Down From Ten
By J. Daniel Sawyer
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Podcast Description
In early January, a group of friends get together for an annual retreat; eight artists, scientists, and authors cloistered together in a mansion in the mountains above Redding, California for ten days of games, conversation, exhibition, and hedonism, while isolated from the outside world. It might all have been quite pleasant, if it weren’t for the biggest California snowstorm in over twenty years. When the storm hits, the house is buried in an avalanche, leaving our heroes with no way to hike out. Instead, they must find a way to survive and stay sane while waiting for rescue - which becomes difficult when they all start having the same dream. A comedy in the tradition of The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, a romance in the tradition of Clue and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and a mystery in the tradition of Paint Your Wagon and Time Enough For Love, Down From Ten will thrill you a little, chill you a little, and tickle your fancy in ways you wouldn’t want your children to see. Begins June 20. Intended for adult audiences.
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ExplicitDealing In, ep10 pt2 | Download Subscribe Welcome to the second of several Down From Ten Feedback shows. This one is episode ten, part two of the Dealing In series of feedback shows, where I and several friends answer your emails and talk about whatever comes up. This time, I’m joined by Metamor City and Down From Ten cast member Chris Lester, New York Times Bestseller Gail Carriger, and producer/actor/cartoonist Kitty Nic’Iaian. What do we talk about? An incomplete list, in no particular order: Food Pacing Screenplays Chekov Soulless Racism and bigotry in the Victorian world Douglas Adams Thomas Mann Cultural change throughout history The Death of the Author Focault Deride Shakespeare The Royal Shakespeare Company POV characters George R.R. Martin Neal Stephenson Shakespeare Employing Symbolism in writing Tee Morris | 10/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitFixed: Dealing in 10 pt1 | For those of you who were having trouble, this should fix it. Download Subscribe | 9/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDealing In, Episode 10 pt 1 | Download Subscribe Welcome to the first of several Down From Ten Feedback shows. This one is episode eleven of the Dealing In series of feedback shows, where I and several friends answer your emails and talk about whatever comes up. This time, I’m joined by Metamor City and Down From Ten cast member Chris Lester, New York Times Bestseller Gail Carriger, and producer/actor/cartoonist Kitty NicIaian. What do we talk about? An incomplete list, in no particular order: Poirot Stargate SG-1 Sir Apropos of Nothing The Name of the Wind Stephen R. Donaldson The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Gap Cycle Cozy Mysteries Agatha Christie Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Law vs. Morality Unconventional relationship structures Stranger in a Strange Land U.S. Regionalisms and prejudices Polyamory Weekly Free Will (announcement) | 9/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 25 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 25, in which all is revealed. | 4/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 24 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 24, in which Amos gets cold. Story So Far by Gabrielle Harbowy. | 4/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 23 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 23, in which Sarah faces her fears, Katy braves the snow, and Amos states the obvious. This episode’s Story So far by Justin Macumber Enjoy! | 4/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 22 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 22, in which Sarah picks a movie, Kevin throws a pillow, and Katy finds a clue. This episode’s Story So far by Abigail Hilton Enjoy! | 4/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 21 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 21, in which Amos shows his skills, Sarah sings a song, and Katy has a dream. This episode’s Story So far by P.C. Haring. Bumper by Brian D. Clay of Kingdom Crisis. Enjoy! | 4/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 20 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 20, in which Sarah makes a discovery, Kevin does some painting, and Edelle blushes a lot. This episode’s Story So far by Chris Lester. Bumper by Jack of WNDR Radio. Enjoy! | 3/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 19 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 19, in which Katy has a secret, Kevin finds a mystery, and Kevin deals with international relations. This episode’s Story So far by actress, author, and wit extraordinaire Christiana Ellis. No aftershow this week — but lots of cool news coming in ep20 this weekend. Enjoy! | 3/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 18 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 18, in which Sarah knows the rules for life, Edelle gets a hug, and Jeremiah gets religion. This episode’s Story So far by author Blake Charlton, bumper by uberfan Mildred Cady. Enjoy! | 2/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 17 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 17, in which Kevin and Jeremiah explore the uses for Vaseline, and Gerd has a secret. Story So far by J.R. Murcodk of V&A Shipping. Enjoy! | 1/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpecial Christmas Episode Goes Live | Download Subscribe Happy Christmas, everyone! Sometime in November, new cast member Andrea Fender (playing the as yet unnamed “moon girl”) contacted Dan after her first recording session and said something along the lines of “That was fun! Let’s do some more!” Since Dan didn’t have any more of Free Will written at the time, it was decided that a holiday themed poetry reading, to be posted on Christmas eve, like a Christmas present, would be just fantastic. Which is just what they did. Directed by: Andrea Fender Performed by: Andrea Fender Dan Sawyer Works performed: The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill – Robert Service The Cremation of Sam McGee – Robert Service A Visit from St. Nicholas – Clement Clarke Moore Music used: Jingle Bells Carol of Bells Away in a Manger | 12/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 16 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 16, in which Katy teaches a class, Amos has a fan club, and Gerd gets a sore throat. Story So far by Mur Lafferty of more things than I can ever hope to name. Enjoy! | 11/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 15 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 15, in which Jeremiah gets snowed, Edelle gets curious, and Amos reveals the truth. Story So far by Jennifer Hudock of Polyamory Weekly Episode 16 coming this weekend – I hope. | 11/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitLaunchcast, ep 03 | Download Subscribe Part three of three of the live call-in show that launched Down From Ten — this one plays almost like a Reprobates Hour episode on the history of the podcast novel. A change of pace from the previous episodes, and a very interesting one. | 10/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitFree Will: The Promo | And now, I am pleased to present to you the world debut of Free Will’s promo. Book 2 in The Antithesis Progression is coming, with new music, a new cover, and more story to knock your socks off. Featuring the voices of Georg Chlentzos and Miss Kalendar Want to see the artwork? Click here (NSFW) Download Subscribe | 10/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitLaunchcast, ep 02 | Download Subscribe Part two of the live call-in show we did for the launch of Down From Ten, in which we take your calls, talk about the craft of writing and podcasting, and argue about what makes for a good story. We also take more saucy calls from listeners. | 10/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitLaunchcast, ep 01 | Download Subscribe Part one of the live call-in show we did for the launch of Down From Ten, in which Tee Morris impersonates John Woo, Chris Lester gets flogged live on mic, we learn the story of Philippa Ballantine’s questionable ancestry, and we take a number of saucy calls from listeners. | 10/21/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 14 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 14, in which Jeremiah notices, Sarah remembers, and Gerd does some heavy lifting. Story So far by Cunning Minx of Polyamory Weekly Episode 15 coming this weekend. | 10/20/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 13 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 13, in which Gerd makes a discovery, Katy makes a point, and Amos reveals a dark secret. Bumper by Brian D. Clay, author of The Kingdom Crisis. Episode 14 coming sometime in the next 5 days | 10/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 12 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 12, in which Amos has a nightmare, Jeremiah has fridge issues, and Sarah sings a song. Story So Far by Helen E. H. Madden of Heat Flash Erotica. No aftershow this week — but lots of news next time. Episode 13 coming next weekend. | 9/28/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 11 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 11, in which Sarah puts her foot down, Amos has a secret, and the shadows have an agenda. Bumper by Chooch and Viv of Into The Blender. Story So Far by Rhonda Carpenter of Podioracket and Mark of a Druid. Episode 12 coming next weekend. | 9/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 10 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 10, in which Edelle and Carol compete for the poetry prize, Amos has an opinion, and Katy has a secret. Bumper by Beq of Metamor City. Story So Far by composer Danny Schade of his own demented, but delightful, domain. Episode 11 coming this weekend. | 9/15/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitSoulless, by Gail Carriger (Audio) | Those of you who read my blog will have seen my review of Gail Carriger’s Soulless. There was something that I didn’t tell you in that review. When I read Soulless, I was so impressed with it that I offered Gail my services pro bono as a claviger…um…as a production wonk to help promote the book. Now, a month and a bit on, after much labor and much laughter, I am pleased to present all of you with the world debut of the first chapter of Gail Carriger’s Soulless in full-cast audiobook format (complete with music, soundFX, and soundscaping). This sample offers you a taste of the romp you’ll be in for when you read the book. You can pre-order Soulless from Amazon, and read Ms. Carriger’s ever-entertaining blog as well. Cast (in order of appearance) Angela Vernon as The Narrator Chris Lester as The Unexpected Vampire Miss Kalendar as Alexia Tarrabotti George Chlentzos as Lord Conal Maccon J. Daniel Sawyer as Professor Lyall Directed by J. Daniel Sawyer Produced by ArtisticWhispers Productions Download Subscribe Special thanks to Orbit Books for authorizing this experiment! | 9/10/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 9 | Download Subscribe Finally back on the air after a number of major tech problems which I’ll detail next week. And now, Episode 9, Jeremiah has a secret, in which Sarah makes a discovery, and Amos gets an irresistable urge. Bumper by Wander Wolf of WNDR Radio. Story So Far by Abbie Hilton of The Prophet of Panamindorah Podcast. Episode 10 coming this weekend. | 9/10/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 8 | Download Subscribe Finally back on the air after a number of major tech problems which I’ll detail next week. And now, Episode 8, in which Katy has an opinion, Jeremiah has a problem, and Carol has a plan. Story So Far by Miss Kalendar of Brass Needles. Episode 9 and 10 coming next weekend. | 8/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 7 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 7, in which the mirrors have minds of their own, the walls have ears, Kevin has more trouble in the bathroom, and some guns are mounted on the wall. Bumper by Gail Carriger. Story So Far by Steve Riekeberg of Geek Cred. Episode 8 coming this weekend. | 8/6/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten Promo | Download Subscribe Here is the first promo for Down From Ten. Please post it everywhere! Your podcasts, blogs, parent’s car windows, door of city hall, etc. | 7/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 6 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 6, in which the plot thickens. Episode 7 coming this weekend. | 7/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 5 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 5, in which Jeremiah finds his place, Edelle makes breakfast, Gerd and Sarah make music, Kevin fails his dress code exam, and the snows begin in earnest. Bumper by uberfan Mildred Cady. Story So Far by Chris Lester, who plays Jeremiah and is master of his own universe of . Episode 6 coming tomorrow. | 7/26/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFree Will: Sneak Preview | Download Subscribe Hello everyone — Due to circumstances beyond my control, Down From Ten is not going to be posting until next week, when we should have two episodes up. In lieu of that, I’m bringing you the much-anticipated preview for Book 2 of the Antithesis Progression: Free Will and other Compulsions | 7/20/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 4 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 4, in which Kevin takes a dip, Katy talks to a dip, Carol dances, Amos takes a walk, and the plot thickens. Bumper by Miss Kalendar of Brass Needles, who plays Sarah in Down From Ten. Story So Far by Gail Carriger. Check out Gail Carriger’s new book, Soulless at Amazon. | 7/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 3 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 3. Bumper by Mark Smith of Buffy, Between The Lines. Story So Far by Philippa Ballantine. | 7/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 2 | Download Subscribe And now, Episode 2. Bumper by Steve Reikiberg of Geek Cred, Story So Far by Kitty Nic’Iaian. | 6/28/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten, ep 1 | Download Subscribe Well, boys and girls, here it is. No fanfare, I’m saving that for a bit later. For now, just enjoy: episode 1 of Down From Ten. | 6/21/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitDown From Ten Preview | You’ve probably already seen this everywhere else, but I needed to put it up here so that I could validate the iTunes feed in advance of the release of Down From Ten. If you haven’t heard this yet, consider it a bonus. | 6/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 37 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Eight artists. Ten Days. One Dream. No Escape.
J. Daniel Sawyer's sophomore podcast novel is a jaw-dropping and mind-bending genre mashup, and a feast for the mind and the senses alike. His flair for engaging prose is put to work here at its whimsical best, deftly weaving together a deepening, unsettling mystery with elements of sex comedy, psychodrama, and even a musical stage number (the ASCAP/BMI-licensed rendition of "The Gospel of No-Name City" must be heard to be believed). The cast pulls together voice talents from around the podcast community and every one of them is in top form, thanks to Sawyer's savvy dialogue and skillful direction. With an original score from composer Danny Schade, Artistic Whispers' characteristically good effects work, and audio engineering that creates an uncanny "you-are-there" feeling, this podcast novel is a technical achievement like nothing you have ever heard before: the audiobook apotheosized.
Sawyer's story is a philosophical one in the best sense of the word. With eight intellectuals buried under ice and earnestly seeking mental diversions, he has the perfect framing narrative to explore difficult questions of life, loss, faith, purpose, and hope. It is obvious that this is an intensely personal book for the author, but the issues he grapples with are ones that every reasoning being must face sooner or later, and he examines them artfully, from multiple perspectives, without it ever becoming too preachy. In this, it resembles Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson at their best: always challenging, always engaging, and always pushing the reader to do more than passively consume a story.
This is a book that will make you think, make you laugh, and make you feel. It is the story that podcast fiction has been waiting for: a triumph that blows open the doors of convention and reveals the glorious possibilities that this format has to offer.
An engaging tour de force
One of the rare pieces of podcast fiction good enough to motivate me to donate to the author.
There are so many ways that this story can grab you, starting from the bohemian clan of characters and their relationships, to the setting of a remote home isolated under an avalanche, to eerie goings-on, to a murder mystery, to people skirting the edge of insanity, to -- well, I won't write a spoiler. The point is that up through the very end you are kept skillfully off-balance as to exactly what kind of story you're listening to. The result defies categorization other than as "captivating".
Even the tendency of the characters to engage in weighty philosophical pontification, which might otherwise become rather annoying, is forgivable given how captivating the story is.
My only complaint is that there were a bit too few clues throughout the story to lead you to the revelation of its conclusion. A perfect mystery leaves the reader/listener at the end saying "Oh, god, of course! I should have realized that!" and I didn't get there. OK... it's a 9.5, not a 10.
Yaaaaaaay!!!
Yaaaaaaay!!! ...Smart people...Sex....Fine Food.....Sex......Philosophical beatdowns.....Sex.....Good Cigars,Fine liqours and, er, uh, SEX..I am only on episode three but it seems like what every weekend at Dans house might be,, meets "The Shining" Ha!
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