Comments on: EP212: Skinhorse Goes to Mars http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/ The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine. Each week Escape Pod delivers science fiction short stories from today's best authors. Listen today, and hear the new sound of science fiction! Tue, 08 May 2012 17:42:01 +0000 hourly 1 By: Where’s Al?-The Bigger on the Inside Edition Part 1 « Alasdair Stuart’s Blog http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13253 Where’s Al?-The Bigger on the Inside Edition Part 1 « Alasdair Stuart’s Blog Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:48:49 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13253 <p>[...] ‘Skinhorse goes to Mars’ by Jay Lake was up next, a highly entertaining combination of demented pulp invention and grounded, almost Firefly-like universe building. [...]</p> [...] ‘Skinhorse goes to Mars’ by Jay Lake was up next, a highly entertaining combination of demented pulp invention and grounded, almost Firefly-like universe building. [...]

]]> By: TicFaiTasot http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13238 TicFaiTasot Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:25:30 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13238 <p>Love reading your posts, well server!</p> Love reading your posts, well server!

]]> By: paffy12 http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13237 paffy12 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:47:03 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13237 <p>really nice story. Well put.</p> really nice story. Well put.

]]> By: Paul Fischer http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13234 Paul Fischer Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:09:13 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13234 <p>This is simply one of the best stories I've heard in a long time. The reading was awesome. You can serve me stories like this, week after week, and I'd be one happy puppy.</p> This is simply one of the best stories I’ve heard in a long time. The reading was awesome. You can serve me stories like this, week after week, and I’d be one happy puppy.

]]> By: Howie Feltersnatch http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13233 Howie Feltersnatch Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:01:08 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13233 <p>You know, just to give this story a fair shake I listened to it again, since I dozed off for some of the middle the first time around. And again, I nodded off, albeit for a shorter time, so I rewound and listened to that bit for a third time.</p> <p>And so, after finally hearing the whole thing, I still gotta say: Didn't care for it. It was a poorly constructed story that never got around to explaining itself. (Why would killing Skinhorse save Venus? How does a planet become encased in a tumor? How was combining Rabbit and Skinhorse and GATTACA going to create a new image of Earth or whatever?)</p> <p>This story would have been a lot shorter and more palatable if the author had just replaced vast swaths of pointless paragraphs with, "And then some stuff happened," and left it at that. It wouldn't be any the worse for wear, I think.</p> <p>Really, the only bright spot was the reading. Good reading, bad words.</p> You know, just to give this story a fair shake I listened to it again, since I dozed off for some of the middle the first time around. And again, I nodded off, albeit for a shorter time, so I rewound and listened to that bit for a third time.

And so, after finally hearing the whole thing, I still gotta say: Didn’t care for it. It was a poorly constructed story that never got around to explaining itself. (Why would killing Skinhorse save Venus? How does a planet become encased in a tumor? How was combining Rabbit and Skinhorse and GATTACA going to create a new image of Earth or whatever?)

This story would have been a lot shorter and more palatable if the author had just replaced vast swaths of pointless paragraphs with, “And then some stuff happened,” and left it at that. It wouldn’t be any the worse for wear, I think.

Really, the only bright spot was the reading. Good reading, bad words.

]]> By: Mike Boris http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13232 Mike Boris Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:18:52 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13232 <p>Thanks Steven.</p> Thanks Steven.

]]> By: Steven http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13231 Steven Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:41:07 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13231 <p>I'm not sure how I felt about the ending yet, but otherwise this story was very good!</p> <p>The author's style was incredible: I love the flavorful way things were described, and the way you could infer what had happened though one cowboy's extremely colorful descriptions.</p> <p>And it must be said that the narration was perfect for this story. The accent, the tone, the pacing and volume were all perfect for the setting.</p> I’m not sure how I felt about the ending yet, but otherwise this story was very good!

The author’s style was incredible: I love the flavorful way things were described, and the way you could infer what had happened though one cowboy’s extremely colorful descriptions.

And it must be said that the narration was perfect for this story. The accent, the tone, the pacing and volume were all perfect for the setting.

]]> By: Howie Feltersnatch http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13230 Howie Feltersnatch Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:28:21 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13230 <p>Hmmmm...looks like this wasn't the week for ep to get back on track with good stories either. "I went to Mars and it was filled with clones of me and that made me sad," sums up that story--of course I started dozing off during it, so maybe I missed it if something actually interesting happened. (And given that I can easily pass 30 minutes listening to the sonorous voice of Frank Key on Hooting Yard, the fact that this story bored me to sleep really says something about it.)</p> Hmmmm…looks like this wasn’t the week for ep to get back on track with good stories either. “I went to Mars and it was filled with clones of me and that made me sad,” sums up that story–of course I started dozing off during it, so maybe I missed it if something actually interesting happened. (And given that I can easily pass 30 minutes listening to the sonorous voice of Frank Key on Hooting Yard, the fact that this story bored me to sleep really says something about it.)

]]> By: scatterbrain http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13227 scatterbrain Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:16:52 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13227 <p>This was so-so for me.</p> <p>I have a love-hate-"eh?" relationship with Jay Lake; for example, "A Conspiracy of Dentists" had wonderful Gilliam-esque imagery and amusingly surreal ideas, but I had no idea what was happening nor in the end did I much care.</p> This was so-so for me.

I have a love-hate-”eh?” relationship with Jay Lake; for example, “A Conspiracy of Dentists” had wonderful Gilliam-esque imagery and amusingly surreal ideas, but I had no idea what was happening nor in the end did I much care.

]]> By: phignewton http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13209 phignewton Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:22:35 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13209 <p>yes, good story, very good story. all stories that have central characters referred to as 'rabbit' are very good stories.</p> yes, good story, very good story. all stories that have central characters referred to as ‘rabbit’ are very good stories.

]]> By: MasterThief http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13206 MasterThief Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:45:23 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13206 <ol> <li><p>"...bug-humping, vacuum-frosted, bran-lesioned crazy" = me laughing so hard on the subway people were staring at me.</p></li> <li><p>Thank you for not making this a "Lady or the Tiger" ending.</p></li> <li><p>All space cowboy stories must have Texas accents in the future.</p></li> <li><p>This story was awesome.</p></li> </ol>

  • “…bug-humping, vacuum-frosted, bran-lesioned crazy” = me laughing so hard on the subway people were staring at me.

  • Thank you for not making this a “Lady or the Tiger” ending.

  • All space cowboy stories must have Texas accents in the future.

  • This story was awesome.

    • ]]>         By: matheuu http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13204 matheuu Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:59:31 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13204 <p>great story + great reading + great site = HAPPY LISTENER. thank you</p> great story + great reading + great site = HAPPY LISTENER.
    thank you

    ]]>         By: Jay Lake: [links] Link salad has a busy Friday http://escapepod.org/2009/08/20/ep212-skinhorse-goes-to-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-13199 Jay Lake: [links] Link salad has a busy Friday Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:09:40 +0000 http://escapepod.org/?p=440#comment-13199 <p>[...] My short story “Skinhorse Goes to Mars” is live at Escape Pod — I’m quite enamored of their content rating. [...]</p> [...] My short story “Skinhorse Goes to Mars” is live at Escape Pod — I’m quite enamored of their content rating. [...]

    ]]>