E-Books and More

Some great freebies today! And for more freebies don't miss the "Free SF, Fantasy and Horror" listing at SF Signal.  Regan Wolfrom is finally back from being committed to an asylum his "family vacation."




[art from David Drake's Northwood Trilogy in the e-book section]








Fiction
• At Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Armistice Day" by Marissa Lingen. Fantasy.
     "I came into this world fully grown, ready to use my fists and my knife and my magic, intended for nothing else. When the war was over, I was one of the lucky ones. I was left standing on the cold hillside, mud and blood up to my elbows and knees, tingling with the last of my battle spells, and I was led away with my cohort, those who survived."

• At Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Blood Remembers" by Alec Austin. Fantasy. 
     "The wall at the edge of camp was waist-height and broken in several places where stones had been taken for other construction. As Tariq, Ksara, and I leaned on it and watched the sky turn orange, I could feel the tug of Downlander blood coming from its stones, offering me memories of an atrocity long past."

• At Nightmare Magazine: "Jetsam" by Livia Llewellyn. Horror.
      "I’m writing this down because I’m starting to forget. I may need to remember some day. The chemical air is already kissing my mind, biting my memory away. Something terrible happened at work today. Beyond imagining . . ."

• At Paizo: "Bastard, Sword -  Chapter Three: Rich Man's Crusade" by Tim Pratt. Fantasy.
    "Rodrick lifted the sword defensively. As he swung the blade, an arc of whiteness flew from its tip and struck the dwarf just below the knees. The miner's forward movement instantly halted, and he swayed like a young sapling, his boots and calves frozen to the tunnel floor—which didn't stop him from swinging his axe wildly, to the limit of his reach."

Flash Fiction

• At Daily Science Fiction: "Jimmy Smith Has a Dinosaur" by Gregg Chamberlain.
• At Daily Science Fiction: "Subject AT-171" by Melissa Mead.
• At Every Day Fiction: "One More Bullet" by Dirk Knight. Science Fiction.
• At Nature: "The Separatists" by KJ Kabza. Science Fiction.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Burial Details" by Jae Miles. Science Fiction.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Hard Right" by Duncan Shields. Science Fiction.

E-Books
At Amazon:: "Soldier of the Brell" by David Scholes. Science Fiction.

At Free eBooks Daily:

• A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock. Science Fiction.
• Geddy's Moon by John Mulhall. Horror.
• The Source by J.B. Stilwell. Paranormal Romance.
• Synthetic: Rise of the Siren by Shonna Wright. Science Fiction.
• Broken Things by G.S. Wright. Science Fiction.
• The Marquis by Christine Rains. Paranormal Romance.  
• Evie's Knight by Kimberly Krey. Paranormal Romance.  
• The Fractured: Elena by Sarah Dalton. YA Science Fiction.
• Clovenhoof by Heide Goody and Iain Grant. Comic Fantasy.
• My Familiar Stranger by Victoria Danann. Paranormal Romance.  
• Lantamyra: A Tapestry of Fantasy by Susan Waterwyk. Romantic Fantasy.
• Northworld Trilogy by David Drake. Science Fiction.
• Port Casper by Corey Ostman. Science Fiction.
• Desolate by Robert Brumm. Science Fiction.
• The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith. Science Fiction.

At Smashwords:

• "The Greedy King" by Jack Broscie. 2k words. Fantasy. Paranormal.
• "Under the Bed" by Jack Broscie. 2k words. Fantasy. Paranormal.
• Seeds of Virtue, Dark Descent, Book I by Christopher Lapides153k words. Fantasy.
• "In My Time of Dying" by J. K. Walker. 13k words. Paranormal.
• "A Gift of Thorns" by Melody Hewson. 2k words.
• "Bobbing for Dragons: A Love Story" by Jason Beil Price: 18k words. Fantasy.
• "Acbain: Sealer of the Crossblade" by Coty Schwabe. 9k words. Fantasy.
•  Sword from the Sky by R. Janvier del Valle. 92k words. Fantasy.
• "Zombie World Order Part One" by P.J. Kelley. 51k words. Horror.
• "Infinite Regress" by William Hrdina. 2k words. Science Fiction.
• "A Gift of Thorns" by Melody Hewson. 2k words. Fantasy. 
• Captivity by J. Lionel Hearts. 112k words. Science Fiction.
• "The Mass Effect Universe - a Primer" by Karen Politte. 6k. Science Fiction.

Audio
• At Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Boat in Shadows, Crossing" by Tori Truslow. Fantasy.
     "Just as we got set to cast off, I spied something in the water, and the boat sensed it too: flick of a palm-leaf tail. And we were off, so fast that the pots of tea leapt from the table and were on me like freezing rain and I was on the floor. The merchant yelled louder, shouting at me to stop it, but what could I do?"

• At Drabblecast: "Hullabaloo" by Diane Turnshek. Science Fiction.
     "The Town Council meeting was split down the middle — Hullabaloo colonists on the one side and Fenella Elane Tyne on the other. Jerram stood in the back and admired the way Fenella strove to convince the tired farmers."

• At Escape Pod: "Trixie and the Pandas of Dread" by Eugie Foster. Science Fiction.
     "Drifting a hairsbreadth above the pavement, Trixie pulled out her holy tablet and launched the Karmic Retribution app. The first thumbnail belonged to a Mr. Tom Ehler, the owner of the walkway and the two-story colonial house it led to. She unpinched two fingers across the screen to zoom up Mr. Ehler’s details."

• At PodCastle: "The Colors of the World" by Paul Willems, translated by Edward Gauvin. Fantasy.
     "Many years ago there was a small fisherman’s house on the dunes of La Panne. Rik-the-Fisherman’s wife Marie sat at the window all day long, spinning thread as she watched the sea."

• At StarShipSofa:: "Jackie’s Boy Part 2" by Steven Popkes.
     No Description

Other Genres

• Audio at Every Photo Tells: "You Can Never Go Home Again" by Michell Plested.
• Flash Fiction at  Every Day Fiction: "We Are Four" by Serena Shores. Surreal.
• Flash Fiction at  Every Day Fiction: "The Tip Off" by Paulette Zander. Mystery.

Black Petals and E-Books

A few more goodies today, the latest issue of Black Petals and several e-books.



[Art from Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence, linked below]









Fiction
Now Posted: Black Petals Issue #62. Dark Science Fiction and Horror.

• "A Taste of Innocence" - by Andrew Newall 
• "Akai Taiyo-Bottom Feeder" - by Paul "Deadeye" Dick 
• "Bluestone Mound" - by Stan Wilkin 
• "Easy Pickings" - by Hal Kempka 
• "Mustafa's Plight" - by Hollis Whitlock
• "The Canal Builder of Mars" - by Brian Maycock 
• "The Day I Chose Her" - by Madeleine Swann 
• "Understanding Homonyms" - Flash Fiction by Will Kosh 
• "Victory's Defeat"- by Brad Nies 
• "Warning"- Flash Fiction by Thomas Edward Lange 
• "Poems to End the World By"-Alexis Child 
• "Poems to End the World By"-Christopher Hivner 
• "Poems to End the World By" -Stephen Jarrell Williams 

E-Books
Via Pixel of Ink: Whatever Gods May Be by George P. Saunders. Science Fiction.
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence by Kimbro West. YA Fantasy.
• The Gazing Doll by Zafar Nizami. Horror.
• A Death Displaced by Andrew Butcher. Paranormal Mystery.
• A Gateway Made Of Bone by Iain Grant. YA Fantasy.
• Entangled by Nikki Jefford. YA. Paranormal.
• City of the Falling Sky by Joseph Evans. YA Science Fiction.
• The Division of the Damned by Richard Rhys Jones. Fantasy.
• Mutant Hunter: The Slicks By Stephen R. Cox. Science Fiction.
• White Magic Woman by Ju Ephraime. Paranormal Romance.
• Blood Heavy by S.L.J. Shortt. YA Paranormal.
• Killing with the Edge of the Moon by A.A. Attanasio. Fantasy.
• Dead Spell by Belinda Frisch. Horror.
• The Doomed Colony of Mars by Daniel Barth. YA Science Fiction.
• Evadere by Sara V. Zook. Fantasy Romance.
• Shadows in the Attic by Roseanne Dowell.  Paranormal.
• Afraid by J.A. Konrath. Horror.
• Lodestone (Witch-Hunt) by Wendy Scott. Fantasy.

Free E-Books, Comics, and OTR

Rounding out the day with some free ebooks, comics, and old time radio. They are all good so get them all.  And for more freebies check out SF Signal's  "Free SF, Fantasy and Horror Fiction" (Poor Regan found what I was getting him for Christmas and has come to "deeply regret that decision") and for spoiler-free reviews of  free SF check out Variety SF and BestScienceFictionStories.com.



E-Books
• Via Pixel of Ink: "The Spider and the Fly" by C.E. Stalbaum. Science Fiction.
• Via Pixel of Ink: "Blood Skies" by Syd Gill. Horror.
• At Free eBooks Daily:

• Rock Star by Amy Schmidt. Urban fantasy.
• Daisy Madigan's Paradise by Suzy Turner. YA Fantasy.
• Give Me by LK Rigel. Fantasy Romance.
• Midnight To Sunrise by Rebecca R. Cohen. YA Fantasy.
• Racing the Dark by Alaya Dawn Johnson. YA Fantasy.
• The Flight of the Griffin by C.M. Gray. Fantasy.
• Subterranea by Mike Duran. Horror. Dark Fantasy.
• Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires. Paranormal Romance.
• Rakshasa by Alica Knight. Paranormal Romance.
• Angel All Year by Sally Clements. Paranormal Romance.
• The Fall of Ossard by Colin Taber. Fantasy.
• Quexistence: The Quest for the Meaning of Existence: Time Dreams by Tom Stafford. Fantasy.
• Lacuna: Demons of the Void by David Adams. Science Fiction.
• Dream Caster by Najeev Raj Nadarajah. YA Fantasy.

• At Smashwords:

• "Anniversary of the Veil-Beginnings: The Beacon" by Vanna Smythe. Fantasy. 50k.
• "The Darkness Ambassador" by Quelli di ZEd. Fantasy. 3k.
• "Apocalypse Cruise" by Meredith Mansfield. Fantasy. 2k.
• "Hell's Fire" by Candy O'Donnell. Horror. 8k.
• "Rosters of the Dead" by Jessie Massey. Horror. Ghost. 23k.
• "The Relative Galaxy" by Conrad Johnson. Science Fiction. 10k.
• Fear and Aggression by Dane Bagley. Science Fiction. 118k. 
• "Party Jack" by John David Hanna. 5k.

Comics

• At Pappy's: "Captain Daring" from Buccaneers #22 (1950). Adventure. Pirates.
• At The Horrors of It All: "Doomsday!" from Black Cat Mystery #40 (1952) Horror. 
• At The Horrors of It All: "My Daddy Should Have Listened" from  Beware #12 (1952) Horror.
• At Seduction of the Innocent: "HeartLine" from Chamber of Chills #23 (1954). Horror.

Old Time Radio

• At Boxcars711: "Final Resting Place" - Macabre (11-13-61). Horror.
  
• At Boxcars711: "Mind Well The Tree" - Fear On Four. (02-28-88) Horror.
• At Relic Radio: "Two Little Punctures" - Theater 10:30. Horror.
• At Relic Radio: "Morrow On Mars" - Tales Of Tomorrow (04-02-53). Sci-Fi.

Free E-Books and More

Some good free e-books and comics as well as science and Hobbit news and more. 


[Art from "Cat Men of Phoebus" in comics below]





E-Books
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Night of the Pentagram by Barrymore Tebbs. Horror.
• Blakewood by Sable Grey.  Gothic Vampire Romance.
• Burning Bridges by Nadege Richards. YA Dystopia/SciFi Romance.
• Bound to Night by Nina Croft. Paranormal Romance.
• The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith. Science Fiction Adventure Romance.
• The War of the Worlds: Aftermath by Tony Wright. Science Fiction.
• The Prometheus Project (Book 2): Captured by Douglas E. Richards. Science Fiction.
• Wolf Dawn by Susan Cartwright.  SciFi Thriller Romance.
• Windigo Soul by Robert Brumm. Science Fiction.
• Incoming Alert by Arlene Webb. Science Fiction Adventure.

Via Pixel of Ink:

• The Boat by Christine Dougherty. Horror.

At Smashwords:

• "The Search" by Susan Noble. YA Fantasy. 17k.
• "Peter Pan & Anahita" by Anita Saran. Children's Fantasy. 7k. 
• "Spader dam" by Frida Arwen Rosesund. Horror. 2k.
• "The Devil's Bike: Love Potion" by Giovanni Flores. Horror. 5k.  
• "Zombie Dash" by Mark Matthews. Horror. Zombie. 5k.
• "The Big Game" by Ian Hillbeck. Science Fiction. Soccer.
• "The Net 7.0" by Cassal Sigonlos. Science Fiction.

Comics

• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Cat Men of Phoebus" Sci-Fi. 1950.
• At Atomic Kommie Comics:"Dark 'O the Moon" Sci-Fi. 1950.
• At The Horrors of It All: "Kill, My Minions of Death!" Horror. 1953.
• At Seduction of the Innocent: "Doomsmoke" Horror. 1954.

Other Genres

• Audio at Gypsy Audio: "TamLynn PI: Casefile V Not Every Thorn has a Rose" by Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard. Mystery.
• Audio at 19 Nocturne Boulevard: "Two If By Sea" by Julie Hoverson. Comedy.
• Music at Composer's Site: "Star Wars & Batman Christmas Songs" by John Anealio.

Science News

• "Black Holes Act Like Both Solids and Liquids" Science Daily.
• "Dino-Killing Asteroid Also Did in 'Obamadon'" Science Daily.
• "Do We Live in a Computer Simulation?" Science Daily.
• "An older Vega: New insights about the star all others are measured by" Phys.org
• "Hacking the Human Brain: The Next Domain of Warfare" Wired.
• "Bizarre Weather Around the Solar System" Slate.
• "Video: A Magical Nighttime Journey Through a Fluorescent Reef" Wired.
• "Opportunity, a Mars Rover Past Its Best-By Date, Keeps Going"  NYT.
• "Real-Life 'Hobbit' Face Revealed" Discovery.
• "Contact Lenses Could Send Texts to Your Eyes" Discovery.

 Genre Film News

• "‘Hobbit’ knockoff release blocked by judge"
• "Foxtrot Comic goofs on The Hobbit"
• "The Hobbit Games" Parody (Video)
• "Tolkien fans wait and worry about 'Hobbit' movie"
• "Another Trailer for 'Oz: The Great and Powerful'"
• "Star Trek Into Darkness Revelations"
• "'Star Trek Into Darkness': Cumberbatch's Identity, Carol Marcus, And A New 'Trek' Villain Theory"
• "'Star Trek Into Darkness' Plot: What We Learned On Behind-The-Scenes Trip To Bad Robot"
• "The New Man of Steel Trailer is Now Online"
• "The Trailer for After Earth, Starring Will and Jaden Smith"

Wednesday Morning Free Fiction

A few fiction finds for this Wednesday morning. There's an Ed Greenwood (Forgotten Realms) story with an unusual origin, three free, and very different, genre eZines online, and a few free "eBooks" for your Kindle compatible device. Also there are reviews of free SF stories (all with links to the free story), and a bit of audio fiction and classic OTR. A bit more to come later.

Today's illustration is from AntipodeanSF #158 below.









@WotC: "The Rise of Bardic Beauty" by Ed Greenwood. Fantasy.

"At Gen Con in 2010, Ed Greenwood and a room full of Gen Con attendees met together at the Spin a Yarn seminar to create a work of cooperative storytelling. Each person in the seminar had a chance (or several) to make suggestions"

Now posted: Cafe Irreal Issue 39 [surreal fiction]:

• "The Spindler" by Kevin Sexton.
• "The Zeno Question" by Patrick Lawler.
• "Impossibly Blue" by Zdravka Evtimova.
• "Distant Brain Detection" by Richard Holinger.
• "The Toilet Situation 2" by Patrick Cosgrove.

Now posted: Residential Aliens 5.5 [Speculative Fiction]:

• "Some Assembly Required" by T. M. Hunter.
• "Snow Angel" by Joanne Galbraith.
• "The Convert" by Eric Landreneau.
• "Beatitude" by Fred Warren.

Now Posted: AntipodeanSF #158 [via Beam Me Up]

@Pixel of Ink [Kindle]:

• "Ice Cracker II" by Lindsay Buroker. Fantasy.
• "A Faerie Fated Forever" by Mary Anne Graham. Paranormal Romance.
• "The Knight of Death" by Brendan Carroll. Fantasy.
• "Strange Neighbors" by Ashlyn Chase. Paranormal Romance.
• "Elliot and the Goblin War" by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Children's Fantasy.

Reviewed Free SF
@Variety SF: "Delayed Action" by Charles V. De Vet. Science Fiction. (1953)
@BestScienceFictionStories.com: "Genome" by Giri. Science Fiction. (2010)
@BestScienceFictionStories.com: "The Hell Ship" by Ray Palmer. Science Fiction. (1952)

Audio SF
@Antipodean SF: "AntiSF Radio Show 157 Delta" featuring "The Succession" by David Scholes, "Linda's Boat" by David McVeigh, "Captive" by Claire Lockyer, and "Toyshop" by Harry Harrison, read by Cori Samuel.

@Triplanetary: The Adventures of Superman "Mystery Of The Lost Planet Parts 1-4" (1947).

Friday Freebies

Some very good free fiction today, including highlighted fiction "Forever Sixteen" at Daily Science Fiction and a free Greg Egan story. And even more great audio fiction including new audio by Drabblecast, Escape Pod, StarShipSofa, and Pseudopod. If you haven't heard of all of them, you've been missing out. And a few more goodies.

Today's illustration is from "Elegy for a Young Elk" at StarShipSofa.

Upcoming this weekend, comics, gaming, flash fiction and more. And next week I'm anticipating a ton of free fiction as several eZines are scheduled to be released.







@Daily Science Fiction: "Forever Sixteen" by Amy Sundberg.
"My guardians, tall and robed in blue, whisper when they see me now and shake their heads. They're dissatisfied because I haven't orchestrated an escape attempt for at least five Champions. Well, okay, exactly five. Since the Champion known as Eric."

@Free eBooks Daily [DRM]:
"Signature" by Ron Sanders. Science Fiction.
"Zendegi" by Greg Egan. Speculative Fiction.
"Summon Your Dragons" by Roger Parkinson. Fantasy.
"Avion: Book One of the Crystal Rose Chronicles" by Emma Daniels. Fantasy.
"Dorrin's End" by Sandra Miller. Fantasy.
"Itsy Bitsy" by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Horror.
"Specimen 313" by Jeff Strand. Horror.
"The Frank Diary of Anne" by Dan Dillard. Horror.

@Pixel of Ink [Kindle]:
"The Witch’s Ladder" by Dana Donovan. Paranormal.
"Beautiful Sins" by Jennifer Hampton. Paranormal Romance.

Serial Fiction
@Ray Gun Revival: "Thieves’ Honor Episode 15: Head Games, Part 2" by Keanan Brand. Science Fiction.
@White Wolf: "Silent Knife (part 15)" by David Nurenberg. Horror. Urban Fantasy.







@Drabblecast: "Ancient Engines" by Michael Swanwick and "Impulse Buy" by Evan Quinlan. Science Fiction.
"Planning to live forever, Tiktok?" The words cut through the bar's chatter and gab and silenced them. The silence reached out to touch infinity and then, "I believe you're talking to me?" a mech said...


@Escape Pod: "Leech Run" by Scott W. Baker, read by Alasdair Stuart. Science Fiction.
@Pseudopod: "Songs For Dead Hearts" by Mandana Faridani, read by Rajan Khanna. Horror.
@StarShipSofa: "Elegy For A Young Elk" by Hannu Rajaniemi, read by Anthony Naples. Fantasy.

Serial Audio
@BrokenSea Audio: Beta Flight : Episode 8 – “Keeping Up With The Joneses, Part II”
@Classic Tales Podcast: "The Mark of Zorro, Part 4 of 9" By Johnston McCulley, read by B. J. Harrison. Adventure.
@Guild of Cowry Catchers: Book 3 – Episode 12 Fantasy.

Thursday Goodies

Some very good free fiction today, including today's highlighted story "The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland — For a Little While" by award winning author Catherynne M. Valente, as well as a new issue of one of my favorite magazines, Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

And if anyone knows a computer programmer at Google or Microsoft who thinks automatic formatting adjustments are a good idea, please give them a one-finger salute for me :-P






@Tor.com: "The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland — For a Little While" by Catherynne M. Valente. Fantasy.

"In which a young girl named Mallow leaves the country for the city, meets a
number of Winds, Cats, and handsome folk, sees something dreadful, and engages,
much against her will, in Politicks of the most muddled kind."

@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "In the Gardens of the Night" by Siobhan Carroll. Fantasy.
@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Ink and Blood" by Marko Kloos. Fantasy.

@Free eBooks Daily: "Sapphire of the Fairies" by Richard S. Tuttle. Fantasy. DRM.
@Pixel of Ink: "Beautiful Sins" by Jennifer Hampton. Paranormal Romance. Vampire. Kindle.
@Pixel of Ink: "Legon Awakening" by Nicholas Taylor. Fantasy. Kindle.
@Pixel of Ink: "Freedom, Spiced and Drunk" by M.C.A. Hogarth. Fantasy. Kindle.
@Pixel of Ink: "Summons: A Goblin King Prequel" by Shona Husk. Paranormal Romance. Kindle.
@Smashwords: "False Impression" by James Bailey. Fantasy.
@Smashwords: "tug" by Mark Fitzgerald. Urban Fantasy.

Classic SF
@Project Gutenberg: "Progress Report" by Mark Clifton and Alex Apostolides, from If Worlds of Science Fiction July 1953.

"Progress is relative; Senator O'Noonan's idea of it was not particularly
scientific. Which would be too bad, if he had the last word!"

Audio Fiction
@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin" by Adam Callaway.

"Layers of parchment enclosed the room. Walls yellowed and tearing.
Ceiling shedding like a lizard."

Fan Audio Fiction
@Pendant Productions: Issue 51 of "Supergirl: Lost Daughter of Krypton"
@Pendant Productions: Issue 79 of "Superman: The Last Son of Krypton"

Non-Fiction Podcasts
@SF Signal" Podcast Episode #69 - An Interview with Gary K. Wolfe.
@Comics Podcast Network: CNI #346 – San Diego Comic-Con Recap!
@Comics Podcast Network: Randumb Idiocy - A SDCC recap conversation

T. G. I. Free Friday Fiction

Some quite cool stuff today including some good flash fiction, podcasts and fan audio, ongoing serials, Weekly episodes of Escape Pod and Pseudopod (one of the best reasons to look forward to fridays), some very good fiction - including a pair from two of my many favorite eZines, and today's highlighted story is "The Lamp at the Turning" by E. Lily Yu. Published at the well-respected literary magazine The Kenyon Review, this is an interesting short story by a future big-name writer.

Today's illustration is from the fan audio "Mad Max: Tomorrow's Road"







@The Kenyon Review: "The Lamp at the Turning" by E. Lily Yu. Speculative Fiction.

"For ten years the streetlamp on the corner of Cooyong and Boolee kept vigil with the other lamps along the road. They were surrogate moons for an age when the moon itself was too distant and dim to guide travelers in the night, and they performed their duties faithfully and with pride in their high purpose."

@Daily Science Fiction: "Still Life" by A.C. Wise.
@Ray Gun Revival: "Elias, Smith and Jones" by Mark English. Science Fiction.
@Macmillan Books: "Heart of the Sea" by Christine Warren. Paranormal Romance. [Via Free eBooks Daily]
@Smashwords: "Dragon Town" by Tom Lichtenberg. Science Fiction. Suspence. [Via Free eBooks Daily]
@Smashwords: "M" by Kody Boye. Science Fiction.
@Smashwords: "Grave Ties" by James Bailey. Horror.

Serial Fiction
@Author's Site: "The Journals of Doctor Mormeck–Entry #15" by Jeff VanderMeer.
@Author's Site: "Paradigm Shift #2" by Misa Buckley. Science Fiction.







@Escapepod: "Flash Extravaganza"

"London Iron" by William R. Halliar (narrator Andrew Richardson)
"Wheels of Blue Stilton" by Nicholas J. Carter (narrator Christian Brady)
"Light and Lies" by Gideon Fostick (narrator- Mur Lafferty)

@Pseudopod: "The Line" by Grady J. Gratt, read by Mark E. Phair. Horror.
@LibriVox: Twilight Land by Howard Pyle, read by many readers. YA. Fantasy. Short Stories (text 1894).

Serial Audio
@Classic Tales Podcast: "The Mark of Zorro Part 3 of 9" by Johnston McCulley, read by B.J. Harrison. Adventure.

Fan Audio
@BrokenSea Audio: "Mad Max: Tomorrow's Road" by By Paul Mannering, full cast. Science Fiction.
@Pendant Productions: Issue 6 of "Green Arrow: Shooting Star."
@Pendant Productions:Issue 66 of "Wonder Woman: Champion of Themyscira"

Non-Fiction Podcasts
Cammy’s Comic-Con Corner – Geeky Talky – Episode 79 - Thursday at Comic-Con 2011
Comic Book Page "Comic-Con 2011 Podcast Panel"

@Daily Science Fiction: "Heart of Gold" by James Valvis.
@Eschatology: "News of the End of the World" by Anthony Cuthbertson. Horror.
@Flash Fiction Friday. "F3, Cycle 40" 23 flash fiction stories. Some genre, some not.
@Flash Pulp: "Coffin: The Appearance" by J.R.D. Skinner, MP3 read by Opopanax. Pulp.
@Flashes in the Dark: "Shadows" by Neil Leckman. Horror.
@Flashes in the Dark: "The Fire Baby" by Michael Albani. Horror.
@365 tomorrows: "Oversight Governance" by Martin Sumner. Science Fiction.
@365 tomorrows: "Last Wishes of Customer 593" by K. J. Russell. Science Fiction.
@Weirdyear: "Aaron Got Drunk and Stole the Moon" by Joshua Young. Weird.

Part One: Audio Fiction and Gaming

Some cool freebies - More later.






@PodCastle: Episode #162 "Gods of the North" featuring Conan the Barbarian, by Robert E. Howard, read by Graeme Dunlop.

Across the red drifts and mail-clad forms, two figures glared at each other. In that utter desolation only they moved. The frosty sky was over them, the white illimitable plain around them, the dead men at their feet. Slowly through the corpses they came, as ghosts might come to a tryst through the shambles of a dead world. In the brooding silence they stood face to face.

@19 Nocturne Boulevard: "Poe-etic Justice" by Julie Hoverson, adapted from Edgar Allen Poe.

(loosely adapted and modernized from "Hop-Frog" by Edgar Allen Poe) In a classic 1970s frat house, pranks turn dark, and revenge is ...toasty.

@Wily Writers Podcast: “Upon a Star” by Debbie Cowens.

"In a city where Prince Charmings can’t be trusted and getting what your heart desires can be deadly, a string of murders leads PI Robin Goodfellow to the Blue Fairy night club. Noir meets Fae in a tale of lust, betrayal, corruption and broken dreams."

Serial Audio
@Pendant Audio Production: "The Line episode 2x04: Solus, Part II" Fantasy.







@DriveThruRPG: "Nightmare on Hill Manor"

"Quickstart scenario for the World of Darkness. There are times when the rational world seems, if only for a second, to fall away. The leaves rustling in the trees on a still day. The movement just past the corner of your eye. We are taught to ignore the foolish impulse to react."

@The Free RPG Blog: Reviewed and linked to "Dave’s Mapper"

"a free online mapping tool that takes the community Geomorphs and allows you to generate maps, either by random or by semi-random switch and rotate."

@The Savage After World: "World of Thundarr the Barbarian Sourcebook for Mutant Future."
@DriveThruRPG: [Sidetrek] "Shrine of the Risen" D20/Pathfinder.
@Kobold Quarterly: [Monsters] "Sand Giants" and "Mnemonic Slime" 4E.
@WotC: [Cartoon] "Epic Campaign #5"
@A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Briarbear" and "Narl" Mutant Future.
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Blessed Soil of the Green Mother"
@Blog on the Borderlands: [Magic Items] "Wand of Lethargy" and "Club of Endless Beatings"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Monsters] "Stray Sod," "Seether," and "Rat, Infernal"

Free Science Fiction, Steampunk Audio, and Paranormal Romance Audio

Some very good Fiction on a dreary Tuesday (hopefully you are all having better weather). We have Science Fiction from Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Lightspeed Magazine, and Daily Science Fiction. Serial fiction at Strange Horizons, audio fiction from The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (Steampunk) and Wily Writers Podcast (Fantasy/Paranormal Romance). And more of the classic radio Superman serial.

Classic SF and Gaming will appear either tonight or tomorrow.

Today's illustration is for the two "The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences" stories in the audio fiction.







@Lightspeed Magazine: "Frost Painting" by Carolyn Ives Gilman. Science Fiction.

“It’s easy for you East‑Coasters to be tolerant,” the man said. “You don’t have to live near them. I’ll tell you this: If those weirdos ever decide to come out of the mountains, we’re going to be ready for them. That is, if you liberals haven’t taken away our guns by then, too.”

@Author's Site: "Elites" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Science Fiction.

"Rowena runs the House, a place for homeless Sky veterans. The House, open only to the women who compose the Elite Squad, has only a few rules: No names, no details, no weapons. The problem? Anything can become a weapon—even a toilet bowl scrubber. Even a word. Especially a word. A word that could destroy both Rowena and her House."

@Daily Science Fiction: "Dharma Dog and Dogma" by Steven Paul Mathes.

"The door crashes open, shattered by a kicking black boot. The police have cloaking devices, noise cancellation, robots, battering rams, and computerized lock picks--technology. The big black jackboots? Awkward, but what a retro statement."

Serial Fiction
@Strange Horizons: "The All-Night Truck Stop Polka Band (part 1 of 2)" by Shaenon K. Garrity. Speculative Fiction.

"Meanwhile, the band members were busy. They were saving the world. They mentioned this pretty often, although all they seemed to do was drink beer, smoke Marlboros, watch TV, and raid the kitchen. They all loved TV. They'd missed thirteen years of it, and everything fascinated them."

@The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences: "Hanuman’s Gift" written and narrated by Helen E. H. Madden. Steampunk. [via Parsec Awards]

"Deep in the Archives, Augustus Whitby toils through his duties in the Archives, dreaming up romantic stories far more plausible than the supposed “investigations” of the field agents. A story from Agent Harrison Thorne and an unassuming artifact from his recent case, however, proves much to Whitby’s chagrin that there are some truths that are far stranger than fiction."

@The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences: "A Ruby in Rain" written and narrated by Grant Stone. Steampunk. [via Parsec Awards]

"From the farthest edge of the Empire, New Zealand agents Lachlan King and Barry Ferguson are called to interview a recent arrival to Auckland’s prisons. An infamous gambler, according to the constable’s account, has turned himself into their custody, not for the safety of society but for his own. The Ministry steps in to uncover a man’s story of impressive luck, and more incredible vision."

@Wily Writers Podcast: "Catch and Release" by Cassandra D’Angelo. Fantasy, Paranormal Romance. Text version also available. [via Parsec Awards]

"The story of a young man’s deep desire to be known by someone else. What he doesn’t know is that the only person who can truly appreciate him is a merwoman, destined to live her life just out of his reach"

@Wily Writers Podcast: "Fear of Darkness" by Christine Danse. Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal Romance. Text version also available. [via Parsec Awards]

"Alena Swift, hunter of creatures that stalk the night, is terrified of the dark–and in love with a shadow. When a terrible demon is unleashed upon San Francisco, it is up to her and her mysterious hunting partner to stop it."

Classic Serial Audio
@Triplanetary: The Adventures of Superman "Looking for Kryptonite parts 6-10"
"Helped by his friends, Batman and Robin, Superman pursues the mysterious gang whose symbol is a crescent and star. It's interesting to note that unlike today's Batman, who often uses the threat of torture to get criminals to talk, this Golden Age Batman instead gets info using a clever ruse. Odd, but clever. "