Ima Lookin' At J00!: The Rookie

The General Idea: The Rookie is a podcast novel written and read by Scott Sigler. Essentially football in space . . . except awesome.

The Plot: In the distant future, several species of sentiens live in a somewhat uneasy peace. To divert their violent tendencies from each other, the various races turn to football as both a source of unity . . . and awesome violence. Quentin Barnes is the star quarterback of a team in the Purest Nation Football League, an all-human league consisting of all tier three teams (out of 3 with Tier 1 being the highest). Despite being superior to most players in his league, Quentin is far from satisfied as he desires the highest prize: to play in tier 1. He gets a chance when he is picked up by a tier 2 team, the Ionath Krakens. If his new team is among the top two in tier two at the end of the season, they move up to the top tier. The catch? He has aliens for teammates, and coming from a culture where the only thing you learn about other species is how to kill them in the most effective way possible, he has his work cut out for him.

Style: No fancy tricks here, Scott Sigler gives it to you straight. The Rookie pulls no punches, gets to the point, and saves the graphic detail for the stuff that counts: the brutal, unforgiving, and sudden violence. Just the way I like it. XD

Substance: N/A (This is for informative podcasts)

Host(s): Scott Sigler is vibrant, energetic, and expressive. You won't hear him stumble over his words or mumble. He's one of the few hosts I've heard who adress fanmail and voicemails as if they were from his buddies. From what I've seen, the close relationship between him and his junkies (named so due to their addiction to his work) is quite a rare sight in podcasts with fanbases as large as his. Also, for a one-man voice cast, he does a pretty damn good job.

Sound Quality: No flaws of note. Excellent overall.

Episodes this review is based on: All of Them.

Recommended Episodes: All the main episodes.

Releases: Completed

Misc Comments: At first, I was a bit skeptical about the football theme. I'm not a footbal fan and expected The Rookie to chew me up. I was pleasantly surprised when I wasn't completely lost. For a sports story, characters have a fair deal of depth and everything from intergalactic politics to the workings of the underworld are presented. The football parts are done in such a way that you can enjoy all the blood and glory of futuristic football without having to deal with the boring bits. The violence is a bit slow to appear and if you're coming from Infection or Ancestor, won't be as able to sate your bloodlust. Well, Sigler, if you're reading this, kudos to you. You've turned me into a Junkie and now I can't wait for Nocturnal.

Overall: 5/5