Title: Metamor City – Making the Cut
Author: Chris Lester
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy (yes, both)
Released: 12 January 2008 – 1 May 2009
Located: iTunes, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast only at this time

One of my rules that I set for myself is that I would only review podcast novels (at least at this point). No magazines (Escape Pod etc), no non-fiction, and no story collections.

When I first started listening to Metamor City, it was a podcast that typically brought us a short story every week, or perhaps one spread over a couple of weeks. I really enjoyed the stories Chris Lester brought us, so I was excited when Chris announced he would be releasing his first book, Making the Cut, which was set in the Metamor universe, in the Metamor City podcast feed.

Just to clarify: I am NOT reviewing the series of short fiction here, I am reviewing the novel, Making the Cut.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Meet Daniel Sharabi, a teenage member of the Psi Collective who has everything going for him — everything, that is, except his telepathic talent, which is mediocre at best. As he faces graduation and his exit examinations from the prestigious Westfall Academy, Daniel’s life is about to get a whole lot more complicated… (stolen from the author’s site)

Production: The production of Metamor City is exquisite. I know it would make a more interesting review if I could rip Mr. Lester for something right out of the gate. However, it wouldn’t be truth, or even the truth of my opinion. Few podcasters are audio professionals, (with a few notable exceptions.. yes, you know whom I’m talking about) but with the open cooperation that seems to be prevalent among the fiction podcasting community, I would say that increasingly, the productions are sounding more and more professional. Metamor City has a huge cast, and yet all production techniques are exceedingly well put together. Poke: Freaking The Story So Far grrrrrrr

Cast: The cast is huge for Making the Cut and contains some very well known cast members. When I heard the roles that Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine were playing I had to pull over the car and laugh. Seriously. Why had no one else ever thought of this? Every single cast member played their part exceedingly well and Mr. Lester has a great voice for the narration as well. Very very good marks here.

Story: Mr. Lester’s Metamor City is as about as original premise as I’ve ever heard. You have a hard core science fiction future world with wizards, magic, werewolves, vampires, PSI and almost anything else you can envision. All of these are rolled together to create a world that is full of surprises and has a surprise around every corner.

Verdict: With the attention to detail that Mr. Lester has put into this podcast, and with all of the aforementioned elements that I enjoy, you would probably think I loved this podcast. I would have thought that too. However, (drum roll please) I don’t. Why? I have no idea. Seriously. Have you ever come out of a movie and everyone you were with loved it, and you can see every single one of their points, but somehow it just didn’t “do it” for you? That was Making the Cut for me. I loved all the individual elements and even can tell you the story was awesome. If you are looking for a story that is out of the ordinary, that is hard to define and breaks all the rules, while wanting a finely crafted story and excellent cast, then you really need to give Making the Cut a shot. In closure, let me simply say, while this particular story wasn’t for me, I’m still a big enough fan that I will continue to listen to Metamor City and look forward to see where it is headed next.

Disclaimer: I do not follow Mr. Lester on Twitter (@etherius), although we run in similar circles, and I really probably need to rectify this. I did not receive anything as recompense for this review, nor was I asked to make it.