The first four episodes of “The Mantawauk Caves” have been an exact copy of most successful true crime fiction podcasts by big media released in the past 5 years. It’s a serious take on something that Audible’s “Unlicensed” original podcast handles with humor and character quirks. It uses all the tropes and does some of them well and others not so much.
Before we reach the Mantawauk Caves, here’s something else…
Moon and Star
Kaito is the son of the Shogun, heir to the Minamoto clan, and the future leader of Jakai. At least, that’s what he's been lead to believe.
A Feudal Lord is dead. The Minamoto can no longer stand by while their enemies build alliances and craft weapons for a singular purpose. War. Kaito must exchange comfort for the ability to stay alive after a bounty for his death forces him to leave home. Accompanied by no one but his father’s childhood friend, Kaito ventures to his birthplace to try and prevent a war between the two parts of his life. A story filled with survival, magic, romance, and more––the first book in The Jakai Chronicles promises everything you love about mind-blowing twists and revelations, combined with intrigue—all wrapped up in one thrilling adventure.
See Through the Lies and Survive
Kaito is the son of the Shogun, heir to the Minamoto clan, and the future leader of Jakai. At least, that’s what he’s known his whole life. A feudal lord is dead. The Minamoto can no longer stand by while their enemies build alliances and craft weapons for a singular purpose. Kaito must exchange comfort for the ability to stay alive after a bounty for his death forces him to leave home. Accompanied by no one but his father’s childhood friend, Kaito ventures to his birthplace to try and prevent a war between the two parts of his life. A story filled with survival, magic, romance, and more—the first book in The Jakai Chronicles promises everything you love about mind-blowing twists and revelations, combined with intrigue—all wrapped up in one thrilling adventure.
Review Continued…
If your audio drama is about a murder, a small town, or a murder in a small town—you have the current recipe that big media seem to be looking for in regards to audio fiction. The problem, aside from lack of creativity, is that there’s nothing new being added to said recipe. It’s the difference between a microwavable meal and an appetizer olive garden. The portion sizes are roughly the same, but one tastes better due the ingredients and how it’s cooked.
All that said, what “Mantawauk Caves” does do well, it excels in—almost nullifying the less than enjoyable or overdone aspects. The narration by the main character is often in one ear out the other. Aside from a few flashback scenes playing in the background as he narrates it, what you need to know is simple. The double homicide of a Tennessee deacon’s two children by someone who most everyone thinks killed them gets an another chance.
Donnie Darko + A Murder in Mantawauk Caves
The main character of Julien Soles is, without a doubt, an unreliable narrator in the same vein as “Donnie Darko.” The opening of episodes three and four begin with him waking up from a nightmare involving a grey man at 11:11 and 3:33. Is the mysterious man or demon an homage to the rabbit in the early Jake Gyllenhaal film from 2001.
That particular revelation, whether true or not, didn’t click until the most recent episode. There’s an ominous and almost obvious sense that Julien is coming back because either he killed the two boys, or knows who did. After listening to episode 4, my money’s on the father now.
By far the most interesting scenes are the ones involving two people talking. The runner ups are the bullying flashback scenes for their realistic portrayal of school bullies. Everything else more or less blends together to form the bronze medal of basic narration.
Minor Nitpick: Mantawauk County or Mantawauk Caves
The title is “The Mantawauk Caves” and while they play an important role in the story, thus far we’ve only learned about them as it pertains to the past. If you told me that it was called caves and not county, I’d tell you you’re wrong due to my eyes not being what they used to. Maybe it’s just me but county sounds better than caves. It’s also in line with a lot of similar stories and they’re titles. “Uncanny County” comes to mind immediately for obvious reasons.
It’s clear this audio drama is banking on its ending blowing everyone out of the water as the techniques they are using are all quite obvious if you have any knowledge of writing and storytelling. Will it do something different. I’ve left my thoughts above on who I think killed the two brothers
8/10 Stars
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