The Failed Cities Monologues
In a hardboiled dystopian future, one major American city has been divided in two. Separated by much more than a river, one side is an unfinished technological marvel populated by mega-skyscrapers where the wealthy live, work, and play. The other is a forsaken wasteland where order is strictly maintained by a rogue group of cleric soldiers known as the street preachers. But this dichotomy is about to change. Slowly, quietly, clandestine forces are working to undermine the small piece of redemption the street preachers have brought to their concrete flocks. In the face of watching their second chance crumble to dust, some will fight to stop it. Others will kill to make it happen.
A bold experiment in podcast fiction, The Failed Cities Monologues are told from the shifting perspectives of the characters who inhabit this world, twisted noir archetypes and cyberpunk warriors. Their lives and their stories are linked together by conspiracy, fate… and blood.
| The Players |
| Ethan - Street Preacher |
| Sterne - Pit Fighter & Pulp Writer |
| Truck - Fast Drivin’, Knife Wieldin’ |
| Feral Twins - Death for Hire |
| Klimenko - Reluctant Detective |
| D’Anger - Deadly Beauty, Deadly Brains |
| The Maven - Back Alley Mediator |
Get the whole story now on Podiobooks! Also available on iTunes. Or on Podcast Pickle
The Failed Cites: Hath a Darkness
As a special gift to all our listeners this holiday season, Variant Frequencies is happy to present THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS, an exclusive 10,000-word eChapbook written by Matt Wallace and available as a free .PDF download.
I haven’t listened to that many podcast novels, but I’m pretty sure the ones I have listened to are some of the best around (Sigler’s and Hutchins’ stuff for instance). This one beats them all though. All those different points of view are wonderfully executed, and the characters are all very interesting. I guess it helped that I also have a thing for hardboiled, dystopian futures? Just can’t have enough of those.
Thanks for the comment Gillsing. That is very high praise. We are big fans of both Sigler and Hutchins. They are also both great guys who have been very supportive of us.
Rick
Loved the Failed Cities Monologues, one of the best stories I’ve heard in months. I only wish their was a text version available for download. Since the podiobook is available for free, I was wondering if you could post the text or make that available for download somewhere?
Keep up the good work.
David! Thanks for the kind words, man. I mean that. I wish more of our listeners would stop by and shout out.
I am dutifully working on getting the Failed Cities in print and on a bookstore shelf near you (I’m all about this penniless bohemian existence us podcast fiction authors maintain, but eventually I’m gonna have to pay some bills). As for the text on-line, I’m not averse to a free .PDF. We’ll see. You think if I hook it up you can get about 30,000 of your friends to download it at the same time?
Just wanted to say, great story. Best thing since I finished the last of the Sin City series.
Read David’s comment, and he’s right, I’d love to download the text too.
30000 might be a little bit much, but I definitely have some friends who’d love to get their hands on a pdf file if you’d offer one. Heard about the new book and it’s next on my list.
Keep up the good work man!
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The Failed Cities is certainly one of the darkest,hardest hitting stories I’ve come across. Damned fine work–and it makes a writer like me very jealous I didn’t come up with it!
VF did their usual kickin’ production, too.
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Hey, check out this review of The Failed Cities Monologues:
http://audiodramablog.blogspot.com/2007/08/review-failed-cities-monologues.html
[…] to podiobook fans everywhere. Click on the picture at left to get a free PDF with stories from the Failed Cities Monologues, written by this gigantic award-winning douchebag named Matt Wallace. Seriously, if you […]
I am about half way through this story, Matt. It’s outstanding. Managed to grip my attention from the first chapter and hasn’t let go. I love the cyberpunk/end of civilization feel to the whole book.
keirgrey
[…] such an amazingly good podcast, as I’ve been a big fan of them since I got hooked by “the Failed Cities Monologes“. You owe to yourself to not only check them out, but subscribe to their feed. It’s […]