The protagonist takes his daughter to be baptized by a priest, but the service comes across like an Evangelical megachurch service rather than anything from Poe's time. Anyway, moving right along.

The fourth story is "The Cask of Amontillado." This is another one you've probably heard of. It takes place in Carnival in Venice. Montresor is from a noble family, but is constantly picked on by his "friend" Fortunato. So, he lures a very drunk Fortunato into his family's crypt on the grounds that they will be tasting a fine amontillado. Then he bricks up Fortunato and leave him to die.

Like I said, you've probably encountered this story in English class at some point. I think I read this on in high school, but it might have been middle school. Either way, I wasn't terribly impressed, but I grew to like it better when I got older and reexamined it. It helped that William Joyce made a really good animated short film of it that I saw at a screening of his short films. He's the guy who made Rollie Pollie Ollie, A Day with Wilbur Robinson and Rise of the Guardians, among other things. Poe Theatre on the Air gave us an excellent adaption, and I've got no complaints.

The fifth story is "Berenice." First of all, you pronounce that as baron-nice-cee. It follows a bookish man who has a monomania for books. He loves to read books, but also to study the shape of letters, and the arraignments of words. His beloved cousin Berenice always tries to get him to come out and enjoy nature. Then she falls ill to an unspecified disease, that was probably tuberculosis, and dies. Are protagonist remains obsessed with he beloved Berenice, especially her lovely smile. He is determined that not even the grave shall keep them apart.

This was another story I wasn't familiar with, but now I kind of want to seek out the original. This is very much a story about the dangers of obsession and passions run amuck. I said the disease was probably tuberculosis because, nine times out of ten, that's what unspecified illnesses turn out to be in 19th Century stories. Also, I should point out that marriage between first cousins wasn't considered unusual in Poe's day, especially among the wealthy. Sometime else that wasn't considered unusual was premature burial. Many coffins had boards in them that could be pressed with the feet. This would ring a bell on the surface and alerted the cemetery watchman that someone needed digging up. It is also not uncommon to find coffins from that era with scratch marks on the interior of their lids.

The thought of being buried alive has always been something that sends a shiver down my spine. True, Berenice might not have enjoyed having her teeth yanked out by her crazed cousin, but it sure beats suffocating in a coffin six feet under. Well, that's my takeaway. Though, I concede that having teeth pulled without anesthetics is hardly a picnic. All in all, another great episode.

The sixth episode is "A Predicament." It follows a wealth woman named Madam Zenobia and her man sergeant Julius. They're on vacation in an unspecified European country. Madam Zenobia treats Julius quite poorly, but she's about to receive her comeuppance during a trip to a cathedral's bell tower.

This was another story I was unfamiliar with, but made me want to seek out the original. Never pegged Edgar Allen Poe as someone who'd write comedy stories, but I guess I was wrong. I can certainly related to Julius, as I too have a fear heights. Though I've never had to deal with anyone quite so demanding as Madam Zenobia. Really, she only has herself to blame for what happens. Just what was she expecting, sticking her head into the bell tower's inner workings?

This story also deviates a bit from the original story. For example, in the original story, Julius was a black dwarf named Pompey, rather than an old white man. Obviously, that isn't exactly politically correct by modern standard, so I can understand why the team changed that. However, more importantly the ending if different. So if you don't want to know what happens, skip down to episode seven if you don't want to know.

Last chance, turn back now if you don't want to find out. You sure you want to keep going.

Well alright. Here we go.

In the original story, Madam Zenobia got decapitated by the clock's pendulum, but her head remains functioning independent of her body. In this adaption, however, the pendulum knicker her neck, but otherwise leaves her head intact. However, she believes that she has become a body without a head, and thus finds helpful in the asylum. Even without having read the original, I still found it an interesting twist ending. So well done on the part of the writers. Excellent episode all around.

The seventh story is "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." This story follows a hypnotist who believes it is possible cheat death by hypnotizing someone at the moment before death. His friend Ernest Valdemar agrees to be a test subject. But will Valdemar find himself facing something worse than death?

Alex recommended this as the best of the currently available episodes. I must say, it did not disappoint. This was a Poe story I meant to track down, but never did til now. You've got those elements of gothic horror, as is common in Poe's works. However, I'd also argue that this story is an early example of science fiction. We've got out protagonist trying make discovers and perform experiments using scientific means. Obviously, we now know that even the strongest hypnotism is no match for organ failure and blood loss. Still, remember that this story was written before germ theory caught on, and back when belief in the four humors hadn't quite died out. Poe was working with the information available to him. Gothic horror was important to the development of early science fiction. Just look at Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In fact, many of Poe stories are just as much science fiction as they are horror.

Even disregarding all of that, it is still nonetheless a very entertaining story. Amusingly, when first published, some people mistook it for an actual account. Poe hadn't specified that it was a work of fiction. There is a strong theme about the dangers of meddling with the natural order, and dabbling in things mankind was never meant to mess with. A very common trait of both gothic and early science fiction stories. An excellent story that certainly lived up to its pedigree.

The eighth story is "The Oval Portrait." This story tells of an artist who fell in love beautiful young maiden whom he eventually married. He decided to immortalize her beauty forever by painting a portrait of her. There more to it, but that would be spoilers.

This is your last chance to turn back. If you don't want any spoilers, skip down three paragraphs to where it says "So that's all the episodes that have been released so far." You sure you want to continue?

Okay then, here we go.

So what's the big twist? Turns out the artist's bride was sitting so perfectly still because she'd died. He was so enraptured by his work, and her beauty, he failed to notice he was painting a corpse. Dr. Maillard really rubs this fact in his face. From this, we begin to see that Dr. Maillard might not be as benevolent as he claims to be. I saw the twist coming, but the story was still effective and well-written, so I still enjoyed the episode. Chalk another one up for great episodes from Poe Theatre on the Air.

The ninth episode is "A Descent Into the Maelstrom." It follows a man who used to work as part of a fishing crew in Norway. A big storm is on the way, and the crew must not stay at sea too late. Unfortunately, time gets away from them, and their boat gets sucked into a massive whirlpool. The story tells of how the man escaped from the maelstrom.

This was another story that surprised me. Didn't expect Poe to be the type to write high seas adventure stories. This is another of Poe's stories that is often considered an early form of science fiction. Not sure if I can quite see that, but again, science fiction was in its infancy during Poe's time. And I suppose the protagonist did use his reasoning skills to get out of his predicament. I will say the way the protagonist escape the maelstrom was pretty ingenious.

About the only deviation from the original is the framing device. In the short story, the protagonist is telling his tale to a mountain climber. Here, he's another patient at the asylum. The man insist that his hair turned white because of the stress of the adventure, and that he's actually thirty-two year old, as in the original story. Dr. Maillard, naturally, thinks the man is simply crazy. All in all, another excellent episode that made me want to seek out the original.

The eleventh episode is "The Raven." This one breaks the trend a bit, as it is adapted from a poem rather than a story. It tells of a man who is mourning the death of his beloved wife. Then, late one night, he is visited by a raven who seems to mock his despair.

This was an unexpected change to pace, but one that worked out quite well. Alex told me that he wanted to keep the show going, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, so that's how we got this episode. He played all of the role, though said roles were limited to the protagonist, the raven, and Dr. Maillard, but he played them quite well. This episode is the exact same quality as all the others. It was certainly a unique angle to turn a poem into an episode. It isn't told in verse, it is a standard episode like all the others, and that's what I love about it. Didn't expect to see poems get adapted, but I think I'd like to see more poems get this same treatment. "Eldorado" was always my favorite of Poe's poems. In fact...ah, but let us put a pin in that for now.

I must admit I always found "The Raven" to be a bit so-so as far as poems go. I've warmed up to it a bit more as the years have gone on. I've especially warmed up to it after listening to this episode of Poe Theatre on the Air. It helped that I'd recently watched a video recreating "The Raven" using characters from Thomas the Tank Engine. It was from The Stories of Sodor, a high-quality Thomas fan series. Anyway, this was another great episode from Poe Theatre on the Air. If they adapt other poems I'd suggest "Annabel Lee" and "The Conquering Worm" as ones that could be fun too. As for "Eldorado" well, you'll see about that in just a bit.

Episode twelve is "The Premature Burial." It follows a woman who suffers from catalepsy. Basically, it's a medical condition that causes her to go into a death-like trance, sometimes for hours on end. Unfortunately, she failed to tell this to her fiancé, and nearly wound-up getting buried alive.

I have previously discussed my own fear of premature burial. Though, unlike in Poe's time, at least the embalming fluids would kill me before I got put in the ground. So, I suppose that's a small comfort. This is another example of a story that deviated from the original out of necessity. For example, in the original the protagonist's gender isn't specified. Also, by the end of the original story, the protagonist gets over his/her fear of being buried alive. Obviously, this was not an option, as the protagonist had to wind up in Dr. Maillard's care. The protagonist also never got buried alive in the original. In fact, based on what I know of the original, it appears that Poe Theatre's adaption was created almost form whole cloth.

I must emphasize here that I haven't read the original story, so I don't know how much material the team had to work with. And none of my above comments are meant as a judgment. Judging the episode purely on its own merits, it quite an effective horror piece. You get a real sense of the dread and terror of being buried alive. We also get to see more of how Dr. Maillard abuses the patients. For example, when the woman goes catatonic, he places her hand on the flame of a candle just for the heck of it. Then, when she awakens, he lies and says that it is several hours later, and that he found her like that.

All things considered, another solid episode from Poe Theatre on the Air.

Episode thirteen is "Eldorado." The patient in this episode traveled to the Wild West in search of fame and riches. While there he met an eccentric cowboy named The Gallant Knight, who offered to take him on a quest to find Eldorado, the mythical lost city of gold. However, after many weeks their journey failed to bear fruit, and they received a visit from a mysterious shadow. But is all really as it seems?

I really enjoyed this episode, especially because I'm responsible for its existence. Remember when I suggested the poem "Eldorado" as a possible candidate for adaption into an episode? Well, Alex listened to that suggestion, and now here we are. I actually got to read the script, and listen to this episode, before it went live. But I waited to review it til you guys could enjoy it as well.

Well, first off, I'm amazed at how well this story lent itself to being adapted into a country music ballad. Our patient begins his story by performing the poem as a song, accompanied by guitar, and what an amazingly well-done song it was. Alex said that this episode was very much inspired by the gold fever genre of westerns. He said that it just popped into his head as soon as he read the poem. It just goes to show how creative Poe Theatre on the Air is with adapting the works of Poe. It is quite the well-written episode.

Of course, it wouldn't be Poe Theatre on the Air without some sort of twist. So this is your last chance to get off before we discuss that.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

Well okay, here we go.

You ever get the feeling that the protagonist and the Gallant Knight are the same person? If so, you're absolutely correct. Oh, he went searching for gold, but Gallant Knight and the Shadow were all in his head. Now he's stuck in an endless loop repeating his story. Well, must admit that I did not see that coming. Poe Theatre on the Air certainly knows how to keep the twists coming. And all of this from a relatively short poem.

An excellent episode, and I'm glad I helped make it possible in my own way. I can't wait to see what they come up with if they adapt any of my other suggestions.

This next one isn't actually an episode of Poe Theatre on the Air. It's a two-part guest episode by The Coldharts, aka Katie Hartman and Nick Ryan. It an adaption of one of their plays titled "Edgar Allan." It follows the boarding school days of Edgar Allan Poe himself. He's high-strung, short-tempered, easily excitable, and more than a bit neurotic. Still, he believes that he is destined for greatness. His plans hit a snag when he encounters another boy who also happens to be named Edgar Allan. Despite this, the two manage to strike-up a friendship and even found their own secret society.

I should also add that this special is also an adaption of Poe's short story "William Wilson." This was a bit different, but this is to be expect. Still, different doesn't mean bad. I didn't expect songs accompanied by ukulele to work so well in a musical about Poe, but it did. And just to clarify, all of the songs great. "William Wilson" is semi-autobiographical about Poe's boarding school days in England. As such, it makes perfect sense to cut out the metaphorical middleman and just set the story during Poe's school days. The plot of the episode follows "William Wilson" closely, so I guess that's another story the writers of Poe Theatre on the Air can check off the list. The depiction of young Poe was neurotic, short-tempered, and easily excitable was amusing. Both of the actors did an excellent job.

All in all, a bit unusual, but certainly not unwelcome of a special.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program for a two-part story. Our twelfth story is "Never Bet the Devil Your Head." The inmate who weaves this tale is an obsessive author who constantly scribes away at all hours of the day. He tells of of an old acquaintance of his named Toby Dammit. Dammit is a boorish uncouth man prone to saying "I bet the devil my head..." This proves to be an especially bad habit one fateful night when he and the author travel across a covered bridge.

So, it would seem we have another humorous Poe story. As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. So, watch what you say, because you don't know who is listening. When I hear that the author's friend was named Toby Dammit, I immediately thought of those SNL sketches where Eddie Murphy would play Gumby. Specifically, Gumby as a washed-up vaudeville star who would always say "I'm Gumby, damn it!" And yes, Toby did indeed have the last name Dammit in the original short story. I thought that part one ended at the perfect moment. They get to the bridge, and then a fiesta appears out of nowhere. Took me completely by surprise, and was all the more hilarious for it.

Not too much more to add, other than it was an excellent humors story adaption.

Our next adaption is "Hop Frog." Our inmate is a ballerina named Trippetta who suffers from dwarfism. She used to perform in one of the royal courts of Europe. It was here that she met a jester who also had dwarfism named Hop Frog. At least, that's what the nobles chose to call him. After taking year of abuse, Hop Frog decided to give the nobles a taste of their own medicine. He gave them a performance that none of them would forget.

This was a story I had encountered in the past, but I remember not caring very much for it. However, I very much enjoyed Poe Theatre on the Air's adaption, so good on them for that. Of course, I should have expected nothing less, given their excellent track record. There is some element of truth in this story. Many royal courts did indeed use dwarfs as a cruel means of amusement. The Russian court was particularly notorious for this. They often held mock weddings for the dwarfs of the court, among other things.

The episode follows the original story fairly faithfully up until the ending. So, if you don't want that spoiled, turn back now.

Everyone who wants out gone? Then let's get into it.

In the original story, Hop Frog's plan goes off without a hitch, and he and Trippetta escape to their home country. In the episode, however, Hop Frog accidentally gets tangled in the rope which pulls the nobles aloft to the chandelier, and gets set on fire along with them. Trippetta is traumatized, and that's how she come into the care of Dr. Maillard's care. Well, something like that had to happen. The original ending was too happy for either of them to wind-up in the asylum.

All in all, another solid adaptation.

Our next episode is another two-parter. It is "Fall of the House of Usher." Our inmate is a man named Richard who tells of a fateful trip he took to the home of an old university friend named Roderick Usher. The Usher were once a noble and respected family, but they, and their mansion, have seen better days. Still, Roderick and his sister Madeline find ways to stay entertained. But what shall happen when Madeline unexpectedly dies?

This was another story I'd been hoping would be adapted, and it did not disappoint. I encountered this story in my eleventh grade American Literature class. I had a really awesome American Literature teacher, and she helped me appreciated this story. For that matter, she helped me appreciated pretty much everything we studied. For example, one of the details I didn't initially pick up on is why the Ushers are so sickly. It's because their family tree doesn't have many branches. That is to say, they're severely inbreed. "Fall of the House of Usher" is considered a quintessential gothic tale. It is very atmospheric, and there's a strong sense of dread and gloom, as well as death and decay, to everything.

This is the third story Poe Theater on the Air has adapted that involves premature burial. Granted, that was a fairly common theme in Poe stories. As I've mentioned, Poe had a considerable phobia of being buried alive. Still, this story does make "A Premature Burial" feel redundant in hindsight. That's not to say "A Premature Burial" was a bad episode. To the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. Still, perhaps it's slot would have been better suited to a different story?

The ending of "Fall of the House of Usher" slightly deviates from the short story. In the short story, when the house finally falls it kills both Usher siblings. This gives the title a double meaning. It literally refers to the collapse of the house. However, Roderick and Madeline were the last members of their family, so the title also refers to the end of Usher bloodline. In the episode, Madeline survives and becomes an inmate at the asylum. This is interesting, as this marks the first story to result in two people being admitted to the asylum.

All in all, "Fall of the House of Usher" was well worth the wait. Another excellent adaption.

Our final episode for this season is "The System of Doctor Goudron and Professor Plume." It's the moment you've all been waiting for. We finally get to learn more about Dr. Maillard and his staff. How did he come up with his unconventional method to cure the mentally ill? What are the rest of the staff like? Where did the good doctor get his degree from exactly? All these questions, and many more, are finally answered.

Now, there might be some confusion about the title, so let me clarify. This story is indeed an adaption of "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether." However, in 1903 there was a French play that adapted the short story. Said play was named The System of Doctor Goudron and Professor Plume. This episode draws elements from both the original short story and the play, hence the title. So, with that out of the way, let's talk about the episode itself.

Overall, it was a good episode. I'd suspected for a while that this would be how the season would end. I guesses this episode didn't quite have the punch I thought it would. We've been with Maillard since the first episode, so he's almost like an old friend at this point. I also wonder if perhaps this should have been a two-part episode to give proper closure. The pacing felt a tad rushed. Though, I don't know if there would have been enough material to expand into two episodes. The episode hits pretty much all of the major plot points of the story. I guess, I built this episode up so much in my head, that there was just no way reality could live up to my mental image.

But that all having been said, I still enjoyed the episode. We also get cameos from several characters from previous episodes. Trippetta from "Hop Frog" was one I immediately spotted. I'd also like to explain something that gets lost on modern readers of this story. It is mentioned that a disproportionate number of patients at the asylum are women. In the 19th Century, one way a man could divorce his wife was if she was declared insane and institutionalized. This was considered less embarrassing than if they divorced the usual way. Given how sexist the 19th Century legal system was, this was, this was ridiculously easy to do. The unfortunate women who found themselves in asylums often got gaslighted to the point that they went genuinely insane.

Now we get into the bit about spoilers. So, if you don't want that, turn back now. If everyone who wants out is gone, let's get into it.

If you've read the story, you'll know that the big twist was that the doctors and nurses were all actually inmates who took over the asylum. However, as previously mentioned, many of the inmates we encounter have appeared in past stories. This certainly casts an interesting new light on previous episodes. Maillard is thoroughly convinced that the patients are all genuinely insane. I, however, assumed that, barring a few notable exceptions, they were all more or less telling the truth. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if Maillard might have been onto something after all. Granted, the man we've gotten to know isn't the real Maillard, but that's beside the point.

And so that was season one of Poe Theatre on the Air. It was an excellent first season, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was very impressed by what I listened to. It will be a bit sad to leave the asylum behind. Alex said that, after nineteen episodes, he felt the show needed to go in a different direction. To that end, season two will adapt Poe's stories about the detective C. Auguste Dupin. I have full confidence in the team behind Poe Theatre on the Air, and I eagerly look forward to season two.

So there you have it. Poe Theatre on the Air is an audio drama that adapts the works of Edgar Allan Poe into a shared universe. It is an excellent podcast, and one that I happily recommend. Check it out today, you'll be glad that you did.

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