New Myths, Resident Aliens, and More Free Fiction

Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that QuasarDragon was taking a day off after the flood of free fiction released this weekend by a hoard of amazing, generous sites. However, that is not the case. As Baron Harkonnen might say, the free fiction must flow.  And flow it will, with more good stories from a variety of sources, including two more e-zines that just "posted."


Fiction
At Electric Velocipede: "The Woods of Wistman’s Grove" by Tyson Young.
     "The sceptics will tell you that the woods of Wistman’s Grove are a myth, their howls no more a chorus of mummified voices than the wind through bare trees. Yet when travelling the roads beyond Clearbell, even the naysayers take the sinuous trail over the hills. Lest they disprove their own doubt."

At Strange Horizons: "America Thief (Part 1 of 2)" by Alter S. Reiss. Speculative Fiction.

      "Bugsy wasn't going to kill me that night, because while they thought I was crazy for thinking I could do magic, sometimes people needed me to do magic for them."

At L5R: "War of Hearts" by Nancy Sauer. Fantasy.
     "Doji Shunya drifted through the garden, stopping now and again to exchange a polite greeting and a few comments with someone he knew before moving on again.  The evening’s party was only beginning to build tempo, and he didn’t want to commit himself to a lengthy conversation before mapping out who the most useful people present were."

At The WiFiles: "Kodiak" by Walter Campbell. Speculative Fiction.
     "If it weren’t for the Kodiak brown bear, Max would have complained about his boss long ago. The bear had been hired as head receptionist for HR just two months earlier, landing him an extra large desk and an extra large chair behind normal-sized glass doors on the third floor, just off the elevator."

Now Posted New Myths #21: Speculative Fiction.

"The Desert of Trees" by Matthew Bennardo.
      "Twice in that time, she built a fire from the endless supplies of dry sticks that carpeted the ground under the snow. She began with handfuls of brown needles that flared under the sparking chert and steel, and continued to feed the little tongues of flame until spruce and pine twigs curled and crackled before her."
"The Last Listener" by Eric Cline. 
      "Hawkins was a civilian security specialist under my supervision. His head was a smooth brown oval, thanks to a barber (I'd known him before he shaved it smooth); he had a single, discrete gold hoop through his left earlobe. Yeah, I'd thought of the Tidy Bowl man."
"Foolish Wishes, Fairy Kisses" by Brent Knowles. 
      "A tin can fell over below the stairs, a flash of fur rushing into the small pile of wood stacked inside the carport. Josh smiled, seeing that Grandma still set out her offerings. The Alders loved nature; feeders of birds and squirrels and they kept the busiest gnome garden on the island. They even scattered cake crumbs and filled thimbles with apple cider."
"God's Plan for the Lunar Colony" by Nicholas Whitley.
      "Before he even put on the jetsuit, Deacon Ridenhour had had a strange presentiment about his first Inquisition. Not a prophetic moment, Heaven forbid, but something like it nevertheless. The transit from the Space Station Travail to Lunar Colony A had gone smoothly though, despite his misgivings. It was just like in training--until the final approach."

Now Posted: Residential Aliens - Dec. 2012

"They Come Back" by Amberle L. Husbands.
     "The date in the paper’s corner—December 20th, 2012, Thursday—seemed smaller than normal, if anything, as if they’d tried to slip it in under the radar."
"Zantook the Santa" by Francis W. Alexander.
     "Although something bugged him about the event, Christmas 2011 on earth had been the best ever for Zantook, the Santa. This being his third Noel, multilocating had been a breeze, and delivering presents to the human boys and girls was the greatest joy he could imagine."
"The Apprentice" by Erin M. Kinch. Fantasy.
      "Unseen to most, her gifts raced around the room, scanning the crowd, searching for any who posed a challenge. To her, the ungifted stood in shadow, while other gifteds glowed with an internal light. Most people in this wretched kingdom had no gifts at all."
"Hath No Fury" by Stoney M. Setzer.  Superhero.
       "Her husband of two years looked up at her apologetically. He was already in the process of changing into his Mole-Man costume. “I know, babe, but I just got the call from Police Headquarters"
"A Different Blessing" by Milton Davis. Zombie.
      “We’re probably not, but it’s as close as we can get,” Edward answered, distracted by his concern for Ginger.  She was failing. He doubted if she would last her next donation. They were so brave, every one of them, giving to save others despite their condition.

 Flash Fiction

• At Beware the Hairy Mango: "Out Drinking Water with the Boys" by Matthew Sanborn Smith. Audio Weird.
• At Daily Science Fiction: "Shattered Amber"by Mari Ness.
• At Flashes in the Dark: "Toofers" by R.J. Spears. Horror.
• At Quantum Muse: "First Contact" by Gordon Rowlinson. Science Fiction.
• At Strange Horizons: "The Gardener's Theory of Cultivation" by Garrett Ashley. Speculative Poem.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Hard Currency" by Desmond Hussey. Science Fiction.
• At New Myths: Speculative Poems.

Running for the Ship by Bruce Boston
1492 by Gary Every
Manic is the Dark Night by Michael Lee Johnson
Gil Dreamt About Zombies and Women by Michaelsun Knapp

Audio Fiction

At Author's Site: "The MVP Episode #8" by Scott Sigler. Science Fiction. Football.
      "Quentin and the Krakens deal with the aftermath of the Game, and start to plan for the season ahead and the future of the franchise."
At Toasted Cake: "Moonlight on the Carpet"  by David D. Levine. Speculative Fiction.
      "It was summer, a hot humid North Carolina summer, and there was nothing else to do."

Other Genres
Audio at Crime City Central: "The Naked Thread" by Monica Ferris. Crime.
Audio at PRI: Selected Shorts "Objects of Desire"
     “Counting the Ways” by Susan Perabo and “The Pony Problem” by Sloane Crosley.
Flash Fiction at Every Day Fiction: "Make That a Double" by Gloria Garfunkel.
Flash Fiction at Spinetingler: "It’s All Peanuts" by Emma Deanston. Suspense.