Episode Six of Convergence (Out on the Fringe Podcast)
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 reviews of Episode One, Episode Two, Episode Three, Episode Four, Episode Five.
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.
Best line from this episode: “The main aim of terrorism is to cause terror. The psychological effects of inexplicable acts of violence can be far more devastating to the group mentality than strategic warfare. Sometimes, there is virtually no difference between the two.”.
Episode 6 was chock-full of action. Easily the most brutal and crazy episode since the first one. Hicks does not hold back. I won’t go into detail about the suicide bombing but it is real, visceral, and emotional. I understand it was needed both for the story and for the main character’s arc (without giving much away – it’s relating to his daughter).
This is easily the most “move the story to the next level” episode I’ve read yet. You can see the action ramping up and the idea that things are going to come to an explosive conclusion at some point. I love that and this is when the episodic (and being caught up) is frustrating. I want to know what happens next but I have to wait until next week. (I’m only complaining because I can, I’m really happy this is being promoted/released like this).
Baldree’s narration really picks up in this episode as well. He follows and portrays the action with the right tone, speed, and at times even anxiety. He’s an excellent voice actor and is such a gem for this story.
Overall, probably the best episode yet. Definitely gives episode one a run for its money.
Book Description:
Convergence Episode 6 by Michael Patrick Hicks
Narrator: Travis Baldree
Length: 1 hour and 5 mins
Series: Convergence #6
Published by Serial Audio on February 9th 2019
Genres: Science Fiction, Speculative 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 Two, Convergence Episode Three, Convergence Episode 3
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