Title: Number One with a Bullet
Author: Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
Genre: Action Adventure
Released: 22 November 2006 – 16 March 2007
Located: Author’s Site, iTunes
Formats Available: podcast, print

Rating: R for violence, language, sexual situations.

I recently completed a review with Richard Green’s wonderful Geek Out with Mainframe podcast, where Richard surmised that I had probably run out of my original slush pile of listened to podcasts. For the most part, I have, but there remain a couple that I listened to early on and have never reviewed. I remembered being entertained by Number One with a Bullet, so decided to relisten and give it a review.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:

When the world’s top ten hitmen compete in a last man standing, winner take all contest for over $100 million dollars, the only rule is to stay alive. And for retired assassin Johnny Dane, getting out of the business doesn’t mean getting out of the game.

Production: This story is an old one. It is one of the earlier works of podiofiction reaching all the way back to 2006. That being the case, it is a pretty good listen. The production quality is pretty high, though a bit inconsistent at times. The story so far is firmly in effect and the author includes gratuitous emails sent in praise of the story and author at the end of every ep.

Grade: B+

Cast: First time ever that I’ve had to state that this podcast is both a self read and a full cast. It starts out as a full cast and continues happily along its way, when suddenly the author begins to do a self read. One of the dangers of too much metatalk, in my opinion, is that some listeners (me included) might not end up listening all the way through and might miss reasons such as this. However, the abrupt change really throws the story for a loop.

Grade: C-

Story: A simplistic story where the hero is forced into a life left behind in order to save the love of his life. Told in present tense in the form of a [rejected] movie script. Number One with a Bullet did win a Parsec in 2007 for Best Non Speculative Novel.

Grade: D

Verdict: Back in 2006 early 2007, podcast fiction was still in its infancy. There weren’t nearly as many stories to listen to. Maybe that is what enabled me to enjoy this story at that time. However, listening to it now, it almost seems like it would work better as a parody of an action story as every scene if full of bombast. The fight and chase scenes are unbelievable, and I don’t mean that in a good way. The hand to hand combat scenes lead me to believe that author has never taken a martial arts class. The chase scene between a Porsche 911 and a Hummer are a physicists nightmare. I did recommend another story by this author, Transistor Radio. I would gladly listen to it again and wished I had rather than give Bullet another try.

Shameless plug: Don’t forget, if you send an audio comment to me at Odin1eye at viewfromvalhalla dot com, I’ll include it in the podcast version of this episode next weekend (or when I receive it). You can also leave voicemail, for this or any other story, at the Valhalla Hotline simply by calling 956-307-ODIN (6346)

Disclosure: I’ve never met Mr. Nemcoff. I don’t know if he’s on twitter. I’ve never conversed with him and I’d still take a Porsche over a Hummer any day.

Title: The Hidden Institute
Author: Brand Gamblin
Genre: Science Fiction/Alternate futuristic fantasy
Released: 6 March 2011 – 28 March 2011
Located: Author’s Site
Formats Available: podcast, ebook, dead tree
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language

So after weeks of reviewing books that I don’t remember where or when I heard about them, I find Brand Gamblin’s The Hidden Institute has been completed and though I had all ready had it on my radar, I admit to bumping it way up due to the fact that Richard Green enthusiastically recommended it. Having enjoyed Tumbler by the same author, it didn’t take much persuading on Richard’s part.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Cliffy is a child born on the streets of a Neo-Victorian world. Witnesses to a murder, he blackmails a nobleman, receiving a unique bribe. In exchange for his silence, the nobleman introduces him to the Malcolm Rutherford Holden Institute of Regentrification. There, Cliffy learns to walk, talk, and act like a nobleman, so that he may infiltrate high society. But that type of fraud is punishable by death, and when Cliffy uncovers a plot to assassinate a head of state, he’s hunted by more than just the aristocracy.

Royal intrigue, daring escapes, sub-dermal machines, and bear polo. A grand adventure in a not-so-distant world. (Stolen from Amazon.com)

Production: Although this is the second book I’ve heard by Mr. Gamblin, it is the first that was a self read. This changes the production somewhat in my mind. The production is very well done. The episodes are very nicely timed and no obvious errors were made. The music Mr. Gamblin chose is entirely appropriate for this story. However, if there is one production area I would note being bothersome, that would be the length of the musical interlude between scenes. Though I enjoyed it, it seemed very long. Of course this could have been due to the fact that I mainlined all 15 episodes in a two day period.

Grade: A

Cast: Mr. Gamblin does an excellent job in not over-selling his characters. Each character is unique and breaths with a life of his/her own without an over effusive reading. Very nicely done.

Grade: A

Story: The Hidden Institute is a unique story that is really unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. In interviews, I’ve heard Mr. Gamblin refer to it as Harry Potter meets Henry Higgins (you know, My Fair Lady? The professor chap in charge of ladyfying Ms. Doolittle?). This is a fair elevator pitch, though it is a bit darker than either of the tones recalled by those stories (yes, I know Harry gets dark, but the series doesn’t feel that way). This story is still completely young adult (13+) friendly.

Grade: A

Verdict: I enjoyed The Hidden Institute very much and I really believe you will too. Mr. Gamblin has done a remarkable job of characterization and world building. I know I’ve mentioned it somewhere before, but it is worth mentioning here again. I’m not a big fan of world building when it is obvious that is the goal. World building completed within the guise of the story, however, when done well is quite enjoyable. The Hidden Institute is proof of that.

As a final thought, the paperback is available on Mr. Gamblin’s website. That’s where I ordered it from, and you should too.

Disclosure: I do follow Brand on Twitter and I do tweet with him on occasion. I was not offered a Bear Polo season pass or anything else in exchange for this review however. Darn.

Title: House of Grey
Author: Collin Earl
Genre: Fantasy
Released: 5 September 2008 – 7 March 2010
Located: Podiobooks, iTunes
Formats Available: podcast only
Rating: PG for anime type (and referenced) violence

I have no idea who recommended this podcast to me. Whoever you are, I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you. It was recommended to me quite a while back and I simply never got around to it. Recently, I fixed that.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: 14-year-old Monson Grey faces the same challenges that any freshman high school kid would. Difficult classes, weird teachers, food fights…girls. Except Monson Grey is not Monson Grey. At least, when he looks at himself in the mirror, the scarred face staring back is not someone he recognizes. Now he finds himself attending an extraordinary school, the recipient of an incredible scholarship, among ridiculously rich classmates, and with no memory of how he got there or what to expect. As bizarre events start to unfold around him, Monson wonders what secrets lay locked in his hidden past. Add all this to a mysterious silver stone, an Indiana-Jones-copycat professor, Merlin the wizard, and even Atlantis, and you’ll find yourself in a fantastic tale in which magic does exist and everything is never as it seems. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: House of Grey does some things very well. Without getting into the cast (which comes next of course) the producers did some remarkable work with computer altered voicework. I’m usually not a fan of this, but 8 out of 10 times, they did it very, very well. There is a The Story so Far that morphs during the course of the podcast, though never becomes something I enjoyed. In the last ep there is one or two repeated lines. Occasionally, the pieced together audio sounds like exactly what it is, but as the grade shows, never quiet enough to take me out of the moment.

One final note on production. This story has some of the longest eps I’ve ever heard. Many approach an hour and several surpass, with at least one hitting two and a quarter hours of content.

Grade: B+

Cast: The House of Grey was read by Chris Snelgrove. He does a commendable job of voice inflection and personalization of each voice. Yes, even the ladies (which pay a large part). If you choose to listen, you’ll have very little trouble differentiating the characters.

Grade: A-

Story: Occasionally, it is hard for me to distinguish between the “Story” portion of these reviews and the “Verdict”. This particular story is one of the hardest for me to differentiate.

I would label House of Grey a young adult title whether the author would or not. The protagonists are all high school kids in a prestigious west coast school. The violence is much like the anime the characters are hooked on. The problems they face range from the typical high school type of problems to saving the world.

House of Grey is also a story that unwraps as you go along. I love/hate stories that I’m half way through when I’m asked, “What’s it about?” and my only answer can be, “I have no idea.” House of Grey firmly resides in this camp.

Grade: B

Verdict: I LOVED House of Grey. Seriously gang. I know not every story is for everyone, I accept that. However, this story truly resonated with me. I have no idea why. It just did. I am not claiming everything is perfect. The story is bloated. At almost 40 hours of content I’m guessing it is at least 200,000 words and would probably surpass 500 pages in mass market paperback form. I’m also guessing a good editor would probably trim at least a third. That didn’t matter to me. Mr. Snelgrove’s over enthusiastic ep intros annoyed me. That, too, didn’t matter. What it come down to was, I was so enthralled with the story that the writing issues just didn’t matter. And for me, THAT is rare.

By now, you’re probably suspecting that my verdict would be an unqualified listen. And until the last episode, you would have been correct. The last two and a half hour episode. The one that was one huge battle sequence. The one that, with 30 minutes left, you’re beginning to wonder “How is Mr. Earl going to tie this up?” And yes, the one that with three minutes left we forget about trying to tie it up and change the point of view to a highly unlikely cast member and leaves the audience completely in the dark about how ANYTHING in the story is resolved. Let me make this clear. The story does not end. If Tolkien had left us during the scene inside Mount Doom with Frodo and Smeagol wrestling, you might get the idea. I have to admit that my initial reaction to the last episode was anger. But then again, all I really paid for all of these hours of exuberant, thrilling imaginative entertainment was my time.

So, can I recommend House of Grey to you? No. Unfortunately not. I only review finished stories, and I’m sorry to say, that although this story is marked “complete” I would beg to differ. And I cannot recommend this story to you. Why? Perhaps you noticed the first ep dropped over 2.5 years ago and there is no sign of anything new on the horizon. And for the rest.. I ask you to follow me down to the disclosure.

Disclosure: As stated multiple places and multiple times, I keep my twitter feed pretty lean. If I follow you it is because I feel you add something to my stream. A couple of eps before the end, I found and followed Mr. Earl on the basis of how much I enjoyed this story. I don’t recall ever having done that before. Through a few innocuous questions, I have discovered that he is currently planning a rewrite of House of Grey (which as much as I loved it, I agree it needs) before going on book 2. This rewrite is planned to occur in 2012 with part two following sometime after.

Title: Eden
Author: Phil Rossi
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror
Released: 11 February 2009 – 16 April 2009
Located: Podiob1ooks, iTunes
Formats Available: podcast only
Rating: R for violence, adult situations

Nothing I’m listening to currently ended this week, and I wasn’t able to finish a completed story in time to review, so it was time to pull one from the vault. Having realized that I had never reviewed Mr. Rossi’s Eden, I have decided to rectify that.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: The tree is beautiful and they call her Eden. Her branches reach for the stars. She is like all other trees on planet Earth save for her enormous size. Still, she has leaves and she has bark. She turns sunlight into life. But this tree does not sprout from the dirt. Eden fills the sky, high in orbit above the blue expanse of Uranus. There she changes humanity’s very concept of extraterrestrial life. Dr. Malcolm Green is sent to Eden to audit a science team studying this extraordinary tree from the dark confines of space station Lola. But with unexplainable accidents plaguing the team, tensions are mounting between scientists and custodial staff. Is there a future for this project and Lola? Only Malcolm Green can make that call. From the second he sets foot on Lola, Malcolm’s own future becomes at stake. He soon finds that love, friendship, and his own mortality tremble like a leaf at the sound of Eden’s call. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: By the time Eden was produced, Mr. Rossi had all ready provided us with Crescent and his anthology, Notes from the Vault. Having these previous works under his belt, producing Eden was probably fairly easy for him as he follows much the same formula. As with Mr. Rossi’s other works, the audio is clean. There are limited audio effects that enhance the mood of the story. I can’t recall a single instance of being distracted from the story.

Grade: A

Cast: Eden is a straight read. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to straight read versus casted stories. I go back and forth depending on the story and/or the author. Mr. Rossi does a very good job of reading his own material and his voice seems just sly enough to be a bit creepy. Perfect for this kind of story.

Grade: A-

Story: Eden is a novella and a fairly short one at that. There isn’t a lot of character building and the story itself demands immediate suspension of belief. This is not to say Mr. Rossi does not provide motivations for his characters or back story. He does. But he is obviously sharing with us a moment of their story, not their entire story. For Rossi this is a bit different but he does it adequately and in a way that makes sense to me.

Grade: B

Verdict: I found Eden to be much like one of the better episodes of The Twilight Zone or perhaps The Outer Limits. It is short, quick to the conclusion, and maybe somewhat without a point. This is not a criticism. I quite enjoyed the shows mentioned above and I have no problem with stories/podcasts that are similar. Harvey is far and away my favorite story by Mr. Rossi. Eden is my second.

Disclosure: I have followed Mr. Rossi on Twitter for quite some time. Mr. Rossi has tweeted much less in recent times and I suspect is quite busy between his many endeavors.