We're Off To Read The E-Books, The Wonderfull E-Books For Free

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. If not, maybe some e-books will make it a bit better; if so, the e-books can be the icing on the cake. [Art from Masquerade below]













E-books
• At Amazon: The Spider and the Fly by C.E. Stalbaum. Science Fiction. [via Pixel-of-Ink]
At Free eBooks Daily:

• The Fairies at Browning Grange by Barrymore Tebbs. Dark Fantasy.
• A Daughter of Light by Price Girls. Paranormal.
• Wisps: The Honor Among Thieves by C L Stover. Fantasy.
• In the Shadow of Her Hem by Edward C. Patterson. Fantasy.
• The Order of the Albatross by J. Clark Hallvin. Historical Fantasy.
• Dominique Ick Lessont and the Dragon Knight by Eric Tripp. Fantasy.
• Masquerade by Sarah-Jane Lehoux. Fantasy.
• Discovery by Jennifer Collins. YA Urban Fantasy.
• Kami Cursed by Julianne Price. YA Romantic Fantasy.
• Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson. YA Fantasy.
• An Other Kind Of Fury by Helena Perry. Fantasy.
• Linked Through Time by Jessica Tornese. Time Travel Romance.
• Severed by Dax Varley. Horror.
• Sycamore by Craig A. Falconer. Science Fiction.
• Dark Siren by Eden Ashley. YA Paranormal.
• The Hierophant by Madeline Claire Franklin. YA Paranormal.

At Amazon: [via Freebook Sifter]

• Aliens and Me : Funny manga story about Aliens and Human by Zeren. Comic Book
• A Place of Rest by Luke Spychalla. Time Travel Romance.
• Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy by Jennifer Collins. Paranormal.
• Welcome to New Brooklyn (Shades of Amber #1) by Tom Hobbs. Post-Apocalyptic.
• A Curious Chain of Events by Monk E. Mind.
• Ima Pigg by Elizabeth Allen. Dystopian.
• The Mists of Many Voices by Jonathan Vick. Fantasy.
• The Stolen Karma Of Nathaniel Valentine (The Books Of Balance) by Justin Bloch. Fantasy.
• Blood Ties by Victoria Rice. Paranormal. Vampires.
• Heaveny Convalesce To Light State by Andrew Baker. Science Fiction.
• Humanastra I: The Hidden World by RJ Grey. Space Opera.
• Visionaries: Anaon by Christopher Vega. Science Fiction.
• Return To The Blue Door (The Blue Door Trilogy) by Alice White. Time Trave;. Romance.

At Barnes & Noble (Nook) [via Color Nook Review]

• Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson. YA. Paranormal Romance.
• Glamour by Penelope Fletcher. YA. Paranormal Romance.
• Illicit Magic by Camilla Chafer. Fantasy. Romance.
• Blue Violet by Abigail Owen. YA Paranormal Romance.
• Just Breathe by Heather Allen. YA Fantasy. Romance.
• Witch’s Bell by Odette C. Bell. Paranormal Mystery Romance. 
• Anticipations by Isabelle Arocho. Paranormal Romance. Werewolves.
• Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer. Fantasy.

I Have No Mouth and Must Scream For Free Fiction!

     Tons of good free audio today, including horror at Pseudopod, Dunesteef, and Tales to Terrify, as well as two more Lewis Carroll related stories.  There's text fiction by Cory Doctorow, a new issue of Silver Blade, flash fiction, E-books, comics, and more. As always, be sure to check out these other sources of free fiction links SF Signal, Free SF Reader, Free Speculative Fiction Online, BestScienceFictionStories.com, Variety SF, and SFFaudio.

[Art from "Monster, Monster in the Grave!" in comics below]

Fiction
• At Boing Boing: "By His Things Will You Know Him” by Cory Doctorow. Science Fiction [via SF Signal]
     "I thought that Mr. Purnell was a little young to be a funeral director, but he had the look down cold. In the instant between his warm, dry handshake and my taking my hand back to remove my winter hat and stuff it into my pocket, he assumed the look, a kind of concerned, knowing sympathy that suggested he’d weathered plenty of grief in his day and he was there to help you get through your own"

• At Daily Science Fiction: "The Ships That Stir Upon The Shore" by Rahul Kanakia.
     "The refugees drove west in a creaking convoy. Most of the cars were almost out of fuel. Many were on the verge of breaking down. The shoulders of the highway were littered with stopped and wrecked cars."

• Now Posted Silver Blade #18:

• "Kuiper Court" by S.E. Sever.
     “Welcome to the United Worlds Judicature. Kuiper Courts of Health are administered and regulated by the Solarian laws of the Ministry of Health and Longevity. Please note that all our sessions are recorded and may be accessed by the allocated attorneys in your trial.”
• "In Excelsis" by Christopher Burt.
     "It has become clear that there is a significant problem with communication equipment; however I have been unsuccessful thus far in identifying the source of the problem.  I am unable to verify the reception of any signal from anywhere on the surface, although I am able to confirm the successful reception and decoding of extra-solar signals when the array is reoriented."
• "Deep in the Woods" by Joseph Sale.
     "The fire hardly glimmered. It cast only the faintest illumination now. The evening was late, very late, but Roland and Jethro would stay up into the deepest hours. Neither would be able to sleep if they both lay down, and neither would be able to stay awake if they took it in turns to watch, and so they both remained up: glazy eyed, half conscious, but ready."
• "Customer Support" by Adam Gaylord.
      "By society’s standards, the couple sitting across from me is perfect. Gracefully crossing her long legs, Mrs. Garner is a picture of generous curves and blond hair, her exactly symmetrical brow implants accentuating her sparkling purple eyes. Mr. Garner’s just as impressive, all muscle and jaw, subdermals accentuating his broad shoulders"

Flash Fiction
• At 365 Tomorrows: "The Bar" by Bob Newbell. Science Fiction.
•At Silver Blade: (Poems and Flash Fiction)

• "The Music of the Stars" by Bruce Boston.
• "A Prayer on Ganymede" by John Grey.
• "Eye for an Eye" by Laura Madeline Wiseman.
• "A Wintry Fever" by Dawnell Harrison.
• "The Elixir" by Sandy Hiortdahl.
• "Alien Ants Invade the Waffle House" by John C. Mannone.
• "Milk Witch" by John Zaharick.
•  "The Trial of Bernadette Fabrique" by Sam Barnhart.
• "Level 7" by Shahid Khan.

E-Books
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Night Time: Two Novels by H.T. Night. Paranormal Romance. 
• Wild Wolf's Twisted Tails by Rod Glenn. Anthology.
• Soul Search by Amber Scott. Fantasy Romance.
• Khost by Vincent Hobbes. Military SciFi.
• The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard. YA Fantasy.
• Wanted: Dead or Alive by Amber Scott. Time Travel Romance.
• Born After Midnight, The Rise of the Clones by Daniel Moore. Science Fiction.
• Dust to Dust: Fangs For Your Memories by Eden Crowne. Paranormal Romance.
• Never Too Far by Thomas Christopher.  Dystopian Adventure.

At Smashwords:

• "The Arrival of Rez Diamond" by Geltab. Fantasy.
• "A Gurumapa In The Wood" by A.G.R. Moore. Children's Fairy Tale.
• "Me Zombie, You Food" by C. M. Bratton. Horror.
• Immortal Darkness: Shadow Across the Land by Alex Rey. Fantasy. 117k words.
• "The Shift" by KN Schultz. Contemporary Fantasy.
• "The Curse of Pig Hollow" by KN Schultz. Paranormal.
• "Blackjack" by Gene Denham. Horror.
• The Fringe Worlds by T.R. Harris. Science Fiction. 52k words.
• "Contact" by Jen Cole. Science Fiction.
• Chase Fleet: Origins by William G Jennings. Christian Science Fiction. 131k words.

Audio Fiction
• At The Classic Tales Podcast: "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1 of 5" by Lewis Carroll
      "Alice sees the other side of the Looking Glass, and enters another world of enchantment. It is filled with argumentative chessmen, Jabberwocky monsters, and insolent flowers."

• At Decoder Ring Theater: "The Island Lost To Time" 
      "Circus performer Daniel Crogan and Captain Yatri of the tramp steamer Marietta find themselves on an island rumored to be home of giant, man-eating reptiles. Can they escape from The Island Lost To Time?"

• At Dunesteef: "Unholy Womb" by Steven E. Wedel. Horror.
     "A boy picks up a couple of pumpkins in preparation for Halloween, only to find out they are part of a bizarre and deadly Halloween trick."

• At LibriVox: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Children's Fantasy.
     "The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing." 

• At LibriVox: The Purple Cloud by Matthew Phipps Shiel. Apocalyptic.
     "Well, the memory seems to be getting rather impaired now, rather weak. What, for instance, was the name of that parson who preached, just before the Boreal set out, about the wickedness of any further attempt to reach the North Pole? I have forgotten! Yet four years ago it was familiar to me as my own name."

• At Pseudopod: "Beware The Jabberwock, My Son" by Dixon Chance. Horror.
     "The sound (whiffle) came again, and this time it definitely came from the mirror. Definitely. He could imagine its long, snaky neck pouring out of the mirror frame, those two pale unblinking eyes peering around his bedroom as it flew"

• At Tales to Terrify: "The Lucky Ones" by Anne Michaud. Horror.
    No Description Found

Comics

• At The Comic Book Catacombs: "Escape or Die" Adventure. (1962)
• At Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Monster, Monster in the Grave!" Horror. (1973)
• At Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "The Wolf Boy of Krakow/The Heap/The Crown of Coort" Horror. (1952)
• At The Horrors of It All: "Burn, Miser, Burn / Money Hungry" Horror. (1971/1953) 

Other Genres

• Audio at Forgotten Classics: "The Mouse in the Mountain - Chapter 10" by Norbert Davis. Noir.
• Flash Fiction at Every Day Fiction: "But No Cigar" by Jez Patterson

Free Enough

Some great fiction today including the conclusion of Eric Scott de Bie's "Proper Villains,"  new fiction from Tor and Nature, classic ghost stories from the Nineteen Teens at Project Gutenberg and Tor, four more stories at Phantasmacore, flash fiction, and audio fiction. And don't miss today's free fiction links at SF Signal.

 Concerning e-books: Information has been brought to my attention that complicates matters [thank you]. While I still consider free as being something that is given to, or taken by, you that cannot be taken away, the fact that some companies at Amazon do not use DRM and the fact that I don't have time to check them individually means that e-book listings will continue irregularly (just like before). So concerning yesterday's notice about e-books, I'll just quote the classic Gilda Radner character Emily Litella, "Never mind."
 
[Art from "Foundation" below].
 
Fiction
At Nature: "Glass Future" by Deborah Walker. Science Fiction.
      “Do you think she's post-human?” I whisper to my husband. She looks too good to be real.
At Paizo:  "Proper Villains - Chapter Four: The Reward"  by Erik Scott de Bie. Fantasy.
     Link is to all four parts. "He awoke in a cold spray of brackish water. The Hellknight who'd roused him drew back the half-empty bucket, then brought it forward again for another go. This time, Tarrant inhaled half the putrid stuff and gagged. "Is that really necessary?" he coughed."
At Project Gutenberg:  Great Ghost Stories by Various. Horror. 1918.
         "The Were-Wolf" - "We waited for some time, but the report of the gun did not reach us, and my elder brother then said, 'Our father has followed the wolf, and will not be back for some time. Marcella, let us wash the blood from your mouth, and then we will leave this corner, and go to the fire and warm ourselves.'"
At Tor.com:  "Foundation" by Ann Aguirre. Horror.
    "I don’t remember how the sun feels.It’s an abstract concept for me, something I know exists, but doesn’t have the meaning it once did."
At Tor.com:  "The Shadowy Third" by Ellen Glasgow. Horror. Ghost. 1916.
     “He didn’t mention me by name. Can there be a mistake?” I stood, incredulous yet ecstatic, before the superintendent of the hospital.
At Pantasmacore: 

"Dangerous Rendezvous" by Grove Koger.
     "No doubt about it, Eric Francis was my father’s meal ticket. Oh, Dad corresponded now and then with Talbot Mundy and knew Sax Rohmer well enough to have a drink with him when they happened to be in Manhattan at the same time, but the big markets had them sewn up tight."
"Dying Day" by Michael C. Keith.
     "TAKE THE DREAD OUT OF DEAD! SCHEDULE YOUR PRACTICE DYING DAY NOW BY CALLING 1-800-DEAD-DAY. DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE, read the huge digital billboard along Route 95 between Boston and Providence."
"Montalov’s Box" by Michael Griffin.
      "Some wives fear losing their husband to an office affair, some to a heart attack. Each morning Sveta watches her husband leave for work and thinks maybe today’s the day he annihilates the universe."
 "Assignment" by Sayuri Yamada.
     ‘All the students have spent their time on this project. It’s not only you. Look at this. The temperature is rising unnaturally. The air is dirty. Many species are disappearing. It’s a shambles.’

Flash Fiction
At Daily Science Fiction: "My Mother's Body" by Christie Yant.
At Every Day Fiction: "Rags to Riches" by Robert Swartwood. Horror. Jinn.
At 365 Tomorrows: "Old Cars Never Die" by Clint Wilson. Science Fiction.


Audio Fiction
At SFFAudio: Two Versions of "Time And Time Again" by H. Beam Piper. Science Fiction.
     "To upset the stable, mighty stream of time would probably take an enormous concentration of energy. And it's not to be expected that a man would get a second chance at life. But an atomic might accomplish both—"
At Drama Pod: Unhinged Worlds (Season Premiere) S02 Ep01 "Exit 34"
At Drama Pod: Unhinged Worlds (Season Premiere) S02 Ep02 "The Bench"

Marie de France Audio and Other Fantasy and SF Freebies

A good mix of audio fiction today with both fiction stories having audio versions. Some very good stuff today, including a selection of Medieval fantasy stories by Marie de France, which is not nearly as stuffy as the title and art suggests. Really, could anyone write a stuffy werewolf story? The other freebies are cool too, but they already sound that way.

Comics and Classic SF to come later today or tomorrow.

Today's illustration is for "Emmett, Joey & The Beelz" in the audio section.








@Fantasy Magazine: "You Have Been Turned into a Zombie by a Friend" by Jeremiah Tolbert. Also in audio format read by Paul Boehmer.

"You know all about bending and breaking their terms of service; it would take some serious hacking, magical or mundane, to pull this off. But you suspect magic."

@Wily Writers: "Crucible" by Dan Rabarts. Also in audio format. Sci-Fi.

"After millennia spent crossing the galaxy, spawning new worlds out of barren wastes, meteorologist Cyran considers himself no longer a man, but a god. But when his lover Kayla betrays their ship, the Crucible, Cyran must choose between love and immortality as the life he has known spirals into chaos."

@Dunesteef: Episode 105 "Emmett, Joey & The Beelz" by Ralph Sevush. Fantasy.

"Seven years ago, loser drug-addict Joey and his bullying, hulking friend Emmett made a deal with the Beelz. The details are hazy, maybe something about a job, maybe something about a book, but now the word on the streets is that Beelz is back, and ready to collect."

@LibriVox: French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France translated by Eugene Mason, read by many readers. Fantasy.

"It is a certain thing, and within the knowledge of all, that many a christened man has suffered this change, and ran wild in woods, as a Were-Wolf. The Were-Wolf is a fearsome beast. He lurks within the thick forest, mad and horrible to see. All the evil that he may, he does. He goeth to and fro, about the solitary place, seeking man, in order to devour him. Hearken, now, to the adventure of the Were-Wolf, that I have to tell."

Serial Audio
@Author's Site: "The Starter chapter 20" by Scott Sigler. Science Fiction. Football.

"Quentin realizes he has to bond with the entire team -- not just the humans -- if the Krakens are going to change their losing ways. Sharing a meal with the huge and vicious Ki offensive linemen will prove to be a multicutural experience not soon forgotten."

A Few Freebies for Thursday.

Just a few cool freebies today. May or may not update later today.










@The author's site: Where Beauty Lies in Wait: A Peadar Ó Guilín Sampler. A free collection of short stories. [via Free SF Reader]

"Hair," "Fairy Tale," "Where Beauty Lies In Wait," "Three Hearts, "The Mourning Trees," "Winter In Japan," "The Bag," "Fantasy Tongue-Twister," "The Evil-Eater, "A Screen Play: The Boy Who Cried Wo—," and "Fairy Fort."






@Tor.com: "Crazy Me" by James Patrick Kelly.
"'Wake up.' When Crazy Me rests a hand on my forehead, it jolts me from sleep. 'It’s raccoons.'


@Book View Cafe: "Iridescence" by Jay Caselberg (2003).
"In the city in the sky, Justin and Janessa wonder what prompts anyone to take the long walk. This story originally appeared in The Third Alternative."


Classic SF/Horror
@Munseys and Project Gutenberg: "Of Stegner's Folly" by Richard S. Shaver, from If Worlds of Science Fiction (March 1952).
"When a twenty-foot goddess walked out of the jungle, they knew Stegner wasn't kidding."



@Munseys and Project Gutenberg: "Tape Jockey" by Tom Leahy, from IF Worlds of Science Fiction (March 1954.)
"Pettigill was, you might say, in tune with the world. It wouldn't even have been an exaggeration to say the world was in tune with Pettigill. Then somebody struck a sour note...."

@Munseys and Project Gutenberg: "The Secret of Kralitz" by Henry Kuttner, from Weird Tales (Oct. 1936.)
"A story of the shocking revelation that came to the twenty-first Baron Kralitz"







@LibriVox: "The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood, read by Amy Gramour.
"A hunting party separates to track moose, and one member is abducted by the Wendigo of legend."

Fan Audio
@Pendant Productions: Issue 33 of the Catwoman: Queen of Thieves.
"Hiro makes discoveries about himself as a typical day turns extraordinary!"

@Pendant Productions:Issue 64 of the Batman: The Ace of Detectives.
"Surprises step out of the shadows as Gotham reels from the shock of Gordon's retirement!"







@Flashes in the Dark: "The Cost" by Jim Bronyaur.
@365 tomorrows: "The Daily Commute" by J. Rohr.
@Weirdyear: "A Mermaid's Tale" by John D. Brooke.
@Daily Science Fiction: "Barb-the-Bomb and the Yesterday Boy" by Julian Mortimer Smith.







@Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "The Werewolf's Victims" and "Death Sentence" horror (1954).
@The Comic Book Catacombs: Camilla in "The Flame Queen and the Witchman" Adventure.
@Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Creeps" from Creepy #78. B&W horror.
@Atomic Kommie Comics: Part two of "Barbarella"
@Digital Comics Museum: Fight Comics #8 and Fight Comics #33.

StarShipSofa, Dunesteef, Werewolves, and Flash Gordon - and that's Just the Free Audio

I hate this annoying card. Nothing against the game that spawned in, nor its players, but it has made Google Alerts practically useless for me. That aside, QD has some solid links today, with hopefully something for everyone.







Fiction
At Lightspeed Magazine: "Spider the Artist" by Nnedi Okorafor.
"There was a stream where I had been fetching water. A flow station was built nearby and now the stream was rank and filthy, with an oily film that reflected rainbows"

Online HERE.



At Dark Valentine Magazine: "River Fever" by Jamie Mason.
“The body, man, the body! Do you have to … leave it sitting in the corridor like that? Can’t you put it somewhere else? My God, that’s got to be … unsanitary!”

Part one is HERE and part two is HERE.

And "Wild-Caught" by Katherine Tomlinson.
"He was new and wasn’t authorized to handle the “special shipments.” To him, one case of canned salmon was pretty much like all the others, so he shelved the 14.75 ounce cans of Segey Sea Company’s “Fancy Sockeye Red Salmon” right next to the Chicken of the Sea."

Online HERE.

Hub has up its 136th issue with "The Walker" by Adam Christopher, an interview with James O’Barr, and reviews.
"When I looked back I could still see him, the walker, in the farmer’s field below. I had stopped at this, the halfway point on my trek towards the summit of the hill, but to my dismay — although not my surprise — he had not."

In PDF and ePub downloads HERE.


Classic SF
New at Munseys: "A Mixture of Genius" by Arnold Castle from If: Worlds of Science Fiction (June 1958).
Who, but the imaginative young, shall inherit the stars?

In e-book downloads at Munseys HERE and Project Gutenberg HERE.


Serial Fiction
At Paizo: "The Walkers from the Crypt" part three "Bones of the Fallen" by Howard Andrew Jones.
"Elyana withdrew a lantern from her saddlebag and Arcil used a cantrip to light it. With the wizard holding the lamp aloft, she did her best to calm the horses, distracting them with grain and securing their lead lines to some rusting sconces so that the animals would not wander off."

Online HERE.


At Ray Gun Revival: Thieves’ Honor Episode 13: "Walking Through Walls" by Keanan Brand.
"These are the adventures of space mariner Captain Kristoff, formerly of the colonial navy but now a pirate more given to smuggling and salvage than theft, and prone to reluctant good deeds and harboring strays. After all, his crew is made up of strays—and criminals"

Online HERE.


Flash Fiction
@Daily Science Fiction: "J is for Junk" by by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, and Greg van Eekhout.
@Every Day Fiction: "Dear Lisa" by Bruce Holland Rogers.
@365 tomorrows: "The Wrong Question" by Jordan Whicker.
@The Daily Cabal: "The Unlucky Bot" by David Kopaska-Merkel.

Audio Fiction
At StarShipSofa: Episode180 featuring main fiction "The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara" by Christopher Kastensmidt, an interview with Larry Santoro, and more.

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.


At The Dunesteef: "Out Of The Storm" by Rick Kennett, voice acting by Cameron Horsburgh, Simon Dooley, Patrick Dwyer, Dylan Boyd, Ben Maclain, and Julian Ramundi.
"They found the H.M.A.S. Barrinji damaged and abandoned floating out of a storm that had sunk three other ships. The Barrinji really should have sunk as well, but for some reason, she’s a lucky ship. Perhaps too lucky."

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.


An unusual one at LibriVox: The Book of Werewolves: Being an Account of a Terrible Superstition by Sabine Baring-Gould, read by many readers.
"A survey of the myths and legends concerning lycanthropy from ancient times to the Victorian Era." Could be interesting.



In ogg and MP3 downloads HERE.



At Crosseyed Cyclops: "The Official Adventures of Flash Gordon" Starring Buster Crabbe, produced by Leo the Lion Records in 1966. It's a couple of cool vintage stories: "Prisoner of Ming" and "City Under the Earth"
In zipped MP3 download HERE (more Leo the Lion children's records are here)




Gaming
At RPGDriveThru: "Chronicles of Arax" - Solo Adventure Game.
"Chronicles of Arax is a game where you, the reader, takes on the role of a Hero in the world of Arax. It is your job to fight against evil and injustice, to undertake various Quests to further the goals of good, and hopefully get some fame and loot in the bargain!"


In PDF download HERE (free membership required).




At ix: "Revised Humanspace Empires Playtest Draft" A Tékumel inspired "science fantasy campaign setting [that] also stems from pulp sci-fi of the first half of the 20th century, likely the same sources that originally influenced Professor Barker. I’m thinking rayguns, needle shaped spaceships, odd headgear, and alien monsters."


In PDF download HERE. [via Hill Cantons]



Small but cool, gaming freebies.
@A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons & Dragons: [New Magic Item] Mala of the Hexad.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [New Spell] Circle of Sacrifice.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [New Spell] Inspire Companions.


Comics
At Pappy's Golden Age Blogzine: "Cat's Death" drawn by Joe Kubert, from Strange Terrors #7, (1953).


Online HERE.




At The Comic Book Catacombs: Jann of the Jungle in “The Killers of the Swamps” (June 1957) . Love the old breathing through a reed trick - much harder than it looks.


Online HERE.

Mondays aren't all bad - Free Fiction

Lots of cool free items today! There is fiction in many formats, text, audio, serial, illustrated (comics), and collaborative (gaming). It takes a bit of the sting off the fact that it's a Monday. And if anyone sees Lt. Bob, please kick him hard for yesterday's movie.




E-Fiction
At Daily Science Fiction, "Waiting In The Corners" by Brian Dolton.
"We used to be there all the time. In the background, but there, in the dark corners. We'd come out at night, or when you were alone. When there were strange sounds in the jungles of Cambodia, or on the wild Scottish cliffs. Then you'd remember us, and look around, and be afraid."

Online HERE.



At Ray Gun Revival, "Catastrophe Baker and the Cold Equations" by Mike Resnick.
"If you really want to know about the cold equations, there’s only one person to ask, and that’s me—Catastrophe Baker, hero by trade but all too frequently fugitive by misunderstanding."

Online HERE.


At Fantasy Magazine, "The Sandal-Bride" by Genevieve Valentine.
"Pilgrims always cried when they crested the hill and saw the spires of Miruna; they usually fell to their knees right in the middle of traffic. All I saw was the gate that led to the Night Market."

Online text and MP3 download HERE.



At Anotherealm, "Keeping Up appearances" by Shawn Murphy and Tana Lyma.

"What big teeth you have, grandma—and your breath! — Little about-to-be-eaten Riding Hood"

Online HERE.



The Fifth Dimension fantasy and SF e-zine has its edition 13, #1--March 2011 issue up with

"Unnatural Selection" by Adam La Rusic & Johan Thornton
"Real Good Looking Boy" by Daniel C. Smith
"The Dance of Predator and Prey" by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
"The Girl with Two Eyes" by Eric Del Carlo


These, as well as poetry and editorial" are HERE.



Aoife's Kiss has a sample story and poem from its March 2011 issue free online. "Nights of Wonder," by K. S. Hardy, and the poem, "When I Was Numb," by Maria Kelly



Both online HERE (probably temporarily)





Mirror Dance, a free online magazine of fantasy stories, art, and poetry has its Spring 2011 online featuring

Fiction by Chrystalla Thoma, Laura Kjosen, Cheryl Wood Ruggiero, and Crowerd Robinson.

Poetry by Laura Garrison, Sari Krosinky, Robert Shmigelsky, and Deborah Walker.

All online HERE.



Serial Fiction
At Kat and Mouse: Guns For Hire, part two of "Taking Care of Business" by Abner Senires.
"Sakura looked up from her plate of waffles and eggs and smiled at the short-haired blond in the opposite seat. She was dressed just like in the surveillance shots Simon took. Knee-length black leather coat. Black shirt and pants."

Online HERE.



Audio Fiction
At Beam Me Up, episode 251, with classic fiction "The Salesman" by Waldo Boyd and "part two of David Steffen’s retelling of the Wizard of Oz theme called 'The Utility of Love'. In Part two we meet more of the cast of characters but there are some pretty major differences that leads the main characters in substantially different directions."

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.




At Scott Sigler's website, The Starter episode #4.
"Quentin & Company deal with the aftermath of the championship parade. With the Tier One season fast approaching, can the Krakens manage these distractions?"


In MP3 download HERE.





At The Drama Pod Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne is being serialized.

Parts one through five are available in MP3 downloads HERE.


At Cthulhu, episode 97 featuring "The Spawn of Dagon" part 2.

In Mp3 download HERE.




Gaming
At Dragonsfoot, "The Howling Hills" This module is one of a series of adventures created in homage to the deadliest adventure ever created, The Tomb of Horrors! An Adventure of characters of level 10-14

In a free PDF download HERE.




At DriveThruRPG, Oubliette #5 is available as a free download for a limited time (through March, 2011).
"Written for Labyrinth Lord, but also ideal for use with any Basic/Expert/Advanced original or clone, with little or no adjustment required." Contains a large article on Paladins.



In PDF download HERE.




At The Land of Nod, part one of Mu-Pan, a pseudo-Asian setting for NOD.
"Mu-Pan is the fabulous land of jade, silk and lotus blossoms that makes princes of Motherlander merchants."

Online HERE.



Comics
At The Comic Book Catacombs, ""The Red Hills of Uganda" from Amazing Adventures #5 (Nov.1951) . Giant Ants!




Online HERE.





At Grantbridge Street & Other Misadventures, "Requiem for a Werewolf!" from Tales of Evil #2. The title says it all.



Online HERE (caution PG post nut R rated site).

Many Monday Finds

Happy Monday, space citizens. A great shipment of free fiction in many formats (text, audio, illustrated, gaming, etc.) has made it past the evil Gnaerkiean space pirates. We weathered a bad storm here at headquarters darn planets and their weather.



E-Fiction
At Fantasy Magazine, "The Celebrated Carousel of the Margravine of Blois" by Megan Arkenberg.
"My sincerest apologies for my inexcusable delay in responding to your inquiry after the celebrated carousel of the Margravine of Blois. The truth is—and I write this with utmost regret—that the reports responsible for so much distress in your admirable person are accurate in every respect."

Online HERE.


Dark Valentine "is a quarterly journal devoted entirely to dark fiction, which we define as any story in any genre that is disturbing, provocative, haunting, scary, dangerous, or any combination of those things." The latest issue #3 has fiction by Patricia Abbott • Diane Arrelle • David Boyer • Thomas Canfield • Eric Dimbleby • Paul Edwards • Edward A. Grainger • Greg M. Hall • Dave Hunsaker • Simon Marshall-Jones • P. R. O’Leary • Dale Phillips • Christine Pope • Brian Trent. If you can judge a magazine by its cover, this one will be awesome.

Issues One through Three are available in free PDF downloads HERE [via SF Signal]


At AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review, "Aliens, eh?" by by Laura Lee McArdle. [OMG that is the ultimate Canadian SF story title!]
"Today I’ve had two cases of bullying, a fist fight between pregnant cheerleaders and, to top it all off, a phone call from a shrink back east. My mother has gone AWOL. Again. Today I need coffee that’ll stand up a spoon."

Online HERE.


At Mindflights, "The Patron" by Michael Simon.
"My customers noticed as well, eyeballing her sleek form as she angled between bodies on her way to the bar. Unlike most nights when I could have fired a gun across the floor and not hit anyone, tonight was standing room only. Unfortunately, that had everything to do with the recent terrorist attack as opposed to my sterling personality."

Online HERE.


Serial Fiction
At Book View Cafe, Chapter eight of Offspring: A Novel of The Silent Empire by Steven Harper.
"It is through first contact with an alien species that humanity learns of the Dream. It is a plane of mental existence where people are able to communicate by their thoughts alone--over distances of thousands of light-years."

Online HERE or start from the beginning here.



At Kat and Mouse: Guns for Hire, "Taking Care of Business" - Part One, by Abner Senires.

"Malachi gripped the arms of his desk chair and glared at the phone on the desktop. 'You assured me," he said, teeth gritted, "your men were reliable.'"

Online HERE.


Audio Fiction
At Scott Sigler's website episode three of the audio-book of "The Starter"
"Feel your heart pump at the roar of 180,000-plus screaming for blood at Ionath Stadium! Watch as second-year quarterback Quentin Barnes leads the orange and the black onto the field of battle in the second book of the Galactic Football League series."


In MP3 download HERE.




Beam Me Up hits a milestone with its 250th podcast. This episode feature new story from David Steffen called "The Utility of Love," a "clever retelling of the Wizard of Oz mythos." and the conclusion to Nancy Fulda’s "Knowing Neither Kith Nor Kin."


Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.




At The Internet Archive, The Sealed Book "a radio series of mystery and terror tales, produced and directed by Jock MacGregor for the Mutual network. Between March 18 and September 9, 1945, the melodramatic anthology series was broadcast on Sundays from 10:30pm to 11:00pm." OTTR certified complete.

Available in two zipped MP3 CDs HERE.



At PodCastle, Miniature 59: "Rainmaker" by Benjamin Thomas, read by Wilson Fowlie.
"I see a peacock,” I said. It didn’t look like a peacock, a bird, or even a fan. Clouds never really looked like anything, unless you squint just right."

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.




Gaming
The Feb/March 2011 "launch issue of Battlespace is now available for download or to view online." It "provides news and views on all forms of gaming. Digital strategy, board games, card games and table top miniatures are all featured each issue in an interactive, digital format."

Available online and in pdf download HERE. [via Freewargamerules]



At Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets, new spells for early D&D editions and retro-clones.

These include, Earth Trap, Convert Seeds, and Knowing Your Boundaries.




At RPG Creatures some exceptionally well illustrated creatures, easily adaptable to almost any fantasy RPG (many would work well with horror or sf RPGs). A must see site.

Recent creatures include the Aegarim, Ni-Oths, the Mehrog, and the Chaerim Witch. [via Trollish Delver]



At RetroRoleplaying The Blog, "Microlite 74 supplement 2: Wary's Grimoire" It "adds half-elves and the following classes to Microlite74: Paladin, Ranger, Monk, Illusionist, Druid, Thief and Bard" as well as spells and more.

In PDF download HERE. Also available with Microlite 74 and supplement #1 in epub and mobi formats here.


At The RPG Athenaeum, "The Rusty Dwarf Inn"
"The Rusty Dwarf Inn is a typical inn and tavern run by the halfling brewer, Bandor Berryhill. This 12-page pdf file includes a description of the inn’s history, a complete key, non-player character profiles and high-resolution maps." For D&D but easily adapted to most fantasy games.


Online HERE. [via RPG Bloggers]




Comics
At Lady, That's My Skull, Chapter 24 of "Mystra of the moon" from Planet Comics.


Online HERE. [via Free SF Reader]. Earlier chapters are here.




At The Comic Book Catacombs, "The Secret of the Crater-Men" (1951) illustrated by Al Carreno.



Online HERE.




At Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine, "The Face," drawn by Steve Ditko, from Tales Of Suspense #26 (1961) and B&W scans of the original art.




In B&W and color versions HERE.





At Digital Comic Museum, Jungle Comics #160 featuring the Tarzan-like adventures of Ka'anga jungle lord and Tiger Girl.



In CBR format HERE (free membership required).





At The Bloody Pulp!, "The Devil's Fiddle" & "Horror Harbor" classic B&W horror comics from Witches' Tales.


Both are online HERE.





And at Four-Color Shadows, "Werewolf of the Alps" (1954), a mid-fifties horror tale from Jon D'Agostino


Online HERE.





Other Coolness
At Fantastic Flashbacks, a scanned article from 1977 about Forbidden Planet, the best film of the 1950s (imho).

Available HERE.