Do you like fun? Then you’ll love this.

The shear creative force rocketing out of this man’s brain is astounding. Add to that a story-telling style reminiscent of the classic Southern writers, plus a rotating team of very talented voice actors, and you have a special work of art entering your ears. Mr. Axelrod’s show has gone through different artistic periods, and they’re all worth exploring.

Imagine if Ira Glass or Sarah Koenig ran their shows out of Callahan's Crosstime Saloon... Jared Axelrod is a mild-mannered, thoughtful and insatiably curious reporter for Galactic Public Radio, the first human to hold that role. Jared travels throughout the multiverse, interviewing people of all different occupations, timelines and species. Occasionally he is joined by his wife, J.R. Blackwell (when she isn't busy with her day job as an administrator in Hell), or his alien producer, Thall. But Jared may not be the impartial observer he seems to be ... and forces beyond our world have taken an uncomfortable interest in his activities. THE VOICE OF FREE PLANET X is part science fiction serial, part loving satire of public radio, and a sincere, honest, and beautiful exploration of what it means to be human. (NOTE: This review is for the relaunched version of the show, which began with a new Episode 1 in July 2015.)

Brilliantly executed and amazingly insightful and funny take on intergalactic NPR programming. I've loved Jared's storytelling from the old format, and this is a wonderful new level of that!

Like the best sci-fi, Voice of Free Planet X is alternately thrilling, funny, heartbreaking, or thought-provoking--but it's always engaging. The show's format--a public radio show set in a world of time travel mishaps, Fury Roads, and two-bit superheroes--helps ground the often out-there situations in a human element, while an ongoing mystery adds intrigue and keeps you hooked in-between episodes. The performances are rich and compelling, the characters likeable, and the sound effects and production on-point. Highly recommended. (Note to listeners: the format changes dramatically at Episode 1, "What They Left Behind," which is a good jumping on point.)

I have been a fan of Jared for years, but his new format for Voice of Free Planet X is amazing. Blending NPR style with the same thoughtful, exciting, and often surrealistic science fiction that is Jared's hallmark. I didn't think I could love it more, but now I do. (Original Review below) As an existing fan of Jared Axelrod, I knew that I was in for a treat with his new serial, Fables of the Flying City, but I should have known he'd exceed my expectations yet again! He does tend to do things like that. Fables of the Flying City tells the story of a plucky heroine in a rich, interesting steampunk setting. Every episode so far reveals glittering new facets of this jewel of a universe. My favorite aspect of the story so far, is definitely the characters. Jared has a wonderful ear for dialogue and an ability to create characters that are at once familiar and still full of surprise. I write this review having listened to the first seven episodes, and yet, it already feels as though it's been much longer than that. I know that Mr. Axelrod has big plans for where this story is going, and I for one, can hardly wait to follow Ash and company on their adventures to come. I highly recommend this podcast.

Over the course of (number) episodes, Jared Axelrod has hosted a variety of projects on his podcast, The Voice of Free Planet X. It began as a presentation of his short fiction. It has also served as a platform for his sci-fi puppetry project, "Aliens You WIll Meet." It featured the serialized steampunk adventure "Fables of the Flying City," which is where I jumped on board. But the latest, recently begun project revives the original title, and is an outstanding podcast production. Ostensibly published by GPR (Galactic Public Radio) The Voice of Free Planet X is This American Life for a fantasy world, a Radio Lab of the impossible. Jared interviews stranded aliens and out-of-the-casket vampires. He talks to AI musicians and post-apocalyptic road warriors. It is a clever response to the post-Serial podcast landscape, and the production values are top-notch. It takes a discerning ear to determine the show was made in a home studio with actors, and not on the board of a WBEZ mobile truck. But the real strength lays in Axelrod's writing, and the performances of his interview subjects. He's managed to take spec-fic cliches, such as vampires as metaphors for sexual deviancy, and breathe new, and interesting, human life into them. The format does an end run around suspension of disbelief, but the voice, if you will, is what sells it. These interviews aren't pulse-pounding adventure stories. They are the best sort of feature story for people that never existed. And like the best of this flavor of fiction, it bleeds into the way we see the real world. Because you never know when that youtuber will turn out to be an incarcerated computer intelligence.

Mr. Axlerod tells a great story. When listening to the story your minds eye is seeing his world in great detail. I find myself more like a fly on the wall in various locations in Amperstan when listening to Mr. Axlerod. If you want a story leaves you wanting more, this is it.

40 episodes along with a graphic novel and I can't wait for more! The pace of the storytelling, brilliant theme song, cool characters, and memorable adventures have me escaping to Amperstam every time!

I cannot recommend this podcast highly enough. The story is wonderful. I very quickly grew to love the characters. Not just Ash, the main character, but all of them. The first book had adventure, combat, daring do, and hinted at much darker secrets within the flying city. Book two has started and already we are plunged into the intrigue that lies at the heart of the flying city. Jarad Axelrod's voice is perfect. He's not just a writer. He's a storyteller. If you don't know the difference, listen to a couple of episodes and you soon will know.