briarfairchild's review
5.0
I’ve listened to Forest 404 twice now. The first time on the radio when it came out, listening to each part separately and fascinated by the story, mildly interested by the talks and uninterested in most of the soundscapes. The second time on a bad chronic illness day, curled up in bed with my headphones on, letting the entire thing flood into my ears in one go. The whole audio experience of Forest 404 made that day more bearable because it’s a beautiful piece of ear theatre that made my soul happy.
The story itself is beautifully written, with twists and turns that feel very real and resonate differently but just as authentically when you know what’s coming. The acting is wonderful; it feels intimate and urgent. Important. I can’t over-emphasise how spectacular the acting is: the whole story is narrated by three women, who all bring something different and beautiful to the story: you can’t imagine it without any one of them. (On a side note, my interest in Forest 404 was initially sparked when I noticed that Pearl Mackie, who played Bill in Doctor Who, was the main character, and she is utterly perfect.)
The talks that come after each episode are also really enjoyable. Some more than others, of course, but the idea of juxtaposing fiction with fact in this way was really interesting to me. They’re brief and simple, but engaging, and having a different expert give each one is a nice way of providing a little variety, particularly if you’re listening to the whole production in one go.
And then there are the soundscapes. I’m pretty sure I didn’t listen to most of them the first time around, if I listened to any at all. This time I absolutely loved them. First you listen to a chapter of the story, and then you listen to a little talk about something that’s more or less relevant to that chapter, and then you get this lovely… pause. And you lie there, curled up in your warm bed, and okay everything hurts and you can’t even face the thought of getting out of bed to go to the loo, but somehow when there are singing birds and chirping insects and bleating sheep in your ears, and a stillness behind it all, it isn’t quite as bad. In fact, the sound design in the whole production of Forest 404 is beautiful and it’s incredibly easy to become immersed in the story.
I absolutely love Forest 404 and I’ll definitely be listening to it again at some point. The sound of it is wonderful, the story is fun and exciting and interesting, the acting is stellar, and the whole experience is a beautiful thing to put into your ears.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
See all my reviews on my blog https://thewearybookcase.home.blog/
The story itself is beautifully written, with twists and turns that feel very real and resonate differently but just as authentically when you know what’s coming. The acting is wonderful; it feels intimate and urgent. Important. I can’t over-emphasise how spectacular the acting is: the whole story is narrated by three women, who all bring something different and beautiful to the story: you can’t imagine it without any one of them. (On a side note, my interest in Forest 404 was initially sparked when I noticed that Pearl Mackie, who played Bill in Doctor Who, was the main character, and she is utterly perfect.)
The talks that come after each episode are also really enjoyable. Some more than others, of course, but the idea of juxtaposing fiction with fact in this way was really interesting to me. They’re brief and simple, but engaging, and having a different expert give each one is a nice way of providing a little variety, particularly if you’re listening to the whole production in one go.
And then there are the soundscapes. I’m pretty sure I didn’t listen to most of them the first time around, if I listened to any at all. This time I absolutely loved them. First you listen to a chapter of the story, and then you listen to a little talk about something that’s more or less relevant to that chapter, and then you get this lovely… pause. And you lie there, curled up in your warm bed, and okay everything hurts and you can’t even face the thought of getting out of bed to go to the loo, but somehow when there are singing birds and chirping insects and bleating sheep in your ears, and a stillness behind it all, it isn’t quite as bad. In fact, the sound design in the whole production of Forest 404 is beautiful and it’s incredibly easy to become immersed in the story.
I absolutely love Forest 404 and I’ll definitely be listening to it again at some point. The sound of it is wonderful, the story is fun and exciting and interesting, the acting is stellar, and the whole experience is a beautiful thing to put into your ears.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
See all my reviews on my blog https://thewearybookcase.home.blog/
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