Podcast Review #108: Asunder
originally published November 21, 2011
Title: Asunder
Author: John Mierau
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 6 September 2011 – 10 November 2011
Located: iTunes, Authors Site
Formats Available: podcast and ebook
Rating: R for violence
Mr. Mierau has turned into a drug I just can’t quit. With Asunder, Mr. Mierau has joined the rarified status of having been reviewed three times on this blog. Don’t get me wrong, I like John, but there are no free reviews here. In fact, I had two other podcasts waiting to be reviewed when I started listening to Asunder. They will continue to wait a bit longer as this review would not be put off.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Asunder is the first in a series after a war between worlds. The invaders are gone & new Orders clash as humanity rises from the ashes…but are the aliens gone for good? (Stolen from the Author’s site.. if there is a longer synopsis somewhere, I couldn’t find it.)
Production: With Asunder, Mr. Mierau has surprisingly shown growth as a podcast producer. This is really only surprising when you consider how good his podcasts all ready sounded. It is my belief that Asunder has the cleanest production of the lot and is quite impressive. There is only one issue I have with Mr. Mierau’s production at this point. And it really has nothing to do with Asunder itself. Mr. Mierau employs what I refer to as an überfeed. This, by my definition, is a single feed that contains all of his content. Many people might like this. With an author and podcaster like Mr. Mierau, I understand. However, this is my issue (and yes, this may sound a bit hypocritical considering what I do). I don’t have time to listen to much except for podiofiction these days. I have to be very careful about which interviews and shows I allow on my feed in order to complete the podcasts in time to get these reviews out. I’m not complaining. I choose to do this. However, when a podcaster utilizes an überfeed, I end up getting a lot of content I’d rather not. Yes, I can simply delete it, and I often do, however, I would encourage authors to go ahead and create a separate feed as well if they have the time. I know I’d appreciate it, and I can’t believe I would be the only one.
Grade: A-
Cast: There are few podcasters out there that do an action story self read as good as Mr. Mierau. His timing and delivery are spot on. I love listening for his strange Canadian pronunciations (just kidding) and really enjoy the rhythm he creates in his delivery (not kidding at all).
Grade: the rare A+
Story: I have no idea why someone didn’t think about doing this before. Mr. Mierau has taken the classic story, The War of the Worlds and extrapolated it out to its logical next events. With the wealth of alien technology littering the planet, surely someone is going to try to take advantage of it.
Mr. Mierau continues with the story taking place in the 1890’s. I find the incongruous effect of having a story written in an age gone by with futuristic weapons and technology to be quite interesting.
Grade: A
Verdict: If you liked The War of the Worlds (the book, not one of the many movies), I heartily suggest you give Asunder the listen it deservers. If you have never read The War of the Worlds, I still believe you could jump right into this book with little consequence. Mr. Mierau’s characters are well done and it is easy to sympathize with them. Listen. You’ll be glad you did. At least.. until the final scene. Remember, this is the first in a series. You’ve been warned.
Disclaimer: Mr. Mierau is an online friend. I’ve never met him, but I respect his writing and enjoy it greatly. We’ve done favors for each other on occasion, though nothing that included the elicit trading of Norwegian Pygmy Hedgehogs. Really. I swear. This review, however, is not a favor and was neither asked for nor delivered for remuneration of any type.
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