The Hyacinth Disaster [Review]

simple and daunting..

If I have to sum up my review of this podcast in one sentence, it would be:
The Hyacinth Disaster is the podcast that is most cruel to its character.

And yes, that is a compliment. …sort of.

The Hyacinth Disaster tells a story of well, miners in space. Here’s some summary from David E. Carlson’s (the creator) website:

AD 2151

150 million resource-rich asteroids populate the void between colonized Mars and Jupiter; many more orbit in the gas giant’s vast Lagrange regions.

A dozen supercorporations compete beyond the reach of civilized law, all but warring for the incalculable resources. Beneath them, a thousand contract mining crews struggle to prosper despite the best efforts of their employers.

Due to some corporate rivalry, one of the mining vessel, the MRS Corvus has been abducted, and ransom has been placed upon their crews’ safety. The Halaesus Mining Company apparently didn’t think that much of their employees, and decided to put the Corvus status as vanished by accident.
So the crew of MRS Hyacinth decided to take the matter in their own hand. They rushed to survey a Jovian asteroid, hoping it to be worthy enough to pay the ransom of their friends in MRS Corvus.

As the narration stated in the first episode, the story told was based from the records found in the Hyacinth’s black box. …and the title of the podcast is Hyacinth Disaster. So yes, put that together and you pretty much would know where it headed to.

But, there’s no amount of preparation enough for this emotional turmoil.

The Hyacinth Disaster was written beautifully, and meticulously. Even with barely an exposition, you would understand what is the character’s position in the story. And have I say meticulously? The writer is nuts. Yes.

Not only they managed to build the world, but with all the amazing details that there was more than one moment where I doubt myself if this really a fiction…

Even though the podcast has ended (for now, I think?), there are some backstories, and true history that inspired the pod, which the creator sometimes posted in their official Twitter account. If that doesn’t convince you enough, check out the Database section in David E. Carlson’s official website.
It's insane.

The voice and the acting, well, I can say they are definitely one of the best I ever heard in any podcast. It’s not over the top, it does not sound like scripted, and they managed to put the characters into perspective even with so minimal of exposition. (click here for the names).

The Hyacinth Disaster also has an almost perfect sound engineering. Just almost, because I have to admit, in several first episodes, some of the blasting sound effects were a little bit too realistic, I have to give my headphone sound level some extra caution. But then again, it’s mining. Of course it will be..hard.

The Hyacinth Disaster are consisted of seven half-hour episodes, and it still is. From what I gather in the creator’s website, they aren’t…hammering away for the next story (okay, bad pun, sorry). But there’s still an open probability.

I found The Hyacinth Disaster in the late days of 2017, and mate..how I am glad I finished the year with this story.

Like I said, it’s an emotional turmoil, of gritty survival among life and friendship, but it surely was an amazing journey to go through. I do have some desperation for more story. With that abundance of details, and an entire world has been build, it just feel kinda a waste to leave it that way. But I hope for the best for David E. Carlson and his crews. With that talents, I’m pretty sure they will, if not already, go far.

Check this trailer (more like a prelude, actually) if you want some snip to The Hyacinth Disaster:

Note:

• link to The Hyacinth Disaster episodes in David E. Carlson’s website 
• link to The Hyacinth Disaster in Stitcher 
• genre: sci-fi, drama, mystery, thriller
• recommended if you like: strong characterization, crews' banter and jokes about pop-culture like in Wolf 359, emotional drama like The Bright Session and The Bridge, or basically the whole world of Firefly
• caution for: strong words, exposure to repeated loud sound