The Human Division Listen-A-Long: Episode 10: This Must Be the Place by John Scalzi

This Must Be the Place by John Scalzi (The Human Division, Ep. 10)

Read by William Dufris

Audible Frontiers

Length: 44 Min

Genre: Science Fiction

Grade: B

PREVIOUSLY ON THE HUMAN DIVISION:

Episode 9: The Observers

The Audiobookaneers Episode 8 and 9 Double Feature

Well, we’re into double digits people! It’s Week 10 of The Human Division, and that Scalzi is a tricksey bastard. I have this strange feeling that he’s lulling us into some sense of complacency, each week moving us a bit away from the overriding conspiracy, until WHAM! He gets all mythological on us. Or, I could be wrong. Also this week Dave is back, after taking a few weeks off due to some crazy made up thing like a new baby or something, our listen along host now has his priorities straight. So, let’s get to the episode.

Synopsis:

Thanksgiving Dinner

My Thoughts:

OK, OK, so, really this wasn’t actually Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving, as we all know, takes place on Earth. This holiday, Harvest Day, takes place on Phoenix, where Diplomatic Assistant Hart Schmidt must deal with his powerful family, all of whom seem to want him to drop out of the Diplomatic Corp, marry a nice girl and take up the family business which is running a whole damn planet. It was nice to learn a bit more about Hart, see a different side to him. That’s basically what this episode was… nice. Nothing really happens. When the episode ends, no real achievement has been unlocked, except for maybe Hart getting the grudging tentative respect of his father. There were no dogs electrocuted. Smart Blood wasn’t used to cook the Turkey. It seemed this episode had no purpose other than make us like Hart a bit more, which of course means HE WILL BE EATEN BY ROBOTIC SPACE BEATLES next episode.

Now, there is nothing wrong with nice. I have had many girls tell me I’m a nice guy, pat me gently on the head, then jump on the back of a motorcycle with a guy wearing a leather jacket. I like being patted on the head. It’s nice. Scalzi took a real risk here because if some of the loose ends aren’t tied up, you know someone, not me of course, will point to this episode and yell, THAT WAS JUST FILLER! WHERE’S THE BEEF SCALZI? WHERE’S THE BEEF? Now, I wouldn’t do that, but still. I liked this episode. It exists. When Scalzi does blow us away with an amazing episode, that rips our hearts out and forever changes not just the Old Man’s War Universe but how we view ourselves as humans, I will remember this one fondly, if I remember it at all.

William Dufris read this nice episode. This one was quite dialogue heavy and because of this and all the He said, she said, probably seemed a little smoother in print, but still. Dufris does well at dialogue, but truly how much variety of voice can you use in a family discussion. It was all nice and fun and pleasant, with little touches and flairs along the way, but definitely not the episode to submit for the Audie nomination. Next week’s episode is called A Problem of Proportion, so we all know that means GREAT KILLER ROBOTIC BEATLE SWARMS WITH AN APPETITE FOR DIPLOMATIC ASSISTANTS. At least, I hope it does.