Supernatural Spy Novel from Serial Box

The Witch (Spy) Who Came in from the Cold

A play on the 1963 spy novel from John le Carré titled “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” this Serial Box original production includes magic and intrigue, yet somehow manages not to pique interest consistently and for long enough periods that any sort of engagement to happen with the characters is negligible at best.

Those looking for a James Bond story will put this spy novel down as the action is tame and more akin to le Carré’s more famous work, “Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy.” Those looking for a realistic take on spy life during the cold war like the film version of the above book will come to resent the fantasy element. Normally this blend of realism and fantasy is easy to swallow. It’s not so much a question of why it’s included, but how it was included. Urban fantasy is a hard genre to pindown. Some people think Twilight, Harry Potter and any other young adult fantasy novels published in the 2000s are technically urban fantasy with some epic undertones.

Crossing the Genres and Fitting into Boxes

The act of putting things into boxes could be seen as backward-thinking in the right context. For this story, however, it makes sense to at least try and define urban fantasy and the spy novel. Similar to the definition of urban fantasy, the one for spy fiction is a bit muddied with works in the mystery/detective fiction and suspense/thriller genres. It’s unclear which books count as one, both or all three.

The main problem is this story isn’t sure what it wants to be: spy novel or urban fantasy. Add in some pacing issues and too many names, and you get episodes that feel like spinning wheels without getting anywhere. It doesn’t help that the app doesn’t support synchronous reading and listening.

Reading or Listening on the App

While it’s possible to listen or read a story without missing the important beats, some stories are better suited for sight than sound. The Witch Who Came in from the Cold may be such a story for some. The narrators in everything but character dialogue are flat and generically unappealing. Their voices quickly became white noise after 20 minutes. Having to stop and start any story this way affects the enjoyment factor. The app itself is quite good and userfriendly. With the coming release of The Flash: Rogues, I’m still holding out hope for the company, despite not getting to the final episode.

3.5/5 Stars