Already some time back, I was contacted by the gentleman Andy Wertner who humbly suggested his podcast and radio drama Rude Alchemy for my listening enjoyment and a possible review. I did in deed listen to it and will now give a review.
This is another one of those difficult reviews where I desperately avoid any spoilers, but anyway:
Rude Alchemy starts with an epic tongue-in-cheek subversive intro and then we get a wonderful old time radio commercial and then we meet the main protagonist and then we are right in the story, a nefarious plot is underfoot. The nefarious plot ends even more nefariously and the we meet a specialist in all things nefarious: Carver Cranebootom, the bone detective, a savant, neurologist, expert cook, gentleman, navigator, philosopher etc. (you get the idea)
Those two scenes set the mood and pace of the whole story and plot: It is completely mysterious and hyperbolic. No punches are pulled, no scenario is too bizarre, no plot too twisted, nothing is sacred in the world of Rude Alchemy. The plot is intriguing and fast-paced, the elements (steampunk, real world, some magic) make the world very interesting, we also get some romance (of course). On top of that, the production is superb, the sound effects are very professional and add a lot to the listening experience.
But all this greatness is stained by one thing: Rude Alchemy takes rude very seriously. There is a lot of very crude innuendo in Rude Alchemy, sometimes I thought it was rather forced, too. At the beginning, I thought it was entertaining, but at episode 3 it started getting annoying, but this is the only thing I can complain about.
Rude Alchemy gets 7 out of 10 Zeppelins.
And if you want to have a listen, go here: