Podcast Review #105: Time Stryder
originally published October 31, 2011
Title: Time Stryder
Author: J.W. Kingsley
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 23 August 2011 – 13 October 2011
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: podcast only I believe
Rating: PG for violence and mild language
TIme Stryder by J.W. Kingsley is another one of those stories I’d never heard of before seeing Evo Terra tweet that it was complete and available at Podiobooks.com. I admit, I knew I was going to subscribe almost before even reading the synopsis, because with a title like that, the story simply had to be about time travel, right? Well, being a big fan of the new Doctor Who, time travel is intriguing me more than at any other time of my life. Granted, this story wasn’t penned by S. Moffat, but I could hope for something just as good, right?
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Arthur George Edward Stryder, or George as he prefers to be called, is out of place and time, and it’s a struggle for him to keep from going out of his mind as well. He is eleven years old, and ill prepared for what lies ahead when he washes up on a beach in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, in the summer of 2011.
Alicia Henderson, who is eleven years old herself, finds George, battered, unconscious, and barely alive, and as soon as she touches his hand, a bond is formed. They find themselves adrift in time, but the places they go are oddly disconnected, and the people they see are unable to see them, yet it seems like a grand adventure nonetheless. However, the pull of reality is strong, and George must learn to adapt to his new home in our world, unable to understand how he got here.
It might seem that the strangeness is behind him, but George soon learns that there are still malicious things in the darkness, and they are hunting him. They are relentless, and they can move in and out of reality as easily as a stray thought… (stolen from podiobooks.com)
Production: The production of Time Stryder was good. There were lots of things going on and for the most part, none of them interfered for with the telling of the story. Although that would seem like a simple leap of logic, I’m always surprised when people don’t get it right. Overall, Mr. Kingsley get’s it right and each episode should provide you with nothing that will be detrimental to your ears. That begin said, I believe a good portion of the way into the story, the closing music changed, and then later changed back. To be honest, I might be wrong about this, but I don’t think so.
Grade: B
Cast: Mr. Kingsley does Time Stryder as a self read. He does an overall fine job with it too. A good number of the characters are British and he does a good British accent. However, he doesn’t do an adult female voice well. Not a huge criticism, as I would not even consider trying, but it should be noted.
Grade: B
Story: I admit, I don’t read reviews before listening to a story. Or before writing my own review. Which generally means I don’t ready very many reviews about podiobooks. I have no idea if one of the reviews mentions that this book should be billed as YA, but if it is in the description anywhere, I am sure I missed it. However, that far from makes this a bad thing in my mind. I enjoy a well written story, and by the inclusion of so many children’s stories into our heritage, I’m far from the only one. Time Stryder isn’t only about tweeners and young teenagers, it is well suited for that audience.
Grade: B+
Verdict: Even if you don’t have any young adults lounging around the house instead of working in order to provide you with an extra present for your birthday or.. ooops.. sorry… um..
Take 2
Even if you don’t have any young adults in your household, if you enjoy stories where young adults play leading roles, and if you enjoy some of the thought that always goes into a time travel story, you’ll probably enjoy Time Stryder.
Disclaimer: I do follow Mr. Kingsley on Twitter (@timestryder), but as he mentions in one outro, he really doesn’t do social media that well. (Hey, I didn’t say it!) I’ve never conversed with him, and no one paid or bribed me for this review. (I really need to get a PR department onto this remuneration thing.)
View from Valhalla 