After a long while, we have found a podcast to crow about. The trilogy actually began a year ago, but we've held off until now rating it. The Astreya Triology (TAT) has proven itself to be consistently entertaining and compelling. Strong work, author Seymore Hamilton! Here's his blurb:
When Astreya is 17, his widowed mother gives him his father's knife, riddling notebook and bracelet. Searching for the meaning of his strange inheritance he sails south into adventure: he endures storm at sea, betrayal, slavery, night escapes, false accusations and knife fights, but with the help of loyal friends he also begins to find love and the chance to discover his destiny.
NARRATION: The author narrates the novel solo. Mr. Hamilton does a yeoman's job of it. He possesses a rich, clear voice, and his British accent is perfect for this tale of the sea. Further, his character voices are interestingly varied and quite consistent. Again, strong work. As a solo-narration, lacking the complexity of a multiple actor production, we cannot give the full 20 points, but 18 are definitely in order.
EDITTING/TECHNICAL: As we have stressed in the past, this is a tough catagoury. There are so many professional-level production efferts that it is hard to shine in this sky. That said, TAT is nicely done. There are a few gaffs, missed-edits, and stutters, but not enough to detract from the stroy. Plain and simple, but well executed. We dispense 16 points here.
ORIGINALITY OF STORY: TAT is a pleasant tale, but it does hold to several estabished, perchance worn, themes. The, in our vaunted opinion, overused monomyth, or hero's journey format is central to TAT. Also, TAT is a rather straightforward coming-of-age story. There is more than a little Peter Pan, Master and Commander, and Horatio Hornblower than we'd have liked to see. However, that negative said, TAT is certainly compelling enough to hold the listener's/reader's interest through several installments. We will cut 14 points from the pie-of-originality for TAT.
QUALITY OF WRITING: As frequent flyers on this airline/blog know, this is our pet peeve, our soapbox upon which we bellow, perchance sanctimoniously. To this end, overall, TAT is well written. The plot, as alluded to above, is maybe a bit too predictable. The characters are, however, well constructed and consistent. Above all, the good-guys are likable and the bad-guys are despicable. This is a good thing. The hero, maybe, overthink matters and he needs, definitely, to kiss the girl a little sooner, and with a bit less angst, but these are tolerable. There are plot flaws which detract, such as why on earth Gar didin't get off the scaffolding sooner or tell Astryea more, sooner. Maybe Gar, like us, procrastinates to a fault. All-in-all, we will award 14 points for the writing itself.
WOW FACTOR: TAT certainly has one. Mr. Hamilton's knowledge of the sea, of sailing, and his ability to convey it meaningfully is a real plus. We could, at times, smell the salt air. We grant 10 points for wowing us so.
TOTAL: TAT racks up a total of 72 points, a very good score. We can, without reservation, recommend it to you, the consuming public. We look forward to more winners from Mr. Hamilton.
for further info; http://seymourhamilton.com/?page_id=15
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