Marc Laidlaw's "Sleepy Joe" -- sf story comic podcast about war, cable access and human bombs

This week's story on the Escape Pod sf podcast is Marc Laidlaw's "Sleepy Joe," a grimly comic, apocalyptic story about paralegals with a secret cable-access show who find themselves caring for (and kidnapping) a brainwashed war-veteran who's been turned into a human weapon. It's a marvellous story and a great reading (the story was originally published on The Infinite Matrix). Astute readers will remember Marc as a former guestblogger, a wildly imaginative sf writer, and the games-writer behind such Valve titles as Half-Life.

The plan must have come to Rog fully formed that first morning, as he stepped off the elevator into the lobby of Szilliken Sharpenwright and saw the old soldier newly stationed there in his omnichair between the potted silk ferns and the coffee tables.

"Oh. My. God. I am in love."

Megan, her arms loaded with Rog-House props and paraphernalia she hadn't had time to ditch yet, said, "You say that an awful lot for someone who styles himself completely asexual. Not to mention atheistic."

"There's no conflict! He's completely post-human!"

"Hm. You two even look a bit alike."

EP219: Sleepy Joe

Direct MP3 link

Sleepy Joe text on Infinite Matrix

[jimpenn #1 17:44 on Sat, Oct.10]

Just finished listening - great story. Definitely worth your time. I might have missed something, but I wouldn't call the story grim or apocalyptic. Lots of dark humor, though. Again - very worthy of your time.

[Talia #2 07:55 on Sun, Oct.11]

well, its grim in the sense that there are aparently lots of these spring loaded soldiers out on the streets... just waiting for something to set them off.

Imagine if those those two paralegals had wandered down there alone.

Did love the story though. Rog is a great character.