German popstars? A mysterious benefactor? A new drug on the streets? Today, best-selling author and award-winning audio director Eric Jason Martin officially released the star-studded audiobook adaptation of New Arcadia: Revolution, the second chapter of the acclaimed New Arcadia series.
New Arcadia: Revolution
Featuring a star-studded cast of nearly 30 performers including Matthew Mercer (Critical Role), Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead), Erika Ishii (Cyberpunk 2077), Marin Ireland (The Umbrella Academy), Ray Porter (Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Jeff Gerstmann (The Jeff Gerstmann Show), Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and more, New Arcadia: Revolution continues the story of protagonist John Chambers (Eric Jason Martin), known in the virtual world of New Arcadia as Blaze, and his friends as they infiltrate Club Re-LOVE-ution, to stop the deadly Drug X menace from taking over the city.
Interview with Eric Jason Martin
Let’s Raise A Glass To The Revolution!
We got the chance to speak with Eric Jason Martin about this exciting new installment!
Q: For the uninitiated, can you talk a little about how New Arcadia came to be and the creative process behind putting it all together from concept to audio play?
A: New Arcadia is the name of the trilogy, and also the name of the virtual East Coast city that the story is set in. In the real world, it’s 2023, and things really aren’t great, but in the virtual world of New Arcadia, it’s the year 199X, and it’s a bright, exciting, larger-than-life arcade experience.
I’m a big fan of the 90s beat-’em-up video games like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, and I’ve wanted to tell a story in that genre for a long time. Also, I’m an audiobook narrator, and I perform a lot of LitRPG and GameLit books. Combining the two seemed like a natural place for me to start as an author.
I wrote the first book, New Arcadia: Stage One, very quickly. In part, this was because I had already done a lot of the groundwork exploring a world like this for a potential podcast project a few years ago.
From the start of writing the novel, I always intended to record it as a multicast audiobook. It made the writing easier because I had specific people in mind to play the roles. Thankfully, they were all on board!
Once we recorded the full cast, we had a great team at Mumble Media putting it all together and working with the amazing chiptune score by Casey Trela and the theme music by Lloyd Cole.
Q: There are strong ‘Ready Player One’ and Cyberpunk vibes with a dash of Scott Pilgrim thrown in for good measure; was that intentional or unintentional? Where was your inspiration drawn from?
A: Ready Player One has not only influenced but really kickstarted the entire genre of LitRPG and GameLit. I think it’s a fantastic book. Our story is quite different, though, and touches on themes like nostalgia and community in its own unique way.
Scott Pilgrim is another great story. It’s truly structured as a beat ‘em up game, so much so that they actually created a retro beat ‘em up game for the movie tie-in a few years back.
And the cyberpunk genre is definitely an influence as well – my actor friends and I would play Shadowrun (and D&D) as kids back in the 90s, and we call that out in the book a bit.
For this new book, we’re also dipping into the rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution to bring our characters together. I was more of a Guitar Hero / Rock Band guy myself, but it’s an easy adjustment for the story.
I’m also incredibly inspired by the talents of our cast and crew. They really elevate the work and bring it to the next level. Collaborating with these amazing artists is the true inspiration.
Q: Audio is such a wonderful medium to story tell – was there a reason why you chose it for this story in particular? Did it present any challenges?
A: Audio is a medium I’m very familiar with and love working in. At this point, I’ve been narrating for over 10 years, performing over 350 audiobooks, and producing and directing several original audio productions with some of the biggest and best talents from film and television.
It’s much quicker (and less expensive) to work in audio as opposed to film and television. It’s also a more intimate and long-form experience; it’s just you and the listener, and you’re usually speaking right to them through their headphones.
I designed this story specifically for audio. It’s by no means autobiographical, but it is a personal story, and a story ultimately about human connection, and I think the intimacy of an audiobook is the right medium for it. Especially with a full cast to bring all the characters to life.
The biggest challenge is in the sound design and how you approach the storytelling. You don’t really want to listen to a fight scene actually happening. The punches and kicks would get very old, very quickly.
So we don’t give you any of that. Instead, the action is communicated primarily through narration, dialogue, and music. The sound effects are used very sparingly – if done incorrectly, we could push the listener away, instead, I think we’ve found a way to draw you in and keep you engaged.
Q: Without spoiling anything – what are you most excited for audiences to experience?
A: First off, the original song we created! It’s called “Dance of Life,” and it’s the catchiest ‘90s dance song you’ve never heard. It’s sung by Emily Lynne, and she absolutely knocked it out of the park. This song needs to be on the Billboard Hot 100 and playing in all the clubs around the world.
Overall, I’m so excited for listeners to hear the full cast do their thing. This audiobook was so much fun to create with them, and now I’m so excited for audiences to share in that joy.
It’s time to party like it’s 199X.
The first chapter in the series, New Arcadia: Stage One, was a #2 Fiction Bestseller on Audible and was an Audible Editor’s Pick in March 2021.
New Arcadia: Revolution is available on Amazon and Audible TODAY.
