Episode Two
4.5 out of 5 stars
If you’re unfamiliar with serialized fiction – it’s the idea that you take a story and separate it out into episodes – like a TV show. These are usually released on a website or as a podcast. I’ll be reviewing each episode separately as they come out to provide an episode by episode review of the story. Read my review of Episode One
Some of my reviews may contain spoilers to past episodes – I’ll try and keep that to a minimum but I can’t guarantee anything.
In episode two of Convergence, we’re introduced to the camps where our main character lives. Hicks’ description of the way that people live, the way that everything is not really safe, and the overall vibe of the camp really sets the tone. It’s gritty and right on the cusp of being “too much” (which I’m sure the characters feel every damn day). Not everyone would or could make it there (and that’s the point).
The most fascinating part of this episode in my eyes was that Hicks tells us a little more about how we go to where we are. We find out that they are in California, which the US considered a complete loss. There were attacks on Hawaii, EMPs set off in major US cities on the West Coast. It sounds like it was a complete surprise attack and caught everyone off guard.
In episode two, another character is introduced: Mesa. She’s an “older than her eighteen years” 18-year-old who has, given the statement, has had a rough life. She’s Jonah’s daughter and I feel like she’s going to have a more major part of the story in the upcoming episodes. She’s only in the story for a few moments but I have a feeling that Jonah will have to do something major to save or protect her.
Some other things that were talked about were nano-filaments (in regards to tattoos) – it sounds a little bit like having a tattoo that’s also a gif. Pretty cool idea and definitely a quick intro into some of the other mods that people can have. I know and understand that memories are going to play a major role but it’s neat to see what else people would and could do to their bodies.
Overall, episode two is an introduction to Jonah’s life, a little more into where he lives (his “home” aka “it’s not home, these are just tents”), and a description of what happened to get us to today. It flew by and definitely made me want to know more about what is going to happen with Jonah and Mesa in the upcoming episodes. The memory chips/memories part of it that we were introduced to in the first episode was only mentioned once in passing, but I know it’ll come back soon with a vengeance.
This is completely disjointed from the rest of my review/episode synopsis, but, Hicks talks about fingerling potatoes fried in bacon grease, topped with bechamel, topped with bacon and green onions and now I’m hungry. I believe it’s completely unrelated to the story but worked to make me want something for lunch now.
Check out Episode Two Here (or subscribe on other podcast apps)
Book Description:
Convergence Episode Two by Michael Patrick Hicks
Narrator: Travis Baldree
Length: 38 mins
Series: Convergence #2
Published by Serial Audio on December 12th 2018
Genres: Science Fiction
Memories are the most dangerous drug.
Jonah Everitt is a killer, an addict, and a memory thief.
After being hired to kill a ranking officer of the Pacific Rim Coalition and download his memories, Everitt finds himself caught in the crosshairs of a terror cell, a rogue military squadron, and a Chinese gangster named Alice Xie. Xie is a profiteer of street drugs, primarily DRMR, a powerful narcotic made from the memories of the dead. With his daughter, Mesa, missing in post-war Los Angeles, Everitt is forced into an uneasy alliance with Alice to find her.
Mesa’s abduction is wrapped up in the secrets of a brutal murder during the war’s early days, a murder that Alice Xie wants revenged. In order to find her, Jonah will have to sift through the memories of dead men that could destroy what little he has left.
In a city where peace is tenuous and loyalties are ever shifting, the past and the present are about to converge.
Also by this author: Revolver, From The Ashes, Mass Hysteria, ConsumptionAlso in this series: Convergence Episode One, Convergence Episode Three, Convergence Episode 3, Convergence Episode 5
- Muted (Silence Jones #10 by Erik Carter (Narrated by Gary Bennett) - December 4, 2023
- New and Notable Audiobook Releases for the Week of December 3rd on Brian’s Book Blog - December 3, 2023
- Disease X by N.J. Croft (Narrated by Joshua Saxon) - December 1, 2023
