*Note – I listen to Escape Pod on YouTube because my household pays for YouTube Red in order to not have ads. My reviews do not consider advertisement breaks, if they exist.

980: “Peace by Piece” by Erin Cairns, narrated by Devin Martin

This is the kind of story that you feel more than anything else. The plot is negligible, the characters barely a sketch. It’s about what it means to be, and how it feels to undo your being and build yourself into something new. I like it, although if you’re looking for something more traditional, this might not be your favorite.

979: “Steadyboi After the Apocalypse” by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor, narrated by Joe Moran

In many ways, this is the “more traditional’ expansion of “Peace by Piece.” It’s another defunct-robot-repurposed-now-what story, but with more character development, more world building, more plot, and more distinct imagery. It’s also genuinely delightful, with the innocent interactions of sticker-giving growing into authentic care as the human deuteragonist matures. I’m literally going to think of this story every time my son gets a sticker at the doctor’s office, and I’m absolutely happy for that to be the case.

978: “Oak Hill Lane” by Alasdair Stuart, narrated by Sarah Griffin

My rating of “Oak Hill Lane” must come with a significant caveat. I love this story. I think it’s smart, it’s topical. I’ve said before that anyone who thinks literature should not be political is lying to themselves about all literature–including and especially science fiction. I love what this story says about the value of faith; I love what this story has to say about trust and about relationships (not just capital-L-Love).

However, the performance of this story was overwrought in a way that seriously turned me off. It’s not that the narrator did a “poor job,” either. The narrator’s voice works seems like it would be perfectly suited to . . . another story. Here, their particular flavor of voice work made the story feel forced in a way that the text did not. For me, the mismatch was too much.

976 & 977: “Reflected in Mirrored Skies” (parts 1 & 2) by Deborah L. Davitt, narrated by Ibba Armancas

This is a solid story. A homecoming, a rebellion, a murder mystery, a warning about reading terms and conditions, space pirates. All of those things manage to be part of the world for the actual story, which is . . . a bit muddy. My one real frustration with this one is that I could not tell you the rough plot immediately after listening to it. I liked the characters, the dialogue felt good, and the world was richly developed. It’s worth a listen, but maybe don’t listen to this while washing dishes.

*Also, a small note–the second part is mislabeled on YouTube. Both parts are “part 1 of 2” there, so just make sure you’re starting with the lower episode number.