Amplirecathon 2010: Five Podfics That Made Me A Believer

[sothcweden]

I never liked listening to books on tape or CD. I tried it repeatedly during the years when I had a 45 to 60 minute commute, but I continually found my thoughts drifting, driving several miles without hearing a word. I tried short fiction and non-fiction. I even spent an entire weekend listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (read by Jim Dale), thanks to tween-sitting a friend's girls. And I decided that my ears were for listening to music, not stories.

Fast-forward to February 2009. Following a list of SG-1 and SGA recs, I stumbled upon a story suggesting that I have a listen. Bwuh? I was skeptical, but I had 14 hours alone in the car coming up that weekend and there is almost nothing as boring to look at as eastern Colorado and western Kansas. And, wow! A whole new world opened up! Apparently having a prior emotional connection to the characters makes all the difference. (Two weeks after that I saw my first ep of Supernatural, making me officially poly-fannish, and therefore doubling the fic and podfic possibilities.)



Five Podfics That Made Me A Believer

Your Cowboy Days Are Over by m.(samdonne), read by general_jinjur
(SGA, Gen, rated NC-17 for language, violence, and incidental Sheppard/OFC, 5:55:51)
get mp3, get m4b

First line:They trade one of John's childhood memories and the last of the medical supplies for passage on a cargo ship, and land on Bajan in mid-winter.

This was the first podfic I ever found. It kept me awake and intent during an interminable drive, and I even got a little sniffly toward the end, which absolutely shocked me. This was recced in a previous Amplirecathon post, but I'm going to rec it for different reasons. I love the worldbuilding that m. does in this fic. Bajan is described in detail: the architecture, the weather, and the social structure. Additionally, it provides an in-depth look at John Sheppard, a character who reveals as little about himself as he can get away with, and provides a plausible backstory for how John became who he is.


-.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - .. --- -.(Connection) by mad_maudlin, read by lunate8
(SGA, Gen, rated PG, 0:35:26)
get mp3, get m4b

Summary: An accident offworld leaves Rodney feeling disconnected from the world around him.

I'm impressed with how lunate8 dealt with the use of Morse Code in her recording. How can you demonstrate the use of Morse while conveying the content in English? Her solution is elegant, and each character who "speaks" this way is easily differentiated.


Retrograde by Martha Wilson, read by kyizi
(SGA/SG-1, Gen AU, PG-13, 2:50:32)
get mp3, get m4b

Summary: The Atlantis expedition has been lost for three years. SG-1 goes to find them, and arrives just a little too late.

This story is an AU with a simple premise: Atlantis got their hands on a ZPM during their first year in Pegasus, but it was so depleted that they chose to preserve what little power it had for defense rather than depleting it completely by calling the SGC. In this story, SG-1 doesn't get to swoop in and save the day, and just because someone is from Earth doesn't mean they're automatically one of the good guys.


Hamartia by rei_c, read by leviticus_lied
(SPN, Gen, PG-13 for swearing and subtle blasphemy, 1:18:30)
get mp3, get m4b

Summary: The Game is a Stanford tradition, but Sam’s first Hallowe’en away from his family won’t just be puzzles and innocent sleeplessness. Is he hunting for clues, or is something hunting him?

I love this look at Sam and how his mind works as he tries to reconcile the life he recently left with the life he wants. His skill as a hunter serves him even at Standord, but when his old life comes calling, it throws him wildly off-balance. leviticus_lied includes an explanation of the title at the end, which helps put the entire story in perspective. Part of the Fundamental Image'verse, though this story can stand alone.

Food Porn by unreckless, read by FayJay(pandarus)
(J2, AU, rated R for language and minor het, 4:42:56)
get mp3, get m4a

Summary: Jensen’s a neurotic sous chef and his roommate Jared’s a disgruntled chef turned blogger turned author who’s just trying to finish his book. They call each other names and then they fall in love.

This podfic pretty much lives on my mp3 player. It's comfort fic for me. In this AU, Supernatural is a restaurant in Chicago, and while head chef Jeffrey Dean Morgan is off competing in Top Chef, the rest of his staff gets up to all sorts of mischief and personal drama with Jensen and Jared right in the eye of the hurricane.


And a new favorite from PodBang 2009, because I just can't resist...


I'd Drive All Night Just To Get Back Home by roque_clasique, read by riverbella
(SPN, Gen AU, not rated, 5:51:48)
get mp3, get m4b

Excerpt: The kid had used the words “a little banged up,” which, based on what he knows of the Winchester clan, most likely means “beat to all hell and barely alive to tell the tale.”

This is an AU, taking place at roughly the same time as the Pilot, but with Dean permanently injured. He's determined to keep hunting and to search for his missing father, even though he can't even walk accross the room without assistance. This is the first in roque_clasique's wonderful Drive'verse, where there are no supernatural fixes for problems, either physical or emotional. Dean has to figure out how to live with his limitations, and sometimes he copes well enough and other times he's kind of an asshole. Riverbella's reading of the story is an easy listen, and I dearly hope she continues recording the rest of the series, because I could listen to her all day long.



Thanks to the organizers and the reccers for providing me with more podfic to feed my addiction! And especially to general_jinjur for hosting the archive.

Comments

[cybel]

We're opposites in that I adore professional audiobooks. OTOH, many of my favorites I have had prior connection to: favorite authors, favorites series, etc.

I do love podfics more, of course, and I totally agree with your choices. The couple I haven't heard yet you've encouraged me to move up in my queue. :-)

[sothcweden]

I'm glad to hear that my rec has moved some up in line!