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Post by pkopp53 on Jan 3, 2017 20:24:46 GMT
Am I the only one who doesn't find these stories that interesting? I miss the audio books and full cast dramas.
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Post by barnabaslives on Jan 5, 2017 7:47:07 GMT
Am I the only one who doesn't find these stories that interesting? I miss the audio books and full cast dramas. It's hard not to be hurting for full cast audios when the last 7 of them if not more have all been particularly excellent and memorable, but I suppose that in itself comes as some consolation if it must. I'd grant you that little is more compelling than a collection of compelling characters together, but so far the story collections and the storytelling in them have been outstanding in my opinion (I have SO enjoyed both of the Trask stories read by Jerry Lacy, and others) and they seem to be providing for more memorable events to happen that might not get to happen in full cast works. Also, I'm enjoying the range of writers that's being accommodated by the story collections - not only Matthew Waterhouse and more from Rob Morris and others, but for example I'm saving Hell Wind for a particularly quiet moment since it's very special to have a story from Josette's life, but Marcy Robin is a name I'm pretty sure I've been seeing in connection with Dark Shadows for some time now, so that's also very exciting to have a story from someone with such a noted affection for the series.
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
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Post by bobod on Jan 5, 2017 9:27:38 GMT
Am I the only one who doesn't find these stories that interesting? I miss the audio books and full cast dramas. It's hard not to be hurting for full cast audios when the last 7 of them if not more have all been particularly excellent and memorable, but I suppose that in itself comes as some consolation if it must. I'd grant you that little is more compelling than a collection of compelling characters together, but so far the story collections and the storytelling in them have been outstanding in my opinion (I have SO enjoyed both of the Trask stories read by Jerry Lacy, and others) and they seem to be providing for more memorable events to happen that might not get to happen in full cast works. Also, I'm enjoying the range of writers that's being accommodated by the story collections - not only Matthew Waterhouse and more from Rob Morris and others, but for example I'm saving Hell Wind for a particularly quiet moment since it's very special to have a story from Josette's life, but Marcy Robin is a name I'm pretty sure I've been seeing in connection with Dark Shadows for some time now, so that's also very exciting to have a story from someone with such a noted affection for the series. Marcy is a co-organiser of the Dark Shadows Festivals and was lovely when I met her at the 50th Anniversary bash last year. She and Nancy Barrett were on the same lunch table as me and the other people there with Big Finish. Marcy also kindly took time out (when she had LOTS to do all weekend) to talk to me, for the CHS podcast I recorded at the event, about organising the event and writing Hell Wind.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 12:47:29 GMT
Am I the only one who doesn't find these stories that interesting? I miss the audio books and full cast dramas. Having the original cast members telling me a story - in some cases writing it as well - is something I find hugely enjoyable. I enjoy the full-cast dramas hugely, but in a different way. There is room for several types of enjoyment - it's all good; it's all Dark Shadows.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 2:27:21 GMT
The Ghost Ship by Lara Parker
This was dull as dishwater from start from finish. There wasn't much of a plot and it was felt like everything was just thrown to the wall. 5/10
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 2:30:07 GMT
A Face from the Past by Kay Stonham
This one flew on by and was a cracker of a story. Marie Wallace was absolutely amazing at narrating and giving that extra layer to Liz was executed very well indeed.9/10
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 6:00:01 GMT
Hell Wind by Marcy Robin
This was good. However it was just that, nothing amazing, but good non the less. 7/10.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 6:03:53 GMT
So in Order from best to worst, the stories are A Face from the Past 9/10 Communion 8/10 Hell Wind 7/10 The Ghost Ship 5/10
Average of the set is 7.25, but I am bumping it up an 8 as The Ghost ship dragged down the score of 3 otherwise quite good stories
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Post by silverednickle on Jan 11, 2017 20:24:38 GMT
I really enjoyed Communion, especially as a second listen. It's one I might try to make a friend of mine who's into spooky stories listen to in my eventual plot to get him into Dark Shadows.
I really enjoyed Hell Wind, but it seems to completely conflict with Angelique's Descent. While I appreciated the appearance of Angelique and using her as a foil to Josette, the timeline issue is bugging me.
Sadly the same goes for The Ghost Ship. Is this before, during, or after the Blair family resides in Collinsport? I'd be fine with this sidealong adventure, but some of the details suggest it's before their visit and others after. The story didn't draw me away from that unfortunately.
A Face from the Past was a lovely story. I know the Joe, Davey, and co have been reluctant to recast characters of passed on DS actors (unless they're significantly older or younger or there's a solid plot reason), but I think that having Marie Wallace narrate it was wonderful. We finally had some resolution to a big DS mystery in a way that I believe is respectful to the casting.
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Post by Zagreus on Jan 11, 2017 23:30:09 GMT
Sadly the same goes for The Ghost Ship. Is this before, during, or after the Blair family resides in Collinsport? I'd be fine with this sidealong adventure, but some of the details suggest it's before their visit and others after. The story didn't draw me away from that unfortunately. It takes place between episodes 555 and 556, if you squint a bit.
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Post by silverednickle on Jan 23, 2017 4:05:48 GMT
It takes place between episodes 555 and 556, if you squint a bit. I thought that works, but Nicholas seems to suggest that Angelique and he weren't working together beforehand. While Angelique wasn't always the most reliable underling, she was under him before then. Oh well, I'm trying not to let a little nuance like that ruin my Dark Shadows or I'd never get over if Vicki was in 1795, 1796, and/or 1797.
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Post by omega on Jan 23, 2017 4:49:15 GMT
I really enjoyed Hell Wind, but it seems to completely conflict with Angelique's Descent. While I appreciated the appearance of Angelique and using her as a foil to Josette, the timeline issue is bugging me. I believe that Angelique's Descent is a slightly warped version of events, the telling of which aids whatever impression Angelique wants to give off. For example, the section of the audio covering 1795 only covers anything directly related to her efforts to win Barnabas, ignoring the subplot involving Vicki and Trask that she meddled in. For all I know they may have been in the book, but I am far more familiar with the audio. From what I've read of the book, Angelique's past is read out from a diary, the ultimate means of self-serving memory and unreliable narrator, especially considering Angelique's never my fault character. The audio Final Judgement has Angelique present a slightly different take on events involving herself, Josette and Barnabas, where again the unreliable narrator trope comes into play.
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Post by barnabaslives on Jan 23, 2017 6:17:17 GMT
I believe that Angelique's Descent is a slightly warped version of events, the telling of which aids whatever impression Angelique wants to give off. For example, the section of the audio covering 1795 only covers anything directly related to her efforts to win Barnabas, ignoring the subplot involving Vicki and Trask that she meddled in. For all I know they may have been in the book, but I am far more familiar with the audio. From what I've read of the book, Angelique's past is read out from a diary, the ultimate means of self-serving memory and unreliable narrator, especially considering Angelique's never my fault character. The audio Final Judgement has Angelique present a slightly different take on events involving herself, Josette and Barnabas, where again the unreliable narrator trope comes into play. Also because it is Dark Shadows, anything that ultimately irreconcilably inconsistent to an individual can be relegated to the alternate reality of Parallel Time, which might include Lara's 4 novels, all 3 DS movies, Marilyn Ross novels, and so forth. Not that I'm suggesting doing so with Hell Wind, I actually haven't even heard yet it so talking of filing it under PT might well be extreme, just that of course with DS there is always that option if all else fails. That actually strikes me as a good suggestion to consider a possible bias on the narrator's part. I didn't actually do a consistency check on Lara's short story yet, at the time I was very caught up in it being a daring story told with poetic passion, but to me it's a very exciting prospect to have Lara writing for the Big Finish DS short stories partly because it represents an opportunity for Lara to write some Dark Shadows that might more easily belong to the main continuity of the series than her novels.
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Post by omega on Jan 23, 2017 6:33:53 GMT
I believe that Angelique's Descent is a slightly warped version of events, the telling of which aids whatever impression Angelique wants to give off. For example, the section of the audio covering 1795 only covers anything directly related to her efforts to win Barnabas, ignoring the subplot involving Vicki and Trask that she meddled in. For all I know they may have been in the book, but I am far more familiar with the audio. From what I've read of the book, Angelique's past is read out from a diary, the ultimate means of self-serving memory and unreliable narrator, especially considering Angelique's never my fault character. The audio Final Judgement has Angelique present a slightly different take on events involving herself, Josette and Barnabas, where again the unreliable narrator trope comes into play. Also because it is Dark Shadows, anything that ultimately irreconcilably inconsistent to an individual can be relegated to the alternate reality of Parallel Time, which might include Lara's 4 novels, all 3 DS movies, Marilyn Ross novels, and so forth. Not that I'm suggesting doing so with Hell Wind, I actually haven't even heard yet it so talking of filing it under PT might well be extreme, just that of course with DS there is always that option if all else fails. That actually strikes me as a good suggestion to consider a possible bias on the narrator's part. I didn't actually do a consistency check on Lara's short story yet, at the time I was very caught up in it being a daring story told with poetic passion, but to me it's a very exciting prospect to have Lara writing for the Big Finish DS short stories partly because it represents an opportunity for Lara to write some Dark Shadows that might more easily belong to the main continuity of the series than her novels. Or an effect of time travel altering events.
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bobod
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Post by bobod on Jan 23, 2017 13:14:28 GMT
I don't think the audios and Lara's books particularly marry up in general, do they?
A pendant (and an awkward one at that) might argue that since Hell Wind was written first it doesn't conflict with Angelique's Descent, Angelique's Descent conflicts with it.
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Post by Zagreus on Jan 23, 2017 16:00:49 GMT
The marry up just fairly decently, bar one or two things, which can be explained away without much difficulty. The most glaring one, recently, is the issue of Vicki's parentage, which one could handwave away to time travel if one wished. The show had enough inconsistencies within itself, so I don't get particularly bothered by inconsistencies in its extended media either.
I do prefer the "Angelique doctored her diary to get Barnabas to sympathize with her again" aspect, especially considering how the events, when we get to the parts fo the diary that we actually got to see, often overlook, truncate, or are a little different from what we witnessed, as others have noted.
Hell Wind also takes place around where the journal begins, when Angey is little and her mother is working as a healer, so not completely incongruous, if one squints a bit.
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Post by omega on Jan 23, 2017 22:43:25 GMT
I do prefer the "Angelique doctored her diary to get Barnabas to sympathize with her again" aspect, especially considering how the events, when we get to the parts fo the diary that we actually got to see, often overlook, truncate, or are a little different from what we witnessed, as others have noted. It'd be utterly brilliant if we got a story where the characters have completely different and irreconcilable accounts of the same event, but with a lighter narrative touch than Barnabas or the current villain hiding their bad deeds. Basically Dark Shadows goes Rashemon. You'll never remember it the same way each time.
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Post by Trace on Feb 7, 2017 0:31:20 GMT
So I've finally got round to listening to the first two stories! Hell Wind is a lovely, atmospheric piece with very little, if any, supernatural happenings--but engaging and scary with the claustrophobic feeling of the hurricane house, and the beginnings of a relationship (for better or worse) that forms such a basic foundation of the entire series. Plus, who doesn't love a good disaster story? Loved it.
Communion is really original and wonderful with moments of real comedy--the Trasks were ALWAYS good for that. At times I had to LOL! And I couldn't help chuckling as the lecherous Elias sneered and salivated over the physical attributes of the nubile Chastity, bouncing along on horseback!! Bravo! This one really scared me when someone other then the Allmighty (who I SHOULD HAVE expected) answers his prayers!
With a great start to the first two, I can't wait for the others! A+!!!!
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Post by Trace on Feb 12, 2017 7:57:20 GMT
Am I the only one who doesn't find these stories that interesting? I miss the audio books and full cast dramas. I've learned that I cannot get the most out of an audiobook if I am the least bit tired. So, I'll put it down, and then the next day when I'm all rested and ready to dive in, I see it in a whole new light.
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Post by Trace on Feb 12, 2017 16:47:37 GMT
Listened to the rest last night on the eve of a record-snowstorm about to bear down on us!
The Ghost Ship was a fun, sweet story about another perfect, fleeting moment in time for Angelique. It feels like another chapter of "Angelique's Descent", as it should being written by Lara! The widows and the ship add just the right amount of 'scary'...and it's fun having Lara give voice to Nicholas Blair. She writes/reads Angelique's irritation with him so well! Great story.
A Face from the Past finally gives us something many of us have waited years for...a Liz story. And this one really succeeds with a "first-love" tale, and a possible answer to an age-old question. Marie Wallace's voice is perfect for this reading, and I still feel like we could have had a Liz recast years ago--and Marie is just one person who could have done that. This is the next best thing, having a 3rd person narrator, and the resulting story is fun, wistful, and romantic. The setting at the cottage is a bonus as I pictured every moment that the characters spent there. Loved it.
Now to get ready for 16-24 inches of new snow. BLAH!!!
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