Episode 19: A Lightning Tour of the After On Universe | Click to Listen
This week features a series truly fun excerpts from the After On audiobook. They are completely freestanding, in that there is no need to know the story to enjoy them. They are also spoiler-free.
"But how could this be?" you ask. All is explained in the zippy intro to the podcast, as well as below my photo, in DEATHLESS PROSE... Oh, and we'll be back to "normal episodes" next week, promise.
You can subscribe to this podcast from any podcast player by typing "After On" in the search window. If you're on an iPhone and use Apple's podcast software, just click here, If you're on a computer, click on that same link – then click the blue “View on iTunes” button (under the After On image on the left side of the page), then click “Subscribe” (in similar location) in the iTunes window.
Hey look! It's me!
Although most of the novel is in a traditional narrative form, about a quarter of it is built from unusual media types. For instance, part of the story unfolds via 20 Amazon reviews. Part is told via excerpts from a mysterious second novel (a truly dreadful one. Hopefully hilariously so). There are also posts from multiple bloggers; tweets, texts and emails; and articles that I attribute to various sources.
In this episode, the brilliant actor, comedian, and podcaster John Hodgman reads three of the Amazon reviews. Creator and star of The Guild (and all-around geek heroine) Felicia Day reads a post by an anonymous blogger named NetGrrrl. And podcasting stalwart Tom Merritt is the voice the New York Times.
You’ll also hear the single most odious press release in tech history (read by Broadway actress January LaVoy), as well as pieces attributed to the Wall Street Journal and Ars Technica (both read by voice actor Sean Kenin), and the demonically paranoid WhistleBlowings blog (read by YouTuber Jesse Cox). It’s a cavalcade of both creepiness and comedy, and I believe every snippet will provoke a laugh, a shudder, or both.