Review of Be Not Afraid- Episode Two

In this episode of The Podcast Hoard, Sydney talks about the audio drama they’ve been listening to lately, Be Not Afraid.


Resources mentioned:

Be Not Afraid on podchaser

My post where I review Be Not Afraid

The Night Post tags about the show being re-released with a full cast of voice actors

Tumblr blog

Music source site is purple planet.

Intro music: Open Road

Underlying music: Tranquility

Outro music: Ecstasy

Transcript

Thank you for tuning into The Podcast Hoard, the podcast about podcasts. I’m your resident dragon, Sydney. 

This episode will be about the latest audio drama I’ve been listening to, called Be Not Afraid. I’ll link it in the show notes. In short, Be Not Afraid is a podcast about a human-turned-angel Enoch, also known by his job title Metatron the Scribe of God, reporting on the past, present, and future. It’s funny and entertaining and even goofy at times and I’ve really enjoyed it. 

The whole concept is that Enoch reaches into the Vortex of Events and reports what he sees. The story is non-linear, dictated by the randomness of the Vortex. The first episode is about nephilim and how archangels came to smite them, and the second takes place in the Garden of Eden when two angels found it unmoored in space and time. 

I also like the decision to make the narrator distant and yet somewhat omniscient. Enoch knows through the Vortex the context and shares it along with any other asides the listener needs to know, but we experience the details together. 

The voice acting is also amazing. It started off with just one actor, the voice of Enoch. That voice actor tended to voice other characters and did a pretty damn good job of changing tone to indicate that it is another character speaking. Plus, there are some really cool effects. In the first few episodes, the word “warfare” has a deep and echoing quality I really like, and in other episodes words that don’t translate to human languages have a static-y quality in the sound design that make it clear that there’s a word that should be there. As the series went on, more and more voices were introduced but there are few enough that you can keep them straight in your head. 

I like the descriptions of Biblical angels, including the ones beyond the standard ‘thousand eyes and wings’- the ones of the flaming sword heavenly beings have been my favorite. 

Enoch is more human than non-listeners might think- he was human before he was an angel, with a wife and a family. And even though he tries to remain outside of the Vortex of Events, a neutral narrator, he can’t help but explain his feelings and thoughts. As immersive as this podcast is, that helps me have a tether back to the real world. A former human among angels is a translator and anchor, and I very much appreciate it. 

The podcast has twelve full episodes, with some teasers and trailers mixed in. I made a short post on my Tumblr recommending it that you can check out using the link I’ll also add in the show notes, and I was informed via tags by The Night Post that the creators are releasing full-cast remakes! The first one is already up on Spotify. 

All in all, I loved my experience listening to Be Not Afraid, and am a little sad that I’m coming into the game super late. But better late than never, and I’m glad I listened to it at all. 

Thanks for listening to this episode! Feel free to drop by my Tumblr The Podcast Hoard if you have any suggestions you want to throw my way. Otherwise- happy listening, and I’ll see you in two weeks.