Not everything lost should be found…
This is a different kind of review from what I usually do. Books are my main focus, but there are a few immersive podcasts that deserve attention — Fathom being one of them.
I don’t often listen to immersive podcasts because, to be frank, the vast majority of them are lackluster in story, acting, sound design, or all of the above to the degree that it makes it very difficult for me to listen to an entire episode. Fathom stands out from that crowd with high production quality, good voice acting, and an engaging story that had me listening to episodes back to back. It also has excellent ambient sound that does a great job of selling the deep ocean atmosphere.
For those of you who have never listened to an immersive podcast, they’re basically audiobooks on steroids. Sound effects from the world around the characters provide a textured environment, allowing you to exist inside that space despite not being able to see it. When done correctly, the soundscape tells the story as much as the characters do.
Fathom is a sci-fi set in a black site facility in the darkest depths of the ocean where an impenetrable alien vault has been discovered anchored nineteen thousand feet below the surface. In the pitch black of the deep sea, a signal the vault emits slowly drives two of the scientists working on unlocking its secrets to insanity. Meanwhile, the resident AI, Mack, begins to show signs of malfunction, causing simple failures like being unable to pinpoint members of the crew, or serious miscalculations like misreading pressurization in the hydroponics bay.
After chaos erupts with a scientist detonating a bomb on site, an agent from The Company — Agent Blayne — is sent to evaluate the situation, but once he arrives, he can’t be allowed to leave and report back. The vault’s contents have found a weak link that will open its prison, and it will kill anyone who tries to intervene.
Fathom is like if you stuck the ring-worlds from Halo into the ocean as it resonates with the same flavor of action, horror, and tragedy. It’s relatively short with 10 episodes, each one about an hour in length. Derelict, its sequel, is currently in production with the first few episodes available to listen to.
Regardless of how Derelict turns out, Fathom is definitely worth the listen and I encourage you to give it a try even if you don’t normally listen to immersive podcasts. And the best part is that you can listen for free! (Though there are ads, of course). You can find it here and anywhere else Night Rocket Productions posts their shows: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/derelict/id1473460202
Spoiler Section:
Favorite Scene:
There are several really good moments that I could reference, but let’s go with this one:
Episode 7 – Into The Dark – 45:50
I would quote it, but, well, it’s all audio. This is the first moment that the liquid black contents of the vault attack a member of the crew, swarming into the submerged room and enveloping the dive suit — consuming the person inside while everyone panics. Good suspense, soundscape, handling of general chaos through only sound, and mental imagery. On a more personal note, this also serves as unexpected but welcome reference material for my current project which also uses a kind of metallic black cloud of death as an environmental antagonist.
Other:
Agent Blayne:
Michael Mau is Blayne’s actor, but I could’ve sworn he was voiced by Raphael Sbarge who voices Carth Onasi in Knights Of The Old Republic, and Kaidan Alenko in Mass Effect because he sounds so similar.
MEMES:
