Save Me from Milquetoast Political Sci-fi!

DNF after three episodes.

I really surprised myself with how much I absolutely adored Impact Winter, another Audible Original episodic audio drama about a post apocalyptic Britain with vampires, so I had a good feeling about this. Unfortunately, this is one of many political sci-fi tales on Audible that like to talk the talk, while being very weak on the actual message or taking a centre right or full conspiracy right turn (thinking of the Red Rising Trilogy that started with such promise and The Original by Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal). Whilst, not being actually offensive, as the others mentioned above are (at least up to three episodes in where I decided to DNF), Alethea goes through the motions and hits the tropes of megacorp criticism in the 'acceptable' manner you would expect from media produced by a megacorp. Predictably, renewable energy and genetically modified crops take some shallow strays in the process -- GMOs can be bad, but also have literally saved millions of lives.

The production, performances, and cheesy (complimentary) radio play writing are all good to great and if it wasn't doing this poisoning of actual serious things we need to be understanding and dealing with in real life by diluting the message and adding to the morass of centriust liberal political sci-fi that is actually dangerous in the way its insipidness will influence passive listened, I would actually be all about it. I have discovered a love for this awkward, nerdy gloriousness that is modern radio plays and want to love this, but this truly is my bugbear and where I just can't get on board.

I also want to be clear that I don't think this was created with any kind of pacifying or malicious agenda. Counter culture, anti-authority, and revolution have always been a part of genre fiction, and a sad fact of the constant shifting of the Overton Window and living steeped in capitalism, as well as the appeal of writing (and the market for selling) media about 'sticking it to the man' means more and more people are influenced or choose these tropes and framing devices without really engaging with the subject matter.

I listened to three episodes and DNF'd, so I'll say there's always a chance it goes somewhere interesting, but Brown and Sanderson have already used up my good will. ( )