The World of Fiction Podcasts - Another Great Alternative

Because so many avid readers already regularly enjoy audiobooks, here's something a little different today.

Via a Times of London article of a couple of weeks ago, I discovered the world of fiction podcasting. The article mentioned several of the best productions from the last 5-6 years, and I can already vouch for one called Passenger List. According to the article - and it's certainly true for the one I'm listening to now - these are new productions that sound a little like some of the old radio dramas of yesterday...only better. 

Passenger List is about the loss of Atlantic Flight 702 which disappeared somewhere over the ocean between London and New York with 256 passengers and crew on board. One young woman, an American, refuses to believe that the plane that claimed her twin brother's life was knocked out of the sky by a flight of birds. She starts asking questions on both sides of the ocean, and not all the answers make sense, so she keeps digging. The story is pushed along by a series of recorded interviews, phone messages, and phone calls that the the skeptical woman persists in until, finally, she finds a helpful ally or two to help her pursue the truth.  The first season of Passenger List consists of eight episodes, each about thirty minutes in length. I'm listening to the seventh episode today, and starting to wonder if the mystery will be resolved in the current season, or if I'll have to wait for answers until the second season begins in a few weeks. (The photo, above, is of two of the podcast actors.)

Other fiction podcasts on my radar now include these - none of which I've more than briefly sampled at this point:

"Academy Award® winner Rami Malek stars in this apocalyptic thriller as a small-town radio DJ fighting to protect his family and community after the power grid goes down nationwide, upending modern civilization. BLACKOUT stars and is executive produced by Rami Malek."

"Limetown is a podcast fiction series created by Two-Up Productions that debuted on July 29, 2015 and became the number one US podcast on iTunes less than two months later. The show has drawn comparisons to the popular podcast Serial and the 1990s television show The X-Files. The series was written and directed by Zack Akers and produced by Skip Bronkie."

"WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Turn on your radio and hide."

"Wooden Overcoats - Drama Podcast and Sitcom Best of iTunes | British Podcast Awards Winner RUDYARD FUNN runs a funeral home on the island of piffling. It used to be the only one."

These are just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm sure that some of you have been aware of the genre for a few years but, as usual, I'm a little late to discover the latest thing. Access is available via most of the usual podcast apps, so depending on your operating system, go to one of the apps to see what you think. As for me, I'm hooked, so please let me know about any good ones you find.