Comments on: EP156: Distant Replay

By: vurnglurburnor

vurnglurburnor — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:36:12 +0000

rjzkwqbvzvsreunswell, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how’s life? hope it’s introduce branch

By: Siderite

Siderite — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:36:21 +0000

I am still in the middle of the story and so I can’t comment on the subject, but consider this: I am only listening to escape pod stories because I like Eley’s voice a lot better than most of all the others. Frankly, I can’t even listen to some other people reading the stories. But this Steve Anderson guy, reading this, is awesome!
Keep it up with the good readers, one can always stop listening to a bad story, but it would be a shame to miss a good one because of an average actor.

By: This year’s Hugo-nominated stories as podcasts (including the winner!) | MashTopic

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:27:22 +0000

[...] Distant Replay by Mike Resnick; A Small Room in Koboldtown by Michael Swanwick; [...]

By: The Fix | From the Podosphere: May 2008

The Fix | From the Podosphere: May 2008 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:43:27 +0000

[...] by continuing its now-traditional run of Hugo-nominated short fiction. Mike Resnick’s “Distant Replay” (read by Steve Anderson) is an odd time-travel story, except that what appears to be time [...]

By: BestScienceFictionStories.com » Post Topic » Distant Replay by Mike Resnick

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:20:50 +0000

[...] Or, if you enjoy listening to stories more than reading them, you can get an MP3 version of this story at Escape Pod. [...]

By: Curtis

Curtis — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:19:52 +0000

This Twilight Zone style story was very comfortable to listen to. The reader made you begin to feel like he is telling his own story! Great choice on that respect. The other thing that grabbed me was the nostalgic nature of this story. Wouldn’t we all like to be able to relive our glory days again, and this Man was given his chance to relive it in these dinners and ultimately through introducing the couple to each other. A match made in …. History?

By: psiclopz

psiclopz — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:45:22 +0000

I always love listening to stories read by Steve Anderson. It’s like listening to Tom Selleck

By: Vance M.

Vance M. — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:38:58 +0000

Great story. Sentimental yes, but nice to listen to anyways. Great voice work also, he really kept me interested. I did not have the feeling that it was really science fiction though. But, I’m still glad Escape Pod featured it.

By: tim callender (babylonpodcast)

tim callender (babylonpodcast) — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:54:46 +0000

Steve Anderson does his best William Shatner for a Resnick story that goes nowhere and does nothing.

Perhaps if there was more soul searching on the elder Walter's part, regarding why he had been hanging on to an otherwise empty life since his wife had died.

By: Sean in Hurley

Sean in Hurley — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:18:40 +0000

Though I pretty much figured out the ending halfway through, I really enjoyed this story emotionally. It made me smile. I have enjoyed all of Mike Resnick's stories that I've heard on Escapepod.

Mr. Anderson's reading was great. I especially liked his voice for the old man in the story.

By: Distant Replay « Writing Every Day

Distant Replay « Writing Every Day — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:44:57 +0000

[...] You can listen to it on Escape Pod as part of their annual reading of Hugo [...]

By: fishyswaz

fishyswaz — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:17:26 +0000

Cute, like "Story Light". "Tastes great and less filling" with no aftertaste as an added bonus. Did I enjoy the story? Not so much.

However, I really must say that Steve Anderson gave a great, and very expressive reading. Love to hear him read something with a lot more beef.

By: Audita Sum

Audita Sum — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:08:08 +0000

Like "The Big Guy," this one fell flat for me. The plot was predictable to the point of being annoying, and it just wasn't captivating at all to me. It's like Resnick is running out of original ideas or something.

I guess the premise could've been written interestingly, but this story wasn't.

By: Dave (aka Nev the Deranged)

Dave (aka Nev the Deranged) — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:16:26 +0000

@ Katherine, if you’re referring to the story about the parallel universe video store, yeah… same type of story. Except that one was a billion times more awesome than this one. Thanks for reminding me, though, I want to go listen to it again.

By: Dave (aka Nev the Deranged)

Dave (aka Nev the Deranged) — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:10:40 +0000

Man, I loathe the very concept of "love at first sight" or "soulmates" or any of the other nonsense that romantic culture would have you buy into. It's flat out harmful to society, it creates a self-reinforcing foundation of unrealistic expectations in young people and cripples them for dealing with real relationships, a state which they either must painfully drag themselves out of through a series of emotionally scarring real life experiences, or persist in clinging to long past evidence to the contrary, often resulting in abusive or at least unhappy relationships.

All that said, this was a pretty good story.

By: Mike VLC

Mike VLC — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:48:01 +0000

A great story precisely because it tells it straight. Great sci-fi story because the mechanism is secondary to the exploration of the theme. When Wells met Chekov…?

By: Hannes Engelbrecht

Hannes Engelbrecht — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:53:47 +0000

A charming story which I really enjoyed.
Some of those who precede me mention the predictability of the ending, but to be honest, I didn’t see where it was going to go until after the protagonist realised it.
I’ve plowed through gorgeously-told massive three-volume tomes only to discover that the author had absolutely no idea how to end the story.
So-called predictibility and unoriginality aside, Mike Resnick sure knows how to END a story in a satisfying way.
Thanks Steve!!

By: Mark in St. Louis

Mark in St. Louis — Sat, 10 May 2008 05:31:01 +0000

Is this story predictable? Sure. But having shared some of Walter’s life experiences, I found the words in this particular order to be most enjoyable. I also really liked Mr. Anderson’s reading of the tale.

By: Blaine Boy

Blaine Boy — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:58:47 +0000

Hurray for the Hugos and for Mr. Resnick for being one of the nominees. He’s a great writer and deserves any and all awards he receives. When you think for a second, you can see the ending coming, but it’s still an ending you want to see. Kudos to all involved. Just one question though for everyone to think over: Could this be an endless series like this, where the next Wally sets up the next couple of Wally’s and Deedee’s?

By: Iz

Iz — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:56:15 +0000

Well, from hearing Resnick talk at a convention, it sounds like he gets offered Hugos like somebody might offer you a stick of gum.

"So yeah, one night I was bored in my hotel room after a con, and cranked out the story that won me my 8th Hugo. Forgot what that one was about. This other time I wrote something on a napkin, and when I woke up the next morning, I found another Hugo in the mail."

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:23:29 +0000

It was a good story, well told. It was flawed and did indeed go a bit long, but by no means a dud.

By: Wesley

Wesley — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:42:48 +0000

I would expect a nominee to have a more compelling and fresher plot. That is not to say it wasn’t a good story. Contrary to the opinion of some others, I enjoy experiencing a story where I can sense what comes next, especially in short stories. The prose and voice was very good in this piece, exceptional. I also agree that this is speculative fiction, but in no way SF.
Speaking of speculation, I cannot help but wonder if this was nominated on the merits of a name.

By: Saltheart Foamfollower

Saltheart Foamfollower — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:10:44 +0000

Not a bad story, not a great story, but it really dragged in the middle - ok, Deirdre is exactly like DD. We get the picture, already, now stop hammering on about it and get on with the plot!

(The reader gets a thumbs up from me, btw.)

By: Sushma

Sushma — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:46:34 +0000

It was rather charming if predictable. I kept hoping it would delve deeper into the enigma of desires, our physical reality in a specific time and space, but it sort of stayed on the surface of its conceit.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:26:34 +0000

I very much enjoyed this story. I really don’t get how anyone could turn up their nose at it, but maybe this is why: I’m a girl. A very stereotypical, girl’s girl. I don’t like aliens, or robots, or very much in the way of science (I’ve never even watched Star Wars). I really do like this type of science fiction–pertaining to people, and alternate realms/history, and that ilk. I guess you don’t consider this science fiction, but the reason I first looked into Escape Pod was to try and find stories like this, stories like the ones I remember really liking as a kid. Last year’s Hugo Nominee “Impossible Dreams” is my favorite story so far, and an example of what I favor. I understand that a lot of you hard-core sf people would condescend to such a “light” type of tale, but I loved it and found it to be right up my alley.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:30:25 +0000

Maybe not the most original story I’ve ever heard but it made me laugh, not just for the unintentionally funny “You look like a wally” line! If I said that in this country the guy would probably punch me

By: Medicus Qui

Medicus Qui — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:15:11 +0000

Yeah, it’s Twilight Zoneish alright. But not like one of the good episodes like the one where Burgess Meredith is a bookwork, or the one where the little boy puts people in the cornfield, or the cookbook one; more like one of the really lame ones that telegraphs the ending from the very beginning and nothing really happens and then at the end it turns out it was all in the person’s head, or they’re dead already, or something stupid.

By: Synergy

Synergy — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:53:35 +0000

Meh, cute I guess.

By: garg

garg — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:49:29 +0000

I enjoyed this story a lot. It was simply wonderful!

By: excalibur23

excalibur23 — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:15:12 +0000

good story telling and the voice acting was good too. very twilight zoneish.

By: scatterbrain

scatterbrain — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:18:39 +0000

I don't care what genre it is: its Resnick!

That "You look like a Wally" line is unintentially funny for a Englishman like me.

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:20:05 +0000

I have to comment since I pretty much have always wanted to get the chance to go back and slap myself for my own stupidity and am equally looking for those familiar features that means a future self has found the way and the slap is coming for me. I regret lots of my past choices and think that when the credits roll at the end of my life flashing before my eyes I'll be commenting that he wasted lots of time regretting paths not taken.

Anyhow I guess that you can say that Mike' s tale hit a cord with me. The relationship I'm in right now and am truly lucky to have almost wasn't. She pretty much had to chase me and I'm the better for it, now I do not consider myself a good catch by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes I think I may just rate her if I get my crap together and be courageous for once. it is stories like this that say to me take a chance - as far as we know you only get this chance.

I hope that you are doing well and I look forward to more stories. Who know someday I may hear a story of mine read by you - that is if I ever do write one of the ideas I have .....

take care

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:35:20 +0000

I decided not to say anything last time, but...

I'm sorry to say, but it seems like Steve Anderson could kill any story he read, no matter how good it was.

His halting rhythm and pseudo-hyper-emotionalism, where every....word....carries the whiny....weight....of the world..... is exhausting. There's no variation in emotion; every tiny word has the same overbearing ponderousness. The rhythm of the story itself is sacrificed to his awkward and unnecessary pauses.

His reading is not fair to the stories he reads.

By: Hawthorne

Hawthorne — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:17:32 +0000

I liked it, not alot, but it made me smile

By: IMBruce

IMBruce — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:53:48 +0000

Ok, maybe not sci fi...but spec fic? Yeah.

Okay, now this is weird to bring up in a comment on a story dealing with "spitting images". But I think I've got a spitting image for the reader.

His voice & vocal style reminded me eerily of Stuart McLean. He's a well-known Canadian story teller. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp, our national TV & radio network) repurposes a lot of its content into podcasts. (Check iTunes.)

McLean is the host of Vinyl Cafe. It's a variety show combining stories & songs that tours & records live in towns all over Canada.

The voice, timbre & rhythm are very close. And the storytelling is great. So I hope Steve is vain enough to read comments on his work. And if others also end up checking out VC, well hey, that's cool too.

BB London, Ontario, Canada

By: Jiminy Cricket

Jiminy Cricket — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:31:08 +0000

Not only was this story boring, repetitive, and predictable, it is also seemingly lacking in any kind of purpose for/explanation of the predicament the protagonist finds himself in. Started nowhere, went nowhere, and took way too long to get there.

This is what amounts to a Hugo nomination? Cripes.

By: Sci-Fi Podcast Roundup #4 | Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

Sci-Fi Podcast Roundup #4 | Solar Flare: Science Fiction News — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:31:37 +0000

[...] Escape Pod #156 – Distant Reply, written by Mike Resnick and read by Steve Anderson . [...]

By: Storman_Norm

Storman_Norm — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:12:04 +0000

About halfway through I realized where the plot was going, but I still liked the story. I think short stories work better as escapism (Escape pod pun unintentional), not for twists and turns like a novel.

By: V

Fri, 02 May 2008 17:09:46 +0000

Predictable but lovely in a way. The older Walter's voicing was a little tiresome after a while, and I don't see his scheme working in real life.

But charming nonetheless. I admit to being a bit biased and sentimental... ( :

By: nademagnet

nademagnet — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:08:36 +0000

I felt like I was listening to an episode of the Twilight Zone.

By: Mike Wills

Mike Wills — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:59:11 +0000

Wow… what a great story.

By: Void Munashii

Void Munashii — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:41:56 +0000

My wife and I both really enjoyed this story, despite it being in no way science fiction. I did not find it to be boring at all, I actually found it to be quite a lovely (and that is the most appropriate word that comes to mind) story.

I love 'Dead Again', it's my favourite Thompson/Branagh film. I did not really see the similarities between that and this other than soulmates finding each other across time. This was no murder mystery, there was no real intrigue, and even though the ending was predictable, it was still a nice story.

By: Howie Feltersnatch

Howie Feltersnatch — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:09:02 +0000

You know how the Oscars and the Grammies reward mediocrity and banality? How no really creative or unique works get rewarded, as those judging opt for the comfort of films and music that don't bend the rules or force them to think so much? Well, it turns out the Hugos are the same way. Sheeesh, what a boring story.

This story was much, much, much better the first time I heard it...when it was called "Dead Again." (Which incidentally was an excellent movie that didn't win an Oscar.)