Free Online Fiction, Audio Fiction, Comics, and Gaming Items.

Another day, another collection of awesome freebies. A million blessings on all the posters of the free stuff that QD links to. Another great collection of free fiction, from some "big name" sites, some good audio fiction - including Lightspeed in the fiction section, some cool classic comics, and as the icing on the cake - some free gaming items including a fully reviewed RPG.

Today's illustration is from "Incident in the Beyond!" in the comics section.







Apex Magazine Issue 24 is now free online. Including fiction.

"Recipe Collecting in the Asteroid Belt" by Jeremy R. Butler. Science Fiction
"You line up every other earth-bound profession-lawyer, dentist, office manager, garbage collector, and which holds a candle to Smilin’ Joe and his adventuresome self? Marine? Navy SEAL sniper? Lion tamer? Too common. Too ordinary. Nothings and nobodies. There were gods at work among the stars, and what, we were going to stay on Earth?"

"Twilight of the Eco-Terrorist" by Annalee Newitz.

"The first time I vaporized a car, it was because I was in love. I was seventeen, and Lawrence had eyes like chips of black glass. We’d parked behind the donut shop, between two trash bins that blocked my car’s windows."

"In Search Of" by Will Ludwigsen.
"The universe began 13.7 billion years ago as a singularity of infinite density and temperature. It will expand and fragment until the fragments become singularities of their own and repeat the process."

@Lightspeed Magazine: "Snapshots I Brought Back from the Black Hole" by K.C. Ball. Online and in an audio version. Science Fiction.

"No one knows what happens when an object crosses the point around a black hole known as an event horizon and falls into the singularity."

@The author's site: "Domestic Magic" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. YA Fantasy. Up until next Monday.

"The most picked-on kid at a high school for the magical has nightmares about J. Rutherford Wisenhaur II killing people with a fire spell. She can’t stop him. She only has domestic magic and can’t do most difficult spells. To make matters worse, no one will believe that her dream is important. What’s a young nearly powerless witch to do?"

@Strange Horizons: "Peerless" by Karen Munro. Speculative Fiction.

"This lady's shoes were tremendous. I've shined the shoes of men six and a half feet tall, and they weren't as big as hers. And not just long, either—wide, broad, almost circular."

@Daily Science Fiction: "Just Enough Time" by Douglas K. Beagley.

"The Time Traveler entered Starbucks in a hurry. There were five of us, the usual. I was drinking a mocha with whipped cream, trying hard to hold the hot cup and not look like an ass. I wondered if I should have shaved. I was going after Jenn, you know, nodding at what she said."

@Subterranean Press: "Seek-No-Further" by Tiffany Trent. YA Dark Fantasy.

In the old orchard, the trees twisted like gaunt ghosts. I ran my fingers over those nearest me, murmuring their names: Black Gillyflower, Stayman Winesap, Crispin, Northern Spy. My great-grandpa had brought them all from hither and yon.

@GigaNotoSaurus: Fantasy and Science Fiction [via PodCastle]

"After October" by Ben Burgis.

“I don’t care, Fyodka. Romans or Visagoths, Christians or Mohammedans, Tsars or…” The old man waves his hand, making a show of remembering the word. “…Bolsheviks… They’re all just different acts in the same circus.”

"Droplag" by Angela Ambroz.

“Ghada my child!” Mum exclaimed in her Londonized Swahili. Rare city sunlight streamed in through the kitchen windows. “Mwanangu, what kichaa crazy are you going after? Your Asadullah had to go, and now you want to follow him?”

"The Landholders No Longer Carry Swords" by Patricia Russo.

"Since the ascension of the young dukes, the landholders no longer carry swords, and we are no longer obliged to kneel in their presence. Taxes have been lowered; we can keep more of our grain, our olives, our limes. Obligatory civic work days have been decreased to five per month. Smile, the elders say. Raise up your heads. The sun has emerged after long, long years of rain."

@PodCastle: Episode #160 "After October" by Ben Burgis, read by Eric Luke.

“I don’t care, Fyodka. Romans or Visagoths, Christians or Mohammedans, Tsars or…” The old man waves his hand, making a show of remembering the word. “…Bolsheviks… They’re all just different acts in the same circus.”

• @The Warrior's Comic Book Den: "The Beautiful Beast" Horror. (1970). Great Art.

• @The Horrors of It All: "Beast of Bedlam" Horror. (1953).

• @Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "Haunted!" / "Incident in the Beyond!" B&W Horror and Science Fiction. (1965).

• @Digital Comics Museum: Target Comics v02 11 (including Spacehawk), Flying Saucers (1952), Jo-Jo #7 & #22 (jungle adventure), Buster Crabbe #5 (SciFi), and Jumbo Comics #27 (adventure).

• @Atomic Kommie Comics: "Saucer Man" (SciFi)

@The Free RPG Blog: a thorough review of Old School Hack by Kirin Robinson and a link to the free download.

"a lite fantasy roleplaying game inspired by the "Old School" style. You play archetypal fantasy fodder and engage in adventures of daring do and mashing monsters and villains IN THE FACE."

@Trollish Delver: [Monster] "The Xingtian" Tunnels and Trolls.
@DriveThruRPG: [Model] "Fantasy House, Free Version"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Magic Item] Summoning Bell, Orc Dreadbow, and Deep Woods Cloak.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Spell] Magical Songs: the Song of Subtlety and Wastrel’s Guise.
@ A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monster] Manaconda and Zanhorr. Mutant Future.