Comments on: Podcast Review #38: Taken Liberty – A Tale from the Arbiter Chronicles

By: odin1eye

odin1eye — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:15:03 +0000

NOW I remember. You are correct, I now remember the recommendation. I love a good dissenting conversation. I liked it okay overall, but felt that we (the listeners) were supposed to pick up with characters that might have been established previously. They didn’t feel fleshed out to me until late in the story. I would LOVE to hear more of these stories now that they’ve been introduced. And I guess that is, in a nutshell, my realization: Taken Liberty feels almost more like an episode than a stand alone story. It was good, I just wanted/expected more. Thanks for the comment and the dissension!

By: J. Daniel Sawyer

J. Daniel Sawyer — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:32:24 +0000

I’m the one that recommended it to you — naturally, along with Nobilis, I disagree with the review. Dissenting views R us!

Taken Liberty is one of the best books on Podiobooks, methinks. It’s got the feel and halmarks of a golden age science fiction story with updated sensibilities and very good depth of characterization. And, again unlike most books on Podiobooks, it is a character-driven story (yet the plot moves at a good clip). It also bears up well under repeat listening – or reading (the podcast-version is abridged — the print version of the book goes into greater depth on a number of points).

The production is professional level, single-reader. Steve Wilson does an excellent job giving individual voice to the characters and there’s none of the awkwardness with cross-gender characters that one usually finds in the semi-pro domain. It was Steve’s facility with voice differentiation that made me interested in bringing him on board Antithesis, where he plays three roles — but it’s the charm, intelligence, and fearlessness of the story that keeps me coming back to Taken Liberty from time to time for another listen or read.

I also recommend The Arbiter Chronicles series — though sometimes not as polished as Taken Liberty, they never fail to entertain, and some are very arresting. Think Star Trek with a very modern sensibility, and echoes here and there of Heinlein and Bradbury, put together by a cast that’s obviously having way too much fun for their own good.

For what it’s worth
-J. Daniel Sawyer
Author/Director of Antithesis, Sculpting God, and Down From Ten

By: odin1eye

odin1eye — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:53:21 +0000

I hope you like it Jeff. Thanks for the comment and if you try it, let me know what you think.

By: Jeffrey Hite

Jeffrey Hite — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:00:33 +0000

Well I have never read this book, but it sounds interesting. I have never been steered wrong by Odin in the past. Maybe I will have to check out Prometheus Radio to get a good feeling for it as Nobilis suggests.

By: odin1eye

odin1eye — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:30:16 +0000

great! I hope you find it to your liking and appreciate your taking the time to read and comment!

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:40:39 +0000

It’s funny. I’ve seen this cover on the main podiobooks page many times, and I always assumed (without taking the time to read the blurb) that it was the story of an abused military wife. Funny what a cover can impart. I’ll have to give it a try next time I’m looking to add to my story cue.

By: odin1eye

odin1eye — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:38:49 +0000

Thanks Nobilis! I always appreciate a dissenting view. I agree the characters were well rounded, however, I just felt I was coming in in the middle of the story. You are right however, I would have given this story a 3 out of 5 star.

By: Nobilis Reed

Nobilis Reed — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:07:31 +0000

Personally, I have to disagree with this review.

Taken Liberty was one of the first podcast novels I listened to, before I started listening to Prometheus Radio Theater, and I think it’s one of the better novels on Podiobooks. I found the universe to be an interesting twist on the “enlightened interplanetary federation” trope, and the characters were both well-grounded in that world and also entirely approachable human beings.

Personally, I’d give it four stars out of five, rather than the (implied) three that Odin gives.