Popular Reviews of VALENCE

I adore this show! The writing? GREAT! The acting? FANTASTIC! The sound design? WOW! The characters VALENCE are super interesting and the plot drew me in right away. This world where magic mixes with tech is fascinating. Magic users must decide between leashing their magic (gaining society's approval) or keeping their freedom. A small group bands together to investigate the shady corporation behind the newest "great invention" making magic scarce. What will they find? (I don't know, the episodes are still coming out!) I highly recommending VALENCE.

This show manages to illustrate an internal monologue in a clear, engaging, and effortless way. I love a world of shady government actors, mental health, magic, and magic-suppressants. I’ve got a feeling I’ll catch up on this series soon, and I’m already excited for season two.

There’s a level of tense glee throughout Valence. You could attribute it to the hyper specific and all-enveloping soundscape that bring the world of New Candler to life or even the excellent vocal performances throughout that make this heightened sci-fi/fantasy world feel grounded and navigated by flawed, 3-dimensional characters. Whatever it is, Valence presents a full experience. Through the story of Liam Alden wrestling with his birthright as a Magic User (‘muse’ in the show) there is a palpable sense of us vs. them, science vs. magic, industry vs. human interest, haves vs. have-nots, that make the story feel relevant and accessible. Honestly I found myself thinking a lot of the Uncanny X-Men and Mr. Robot as I listened to the storylines involving tech heists and assembling a ragtag group of outsiders who are all galvanized to action against a technology conglomerate set on making life easier for some, by jeopardizing it for others.

I feel like the rating 3.5 would be perfect for this podcast, but alas, podchaser won't allow for that. for a second there I wanted to go with 3, but nah, that wouldn't be fair to the podcast.valence has its flaws, especially early on in season one. the writing can be a bit stiff at times and I think the podcast struggled a bit with the "show, not tell" rule at first, so some things could come off as a bit too on the nose and unnatural. but it's not that surprising, since the creator adapted valence from a story that was a book originally - I understand how hard it must've been to make that transition. and for an indie podcast produced by a very small team? those flaws are forgivable.the show definitely gets more enjoyable as it goes. the writing is a lot better in season two, and so is the character creation. I've also noticed a huge improvement in the sound design quality. I've really had fun with season two, and I will happily listen to season three once it comes out. especially after the cliffhanger season two left us with.also, nico is just. the best. a human garbage can. but still the best.

I love this podcast so much, if you like queer found families you'll be right at home here. Reminds me of a mix between the Shadowrun world and the Penumbra Podcast.

Valence is like no other audio fiction show. Magic is real, unless you get some high powered tech to restrict it so you can be "normal." And that's the show in a nutshell. There's weirdness in every sound, every character, nearly every choice, but it's all presented in a world that's just close enough to being familiar that you always feel grounded, like "normal" is a threat around every corner. A more stable world feels possible, but why would you chose it over this one? Why would you get a Halo? It's much better to keep your magic and embrace your weirdness. Listen to your inner monologue. Unless that inner monologue is like Liam's. In which case, maybe see a therapist. :)

The magic system is really cool

Episode 1.10 was very well written. Not only did the team change their tactics (which was totally necessary), but the main character finally addressed his dark thoughts. This was refreshing, as they had definitely run their course. As the podcast continues, it was well designed to still have them seep in, which is normal. However, his telling them to shut up is a great touch. It gives the character growth, which isn't done in many good podcasts.

Cannot say enough good things about this podcast; the love that goes into it is SO evident, and season 2 is hitting all sorts of excellent beats. So excited for the future of it!

Great writing and very eccentric characters to be interested in.

I love every character (even when I shouldn't), I feel every emotion (usually all in the same episode), & I'm pretty sure VALENCE does that by design... & there's something to be said for media that makes you reflect on yourself & how to be a better person. Please don't let this show pass you by, because once you start, you'll catch up in no time !!!

I'm loving this show so much! You can tell there's so much put into the world building, even though it's not shoved into your face.Also, being able to hear the thoughts of the main character is a brilliant portrayal of his mental health, and it's super interesting!

i love this podcast so much, its one of my favorites that i listed this year. i love the character and the story a lot

At first I was put off by Liam's inner voice but then when re-listening to the first episode I realized that was the point of it and fell in love with the show. Intrusive thoughts, anxiety and self-doubts are portrayed amazingly here (I experience them all too). I relate to Liam so hard and love all the characters. The writing, performance and sound design bring them to life in my ears.I was delighted to recognize the voice of Ishani Kanetkar from The Strange Case of Starship Iris, and to have her voce another cool character.Only listened to four episodes so far and looking forward to binge the rest!

Top quality production values and acting. Give it a listen.

So, this review has been a long time coming. I found this podcast early season one. And I have to say that Valence is my favorite fiction podcast of all time. The characters are all beautifully written. The world is absolutely fascinating. And the voice acting? God Tier. I cannot give enough praise to fully convey how much I genuinely enjoy this podcast. I have an alarm set to go off on the typical release days and it never fails to brighten my day when I see an update. The topics covered (mental health, self-worth, trauma, and the idea of found family) are handled so well. The fact that there are warnings and timestamps to help people monitor the content and avoid potentially stressful or harmful topics is just icing on the cake. I have gotten several friends to listen so I can have someone to talk to after they catchup!

Only a few episodes in but I am SO intrigued as to where this is going to go. Love the fantasy element of this podcast. It really speaks to my inner nerd.

I love the story, I love the characters. I want more of them and I want them to be happy. I both need, and absolutely DO NOT need, more Nicos in my life.

I'm about halfway through the first season, having come to the show quite late, and I am hooked!! I'm writing this while waiting for my headphones to charge so I can keep going.While the premise steps outside of the world we know today, the world itself is disturbingly real. The decisions and debates people are facing, discrimination, loneliness, and figuring out how to cope, it all hits solidly home. Everything is just comfortable enough to draw me in, and just uncomfortable enough to make me think.Love it.

Set in a world where magic users are discriminated against; the mix of magic and technology, how industry affects society's perceptions, as well as different uses for magic are interesting. The plot involves characters fighting against an oppressive capitalist institution. Much of the show is dedicated to the mental health (self-doubt, anxiety, trauma from abuse) of the main character - other voices are drowned out by his intrusive thoughts, which is as distracting to the listener as it is to the main character and is an interesting use of the medium in grounding the listener to the main character's perspective; this makes following parts of the plot purposefully frustrating and leads to a cathartic scene later on. The character dynamics are enjoyable, from the main character's relationship with his love interest (the best character in the show) to his close friendship/found family dynamic with his roommate and the people on his team. Character-centric beats are a plus when they are used at the right time and provide emotional catharsis, but when there's an overly supportive conversation at a tense moment, the tension can deflate. Unfortunately during these supportive conversations, some dialogue can come across as characters trying to get a good grade in therapy.