Thank you, Gideon Media, for providing me with an advanced copy of Give Me Away for an honest review.

Gideon Media’s latest podcast, Give Me Away, is a science fiction series from writer Mac Rogers and director Jordana Williams. The story follows Graham Shapiro (Sean Williams), divorced and adrift at age 50, struggling to get his life on track. Of course, all of this is going on as the world deals with a spaceship that has crash-landed in the Nevada desert.

The ship, dubbed “The Ghosthouse,” is filled with the screams of thousands of extraterrestrial political prisoners. Their minds have been uploaded into the mainframe, leaving them trapped. The only way to free them is to transfer them into the bodies of humans, where the two minds can live together but still separate. Who would volunteer? Graham! In fact, he is one of the first to volunteer.

Give Me Away follows Graham’s journey as he enters into a world of radical hospitality. One which will touch everything and everyone in his life.

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It was only in the last year that I have dived into the fiction storytelling side of podcasts. But I knew right away that this is one of my favorite ways to consume media. And Give Me Away is another great example of how well a story can be told in the format. The first season is four half-hour episodes that kept me invested enough that I went back and re-listened to it three separate times.

The main concept within Give Me Away isn’t new to the scene. We’ve had several franchises dive into the idea of having an alien share your body. Sometimes that path leads to a more horror-centric story while others stay more in the science fiction lane. This one focuses on how Graham’s life is affected by his choice to take on the second consciousness and while it hasn’t turned down the terrifying lane yet, who knows what the second season can bring.

The story satisfies two of my must-haves in storytelling – well fleshed out characters and an engaging plot. We learn a lot about Graham in this first season as he deals with his friends and family and the team at The Ghosthouse. Through his eyes, we begin to uncover what is going on. This also means that a lot is left unexplained for now, so we have what feels like we are learning right alongside him.

Aside from the story, Give Me Away is a fantastic listen. The production quality is top-notch and something one would expect from Gideon Media. It easily feels like you are listening to a tv show without the visual portion. I initially listened while doing things around the house. However, I would realize that I had stopped doing my tasks and was waiting to see what would come next.

Give Me Away kicks off its first episode today, July 16, 2021. It will release the next three episodes over the next three Fridays and will return later this fall with the final four episodes. I highly suggest checking in and listening weekly to stay on top of what is happening. They have a handy list of where you can find their episodes right here.

This article was originally published on 7/16/21.

 

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Julia Roth
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