Comments about “The Failed Cities Monologues”

One of the projects that I’m currently working on is some new audio for “The Failed Cities Monologues” by Matt Wallace, I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve been recording the voices recently and then I will get started on the production end of it. The plan is for you to be able to hear it all in December. The really cool thing about The Failed Cities Monologues is the way that Matt had conceived it. This story was written to be a podcast first. Not as a book that was then podcast. When this first came out, I don’t think anyone else had done that yet. I love the way that each episode is a monologue from a different character. That allowed us to really have fun with the individual voices, and the style of each episode. Each character was done by a different actor, and each character had their own music.

Over on the Podiobooks.com site where we have “The Failed Cities Monologues” by Matt Wallace, there have been many great comments about the story. I though it would be good to share those with you.

Gregg Taylor Says:

I’ve been a big fan of these stories since their first run on the Variant Frequencies podcast, and recommend them very highly to new listeners!

Simeon Says:

I am so glad to see The Failed Cities Monologues come to Podiobooks. I was starting to worry about Rick Stringer’s bandwidth on his Dot Mac account, whenever I recommended this podcast to other people.

Matt Wallace is a very creative and imaginative writer, and this experiment in storytelling is a great showcase of his talent. I recommend that new listeners load up 2 to 4 episodes and listen to them in one day to get a sense of the narrative… At least, that is how I did it, and I got hooked.

Anton Says:

I think these are a great collection of stories! They are well written and leave you wanting more! I suggest everyone give this series a listen!

George Says:

These are pretty impressive — definitely above and beyond the general run of sci-fi. I also appreciate that they’re aimed for an adult audience.

Cisco Says:

I just listened to the 7th chapter.

The overall quality of this is truly above par for most of what I am used to reading or finding for free online. I tip my hat to the writer and performers who make this truly unique story a reality here.

Excellent job so far, this is truly a character driven story. I look forward to seeing whats to come.

Philippa Ballantine Says:

Great story- I always look forward to the episodes. The atmosphere is wonderfully dark and gritty and the characters are really well created with lots of facets. A great listen all round!

Dave Says:

Absolutely great podcast! I love how the voices of the characters have been captured so well by the actors. Great story, great pacing, great characters. Thanks!

Scott Sigler Says:

I hate Matt Wallace.

Just because I subscribe to his book on here, giving his oh-so-cool book a ratings boost, so he can then flaunt it in my face that he is superior for one shining moment, does NOT mean that I support him.

I hate you, Matt Wallace …

Bob Says:

All that I can say is “WOW!!”. I have listened to a dozen or so podcast novels and most have been very good but “The Failed Cities Monologues” is easily a step above the rest. The music, the sound effects, the characters and the story line are all fantastic. I don’t want it to end….

Chris Says:

Very dark, gritty, and noir. I can really picture this semi-post apocalyptic city and the lives there. The production quality is really amazing and gives a big bonus to the atmosphere of the story.

TiaMija Says:

A compelling story, told with great imagination, became a completely involving experience in your podcast. All aspects of your production were wonderful, but I especially enjoyed all of the great voices and the superb music! I plan to venture further into the Variant Frequencies world to hear what you have to offer. Thanks for having The Failed Cities Monologues on Podiobooks!

Oli Says:

These stories are brilliant! The writing style is great and I love the dystopian future setting. Very steam-punk and gritty. I also think the quality of the recordings, voices and incidental sounds are a cut above most other podbooks. I think it’s great hearing someone with the courage to explore other means or story telling i.e. the shifting point narrator/point of view, rather than just a straight down the line narration. I look forward to hearing and reading other contributions by Matt Wallace.

Joshua Says:

Awesome…just frickin awesome!

I have missed cyber-punk type stories….the archtypes, the settings, the gadgets…its all in there. Haven’t seen or heard of many for awhile, except Gibson….and how many times can you read Neuromancer before wanting something new. …

I am so glad you guys did this podcast. This would make one hell of a movie if done right!

Thanks and congrats on your award nominations!

TruckerRich Says:

Wow, I really enjoyed the style of writing. Eight different points of view made for an engrossing experience. I highly recommend this podibook.

Woody Says:

Excellent! Good stuff, one of the best audio books I have heard. Excellent narration, good story. Very “Frank Miller”, but in a good way. Keep up the good work!

Anadrea Says:

I can’t believe I waited so long to listen to this. I’ve heard some of Mr. Wallace’s shorts on Pseudopod and Variant Frequencies, so I shouldn’t be surprised at how well written this is, but wow! Great narration too! Thanks!

Mark Says:

This was SO much better than the Failed Vagina Monologues.

Seriuosly tho, this book was awesome. I did not want it to end!

Juuro Says:

This was a wonder-filled experience. Throughout the shifting of the viewpoints, the storyline remained visible — not too clear, but visible — and the shading from the various views only served to make the narrative all the more authentic. After all, in real life we seldom see the full picture, the complete details, the bare truth. Here, we simply came to grasp the understanding little by little, and I loved the feeling.

Moreover, I think I fell in love with Sally’s and Rev. Ethan’s voices.

Dan Says:

Read my review of TFCM here:

http://podagogue.blogspot.com/2009/07/podcast-novel-review-failed-cities.html

“Wallace is more than just a superb storyteller; he is writer of some of the best modern prose I have read or heard in a long time. He gets under his characters’ skins, and through them, under his readers’/listeners’ skins. You’ll feel him crawling around there, wishing you could scratch him out, but not really wanting to either.”

Follow the link to read the full review.

Melissa Says:

I thorougly enjoyed the story and the characters. The development wasn’t drawn out too much, but the characters did take the forefront in this story. It is a unique concept and I felt that it was executed extremely well. It kept me awake and wanting to know more about the characters. The voice acting was great as well. Thanks for a great story!

jmatheny Says:

Review of this podiobook: http://www.alterati.com/blog/?p=2281

Pinky Says:

Wow… I just finished this and I thought it was awesome.

The production quality was great with the music and sound effects, and the voice characterisations were excellent.

It was a compelling story that hooked me right from the beginning. The characters were fascinating and complex. And the prose…

Matt, you sure can write. The words just flowed, full of vivid imagery. They just rolled over me and took me along. They made the city and it’s inhabitants real. Some of the prose, especially that of the character Trucker (The Conductor), reminded me *very* much of some of Jack Kerouac’s work, particularly his novel “On The Road”. It had that same edgy, descriptive quality to it and the same type of vivid imagery.

I listen to a lot of audio books. This is one of the best I’ve heard. I look forward to a sequel.