Variant Frequencies
I listened to three stories from Variant Frequencies today. The most recent one was ‘Firstborn’ a tale of two angels trying to rehabilitate a fallen angel through a disturbing method. Failure follows failure and even the celestial begins to despair. This story was not read by a single narrator but a full cast of familiar voices from Farpoint media podcasts. The story intrigued me, but I found the conclusion a little unsatisfying. Any fan of Dogma or Good Omens will find this take on the supernatural worth the time.
The second was ‘See’, an abstract sci-fi scene about a sudden shift of perception. Read by the author, a Swede named A.R. Yngve, this story has a quick set-up, a satisifying exposition of the surreal circumstances the lead wakes up to, and finishes with the beginings of adaptaion. I enjoyed puzzeling out the reason for the situation, and was still suprised by its cause. I give this story high marks for writing and execution.
I did not like the third story ‘Life Sentence’. The lead character is an unlikeable thief who is in possesion of something most of us would desire more than gold. He thinks of this gift as a burden, just as he did his family before he discovered it. This is no conflicted everyman or flawed hero, but a whiney nihilist. I realise that this is only the introduction to the Amarant series, but I found it to be very slow, and with no payoff. Anyone who remembers Jon Lovitz’s ‘Mephistopheles the Devil’ on The Peoples Court will figure out the twist based on the title and tagline. I was also annoyed by the constant music under the spoke words, but that may just be a taste issue. I will give this author a second chance, but i am not hopeful.
My goal for a pocast is short stories and serials like Variant Frequencies but lighter, more fun. You know, space opera, sword and sorcery, and smart parody, that kind of stuff. If you have something you’d like to submit, email me here or post at the forums