BSquared
Nov 25th, 2006, 05:26 PM
The Statistics
What's it Called? Planet Retcon
What is the show's website? http://planetretcon.com/
When was the first episode produced? January 2006
How long is the average episode? Around 15 minutes
How often is an episode released? Every couple of weeks
The Review
Rumour has it that in the dim dark past, before radio only featured music popular with record companies and/or shouting talk show hosts, there was actual entertainment for people to listen to in the form of audio dramas. Writer, producer and actor Wesley Clifford has, with Planet Retcon, revived and updated this style of entertainment. Each episode of the show consists of an audio play replete with actors, sound effects and background music.
The show has several distinct series with the most prolific being Stargate Cafe: the sometimes harrowing tale of events which take place in and around a bar occupying the bottom floor of an asteroid floating near a swag of stargates somewhere in space. The constant influx of travellers in the space port provides enough scope for this series to last a long time. There are also a few standalone episodes of Planet Retcon including a time travel tale with a twist called The Hoff.
It seems to me that 99.99% of fiction in the podcasting world (including audio books) is of the science fiction or fantasy genre. As I'm apparently one of the six people in the world who likes technology and podcasts but doesn't like science fiction this is a little bit annoying. It also makes it a little difficult to review the content of a show like Planet Retcon. While I can objectively comment on the audio and production quality (generally excellent) and the ability of the actors (outstanding) I really can't say much about the quality of the story content. To me it sounds like every science fiction TV show or movie I've had the misfortune to sit through. It has spaceships and aliens and ridiculously impossible technical situations in which the planet/universe is saved at the last minute from near-certain destruction by a 'being' with heretofore hidden skills and a quirky sense of humour. I found myself getting a little lost in a couple of spots but I'm pretty confident that's due to my total lack of interest in sci-fi than to any failings on the part of the story writers.
The excellent website for the show has a blog with news and updates, an index of shows (very helpful for new listeners) and some music featured on the show available for download. There's also a fairly active forum for listeners to interact with each other and talk about all things to do with science fiction storytelling.
I like the style of the shows, the humour evident in the story telling and the way a story can be told so well without pictures and find myself fervently wishing that the same writers and actors responsible for Planet Retcon would switch to a good mystery or some other genre of fiction which doesn't involve aliens.
The Rating
Would stay subscribed and, almost always, listen right through if only I liked science fiction
Date review first published: 26 November 2006 at podcast fanatic (http://www.podcastfanatic.com/planet_retcon.html)
What's it Called? Planet Retcon
What is the show's website? http://planetretcon.com/
When was the first episode produced? January 2006
How long is the average episode? Around 15 minutes
How often is an episode released? Every couple of weeks
The Review
Rumour has it that in the dim dark past, before radio only featured music popular with record companies and/or shouting talk show hosts, there was actual entertainment for people to listen to in the form of audio dramas. Writer, producer and actor Wesley Clifford has, with Planet Retcon, revived and updated this style of entertainment. Each episode of the show consists of an audio play replete with actors, sound effects and background music.
The show has several distinct series with the most prolific being Stargate Cafe: the sometimes harrowing tale of events which take place in and around a bar occupying the bottom floor of an asteroid floating near a swag of stargates somewhere in space. The constant influx of travellers in the space port provides enough scope for this series to last a long time. There are also a few standalone episodes of Planet Retcon including a time travel tale with a twist called The Hoff.
It seems to me that 99.99% of fiction in the podcasting world (including audio books) is of the science fiction or fantasy genre. As I'm apparently one of the six people in the world who likes technology and podcasts but doesn't like science fiction this is a little bit annoying. It also makes it a little difficult to review the content of a show like Planet Retcon. While I can objectively comment on the audio and production quality (generally excellent) and the ability of the actors (outstanding) I really can't say much about the quality of the story content. To me it sounds like every science fiction TV show or movie I've had the misfortune to sit through. It has spaceships and aliens and ridiculously impossible technical situations in which the planet/universe is saved at the last minute from near-certain destruction by a 'being' with heretofore hidden skills and a quirky sense of humour. I found myself getting a little lost in a couple of spots but I'm pretty confident that's due to my total lack of interest in sci-fi than to any failings on the part of the story writers.
The excellent website for the show has a blog with news and updates, an index of shows (very helpful for new listeners) and some music featured on the show available for download. There's also a fairly active forum for listeners to interact with each other and talk about all things to do with science fiction storytelling.
I like the style of the shows, the humour evident in the story telling and the way a story can be told so well without pictures and find myself fervently wishing that the same writers and actors responsible for Planet Retcon would switch to a good mystery or some other genre of fiction which doesn't involve aliens.
The Rating
Would stay subscribed and, almost always, listen right through if only I liked science fiction
Date review first published: 26 November 2006 at podcast fanatic (http://www.podcastfanatic.com/planet_retcon.html)