This review originally featured in The Tribune's Weekend section on December 4.
Seeking a flight of fiction? There are
a number of podcasts around the internet which offer readings of
short stories... or even longer tales. This week, we look at three.
The Wicked Library
Each week, when we pick up the
reviewer's headphones to start this column, we give a call out on
Twitter for recommended podcasts – and The Wicked Library were one
of the first to answer the call when it came to considerations for
this column. The Wicked Library is something of a podcast equivalent
to Tales From The Crypt – even with their own Librarian character
introducing the stories, similar to the TV show's Crypt Keeper. The
production values are excellent – high quality recordings, music
backing throughout the reading, artwork splashed across the site all
helping to immerse you in the stories themselves. Those stories are
well worth a listen too – they're currently running through a
repeat run of some of their greatest hits, so it's a great time to
hop aboard. My first show I listened to was The Diplomat, by Barbie
Stoeckle, a tale of humanity, zombiekind and betrayal... a delicious
shiver of a story. They also have a similar project over at
victoriaslift.com which has a Twilight Zone vibe to it. Open with
care.
Website: www.thewickedlibrary.com
Cast of Wonders
A few months back, we reviewed
Pseudopod, which is another horror podcast story site. It links arms
with other podcasts covering science fiction and fantasy in the
Escape Artists group of podcasts – and that group is to be joined
in January by Cast of Wonders, which puts the focus squarely on Young
Adult storytelling. The stories aim towards the teenage market – or
the teen at heart, with stories of trolls and fairies, spaceships and
dragons.
There's lovely attention to detail by
the site, with music setting the mood, credits duly acknowledged to
all contributors, and precision in the readings. For example, in
science fiction story The New Kid Is Not An Alien, by Bert Lowe,
reader JS Arquin turns the name of the peculiar Zaxx into a clicking
of x sounds, like the doors of the Starship Enterprise closing each
time the word is said.
There's enchantment and wonder to be
found in these stories, and a real delight for younger ears to
discover.
Website: www.castofwonders.org
Priori Podcast
If short stories are not meaty enough
for you and you want something more filling, try the Priori Podcast.
This is more of an audio play than a simple reading, with different
characters voiced by various actors through a full reading of a
fantasy novel, broken into parts. The quality of production isn't as
high to begin with, with a couple of dodgy microphones in there to
begin with that break you out of the mood at moments, but that
improves as the episodes go on. The story tells that of a woman named
Beverly on the run from The Kraken, leader of a brutal empire, and
who possesses a power that may stop him – The Priori – or may end
up serving him if she cannot escape.
The episodes vary in length quite a lot
– some are half an hour, some stretch to over an hour – but one
of the nice things is that each ends with a chat section involving
all the voice actors and contributors, in which they explore the
issues of the novel and motivations of the characters – and
speculate as to what listeners can expect next.
Got a podcast you'd like to see featured in a future review? Drop me a line in the comments or tweet me @chippychatty.
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