Celebrating the Births . . . Vonda N. McIntyre, Jack Vance, and J. Sheridan LeFanu

Vonda Neel McIntyre  (born August 28, 1948)
     McIntyre has won a combined total of four Hugo and Nebula awards and has been nominated for nine more! Rather impressive. She has written in the Star Trek and Star Wars universes as well as her own original creations.  An outstanding writer, who is certainly worth reading. Only a little of her fiction (all flash) is free online.  Her homepage is here.









At Nature:

• "Misprint" Science Fiction.
• "A Modest Proposal" Science Fiction.
• "LADeDeDa" with  Ursula K. Le Guin. Science Fiction.

• At StarShipSofa: "A Modest Proposal" by Vonda N McIntyre. Flash Audio.

John Holbrook "Jack" Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013)
     Vance was a successful Fantasy and Science Fiction (as well as mystery) writer whose fiction won two Hugo awards, a Nebula Award, a World Fantasy Award, and an Edgar (a mystery writing award). Among his great works, The Dying Earth stories are probably the works for which he is best known. His home page is here.








Fiction
• At Baen: "Liane the Wayfarer" Fantasy. Dying Earth. [via Free Speculative Fiction Online]
      "Through the dim forest came Liane the Wayfarer, passing along the shadowed glades with a prancing light-footed gait. He whistled, he caroled, he was plainly in high spirits. Around his finger he twirled a bit of wrought bronze—a circlet graved with angular crabbed characters, now stained black."

• At Infinity Plus: "Green Magic"
     "The existence of disciplines concentric to the elementary magics must now be admitted without further controversy," wrote McIntyre. "Guided by a set of analogies from the white and black magics (to be detailed in due course), I have delineated the basic extension of purple magic, as well as its corollary, Dynamic Nomism."

• At Project Gutenberg: "Sjambak" 1953.
     "Wilbur Murphy sought romance, excitement, and an impossible Horseman of Space. With polite smiles, the planet frustrated him at every turn—until he found them all the hard way!"

Audio Fiction

• At LibriVox: "Sjambak" in Short Science Fiction Collection 27.
• At StarShipSofa: "The Moon Moth" Part 1 and Part 2.

Old Time Radio
• At Internet Archive: "The Potters of Firsk" (direct MP3 download) - Dimension X.
     "A liaison officer from Earth is caught between a steely planetary administrator and a fanatical alien cult who kidnap and murder people to use as raw materials for their sacred pottery."- OTR Plot Spot.

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873) 
     Le Fanu was a leading nineteenth century writer of Gothic Horror and ghost stories.  He wrote many stories, but is best known for his novella "Carmilla" which was a popular vampire story 25 years before Dracula was written. Certainly worth a read for Vampire fans, as well as fans of Gothics and other nineteenth century stories.

Fiction
At Project Gutenberg:
• "Carmilla"
     "In Styria, we, though by no means magnificent people, inhabit a castle, or schloss. A small income, in that part of the world, goes a great way. Eight or nine hundred a year does wonders. Scantily enough ours would have answered among wealthy people at home. My father is English, and I bear an English name, although I never saw England. But here, in this lonely and primitive place, where everything is so marvelously cheap, I really don't see how ever so much more money would at all materially add to our comforts, or even luxuries."

• Other works by Le Fanu.

Audio Fiction

• At LibrVox: "Carmilla"
• At LibrVox:  Other works by Le Fanu.

Old Time Radio
At Internet Archive:

• "Carmilla" by Nightfall. (MP3 download )
• "Carmilla" by CBS Radio Mystery Theater. (warning huge file 47 episodes)

The Free Fiction Days of August

A ton of free e-books and a couple of very good audio stories round out today's free fiction.  And I'll be back long before you can read all these.













Audio Fiction
• At PodCastle: "Excision" by Scott H. Andrews. Fantasy.
     "We started immediately.  Scolast Giazla had a series of rabbits she’d infected by treating their grafts with offal.  I selected the most advanced sample, a brown spotted one with a cat’s striped forepaw, to perform the control."

• At SFFaudio: "The Dreams In The Witch House" by H. P. Lovecraft. Horror.
      "Whether the dreams brought on the fever or the fever brought on the dreams Walter Gilman did not know. Behind everything crouched the brooding, festering horror of the ancient town, and of the mouldy, unhallowed garret gable where he wrote and studied and wrestled with figures and formulae when he was not tossing on the meagre iron bed."

E-Books
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Bitten by Anna Wolfe. Fantasy.
• Desert Angels by George P. Saunders. Science Fiction.
• Kissing Zombies by Richard Denney. YA Zombie Romance.
• Destination Alpha Four by Dominic Green. YA Science Fiction.

At [via Freebook Sifter]

• Bare Innocence (Forbidden Sacrifice Saga) by Chloe Ashton. Paranormal.
• Called to Belong (Legoria Series) by AM Winters. YA Fantasy.
• Darkness In Between by Rebecca R. Cohen. Vampire Fiction.
• The Zoey Chronicles: The Complete Collection (Vol. 1-4) by Sophia Gray. Vampire Fiction.
• 13 Days - Part One (13 Days in Lochterra Trilogy) by Rose Tyler Parker. Fantasy.
• Pestilence - A Medical Thriller (The Plague Trilogy) by Victor Methos.
• The Island of the Dead by George Left. Contemporary Fantasy.
• Nameless - The Fires Night (Nameless Saga) by Simone Lari. Superhero.
• Mirrors and Magic (The Clockwork Republics) by Katina French. Steampunk.
• The Castleton Files (Will Castleton) by David Bain. Paranormal.
• Gray Lake: A Novel of Crime and Supernatural Horror by David Bain. Horror.
• Until the End (Quarantined) by Tracey Ward. Horror, Undead.
• Komori: Book One of the Utopia Trilogy by Sierra July.
• Three of a Kind: Tales of Luck, Chance & Misfortune by Kristen Middleton, LR Potter, and C.J. Pinard. Dark Fantasy. 

At Amazon Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. Telepathy. [via Pixel-of-Ink]

Fantastic, Fun, Free Fiction for Friday's Foundation

Just another round of free fiction from some great sites.  More later.












Fiction
• At Author's Site: "A Vampire’s Family Values" by Sara Walker. Noir Urban Fantasy.
     "The setting autumn sun turned blood red behind the castle - like house . This was the lush area next to the Ottawa River, Lake Street in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa's wealthiest district, home to ambassadors and politicians , and yet instead of feeling abundandant, the neighbourhood felt cold and lifeless . Fingerprints, like bread crumbs, had led us to the home of Army Colonel Gregor Renko, recently widowed."

• At Daily Science Fiction: "For Sale by Owner" by Kate Heartfield. Fantasy.
     "Ron allowed himself one shallow breath before gripping his cane and creaking to his feet. There was no need to rush. More than a century before, he had counted the steps that would take him from his watching-chair, across his living room, through his front door, off the porch, and across the expanse of rock to the cliff. Ron knew, likewise, the number of steps a jumper needed to hike to the top of the rock face they called The Ridge."

• At HiLobrow: "The Man with Six Senses - Part 5" by Muriel Jaeger. Science Fiction. 1927.
     "I said, 'You are giving this thing undue importance. What you have told me is very interesting — as a curiosity, that is. But, after all, what does this odd sensibility of Bristowe’s amount to? Can it actually do more for him than an ordinary man can do with his eyes? Even if it could penetrate underground with any reliability. …'"

Flash Fiction

• At Every Day Fiction: "Three Wishes" by Cat Rambo. Fantasy.
• At Planet Magazine: "Making Minds" by Sean Goedecke. Science Fiction.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Siren Song" by Duncan Shields. Science Fiction.

Audio Fiction
• At Clarkesworld: "Shepherds" by Greg Kurzawa.
     "The lioness ambushed Abel’s flock as he herded them down from the high pastures. Dropping soundlessly from a rocky ledge along the sheep path, she landed on a lamb not six months old. The flock scattered. Turning to confront Abel, the beast rose to her hind legs and opened her claws. Her ears lie flat, her tail thrashed. From her mouth hung the lamb, scrawny legs kicking."

• At Classic Tales Podcast: "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe. Dark Fantasy. 
      "The vainglorious Prince Prospero seeks to cheat a devilish plague ravaging the countryside. Can he procure a truly secret and separate hiding place from The Red Death?"

• At LibriVox: "The Hunting of the Snark" by Lewis Carroll. (direct MP3 download)  in LibriVox 8th Anniversary Collection
     "Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried, / As he landed his crew with care; / Supporting each man on the top of the tide / By a finger entwined in his hair."

• At Tales to Terrify: "At the Mountains of Madness - Part 2" by H. P. Lovecraft. Horror.
     "I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why. It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the antarctic - with its vast fossil hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice caps. And I am the more reluctant because my warning may be in vain."

Ask Not for What the Bell Tolls It Tolls for Free Fiction.

More great free fiction including the start of a new Pathfinder fantasy serial at Paizo, an alternate history by Harry Turtledove, and several free for a limited time e-books. 

[Art from "Cayos in the Stream"]




Fiction
At Paizo: "The Weeping Blade  - Chapter One: Blind Beggar’s Bind" by Josh Vogt. Fantasy.
     "Despite the leather strap over his eyes, Larem sensed Dargley beaming a grin in clueless innocence, the attitude that had defined his existence since the head injury. Sighing, Larem took up his beggar bowl and shook the three copper coins it held."

At Tor.com: "Cayos in the Stream" by Harry Turtledove.
     "You’re the greatest writer of the age, gone to ground and subsiding into drink. You always said you wanted to catch some of those Nazi bastards in the waters around your beloved Cuba. What happens when you actually get your wish?"

At Free eBooks Daily:

• Heir to the Underworld by E.D. Walker. YA Paranormal.
• Lay Saints by Adam Connell. Science Fiction. 
• Talent Storm by Brian Terenna. Fantasy.
• Vessel, Book I: The Advent by Tominda Adkins. Fantasy. 
• Human No Longer by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. Vampire Horror.
• Titan Encounter by Kyle Pratt. Space Opera.
• Stars Rain Down by Chris J. Randolph. Space Opera. 

At Amazon: [via Freebook Sifter]

• Oenone by Agatha Rae. Contemporary Fantasy.
• Gryphon of the Hidden Realm by Robert Denethon. Fantasy. 
• Greater Treasures: A DragonEye by Karina Fabian. Fantasy.
• Home Lost by Franz McLaren. Fantasy.
• Beloved Enemy (Gaian Series) by Janet Miller. Science Fiction. Romance. 
• Pactum (Contractor) by Nicholas Taylor.

Save the World - Get Free E-Books

Some great free e-books for you to check out, including one from my villainous peer, Regan Wolfrom (If you get it for free now, you won't be giving him money for one of his dastardly schemes. Hurry!)

 


E-Books
• At Amazon: After The Fires Went Out: Coyote by Regan Wolfrom. Science Fiction
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Paradise Denied by John L. French. Horror. 
• Maid of Sherwood by Shanti Krishnamurty. Fantasy.
• Cry Baby Hollow by Aimee Love. Paranormal.
• Parched by Z.L Arkadie. Vampire Romance.
• Tale of the Century Bride by Susan G. Charles. Vampire Romance. 
• The Last Spartan: Different Paths by A. E. McCullough. Science Fiction. 
• The Witching Pen by Dianna Hardy. Paranormal Romance.
• Seeds of Discovery by Breeana Puttroff. YA Fantasy Romance.

At Smashwords:

• "A Cat Prince Distinguishes Himself" by Abigail Hilton. YA Fantasy.
• "League of Super Heroes: Rise of the Villain (Book #1)" by Celeste Ayers. Superhero.
• Sentinels: Forsaken Knight by B.H. Savage. Fantasy. 71k words.
• "Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries" Fantasy.
• "The Return" by Phil Strahl. Horror.
• "Underside" by Luann Jung. Science Fiction.
• "The Art of Self-Destruction" by Douglas Shoback. Science Fiction.

Audio Fiction
• At Radio Drama Revival: "Not from Space - Part 1" Science Fiction.
       "Listen to breaking news as an assassination attempt unfolds and the sponsors seize the opportunity to cash in on the latest frenzy. Soon alien visitors arrive from a neighboring world, sending Earth’s two biggest corporate empires into the ultimate power struggle — fighting for control of the very station you’re listening to."

Free Comics, E-books, and More

There are quite a few interesting looking e-books linked in this post. And since many are free for a limited time, quickly grab the ones you want.  There are also a few cool classic comics, the latest audio horror fiction from Pseudopod, and the second chapter of "Best Served Cold" is up at Paizo.






[Art from Fell Winter in e-books]



Fiction
• At Paizo: "Best Served Cold  - Chapter Two: Worse Than the Disease" by Ari Marmell. Fantasy.
     "The faintest shower of sleet, scarcely more than an icy fog, began to fall over the battlefield that had been the town of Kelbran. Just another instance of the peculiar freezes and unnatural weather afflicting eastern Touvette in recent months, but this time—as visibility grew cloudy and the churned muck of the earth thickened—it almost seemed a harbinger of the oncoming stranger."

E-Books
• At Amazon: Nine Steps to Sara by Lisa Olsen. Ghost. [via Pixel of Ink]
• At Amazon: Anon by Peter Giglio. Horror. Thriller. [via Pixel of Ink]

At Free eBooks Daily:

• The Lost Tribe by Peter Ivey. Fantasy.
• The Magekiller by Sarah Chapman. Fantasy.
• Fell Winter by AJ Cooper. Fantasy.
• Another Way To Bleed by Susan Harris . Vampire.
• Displaced by J.F. Jenkins. Science Fiction.
• The Return by Melissa Douthit. YA Fantasy.
• Untold Fate by Allison Watson. YA Supernatural Thriller.
• November in Salem : The Bargain of Witches by L.C. Russell. YA Paranormal Romance.
• Close Up the Sky by James L. Ferrell. Time Travel.
• The Fathergod Experiment by L. A. Taylor. 
• Gray Skies by Brian Spangler. Science Fiction.
• The Robinsons' Dark Matter by Michael Raymond. YA Science Fiction
• Nirvana Effect by Craig Gehring. Science Fiction Thriller.
• Sleepytown 2020 by Tina Mavrikidis. Science Fiction.
• Evadere by Sara V. Zook. Fantasy Romance.
• The Exile's Violin by R.S. Hunter. Fantasy.

At Smashwords:

• "The Invasion of Dryreach" by Paige Williams. Adventure.
• "Hallowed (Waters Dark and Deep #1)" by Monica Leonelle.
• "Metal In The Moonlight" by Matthew Gill. Science Fiction.
• "Apocalypse 2073 (Volume 1) - The Prophecy" by Parker James. Science Fiction.
• Bandwagon by Andrew Fish. Science Fiction. Humor. 90k words.
• The Forgotten (The Lux Guardians, #1) by Saruuh Kelsey. YA Science Fiction.

Audio Fiction
• At Pseudopod: "Riding Atlas" by Ferrett Steinmetz. Horror.
     "‘Neither of you have eaten or drunk anything for twenty-four hours?' Ryan asked, hauling equipment into the room: sloshing plastic buckets, packs of hypodermic needles, coils of tubing, straps. 'And no drugs in your system? This is a pure trip. Just two bloods commingling. Any impurities will stop Atlas from getting inside you.'"

Comics

• At Digital Comics Museum: Dark Mysteries #1. Horror.
• At The Horrors of It All: "Return of the Dead!" Horror. 1953.
• At The Horrors of It All: "The Lonely One!" Horror. 1953.
• At Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "The Other Earths" Sci-Fi. 1951. Written by Manly Wade Wellman.

It's Not the Quantity of Free Fiction, It's How You Read It.

Just a few free items today, but all worth their weight in space gold.





Fiction
• At Aurora Wolf: "Ruby" by Agnes Cadieux. Fantasy.
     “Give it back,” Jmal shouted. He flapped one wing irritably and coiled his tail under him, getting ready to pounce at his older brother.

•  Flash Fiction at 365 Tomorrows: "Your Species Needs You" by David Kavanaugh. Science Fiction.

E-Books
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Love's Challenge by Dara Nelson. Vampire Romance.
• The End of Athens by Anthony Karakai. Thriller/Dystopian.
• City of Blaze by H.O. Charles. Fantasy Romance.

At Smashwords:

• "Metamorfoza" by Andrzej Galicki. Paranormal.
• "The Steps At Silloth" by Michael Carter. Weird Fiction.

Audio Fiction
• At Clarkesworld: "Mongoose" by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear. Science Fiction.
        "Izrael Irizarry stepped through a bright-scarred airlock onto Kadath Station, lurching a little as he adjusted to station gravity. On his shoulder, Mongoose extended her neck, her barbels flaring, flicked her tongue out to taste the air, and colored a question. Another few steps, and he smelled what Mongoose smelled, the sharp stink of toves, ammoniac and bitter."

Comics

• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Prisoners of the Incredible Plants" Sci-Fi. 1952.
• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Hot Money Space Mob" Sci-Fi. 1952.
• At Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "The Eyes of Cagliostro" Horror. 1974.
• At Fout Color Shadows: "The Mark of the Witch" Horror. 1953.
• At The Horrors of it All: "Greatest Horror of Them All! / The Fanged Freak"  Horror. 1954/1975.

Other Genres

• Audio at The Second Bat Guano War: "Chapter 7" by J. M. Porup.
• Flash Fiction at Every Day Fiction: "Stella Remembers" by Tina Wayland.

How beauteous free fiction is! O brave new world, That has such speculation in't!

Some great free fiction today, not a ton, but enough to keep you busy for a while.  Be sure to check back frequently for free fiction links, and occasionally more. And check out SF Signal, where, despite implications to the contrary, Regan Wolfrom has full permission to use QD links.

[Art from Cosmos, linked below]



Fiction
• At Aurora Wolf: "The Charlatan Chronicler" by Diana Rohlman.Fantasy.
     "The words, for the first time, were not coming easily. I sat back, the glass of wine in my hand glimmering in the lamplight. I took a sip. For words to fail me was an anomaly. I went so far as to touch pen to paper, willing characters to form, a story to flow onto the page in bold, black letters. The ink merely bled into the paper, a spreading black blemish."

• At Cosmos: "Red Star Falling, in Multimedia" by Eric Cline. Science Fiction.
     "The truth of that control room would be hard to dramatise: a thousand urgent side-conversations among groups of engineers; ideas pitched, batted around, and tossed to the ground; everyone running their brains on overdrive to come up with a solution."

• At Daily Science Fiction: "Ghosts in the Walls" by Shannon Peavey.
      "The baby in the north-side wall of Laura's apartment never cries during the earthquakes. Other times it will scream and wail loud enough to keep her up at night, even with a pillow over her ears--but when the shaking starts it quiets. Like it's being rocked to sleep."

Flash Fiction

• At Every Day Fiction: "The D-Day Diorama" by Paul A. Freeman
• At Nature: "Rondo Code" by Tony Ballantyne. Science Fiction.
• At 355 Tomorrows: "Symbiosis" by Bob Newbell. Science Fiction.

E-Books at Free E-Books Daily

• Destined for Harmony by Leia Shaw. Fantasy Romance. 
• Descent of Blood by Elizabeth Marx. Vampire Romance.
• Empath by HK Savage. Vampire Fiction.
• Connected by Simon Denman. Science Fiction Thriller.
• Waking Dreams by Ashley Stoyanoff. Paranormal Romance.
• Cursed Kiss by Helen Scott Taylor. Paranormal Romance.

Video
• At The Lovecraft eZine: “The Earth Rejects Him” Horror.
      "A young boy discovers a corpse while biking in the woods, then faces unexpected and macabre consequences when he tries to bury it…"

Audio Fiction
• At The Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Episode 06 - The Land That Time Forgot" Adventure.
      "The survivors of the U-33 have now made their way deep into the heart of Caprona.  The crew has successfully survived an attack by an Allosaurus.  It has become clear that their survival depends upon the construction of a palisaded  camp."

How Do I Love Free Fiction? Let Me Count the Ways.

More free fiction for us all! Huzzah! Also be sure to check out Regan Wolfrom's column at SF Signal for more free fiction (I think there's zero overlap in our e-book sections).  


[Art from Nightmare Magazine linked below]




Fiction
• At HiLobrow: "The Comet - parts One, Two, and Three" of Five parts by W.E.B. Du Bois. Science Fiction (1920) [via SF Signal]
      "Everything of value has been moved out since the water began to seep in,” said the president; “but we miss two volumes of old records. Suppose you nose around down there, — it isn’t very pleasant, I suppose."

• At HiLobrow: "The Clockwork Man - part 12" by  E.V. Odle. Science Fiction (1923)
      "Several thousand years from now, advanced humanoids known as the Makers will implant clockwork devices into our heads. At the cost of a certain amount of agency, these devices will permit us to move unhindered through time and space, and to live complacent, well-regulated lives. However, when one of these devices goes awry, a “clockwork man” appears accidentally in the 1920s, at a cricket match in a small English village. Comical yet mind-blowing hijinks ensue."

• At Nightmare Magazine: "The House on Cobb Street" by Lynda E. Rucker. Horror.
      "The house itself was razed, its lot now surrounded by a high fence bearing a sign that announces the construction presumably in progress behind it as the future offices of Drs. Laura Gonzales and Didi Mueller, D.D.S. The principal witnesses in this case did not respond to repeated enquiries, and in one case, obtained a restraining order against this author. And the young woman in question is said by all to have disappeared, if indeed she ever existed in the first place."

• At Paizo:  "A Matter of Knives - Chapter One: In the House of Blades" by Ed Greenwood. Fantasy.
     "She did not have to look to know she'd struck the target dead center. She was, after all, better at demonstrating the throwing knives Argulk Hroalund was deservedly famous for than the Master was himself."

• At Tor.com: "A Window or a Small Box" by Jedediah Berry.
      "they bought bus tickets and street maps, and sometimes they stopped long enough for a movie or a beer, or for a quickie in a borrowed room. They were far from home, but they didn’t know how far. They figured everything would turn out all right in the end."

Flash Fiction

• At Daily Science Fiction: "Jumbo Gumdrop Serenade" by E. Catherine Tobler
• At Every Day Fiction: "Numantia" by Patricia Court. Horror.
• At Planet Magazine: "The Saga of Wizard Bear" by Leo Byrne Jenicek. Poem.
• At SFFaudio: "The Valley Of Unrest" by Edgar Allan Poe. Audio.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "The Final Assault" by Josie Gowler. Science Fiction.

E-Books at Free eBooks Daily

• Plague of Night by Erin Jensen. Vampire Fiction.
• Catching A Sorcerer by Sara Walker. YA Fantasy.
• Heroes and Hearts by Noemi Betancourt. Fantasy. Romance.
• The Solitaire Prince by Tyan Wyss. YA Fantasy.
• Inked by an Angel by Shauna Allen. Paranormal Romance.
• Fledgling by Sharon Lee. Science Fiction.
• Bound by Blood by Tracey Jane Jackson. Paranormal Romance. 

Audio Fiction
• At PodCastle: "Beyond the Shrinking World" by Nathaniel Katz. Fantasy.
     “Bring my prisoner,” I said and none dared question, not a knight and Scholar-Practitioner so august as I. They knew the glyph carved into the base of my tongue kept me from lying."

• At StarShipSofa: “Sergeant Chip” by Bradley Denton.Science Fiction.
          "So I think of the word shapes, and the girl writes them for me. I know how the words are shaped because I could see them whenever Captain Dial spoke. And I always knew what he was saying."

Other Genres

• Audio at Forgotten Classics: "The Mouse in the Mountain, chapter 9" by Norbert Davis. Noir.
• Audio OTR at Internet Archive: "All Star Western Theatre - Single Episodes"
• Audio OTR at Internet Archive: "Molle Mystery Theatre - Single Episodes"

Morning Freebies

Good morning! A few great freebies - more to come!

(Art for "No Breather in the World But Thee" in fiction and audio fiction)





Fiction
• At Nightmare Magazine: "No Breather in the World But Thee" by Jeff VanderMeer. Horror.
     "The cook didn’t like that the eyes of the dead fish shifted to stare at him as he cut their heads off. The cook’s assistant, who was also his lover, didn’t like that he woke to find just a sack of bloody bones on the bed beside him. 'It’s starting again,' he gasped, just moments before a huge, black, birdlike creature carried him off, screaming."

Ebooks
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Blood Harvest by Michael Weinberger. Fantasy.
• Cat's Paw by L.A. Taylor. Fantasy, Mystery.
• Vampire Takeover by Jez Strider. Vampire Dystopia.
• Black Diamond by Jennifer Loiske. YA Fantasy.
• Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis. YA Science Fiction.
• Limbo's Child by Jonah Hewitt. YA Fantasy.
• All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle. Fantasy.
• Firecracker by Charles R. Verhey. Science Fiction Fantasy. 
• Love of Shadows by Zoe Brooks. Fantasy.
• Baby by J.K. Accinni. Science Fiction.
• NorthWest by JH Glaze. SciFi Horror.
• Telepaths and Traitors by K.J. Blaine. Science Fiction Space Opera.

Flash Fiction

• At Daily Science Fiction: "The Man and the River" by Therese Pieczynski. 
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Police Interrogation" by Townsend Wright. Science Fiction.

Audio Fiction
• At Nightmare Magazine: "No Breather in the World But Thee" by Jeff VanderMeer. Horror.
      Described above.

• At PodCastle: "Virtue’s Ghosts" by Amanda M. Olson. Fantasy.
      "For two weeks after she moved into our house, no one could convince me that Aunt Victoria was not a ghost. With soundless steps, she drifted from room to room in a dress the same blue-gray color as the pendant around her neck'

• At StarShipSofa: "The Golden Age of Story" by Robert Reed.
     "Each vignette is a separate episode outlining the spread of a designer drug, the effects of which include elevated reasoning and memory, high creativity, and pathological confabulation." - Primary Sources.


Other Genres

• Audio at CrimeWAV: "Mahogany & Monogamy" by Jed Ayres.
• Flash Fiction at Every Day Fiction: "The Real Mom" by Von Rupert

Big Wednesday and an Endless Loop

Quite a bit more free fiction today, including items from all currently covered categories. Among the many highlights are stories from Nightmare Magazine and Eclipse Online, new Drabblecast and StarShipSofa episodes, and much more.  If this isn't enough reading/listening/watching for you, be sure to check out SF Signal's latest free fiction post.  [I realize that linking to a post that links back here might create and endless loop that destroys the universe, but since that would mean no more political ads, I'm willing to take the chance.]  Back tomorrow with free fiction and perhaps something else.





Fiction
At The Colored Lens:  "Sisters" by Jude-Marie Green. Speculative Fiction.
     "When Sarah was not-quite-two and I was not-quite-twelve, she ran headlong off the side of a pier that jutted over the frothy waves and shattered rocks of a beach on the West Coast. Or she would have, if I had not grabbed her shirt collar in the moment between her launch into space and her inability to fly."
At Eclipse Online: “The Contrary Gardener” by Christopher Row. [Via SF Signal]
      "Kay Lynne wandered up and down the aisles of the seed library dug out beneath the county extension office. Some of the rows were marked with glowing orange off-limits fungus, warning the unwary away from spores and thistles that required special equipment to handle, which Kay Lynne didn’t have, and special permission to access, which she would never have, if her father had anything to say about it, and he did."
At Nightmare Magazine: "Frontier Death Song" by Laird Barron. Horror.
      "Night descended on Interstate-90 as I crossed over into the Badlands. Real raw weather for October. Snow dusted the asphalt and picnic tables of the deserted rest area. The scene was virginal as death."
At Paizo: "Proper Villains Chapter Two: The Gang" by Erik Scott de Bie. Fantasy.
     "They met at midnight in the Bloody Fang, a dive down in the Puddles district that catered to sailors, criminals, and the lowest of the low. The authorities of Absalom rarely made it there, and certainly not at this hour of night."
At Project Gutenberg: "The Martian" by Allen Glasser and A. Rowley Hilliard. Science Fiction.
     "The water was evaporated by the ever-shining sun until there was none left for the thirsty plants. Every year more workers died in misery." From Wonder Stories Quarterly Winter 1932.
At Project Gutenberg:  "Spacewrecked on Venus" by Neil R. Jones. Science Fiction.
     "A beam of electricity leaped from the ship. Instantly shafts of light spread from the nearest projectile to the ones on either side of it." From Wonder Stories Quarterly Winter 1932.
At Shadow Unit: “Chapter 17: Underworld” by Elizabeth Bear. Science Fiction  [Via SF Signal]
     "He hadn't yet graduated: his first known stranger murder would not be committed until January 15th, 1975. But on June 1st, 1972, he matriculated."
At The WiFiles: "Commande-In-Chief" by Greg Boxer. Speculative Fiction.
     "The West Wing bustled with frantic activity as President Kenneth Powers strode briskly through the halls, flanked on all sides by aides and advisors."


Audio
At Drabblecast: "The Last of the O-Forms" by  James Van Pelt. Sci-Fi  Strange.
     "Who knew what it might have been made from? He doubted there were any original-form cows, the o-cows, left to slaughter"
At Drama Pod: "Martian Odyssey" by Stanley G Weinbaum.
At Journey Into: Episode #48 - "Pennywhistle" by Greg van Eekhout and "The Scottish Scene" by Rish Outfield.
     "A mom seeks to save her child from a piper, and a teenages seeks to save herfriends from the curse of Macbeth."
At LibriVox:  Frankenstein (dramatic reading) by Mary Shelley. Horror. Gothic.
    "Mary Shelley's 1818 novel presents the Faustian story of a man who aspires to create life out of death, with disastrous results."
At LibriVox:  The Emerald City of Oz (version 2) by L. Frank Baum. Children's Fantasy.
At StarShipSofa: "A Time For Ravern" by Stephen Kotowych.


E-Books
At Free eBooks Daily: Shadow of Stone by Ruth Nestvold. Historical Fantasy. Temporarily free.
    "For over ten years, there has been peace in Britain after Arthur and his warriors soundly defeated the Saxons at the battle of Caer Baddon. But sometimes peace is deceptive"

At Smashwords:

• "Valentine Vampire" by Phoebe Matthews. Paranormal. 19k.
• "The Merchant of Lives" by Andrew Johnston. 6k.
• The Blade That Whispers Hate by Michael McClung. Fantasy. 58k.
• The Girl and the Guardian by Peter Harris. 211k.
• Good Sister, Bad Sister: Heart of the Staff  by Carol Marrs Phipps & Tom Phipps. Fantasy. 90k.
• "Once Upon a Nightmare" by McKelle George. Paranormal. 22k.
• "The Temple of Vitus" by Chris Turner. Fantasy. 21k.
• "A Slave To The Coin" by Debra Dunbar. Fantasy, 4k.
• Ring of Destiny by Eric Quinn Knowles. YA Fantasy. 55k.
• "Demon Chronicles: Apple Moonshine" by K.S. Bowers. Horror. 4k.
• "Crystal Mountain Book One" by J. F. French. Horror. 5k.
• "Thesis Revised: A Short Story" by Jennifer McMurrain. Ghost story. 3k.
• "Curse of the Ravens" by Stacie Schmidt. Weird. 2k.
• "Eye Check" by Michael Carter. Horror. 1k.
• "Temporary Monsters" by Ian Rogers. Horror. 13k.
• "The Barn" by Scott Thigpen. Horror. 8k.
• "Creeper, A Short Horror Story" by Bran Glitz. Horror. 2k.
• "The Watch" by Krista Bean. Ghost Story. 6k.
• The Writers' Pad E-zine Volume I Fall 2012. Horror. 17k.
• "In His Dream He Plummets" by Wess Foreman. Science Fiction. 9k.
• "Fireflies" by Erica Lindquist. Anthology.  23k.
• "N-Hance: A Gamer's Tale" by M.J. Miello. Science Fiction. 13k.
• "Orphans of the Celestial Sea, Episode 1" by Mark Fenger. YA Science Fiction. 8k.
• "Starfall: The First Cut" by Victor Pryce. Science Fiction. 13k.
• "Blighted - Chapter 1" by Reasus Shelly.  Science Fiction. 7k.
• "When Doors Come Knocking" by S E Champenby.  Science Fiction. 4k.

Flash Fiction
At Daily Science Fiction:  "Not the Destination" by Richard E. Gropp.
At Every Day Fiction: "Father Frances and His Mechanical Bees" by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks. SF.
At Flashes in the Dark: "The Talking Dead" By Matt Demers. Horror.
At 365 Tomorrows: "Kids" by Duncan Shields. Science Fiction.
At 365 Tomorrows: "The Neodymium Accord" by Desmond Hussey. Science Fiction.
At 365 Tomorrows: "Cold War" by Bob Newbell. Science Fiction.
At Yesteryear Fiction: "The Oath" by James R Waggoner. Fantasy.


Reviewed Free Fiction
At BestScienceFictionStories.com:  "Fleurs du Mal" by J. Kathleen Cheney. Fantasy 2010.
At Variety SF: Space Platform by Murray Leinster.

Video
At Divers and Sundry:  The Student of Prague a 1913 silent film about a young man who sells his soul to the devil.
At Divers and Sundry:  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912)  and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913)

At The Internet Archive: To the Stars the Hard Way. Subtitled Russian Science Fiction Film.

Comics
At Atomic Kommie Comics: Speed Carter: Spaceman in "Thing in Outer Space" SF. 1954.
At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Octopus Kings of the Lost Planet" by W Malcolm White. SF. 1951.
At The Comic Book Catacombs: Tygra in "The Beasts of Dr. Krafte" Adventure. 1947.
At The Digital Comics Museum:  Jumbo Comics #16 featuring Sheena. Adventure. 1940.
At The Digital Comics Museum: Dark Mysteries #20. Horror. 1954.
At Four-Color Shadows:  "The Living Dead" Horror. 1953.
At The Horrors of It All: "Ultimate Destiny / Unknown Presence" Horror. 1952.
At The Horrors of It All: "The Haunted Ghost / Specter's Revenge" Horror. 1951/1952.
At True Love Comics: "Romantic Souls" Ghost Story. Horror. 1953.
At True Love Comics: "Mother's Boy" Horror. 1974.

Gaming
Fighting Fantazine #9
     Including a 275 reference adventure "Return to the Icefinger Mountains"  and an Advanced Fighting Fantasy adventure: Andrew Wright's "The Hunt for the Black Whale"
At And the Sky Full of Dust: "Dynamic Lairs: Demon Boar"
At Daddy Grognard: "An Adventure for Every Monster - Manes"
At Kobold Quarterly: "Twenty Things Found in the Pockets of Your Enemies"
At The Land of Nod: "Six Wicked Witches!"
At Smithsonian Magazine: A real-world dungeon. [via Greyhawk Grognard]
Many recent monsters, magic items, and spells at Ancient Vaults and Eldritch Secrets, Blog on the Borderlands, and A Field Guide To Doomsday.


Other Genres
Audio at SFFAudio: "Moonlight" (aka "In The Moonlight") by Guy de Maupassant.
Fiction at Project Gutenberg: The Eye of Istar by William Le Queux. Historic Adventure.
Fiction at Project Gutenberg: Zoraida by William Le Queux. Historic Adventure.
Non-Fiction at Project Gutenberg: The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley. Mythology.
Non-Fiction at Project Gutenberg: Mythical Monsters by Charles Gould. Mythology.

Wonderful Wednesday Freebies

Even more great free SF, Fantasy, and horror - including new episodes of StarShipSofa, PodCastle, and other great podcasts. And equally good free text fiction.











@Asimov's Science Fiction: "The Cult of Whale Worship" by Dominica Phetteplace. [PDF].

"The problem with handling diseased animals is that you might catch what they have. Since the rats were infected with the suicide bug three months ago,Tetsuo was sure he had traded his brain for a ticking time bomb. In addition to severe headaches, he found himself lingering a little too long on bridges and tall balconies."

@Tor.com: "Day One" by Matthew J. Costello. Horror.

"Everyone says nothing about what really happens."

@Mindflights: "Shipminds and Ice Cream" by Kevin Ikenberry. Science Fiction.

"Lee Eaton knew his father would do something like re-enlist, even as his mind succumbed to Alzheimer's."

@Free eBooks Daily [DRM]:

• "Fall of the Lich" by James Bailey. Fantasy.
• "Locum" by Laurie Bowler. Vampire.
• "Natural Order" by Michael Jasper.
• "The Wars of Gods and Men" by Brondt Kamffer. Fantasy.
• "Gaze Of Intent" by Brin Castle. Paranormal.
• "The Inverted Bearded Boy of Chicago" by Michael Jasper. Urban Fantasy.
• "The Flying Legion" by George Allan England.
• "The Honour of the Knights" by Stephen Sweeney. Science Fiction.
• "Dead Men Don't Cry" by Nancy Fulda. Science Fiction.
• "The Legend of Mr. Cairo" by C. Dennis Moore. Horror.
• "Eden" by Jessica Lee. Horror.
• "The Unnatural" by Alan Nayes. Horror.
• "Nightmares" by J.E. Taylor. Horror.
• "The Premium" by Joshua Scribner. Horror.
• "From Within" by John M. Dow. Horror.

@Pixel of Ink [Kindle]:

• "Dragon’s Pupils – The Sword Guest" by Martin Chu Shu. YA. Fantasy.
• "Kindred Spirits" by Ashanti Luke.
• "From Within" by John M. Dow. Horror.

Audio
@Dunesteef: "All The Cool Monsters At Once" by James Alan Gardner.

"It starts with Ogopogo. Then, the floodgates are opened, and a deluge of monsters from all parts of Canada appear, heading for…Winnipeg? What will Canada do?"

@StarShipSofa: "Bring On The Rain" by Josh Roseman and "The Sultan of The Clouds Pt 3" by Geoffrey A Landis. Read by Josh Roseman and Jonathan Danz. Science Fiction.

"I tried to remember what I knew about the sultan of the clouds, satrap of the fabled floating cities. It seemed very far away from everything I knew. The society, I thought I remembered, was said to be decadent and perverse, but I knew little more. The inhabitants of Venus kept to themselves."

@PodCastle: "The Parable of the Shower" by Leah Bobet, read by Laurice White. Fantasy.

"The angel of the LORD cometh upon you in the shower at the worst possible moment: one hand placed upon thy right buttock and the other bearing soap, radio blaring, humming a heathen song of sin."

@19 Nocturne Boulevard: "Caveat Emptor" by Julie Hoverson, performed by a full cast. Horror.

"Bud, Rena and Matilda (from Force Majeure) return as Bud tries to weasel out of a ... sort of a ... deal. And let the buyer beware!"

Three Great Zines, Brin/Ellison, and More Freebies

Some more great freebies from great sites, including an audio story "Bubbles" by David Brin, read by Harlan Ellison at Lightspeed Magazine (I hate to be the one to count how many awards those two greats have won.) There's quite a bit more greatness this time and a second post is quite likely - but no promises.




Now Posted: Clarkesworld Magazine #60 - Sept. 2011.
"Pack" by Robert Reed.

"He was standing in front of my castle, watching windows. When I came out, he bent down low, mouth to the plastic grass, and asked if he could stay."

"Signals in the Deep" by Greg Mellor.

"There's a place in our future where we are all heading, driven by our instincts and the deep heritage of our genes. It is a place where we are more at peace, in harmony with the universal fabric from which we were born. It's what I was taught, and it's what I believe"

Now Posted: Expanded Horizons #31 - Sept. 2011

"Kuda Kepang" by Fadzlishah Johanabas.

"Malik watched his bride as she cheered at the Kuda Kepang troupe performing in honor of their wedding. Nine men astride legless horse puppets woven from nipah palm leaves danced in choreographed silat martial art movements, with his brother Hassan leading them on a black-painted stallion."

"Blue Dahlia" by Larisa Walk.

"After six years of therapy, Melissa’s voice still calls me from the lake. My shrink’s three hundred and twelve cream-colored business cards sit on my desk. One card for each appointment that failed to stop me from hearing my lover’s whispers in the patter of rain on dead leaves, in the footsteps on a flagstone path, in terror-soaked dreams."

"Unfit to Eat" by Tyus Barnwell.

"When I was still a juvenile an old man made the long climb from the village to our mountainside home. A boy walked at his side to aid him. I remember studying the elder carefully as he stood in the arched entry to our cavern casting a stocky shadow."

Now Posted Redstone Science Fiction #16 - Sept. 2011.
"The Jenny" by Cheryl Rydbom.

"There are A.I.s for the street, A.I.s for the shopping market, and A.I.s for the bars. Some bars even require holoprojections. If they fill their quota for say, Marilyn Monroes or Grace Kellys, and that’s the only projection you have, too bad."

"The Day the Pod Landed" by Jeff Cross.

"Tremors shake the earth. Buildings in the village topple over. Blasts of hot air roll across the land in its wake. The bells in the village church ring in alarm, but the sound is lost in the roaring wind."

@Strange Horizons: "Messengers from the Stars Will Come To Help Us Overcome the Obstacles That Hold Us Back From Achieving Our True Potential" by Grady Hendrix,

"The Staging Area was full of purpose that morning. Everyone was excited about the Upload and we were all on task for Mission Success. I woke up full of glory and went down to Room A to calorie load, which was what we called breakfast."

@Lightspeed: "Bubbles" by David Brin.

"Serena still felt the heat of her passage through Kaluza space. That in­candescent journey via the bowels of a singu­larity had raised her temperature dangerously near the fatal point."

@Pixel of Ink [Kindle]

• "The Human Addict" by Scott William Carter. YA. Fantasy.
• "Clockwork Fagin" by Cory Doctorow. Science Fiction.
• "Thirst" by Claire Farrell. Paranormal. Vampire.
• "Anathema" by Megg Jensen. YA. Fantasy.
• "Legacy Universe: Wandering Man" by Martin Perry. Science Fiction.
• "Once a Princess" by Sherwood Smith. Fantasy. Romance.

Serial Fiction
@Author's Site: "Deluge - Parts 82, 83, and 84" by Brian Greene. Horror.

"They sailed on, and over the next few days, the mood of everyone aboard the ship became even tenser and more paranoid. On the first night, only a few hours after Simon and Novak lured the crew of Locke’s ark into a trap, Henry snuck onto the bridge and tried to radio the vessel while"

Audio
@Clarkesworld: "Pack" by Robert Reed, read by Kate Baker.
@Lightspeed: "Bubbles" by David Brin, read by Harlan Ellison. Science Fiction.
@Ministry of Peculiar Occurences: "Darkest before the Darkwater" by Tee Morris. Steampunk.

"A group of survivors from the airship Guy Fawkes find themselves washed ashore on an uncharted island. In their search for survival they uncover one mystery after another."

Comics
@Digital Comics Museum [free membership required]: Weird Terror 006 (inc), Champion Comics 009, Rangers Comics 008, Rangers Comics 028, Jumbo Comics 148, Web Of Evil 019,

Monday Audio and Text Fiction

A few gems for the morning with about a 70% chance of more later. There's a new story, including an audio version, at Fantasy Magazine,and a few more cool fantasy and SF stories from other great sites. New audio at 19 Nocturne Boulevard and from the always cool and strange Matthew Sanborn Smith. And serial audio at Beam Me Up, from Scott Sigler, and a new serial dramatization "Beneath The Ruined Tower Of Zenopus!"

Today's illustration is from the D&D inspired audio drama "Beneath The Ruined Tower Of Zenopus!"







@Fantasy Magazine: "Crossroads" by Laura Anne Gilman.

"John came to the crossroads at just shy of noon, where a man dressed all in black stared up at another man hanging from a gallows-tree. No, not hanging; he was being hung."

@Daily Science Fiction: "The Last Librarian: Or a Short Account of the End of the World" by Edoardo Alberrt.
@Kasma Science Fiction: "Where Even Fools Fear to Tread" by Ashanti Luke.
@Ray Gun Revival: "The Cowboys of Carnostus" by Timothy Miller.
@Strange Horizons: "Souvenir" by Genevieve Valentine.

Serial Fiction
@AEG: "Aftermath, Part 1" by Shawn Carman. Fantasy.
@White Wolf: "Silent Knife (Part 17)" by David Nurenberg. Horror. Urban Fantasy.








@Beware the Hairy Mango: "Episode 84 – Easy as Cake" by Matthew Sanborn Smith.
@Fantasy Magazine: "Crossroads" by Laura Anne Gilman, read by Stefan Rudnicki.
@19 Nocturne Boulevard: "The Thing on the Doorstep" adapted by Julie Hoverson from the story by H.P. Lovecraft. Horror.

Serial Audio
@Author's Site: "The Starter (Episode #27)" by Scott Sigler. Science Fiction.
@Beam Me Up: "Dark InSpectre #15: " by Jason Kahn and "The Stars Fell pt1" by Keith Latch
@The Warlock's Homebrew: "Beneath The Ruined Tower Of Zenopus! (Chapter 1: Into the Dark)" by Paul Fin, performed by a full cast.Fantasy.

Tuesday Free Fiction

Made it. Didn't know if I was going to be able to post after all. A few good ones here today.











@Lightspeed: "Just Another Perfect Day" by John Varley. (1989) Science Fiction.

"I know how you’re feeling. You wake up alone in a strange room, you get up, you look around, you soon discover that both doors are locked from the outside. It’s enough to unsettle anybody."

@Daily Science Fiction: "Trails" by James Bloomer.

"Clarke stood on the dunes, watching the party coalesce on the beach. Over the horizon, and the grey swell of the ocean, lay Africa. Beyond their borders. Outside. Lands of suffering."

@Pixel of Ink [Kindle]:

• "Personal Demons" by Gregory Lamberson. Horror.
• "The Strange Case of Finley Jayne" by Kady Cross. Fantasy. YA.
• "The Abandoned Edge of Avalon" by Eden Tyler. Fantasy.
• "The Amulet" by Alison Pensy.

@Smashwords:

• "Alter Egos" by Andrew Marx. Superhero.
• "The Seventh Sister (book 2 of the Parched)" by Z.L Arkadie. Paranormal Romance.

Serial Fiction
@Author's Site: "The Journals of Doctor Mormeck’s Avatar–Entry #9" by Jeff VanderMeer. SF.
@Strange Horizons: "The Rugged Track (part 2 of 2)" by Liz Argall.
@White Wolf: "Silent Knife (part 16)" by David Nurenberg. Horror.







@PodCastle: "The Duke of Vertumn’s Fingerling" by Elizabeth Carroll, read by Tina Connolly.

After I opened my eyes they dressed me in silk. A bone-white gown slipped over my head and I raised my arms for it like a child. With my hair undone, I must have looked like a bride. I was nothing of the kind.

@LibriVox: "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells, read by Mark Nelson.

"H.G. Wells’ classic science fiction-fantasy story, in which a scientist known only as “The Time Traveller” tells the tale of his journey to the year 802,701 A.D. and beyond, where he witnesses the end of human civilization as we know it, as well as the beginning of the end of the world. "

@Lightspeed: "Just Another Perfect Day" by John Varley, read by Stefan Rudnicki.