Friday Fiction: Blue Sky World
Ever stared outside your window, thinking about all manner of things? What if that sky could invite you to stay for a while?
By Brandon Scott on Sep 1st, 2023
Ever stared outside your window, thinking about all manner of things? What if that sky could invite you to stay for a while?
By Brandon Scott on Aug 30th, 2023
Let’s get this out of the way because I’m going to be typing it a lot: The Circle of Ter-ROAR is a silly name for a book. Be Careful What You Wish Fur is at least a clean word change—“The Circle of Terror” would’ve been fine. But, oh well. This is, as far as I can tell, the last in the Disney Chills series, and it may as well end on the worst of the puns.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 28th, 2023
Alba Salix, Royal Physician is such a departure from most podcasts I’ve come across in my career as a critic. It’s basically a cartoon but in an audio-only format. Each of the first three episodes is an isolated, silly situation with very little seeding for any future plots. It’s episodic, is what I’m saying—the point is to be a fun distraction and to make you laugh.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 25th, 2023
When I walked back into the room, I understood—in one horrible moment—what the bug symbol on The Phobia Box meant. Even almost a decade later, I still kick myself for not realizing it sooner.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 23rd, 2023
Weeping Cedars promised in its description to be a slow burn. And they weren’t kidding. The first three entries have a glacial pace, relying on their other strengths to carry the listener through. Basically, not a lot has happened yet.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 21st, 2023
Pseudopod is a juggernaut of horror podcasting, serving up stories at such a consistent pace that it’s now at 879 episodes (at time of writing). If you like horror even a little, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll find something amazing.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 18th, 2023
Today, a very different story than we’ve had in a while. There are no monsters, no horrible revelations. And certainly nothing creeping out of the night. This is a story of two people on a date, one leading the other.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 16th, 2023
The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Morality is, for one thing, the piece of media with the longest title I’ve possibly ever reviewed. It’s also a podcast series with a premise I love. Though I have no idea how well Warehouse 13 holds up in quality or how well it has aged with its content since 2009, I used to be a massive fan of that series, and The Mistholme Museum feels like its cousin.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 14th, 2023
The Domestic Life of Anthony Todd puts me in an interesting conundrum. The early episodes have a negative quality that, as the story continues, turns out to be intentional and basically a plot point. But that didn’t make the first few episodes not annoying for its inclusion. Mulling it over almost becomes a question of artistic intent over general podcasting practices. Is it a good inclusion if it serves the story but risks the impatient listener simply bouncing off?
By Brandon Scott on Aug 11th, 2023
The next day, when I stepped outside my apartment to get my mail, a large box was sitting off to the side of my door. I stared at it for maybe an entire minute.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 9th, 2023
Unwell is a somewhat enigmatic listening experience, and I mean that complimentary. Unlike The Cellar Letters or even the much better The Storage Papers horror podcasts, the mysteries in this series are intriguing. It doesn’t feel like the answers to the proposed questions were only vaguely defined before the story began. This feels planned.
By Brandon Scott on Aug 7th, 2023
Time for the second, much more powerful of the Historic Brawl decks I promised: Elf Ball. A deck that seeks to overrun the opponent with lots of creatures pumped to absurd power by Craterhoof Behemoth.