Podcast and Audio Drama Reviews

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The Common Descent Podcast

Genre: Nonfiction, science

Status: Ongoing

Episode length: 90-150 minutes

Series length: Over 100 episodes

Description: Welcome to Common Descent, a podcast (and blog!) about the fascinating diversity of life, past and present!

We are David Moscato and Will Harris, paleontologists and science communicators, and we love talking about fossils, evolution, and life history! Each episode of the podcast focuses on a main topic requested by our listeners, plus some discussion about recent science news. Source

Rating: 10/10

Though the episode length and number may be daunting, The Common Descent Podcast rarely feels dragged out. Each regular episode features the latest research in paleontology and evolution before moving into its main topic, which may be a group of organisms, a feature found in many organisms, a location, or a historical figure. Every topic is covered with an enthusiastic tone and enough context to be accessible to anyone; the hosts both have backgrounds in science communication and emphasize clarity in their presentation as much as possible, including bringing in guests for topics they aren’t able to fully address on their own.

Their non-regular episodes are also a great deal of fun. Their Silver Screen Science series discusses the treatment of science and scientists in movies, such as Jurassic Park and Godzilla, and Spook-E is a series dedicated to speculative evolution of pop culture and mythological creatures. Regardless of the topics, the hosts keep up a friendly rapport that keeps the flow of information from feeling like a lecture. In my opinion, Common Descent is a must-listen for anyone with even a basic interest in prehistoric life or evolution.

Fall of the House of Sunshine

Genre: Comedy, mystery, musical

Style: No narrator, full voice cast, cinematic sound design

Status: Finished

Episode length: 20-30 minutes

Series length: Over 50 episodes

Description: THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF SUNSHINE is a serialized comedy musical podcast. It was co-created by Matt Roi Berger and Jonathan A. Goldberg. Brushee Sunshine is the host of the children's' tooth cleanliness show - The Sunshine Smile Hour. But suddenly he's murdered via bullets fired through a rip in space time. Detective Dankent is called in to help solve the mystery. The suspects: Flosso, Brushee's older brother who was relegated to second banana; Braceletta, the buxom beauty with the braces on her legs and her teeth and also fiance to Brushee; Elsa, Bracletta's assistant who acts like a loyal dog. And that's only the beginning. Join us as we take an audio adventure of musical proportions. Source

Rating: 10/10

Fall of the House of Sunshine is far and away the most bizarre audio dramas I've encountered; it's also one of the best. In terms of tone, I usually liken it to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, for its off-the-wall humor and convoluted plot, elements in which can easily go unnoticed by the listener because of the baseline wackiness of its world. However, it is very difficult to describe Fall of the House of Sunshine and really do it justice. Despite appearances, there is a depth to its characters that develops over all three seasons, leading to a genuinely emotional ending. With its fast pace and abundance of detail in the world, it is eminently relistenable, with more foreshadowing and connections to notice each time, especially in the between-season Brushtown and Fuzztown Stories series, although these sadly don't include the musical component that is the star of the main show.

On the production side of things, the music, voice acting, and sound design are all fantastic and often cleverly hilarious. Unfortunately, there is practically no fan following for Fall of the House of Sunshine, at least since it wrapped up its third and final season in 2019, but anyone who is aware of the show is almost certainly enthusiastic about it.

I Am In Eskew

Genre: Horror

Style: Two diegetic narrators each relaying own story, including internal monologues; largely single-voice; minimal sound design

Status: Finished

Episode length: 20-30 minutes

Series length: 30 episodes

Description: I Am In Eskew is a horror storytelling podcast, taking place in the peculiar city of Eskew - a place of steep and winding streets, where the architecture changes at will, and the rain never stops. Our narrator is David Ward, a man apparently trapped in the bizarre and ever-changing city of Eskew. Every episode, he explores some new element of the city - or finds himself trapped by a new horror, no matter how hard he’s trying to escape. Over time, we begin to hear from Riyo, an investigator in London who’s been hired to search for David - and finds herself drawn into the weird orbit of Eskew. Source

Rating: 10/10

Review to be written

The Magnus Archives

Genre: Horror

Style: Single diegetic narrator relaying stories; largely single-voice; small core voice cast; minimal sound design

Status: Finished

Episode length: 20-30 minutes

Series length: Over 100 episodes

Description: The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team.

Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as they look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back… Source

Rating: 8/10

The Magnus Archives was my starter audio drama, which I suppose means it holds some special place in my life. The horror is compelling, as are the hints that gradually accumulate of underlying forces at play. It’s interesting for the casual listener, as each statement stands on its own, and provides enrichment for any enthusiasts of red string and spreadsheets, with many recurring names, locations, and other elements to keep track of. Despite the intricate setup, however, I found the ending of the series to be something of a letdown; the moral dilemmas that were set up in the final two seasons had less payoff than I had hoped, and the characters that had been developed throughout the show fell flat. This was likely at least partly due to the fact that the last season had to be produced during 2020, and I additionally suspect pressure from fans to focus on certain character relationships may have thrown off the tone. In general, the fifth and final season had a significantly different format and feel compared to the rest, opinion on which varies between listeners; personally, I did not find it as appealing.

Regardless, the writing in individual statements and the overall production of the show is of high quality, and it’s certainly worth a listen if you’re prepared to commit to a full 200 episodes. Because of its explosion in popularity during the release of the final season, it’s also a pillar of the current audio drama scene, and helped spawn many conventions seen in other shows, for better or for worse.

Old Gods of Appalachia

Genre: Horror, historical drama

Style: Single non-diegetic narrator relaying stories; small core voice cast; atmospheric sound design

Status: Ongoing

Episode length: 30-45 minutes

Series length: Over 50 episodes

Description: Old Gods of Appalachia is an eldritch horror fiction podcast set in an Alternate Appalachia, a world where these mountains were never meant to be inhabited. This world feels eerily similar to the hills and hollers we’ve grown up with, but there are some tell-tale differences. Names of towns and counties may be altered. Historical events slide forward or backward in time. And then, of course, there are the monsters… Source

Rating: 9/10

Old Gods of Appalachia is a fantastic anthology. Every setting is vividly portrayed, every character is unique. The array of supernatural forces at play throughout Appalachia create a tangled web of power dynamics that are fascinating to watch play out through the eyes of dozens of inhabitants, some who are familiar with the powers of the Green and the Inner Dark, some unknowing, but none of whom are aware of the full picture at any given time. Throughout each season and the show as a whole, multiple plots come together to create spectacular clashes between entities with motives that are often inscrutable, always varied. The incorporation of historical trends and events is near seamless, grounding the story and strengthening the investment of listeners. That being said, those very qualities might make it overwhelming for the casual listener not interested in keeping track of side characters who may only appear a handful of times, or the timelines of various groups’ rise and fall.

From a technical standpoint, Old Gods of Appalachia has only grown in quality since its humble beginnings with a single voice and subtle background ambiance. The musical talents it has accumulated for its many opening and closing themes are particularly noteworthy. Though it’s not quite a giant in the audio drama scene, it has an abundance of support from fans and enthusiasm in the cast.

SAYER

Genre: Sci-fi, dark comedy, horror

Style: Single diegetic narrator covering events as they happen; largely single-voice; minimal sound design

Status: Ongoing (indefinite hiatus)

Episode length: 20-30 minutes

Series length: Over 50 episodes

Description: SAYER is a narrative fiction podcast set on Earth’s man-made second moon, Typhon. The eponymous SAYER is a highly advanced, self-aware AI created to help acclimate new residents to their new lives, and their new employment with Ærolith Dynamics. Source

Rating: 9/10

SAYER is one of the more unique audio dramas I’ve encountered. It’s narrated in second person, for one, as if SAYER itself is speaking directly to you. It blends hard and soft sci-fi, gory and philosophical horror, and sarcasm and irony to create a strong impression of its near-apocalyptic world which unfolds in scope and complexity throughout the story. The dynamics between SAYER, its human residents, and the other AI characters, combined with the high-pressure environment of Ærolith Dynamics they all live under, are darkly compelling. When there is an overarching season plot, the tension builds steadily and always pays off, and the stand-alone episodes are just as enjoyable as those part of an ongoing plot. I am also impressed by the emphasis on the fact that the AI characters are entirely not human and thus find human concepts of morality and identity inadequate, which leads to many of the more interesting conflicts throughout the show.

There are some minor inconsistencies with details of the show, but it holds together remarkably well considering that there were four writers involved in the first few seasons and the unconventional timeline that the show found itself being developed along, both within and outside of the story. In terms of popularity, SAYER is past its prime, but still retains a small and dedicated fanbase, which at the time of writing has recently become more active with the upload of one of the few episodes remaining in the final season.

The Silt Verses

Genre: Horror

Style: No single narrator; includes internal monologues; full voice cast; cinematic sound design

Status: Finished

Episode length: 40-90 minutes

Series length: 46 episodes

Description: Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations amongst the reeds and the wetlands.

As their pilgrimage lengthens and the river’s mysteries deepen, the two acolytes find themselves under threat from a police manhunt, but also come into conflict with the weirder gods that have flourished in these forgotten rural territories.

This is a world where divine intervention takes place through prayer-markings scratched into stumping-posts, and offerings are left squirming to die in the flats of the delta.

This is a world of ritual, and hidden language, and sacrifice.

This is folk horror, and fantasy, and a dark road trip into the depths of unusual faith. Source

Rating: 10/10

Review to be written