Podcast Review #68: Lost Gods
originally published February 14, 2011
Title: Lost Gods
Author: Drew Beatty
Genre: Fantasy
Released: 31 December 2008 – 5 May 2009
Located: Podiobooks, iTunes
Formats Available: podcast and ebook
Rating: PG-13 for violence
Almost a year ago I put out a call for suggestions. Our friend Dan Rabarts suggested Mr. Beatty’s Lost Gods. As I usually do in such cases, I favorited the suggestion so I could come back to it in the future and then forgot about it. Recently I ran out of podcasts that were ready for a review, so I checked my favorites and rediscovered this suggestion. So, a year later, here we are.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Kweku Anansi is just another member of the African diaspora, trying to make a place for himself in his adopted home of Toronto, Canada. He dreams of better days, of a time when he could be stop running small time cons just to make the rent. He dreams of the life he used to live, centuries ago when he was revered as a god.
A chance encounter with a fellow con man with a dark and secretive past of his own, plunges them both into the dark world of the lost gods, gods who would do anything to be worshipped again. Including destroying the world, if necessary.
How far will Anansi go to reclaim his godhood? What will he give up to have true power again? The answers can be found in “Lost Gods”. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)
Production: As with many “legacy” podcasts, Lost Gods suffers a bit from the era in which it was created. I mean, this podcast is almost three years old. Still, the quality holds up well and this story is easy to listen to. None of the production elements get in the way except for (wait for it) The Story So Far. Yes, I know, I beat this device and my disdain for it into the ground early on in these reviews. I haven’t mentioned it in a long time and do so here only because while listening to Lost Gods, it occurred to me how long it has been since I have heard a traditional TSSF being used. I am happy to note that it seems that many authors have discontinued their use.
The only other production note worth making is that, once again, the author has missed his edit marks and left too many occurrences of flubbed lines in the final product. While I can easily see how this might happen, it does take me out of the moment and makes the story less enjoyable by doing so. In order to receive an A rating, only one example of this will be allowed. Unfortunately Lost Gods has many more than one occurrence.
Grade: B
Cast: Lost Gods is an author read straight read. Mr. Beatty does a decent job of differentiating his characters through the use of vocal intonation and accents, so it is easy to tell whom is speaking in almost all situations. My only issue with the read was the characters delivery of lines in a “sing song” way of talking. While this is simply a personal reflection, it was quite distracting and repetitively made me switch off the story for a break from these vocal patterns. Sing song is probably not nearly the best way to describe it, but I am, at the moment, at a loss to describe it any other way.
Grade: C
Story: A story built on the mythos of a multitude of old gods? Is it any wonder that I might find this interesting? I did enjoy this story and the modern characterizations of a pantheon of gods from different mythos and time periods. The idea that these gods are among us in human form is not new, but Mr. Beatty’s take on this trope is interesting and not something I’ve come across before.
Grade: B
Verdict: Quite simply, I liked this story. It wasn’t the most philosophical or deep story I’ve ever read, but it was fun and enjoyable. I recommend it for what it is: a story based on multiple mythologies of gods from different eras.
Disclosure: I do not follow Mr. Beatty on Twitter and I don’t believe he follows me. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a discussion with him.
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