Podcast review: BRAVE MEN RUN

I blasted through Matthew Wayne Selznick’s podcast novel Brave Men Run in about four cigar-smoking sessions in my backyard this past week. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a podcast junkie, and Selznick’s book is one reason why. It’s an alternative history sci-fi story set in the Reagan era and written like one of the classic Heinlein “juveniles” (which were never very juvenile). Brave Men Run is filled with teenage angst, teenage lust, a government conspiracy, and some startling and suspenseful action scenes. It nods to comic book influences cleverly (two offstage characters are named Lee and Ditko; in Selznick’s world, a "Wertham Act" of the 1950s made comics illegal; and one female temptress utters “Face it, Tiger — you’ve hit the jackpot!”), although the story may lean a bit too heavily in the direction of X-Men. But it’s good fun and worth your attention. In fact, Brave Men Run is obviously the set-up for a series of novels, and I’m hooked. The novel is made up of 15 free podcast downloads, or you can purchase it in paperback or as an ebook. Check out the link above.