Friday Freebies

A few good freebies to start the weekend, including the always awesome audio fiction podcasts, Escape Pod and Pseudopod. There are othe interesting sounding stories in here so enjoy.  Likely one to three more posts today, including a few more fantasy, science fiction and/or horror freebies.




 [Art from "Killing Time" linked below]





Fiction
At Daily Science Fiction: "Ansa and the Lost Thing" by Sophie Wereley.
     "Papa was always losing things, from his car keys to the car he'd just put them in, so when he ended up losing himself, Ansa and I figured we had more important things to do than find out where he went. If he came back, he'd bring dinner. If he didn't, we could turn his office into a TV room."

At Paizo: "Killing Time - Chapter One: The Night Visitor" by Dave Gross. Fantasy.
     "At my side, Arnisant growled a warning. The instant I touched the Shadowless Sword, a gloved hand covered mine in a gesture doubtless intended to reassure me. Instead, the unwelcome touch raised the hairs on my neck."

Reviewed at BestScienceFictionStories: "The War of Human Cats" by Festus Pragnell. Science Fiction. 1940.

Reviewed at Variety SF: "The Man On the Bottom" by Dean McLaughlin. Science Fiction. 1958.

Flash Fiction

• At Every Day Fiction: "Pigeons in Heaven" by Beth Cato. Fantasy.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Building World" by Clint Wilson. Science Fiction.
• At Weirdyear: "A Visit From Mr. Spike" by Jesse Lee. Weird.

Audio Fiction
At Classic Tales Podcast: "The Toys of Peace" by Saki. Speculative Fiction.
       "This just in - The National Peace Council has grave objections to the toys typically given to boys, as they tend to encourage their primal violent instincts. Now there is an ingenious product on the toy shelf , sure to be the next hot Christmas item – toys of peace"

At The Drama Pod: "While Whispers Wait - Episode Three"  by James Sedgwick. Horror.
      "Sam meets with Sheriff Russell. Lynette continues her plot. Strange events disturb Dak. Elise meets her new assistant. A stranger sparks Pippa's interest. Maggie receives an upsetting phone call."

At Escape Pod: "Passengers" by Robert Silverberg. Science Fiction.
      "Alien wraiths called Passengers randomly take over the bodies of humans for several days at a time."
At Pseudopod: "That Ol’ Dagon Dark" by Robert MacAnthony. Horror.
      "He’s never heard of such a thing. Still, the aroma is enticing. He checks the box and the shelf, but there is no price."

Highlighted at SFFAudio: "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant. Horror. And "Night On Mispec Moor" by Larry Niven. Science Fiction.

Other Genres

• Audio at LibriVox: "The Algonquin Legends of New England" Mythology.

... it was agreed, that my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at least romantic; yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment ...