Today I would like to share one of my most recent finds: while I don’t usually listen to audiobooks because I tend to get distracted if I don’t have a page to focus on, I was looking for something to listen to – besides music – while taking a walk or doing some chores around the house, but still the kind of work that did not require the same level of commitment and attention as an average-length book.
Podcasts sounded like a good alternative, because their shorter duration would be perfect against the “threat” of distraction, so I did some research on the internet and the first one that caught my eye was this serialized SF story, now in its fourth season, set on a remote space station where humans and aliens mix. At the beginning of the story, Dr. Ryan Dalias is sent to EOS 10 as a back-up for the resident main physician, renowned Dr. Horace Urvidian, who has become a hopeless alcoholic. It’s not surprising that the first meeting of the two does not go very well, particularly considering Dr. Urvidian’s abrasive character and rough disposition – even in the rare instances when he’s sober. The main cast also includes senior nurse Jane Johns, practical and irreverent (and one wonders if the latter is the result of some time spent with Dr. Urvidian); Levi, a deposed royal who now works as a dishwasher in a restaurant, dreaming of one day regaining his former position – that is, when he does not haunt the infirmary, being a hypochondriac; and Akmazian, smuggler, terrorist, spy and probably a few other equally unsavory occupations.
This first season mainly introduces the various characters and gives us something of their backstory – mainly for Dalias and Urvidian – and shows the two slowly and very, very cautiously building a bond of mutual respect and understanding, while we learn something about the universe in which the story takes place and about the station itself. The overall tone is light and humorous, at times bending toward the farcical, as it happens in episode 4 where a close encounter with an alien aphrodisiac causes unexpected and very embarrassing consequences for Dr. Dalias. Just to give an idea of the overall flavor of this podcast, think of a cross between Star Trek: DS9 and Grey’s Anatomy, wrapped up in the delightful craziness of Galaxy Quest. This lightness however leaves enough room for more serious themes like addiction, or the tragic consequences brought on by outright refusal of traditional medicine, just to name a couple, although the balance still tends toward the whimsical.
I have quite enjoyed this first season, and not just because it kept me company as I was otherwise engaged: I am now invested in these characters and their stories, and can heartily recommend this podcast as a quick and fun intermission between more serious reading – or listening! – material.
I’ve never heard of this podcast but it sounds like a fun way to pass time, or multitask as you did! I’ll have to keep it in mind for the next time I (reluctantly) clean the house😁
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House cleaning feels like less of a drudge with some fun company like this one 😉
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Sounds fascinating. I will have to check it out.
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It’s delightfully funny so… happy listening! 🙂
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Sounds really interesting! I’ll add it to the waiting list of my PocketCast, to be tested at some point around mid-2022, probably 😉
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Too little time, too many stories – far too many…. 😀
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It’s my first time hearing about this podcast but it sounds fun! I have been listening to more and more audiobooks these past months because it’s a good way to listen to stories while doing something else so thanks for mentioning this one! I will save the name and next time I want to try a podcast, I will give it a listen! 😀
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Podcasts require less attention than audiobooks, and that’s the main reason I’m enjoying this one, since it’s not much different from a radio drama. Have fun! 🙂
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Awesome find! I’m the opposite, I usually don’t get a chance to listen to podcasts because all my time is taken up by audiobooks – but if I ever do get a chance to explore, I’ll keep this one in mind!
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A complete season is far less time consuming than an audiobook, I believe, so you might indeed “sandwich” it between books. Have fun if you do! 🙂
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I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks, but I’ve not yet tried any of the serielized fiction podcasts. It’s great to know about a good one for when I’m ready to try them. I recently stumbled across another one I might try where LeVar Burton reads short fiction by well known authors, much of which appears to be in the speculative genres.
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Oh, that’s intriguing! LeVar Burton reading short stories sounds exactly what I would enjoy!
I already found and bookmarked the site so… thanks for sharing!!!! 🙂
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Oh my, this seems amazing! I am not a fan of audiobooks either, for the same reason, and I have some problems with podcasts too, because my attention span is really short lived if we are speaking about listening. I had some luck with the Escape Pod one (that I discovered thanks to Tammy’s review of their anthology) and I have listened to two short stories that were pretty fun and interesting. But it kept me several days to listen to those, and together they weren’t more than 1 hour of audio so… I need my time with those. But I am not ready to let them go, sometimes I like the idea of them, so I would give this one a try, because I need to meet these characters!!
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I mostly listened to this first season while taking some long walks that took the place of my usual aquagym lessons now that gyms are closed, and it helped relieve the sameness of the exercise. Now that the weather is far from encouraging I still have to start on season 2, but knowing it’s there I will certainly go back to it 🙂
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This sounds pretty interesting! One of my friends is really into audio dramas and podcasts like this, I’ll have to pass this along to him. Thanks for sharing!
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You’re welcome! And yes, this is a very fun one, and it’s changing a little my view about “consuming” audio stories… 🙂
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I know I ought to listen to more podcasts and this one sounds great fun:)). Thank you for the recommendation, Maddalena.
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You’re welcome! 🙂
Each episode is quite short, never more than 20 or 25 minutes, so it’s easy to manage during a walk or some household chores…
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Sounds perfect…
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I confess I rarely listen to podcasts – but I have got into audio books recently and that’s working out well so I should save this one for a later date.
Never say never.
Lynn 😀
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Never say never indeed! Audiobooks are still something of an effort for me (and probably will never become part of my reading “diet”), but I can go easily with podcasts, and I hope you will enjoy this one 🙂
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I’ve never tried serialized podcasts and have been curious about them; it’s just hard to find a hole in my schedule for them hahah Glad to hear how good this one is though. It sure does sound promising! Thanks for sharing, Maddalena! I hope the rest of the seasons are as good as this one. 😀
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I will try to move forward shortly (Season 2 is already on my mp3 player) and keep you all appraised of how the story goes… 🙂
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