Podcast Review #135: The Gorilla Poet
Title: The Gorilla Poet
Author: Keith Hughes
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Released: 10 October 2010 – 30 December 2010
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: podcast
Rating: R – for violence and adult situations
Keith Hughes was first reviewed on this blog with his wonderful time travel story Borrowed Time. Even after having enjoyed that story so much, I was a bit hesitant to try The Gorilla Poet. I really don’t know why. I just was. I finally decided to give it a listen in May of this year.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: What if by simply Writing a Word you could build a wall, light a fire, or cloud someone’s mind? In an environment like this Alan Porter struggles to use his talents to overthrow a totalitarian government that controls the masses by controlling Words. Access to Writing materials is restricted, and creating Verse without a license is severely punished. Raised in this atmosphere of systematic censorship, Alan heeds the irresistible call of Words to create a better world.
Now Alan gathers people who will fight with him to bring about a society based on freedom. In a war where the weapons are stylus, paper, and Words, he is the only one who can lead the battle and show the way to victory, a fight that Alan Porter wages even long after his death, because he is the Guerrilla Poet. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)
Production: Mr. Hughes does a good job of editing and producing his own podcasts. There isn’t a lot of production that is obvious, and unless you are adept at production, there really isn’t a better compliment I can think of. I like listening to podcasts like The Gorilla Poet that don’t try to impress me with anything but story. It also makes it easy to grade.
Grade: B+
Cast: Mr. Hughes does, to my knowledge, all of his stories as self reads. The Gorilla Poet was not an exception. Mr. Hughes has a reading style that is a bit unique and I suspect readers will either like it or they won’t (way to cover my bet there, eh?). For me, the style of the narration fits his stories well and I quite enjoyed it.
Grade: A
Story: The Gorilla Poet is unique among the many stories I have read or heard. That in and of itself goes a long way towards keeping my interest. Add to that it was a truly good story and that makes it a slam dunk. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have an issue or two with it. The Gorilla Poet is a story imbedded within a story. You know the kind told in flashbacks. You know, the kind that – if you’re like me- you hate. I truly believe this story could have been told as an initial story and perhaps a sequel. I’m probably a minority, but I would have preferred that. I truly do hate flashbacks. But as you can see, my personal preference holds no sway in the grade here.
Grade: A
Verdict: So, why did I wait so long to listen to The Gorilla Poet? I have no idea. I shouldn’t have. And if you haven’t listened to it yet, I recommend you rectify that. However, I do warn you, it can be a bit of an emotional ride.
Disclosure: My disclosures have changed. Although I still follow Mr. Hughes on twitter (@edgizmo) and found him to be a nice addition to my stream, I’m no longer active on twitter and haven’t had an open conversation there in over 4 months. Needless to say, I was not asked, or offered anything, for this review.
There are 6 Comments to "Podcast Review #135: The Gorilla Poet"
Good to see you back with a review.
I have this in my iPod. just need to quit skipping over it. I like Keith’s work and look forward to this. will comeback and comment further after i hear it.
again, good to see you here, my friend
(I almost left my typos in, just cause)
Thanks Thomas. Don’t know as if “I’m back” in the way I once was, but I do enjoy reviewing and you’ll see more here. That’s a promise.
Thanks for the review on this title. It hasn’t gotten the attention of the Borrowed Time novels and it’s good to see it get a little press. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
You are not the first person I’ve heard the whole flashback comment from. If I ever get this to ebook, my intention at this point is to split it up into two books. Actually, since I have a (not yet written) sequel for this in a similar format, that would turn it into 4 book series. Perhaps someday…
Well, tbh, the idea of splitting it into separate stories rather does make me interested. But again, I realize my prejudices are just my own.
And if it makes you feel better, when I was 10 I was very angry with J.R.R. for splitting the fellowship and having separate storylines.
Your thoughts on the story and the way it’s told are in line with mine. This is what I said – This is a story within a story. While the synopsis would lead you to believe that this story is all about Alan Porter, the titular poet, there is a framing device around it. I think that this story would have worked better simply as the story of Porter, told in first person perhaps, that served as a prequel for what’s going on in the “here and now” world of Trev Haroldson. The frame seems to weaken both stories a little. The villains were also more than a little two-dimensional. Still, there’s a strong dystopian sci-fi vibe with a dash of fantasy and I like the characters and end up caring about them all. That goes a long way towards smoothing over the story cracks. I also like the world he developed and how it feels one world removed from our own.
Dang Scott, maybe I should erase this review and turn it over to you. Nice succinct paraphrase of my feelings sir.