This podcast was right up my alley. I love the efficient dialogue and the dark steely vibe, the ambient supportive sound design was just enough to fill in necessary gaps in the narrative and not overdone. The narrator was superb…reminded me of Aeon Flux The writing is tight and eloquent with an ending befitting the spirit of the story. My only gripe was was the faux ads. As entertaining as they were, they detracted from the gravity of the storyline. Overall, well done.

More more more please

They combine in-show, fictional ads with irl ads. This is so obnoxious. I understand the need for ads if you’re not paying for a sub. But when you go from a brooding, monotone narrator into an ad screaming about a new ABC show or ring cameras, separated by fictional ads for “krab steaks,” or “temporary graphene skin alteration,” it just makes it too difficult to listen to. More so when the same ad plays multiple times in one show 🤮

People hanging, 2 stars for yet another abandoned podcast.

Same comment as others. Amazing production quality. Great story line. Very good actors. What happened? More more please!!

The first episode was very compelling and set up an interesting world, but not much is done with it in this first season. The main reason i wrote this review is because i really liked the outro song of the first episode and wanted to share the name in case any one else has trouble finding it. Look up “the Hadronic Seeress and other Wyrd tales part 1” and it is the second track. I found it as a podcast of all things.

I think that this podcast has a lot of potential; an interesting plot, unique characters, and compelling arguments about climate and humanity. However, the podcast is severely lacking in context for the listener. It is one thing to leave things to the imagination or for future reveal, but another thing entirely to not describe settings, context for information that is “common knowledge” in universe, and what the main character looks like. The podcast is somewhat impersonal; it seems like it was a script for a tv show that didn’t get enough funding, so they just had someone read off the script in a monotone voice, said it was a podcast, and called it a day. As cool as the premise is, it is NOT suitable (in its current form) to be a podcast. You have to be REALLY attentive in order to get the full picture, and seeing as most people use podcasts as background noise, it is simply NOT user friendly.

I found it really interesting and was enjoying the Sci-Fi aspects, but a single season just whet my appetite.

Whoever mixed episode five should be fired. Who thought it was a good idea to add high pitched screeches to the audio? It is completely unlistenable! My ears ACTUALLY hurt. As an audio producer myself it was absolutely embarrassing to hear.

Loved the length of each episode. Great voicing for the characters made me binge!

I had a hard time deciphering the “future ads” (ads that were part of the story) versus the “true ads” (ads that are actual ads for real life products and services)! There seemed to be many different types of characters mentioned: elders, nariads, recombineds, etc. however no discussion of what/who these classes of characters were. I’m hoping that this info will be revealed soon (I’m only a few episodes in), however the storyline would be much more clear if they shared this character-type detail early on. For instance, there was mention of a character who was always “trailed by two nariads” (portrayed as a negative thing), but that meant nothing to me because I had no idea what a nariad was...or the attention drawn by an “elder symbol”...what was an elder? And the discrimination against (or by?) recombineds...no idea. Being almost halfway through and still unclear about who the characters are-certainly “minus one”.

I binged all ten episodes in one day, and I enjoyed it, but I didn’t like having to skip all the ads. It is cleaver how they do them, but they just take up so much time. I like it, but too many ads.

Sexy and imaginative story telling that will leave you craving more.

The details and storytelling really creates a new immersive world. I have to disagree with other reviewers and say that the fantasy advertisements (like the bladerunner billboards) only help to create this world. Quite creative! I listen to almost all the sci-fi podcasts and this is one of the better and more believable ones. Its like a cinematic film playing in your head. The choice of words to describe things is fantastic. Keep it up!

And not because of the adds!

But I really am surprised by just how little is actually in each episode. I love the production, but they’re really short and ads take up a lot of that short time. Also, there are fake ads? Which really don’t add anything when you have so little actual content. Engaging stuff, when it’s the actual show.

A great listening experience, if the ads don’t buck you. I really hope they do more episodes only with less future ads.

Fairly interesting story but as another listener said, way too many ads. I got confused between the “future” ads and the present-day ones after awhile.

The story is SOOOO good, if you can stomach the endless commercials. Seriously felt like we were getting five minutes of story per every 10 minutes of commercials. The future ads were clever, but way overdone. Still worth the listen, but the ads brought me from a 5 to a 3

So many ads

This was just fantastic. The voices and sounds were very believable and it had a great storyline. You could visualize everything. I thought one of the coolest features was the fake/futuristic commercials that were played around the real commercials. Made them feel not so jarring in the middle of the episode. Please make more!!

Story is chopped into little segments with in story commercials followed by iHeartRadio commercials and possibly another in story commercial so you get maybe half story... If this podcast was a sandwich it’s bread would turn out to be plastic.

One of the very first things I noticed was how much I loved the in-universe advertisements and radio show segments. It gives such a depth to the world that wouldn’t be possible through storytelling alone, and provides an excellent outlet for exposition without it sounding boring and like an infodump. I love the new take on a mermaid-like species. It seems like a very realistic way humans would interact with an Other civilization. The story is also very intriguing. I will admit, it took a couple of episodes to really take off, but it was interesting enough to keep my attention until then. I also think the episodes are a pretty good length. They might be a little short, but it’s not a big complaint and they work at the length they are. My one criticism is the narration style. I’m not sure I like the heavy narration from the main character. I have gotten more used to it, but I wish there was more dialogue between characters. The moments when characters interact are where the voice actors really have a chance to flex their muscles, but they don’t get that chance very often. I’d rather that more of the narration gets told through dialogue or sound design. But if that’s my only criticism, then honestly this show did a great job. Plus, it stopped standing out to me so much as I sunk more into the story. Excellent work!

I love the world of this podcast, stuff like Atlas Station and the in-universe ads that play in between segments of the story are very interesting. But...the story itself is kind of lacking. The main character isn’t really developed, she’s fairly distant and doesn’t really react to anything going on with any emotion. It’s an interesting story, maybe, but dull at the same time, moving kind of quickly and not spending enough time on what it’s really like to live in Atlas Station, or to be one of the Tritons. Not terrible, but not great. Still worth listening to, I guess.

The Second Oil Age is the most inventive example of science fiction I’ve experienced in ages. It’s author, Robert Lamb, and his cast of expertly directed voice actors, implemented a variety of story telling devices that I have not seen before. Layers of well measured sound add to the experience of the story without distracting from it. While what was revealed of the immediate over arching plot was presented with the blunt immediacy of a 30,000 yr old wood carving, the multiple modalities used to build the world this story occurs within, conflate the boundaries between the context of it as a fictional story, and parallels to it within the present day global economic paradigm. At first it may seem like a simple entertaining action sci-fi mystery, but The Second Oil Age provokes introspection in a manner unlike any sci-fi story I’ve previously encountered. Waiting for season 2 has already become painful, and I hope it is recorded and released soon! Robert Lamb has earned Carte Blanche, and should be fully supported to publish this work in it’s entirety as he deems to be appropriate.

I can’t praise this podcast enough. It is enthralling and so well written. Totally captivating. Voice acting is very well done too!

The Second Oil age has excellent world building, excellent audio design, excellent voice acting, and a very disappointing plot. There is zero character development and almost nothing really interesting happens. The main character has almost no agency and is just along for the ride with the rest of us. I very much enjoyed the world the writer has crafted, but I hope the plot can make up for a lack luster season one in season 2.

This is one of those podcast stories that I wish had new episodes every day. I am hooked!

As someone who does a fiction podcast (although a very different style), I’m a fan. Thanks!

An entertaining and intriguing Lovecraftian story

This is fantastic! I never knew I needed this kind of creative storytelling in my life! The episodes just can’t come out fast enough for me and I just can’t wait to hear what happens next! Very well written, very well spoken and the sounds are awesome! I’ve already spammed all my friends to come listen!

Stupendous, compelling, smart, and fun! The world-building is so immersive. We’re totally hooked.

I am so in love with this my mind is racing I need more !

I came to this podcast because I’m a big fan of ‘stuff to blow your mind’ and ‘invention’. I’m a few episodes in, and Robert hasn’t disappointed. This podcast combines thoughtful inspection of our current existential dilemmas with a healthy dose of fantasy to deliver a really entertaining show. The production is excellent and the voice acting second to none. Great work all the way around.

I have to have more.

Just a few episodes in and I’m hooked. Can’t wait for the next release!

Enjoyed listening to the first four episodes on a flight. Looking forward to hearing the rest!

I really like these types of podcasts. The Carrier is really good too.

Love this padcast. Keep it up!

If you are a fan of Peter Watts this story is for you!

I’ve never listened to a scripted fiction podcast. This is cool. Nicely produced. Can you number the episodes please?

The rebrand of transgenisis? Not sure what happened but glad it has been released!

I will always and forever recommend anything by iHeart/HowStuffWorks. And this is no exception. Eldritch horror brought into a real-ish context? Amazing.

The episodes need to be numbered..

It is more an audio book than an audio drama.

I can’t wait to listen to this podcast, everyone involved is talented and I assume well intentioned, which is why I am disappointed that the original show, Transgenesis, was delayed by months. As far as I can tell, some people, without having heard the show, took issue with the title, and this caused the creators to re-write the podcast. Transgenesis is the process of taking a gene from one organism and transferring it to another, and has nothing to do with hate speech or discriminating or insensitivity.

Sounds pretty trippy!

This has the makings of a really unique fiction project. Looking forward to hearing more!