A man of letters

The Very Prudent Decisions of Hortlakçı Süleyman Hoca review

Production company – Law Of Names

Rating – 

The more eagle eyed of you will notice that it is the first Sunday of the month and there’s no interview. This is my fault. I reached out to a few people who didn’t get back to me, and by the time I had someone lined up, I didn’t have enough time to think of any good questions. Going forward, I think the solution will be to just get a stockpile of interviews ready, but that requires planning and foresight that I unfortunately lack. If there is anyone that you can think of that you would like me to interview, then please leave a comment below.

Before I begin, let me just say this. This week’s show has the longest title of any podcast I’ve reviewed, and while it would be nice for the word count, it won’t be nice for my poor carpal tunnels. Therefore I will be referring to this as Very Prudent Decisions from here on out.

I think I heard about this show from one of the many people I follow on Bluesky. The Arabic design caught my eye instantly, and the exceptionally long title was also intriguing, so of course I had to have a listen just to see what it was all about.

So what’s it about?

Very Prudent Decisions follows the supernatural adventures of Süleyman, told through letters to his wife. As he travels the Ottoman empire, poor Süleyman encounters all manner of entities that he has to deal with, from Djinn, to vampires and faeries.

He is so good at his job, that his reputation precedes him, and it is with some annoyance that he gets the nickname “The Vampire Hunter”. His modesty and rationality mean he tries to avoid such glamour, but as his adventures progress, I suspect he starts to enjoy it a bit.

Is it any good?

The style of the stories reminds me a lot of Carnackie The Ghost Finder, albeit set in the medieval Mediterranean. As such, despite the supernatural aspect of these tales, they aren’t true “horror” as you would think of it. Whereas Carnackie used various gadgets to debunk hauntings, Süleyman encounters very real supernatural entities, and stays safe by using various amulets given to him by his wife.

The stories themselves are very well written. I’m not sure if they are actually traditional stories, or if they are modern tales, told in a traditional fashion. Part of me doesn’t want to know. They certainly have the patina of real ancient tales, and I love that. What lends an extra layer of authenticity is the narration by creator Gem Aydin. Being of Kurdi-Turkish descent, Gem’s accent fits perfectly here, and really brings Süleyman to life.

Despite all this, unfortunately there are some downsides. While there are some top tier voice actors here (Karim Kronfli immediately springs to mind), there are some dodgy characterisations. They are few and far between though, and the lush world-building is more than enough to carry you through any shortcomings.

Final thoughts

Whilst there are a few stories told in this way, Re: Dracula and This House Will Devour You, Very Prudent Decisions ploughs its own furrow. If you’re looking for a truly unique show, then this will surely fill any gap in your listening.

Law Of Names media has plenty more intriguing projects on their website, so this won’t be the last time you hear of them on this blog!

You can get The Very Prudent Decisions of Hortlakçı Süleyman Hoca here:

https://www.greatpods.co/podcasts/the-very-prudent-decisions-of-hortlak-sleyman-hoca-7815861

For more great reviews, I recommend GreatPods