For anyone who does not know, Escape Pod is a podcast that reads science fiction short stories.
I am most definitely not an expert on science fiction. I love reading horror and fantasy, and on occasion, both of those genres wander into the sci fi realm, but thats about it. I really dislike the futuristic computer-type deal. Now, a good sci fi movie, I’m ok with, but I have to admit that I am just not enough of a tech junkie to be able to properly visualize what a writer is talking about when its practically in binary. I really don’t get it.
Pressure however, is not at all like that. This is the first piece of science fiction since reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that I have enjoyed. Well…thats underwater and enjoyable. I have a …uh..mild water phobia.
The gist of the story is that a man signs up to be turned into some sort of man/fish hybrid. The biomechanics are delved into in such a way that I grasped what was being described…which was a nice change. The drama that developed in the main characters personal life was completely believable, as depressing as it becomes….but I really didn’t like the ending. I’ll leave that for you to decide, of course. 
Jeff Carlson is a writer of thriller genre fiction. I confess I’ve never heard of him until now, but if you are at all interested in nanotech and/or plague, you might want to visit his site. I’m a plague and biowarfare junky, so I’ll be picking up his first Plague novel to see what all the hype is.
