I’m back yet again to finish up my look at the third issue of Translunar Travelers Lounge! This final section is title Charon Blend (Dark Chocolate Rooibos) and is described as “velvet-smooth, with a rich, complex flavor that lingers on the palate.” And the works definitely have depth, taking on the idea of stories and the shapes of traditional narratives, and challenging them. And they deal with characters who kind of thought they had things figured out...and then something happens that shatters them. That makes them re-examine the shape and trajectory of their lives. And prompts them to reach for change and affirmation. It’s a fantastic way to close what has been an amazing issue, and I’ll get right to the reviews!
The August story in GigaNotoSaurus isn’t on the long side for the publication (at just over 5000 words), but it makes up for that with a deep world building and wonderful premise. It’s familiar, using tropes that aren’t exactly brand new, but underneath the classic elements there is innovation as well. A grittiness that reveals a world of corrupt and petty gods, mercenaries putting their lives on the line, and in the middle of it all, a family just trying to live away from it all. But some things won’t stay gone, and sometimes the pull back into the web of plots and gods is too strong to ignore. It’s an action-packed, thrilling read, and I’ll get right to my review!
So when I ran a poll to see which of the Escape Artist podcasts I should add to my regular rotation, the results were...very close. As in, separated by a single vote. So while PodCastle won, Escape Pod was very much close behind, and when I crunched the numbers I found out that I can actually fit both publications into my regular reviews. So good news—I did just that! Starting this month I’m looking at the original releases from Escape Pod, and it kicks off with a compelling and compassionate look at AI and Armageddon. To the review!
