I'm in the Dark, I'd Like to Read Free Fiction

"But I'm frightened of the things I might find" As always, there are some quite good free fiction links today. 

 
Fiction:

• At The Colored Lens: "Wild Blue Roses" by Jeff Suwak.
"Tiernan discovered the dead dogs outside the trapper’s camp at the base of Mount Storm. The animal’s frozen carcasses hung impaled upon the trunks of black oaks, branches bursting out of their flanks and eyes and mouths. The moment he saw the grim spectacle, the druid knew that Bril’s mind was too far gone. There could be no bringing him back, now."

• At Lightspeed:  "All About Strange Monsters of the Recent Past" by Howard Waldrop. Science Fiction.
"It’s all over for humanity, and I’m heading east. On the seat beside me are an M1 carbine and a Thompson submachine gun. There’s a special reason for the Thompson. I traded an M16 and 200 rounds of ammo for it to a guy in Barstow." Text and Audio.

• At Lightspeed: "A Hole in the World" by Matthew Hughes. Fantasy.
"'I’m taking Bodwon with me,' Erm Kaslo said. 'He’s handy.' Diomedo Obron did not look up from the ancient tome in which he had been immersed when his security chief entered his work room. 'All right,' he said."

• At Strange Horizons: "The World Resolute" by E. Catherine Tobler. Speculative Fiction.
"The trees are growing hollow here. The trees are long dead, striping the snowy land with dark shadows. The hag sits among shadows and trees alike." Text and audio versions.

Audio Fiction:

• At Beam Me Up: "Beam Me Up # 414: Sojourn Chronicle book 1 chapter 1 part 1" by Kelly Christiansen. Fantasy.
". . . Dale, a member of a large space fleet, who is marooned on a world similar to 18th-century Earth. He discovers very quickly that being stranded is the least of his problems; the world he is on is about to be destroyed and he's the only one that can save it. Without any clear direction, or the tools to do so, he sets out to try, encountering magic, mayhem and chaos at every turn"

• At Escape Pod: "EP454: Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One" by KC Ball, read by Dani Cutler. Science Fiction.
"Lori Meeker pushed her hair out of her eyes and leaned back against the sink. She squeezed the cold porcelain edge to still her trembling hands and focused on the pair of plainclothes cops shoehorned into the women’s can with her."

Comics: 

• At The Horrors of it All:  "The Hunter and the Hunted!"
"big game hunters who find the terror tables turned on them gorily and ironically in the final panel-- but you ain't ever seen a bat shit crazy ending like this one" Originally presented in Mysterious Adventures #15, art by Doug Wildey.











Other: 
• Audio at Protecting Project Pulp: “The Weight of Reputation” by Harrison R. Howard, read by Shawn Robertson. Western.
• Mythology at Project Gutenberg: Stories from Northern Myths by Emilie Kip Baker.

Rounding Up Some Free E-Books and Free Fiction

A trio of good short stories then a rampaging herd of e-books. [Art from "A Life in Moments"]





Fiction
• At L5R: "A Life in Moments" by Brian Yoon. Fantasy. RPG.
     "The armies would soon move and she would once again spend her days on the march, yet Akodo Dairuko could not relax in her guest quarters. Her discomfort had nothing to do with her amenities, as Lady Naleesh knew how to treat her guests. The rooms were cozy to the point of excess and servants were waiting to fill the slightest need. For her part, Dairuko found the style distasteful, but her high station meant she could not reject them without giving serious offense."

• At Silver Blade: "Stranger" by Rachael Acks. Science Fiction. 
      "The cloud is an overturned bowl made of smoke, wispy white on the top and woolly gray beneath.  It hovers like an invader, over rolling green plains and squared-off plots of farmland and houses that might be wooden toys. The air tastes like damp and electricity, a thunderstorm waiting to happen."

• At Silver Blade: "The Command for Love" by Nick T.Chan. Steampunk. 
      "For the third time in a week, Ligish removed the locking pin from the back of his skull, opened the doors and examined his brain through an automicroscope. Maybe today he’d figure out which one of the homunculus’ slips of paper was the command for love and destroy the damn thing. The last thing he wanted was to fall in love with his master’s daughter."


E-Books
At Amazon: [via Pixel-of-Ink] 

• The Devil’s Fire: A Pirate Adventure Novel by Matt Tomerlin.
  The Dragon Hour by Connie Flynn. Time Travel.
• Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series) by Lisa T. Bergren.

At Smashwords:

• "Argel - Book One - Planet of Refuge" by B.B. Humphrey. Science Fiction.
• "The Camera" by Phil Strahl. Weird. Horror.

At Amazon: [via Freebook Sifter]

• "Time Samplers #1 - Escape from Jekyll Island" Comic Book. 
• The Monsters of Stephen Enchanter by D.J. Natelson. Fantasy.   
• A Good Brew is Hard to Find by Garrett Calcaterra.  
• The Eye of Aceribus (The Dragon Born Cycle 1) by Mackenzie Dolmovich. Fantasy. 
• The Weathering (Dawn of the Apocalypse 1) by Joseph McGinnis. Apocalyptic. 
• Light and Dark by Samuel Kearns. Science Fiction.
• The Fourth Age Of Penderan. The Key Of Men by A. J. Winstanley. Fantasy.
• Silver Eye by Nicole Massie. Paranormal.
• The Complete Manuscript (A Sorcerer's Tale) by Jonathan Mathews. Fantasy.
• The Most Unlikely Beginnings (Signet 1) by K. Merriweather. Superhero.
• Spaced Out - Armegeddon by Thom Robinson. Post-Apocalyptic. 
• The Last Cross by Rick Blackwell. Science Fiction.
• Alutia Rising (Alutia Rising Series) by Craig Gerttula. Science Fiction.
• Shibboleth: The Genetic Supermarket by R. Douglas Burns. Science Fiction.
• Nephilim Awakening: Enkindu by Henry Yarghn. Paranormal.
• Maybe Fate: A Novel by Cynthia Brint. Paranormal Romance.
• Extinction by Mark Leney. Science Fiction.
• MAXIS by John Schepise. Military Science Fiction.
• Twice Melvin by Paul Raphael. Paranormal.
• Fantastic Revelations Vol. 1 (Young Adult Fantasy Stories) by Grant Morris.
• Single Event Upset by Cole J. Freeman. Science Fiction.
• Escaping Heaven by Cliff Hicks. Paranormal.
• Sector 5: The Battle For Earth by R.J. White. Science Fiction.
• Trying by Rebecca Gale. Science Fiction Romance.
• Warrior's Bride (The Stone of Destiny Series) by Gerri Russell. Historical Fantasy.
• Betrayal's Shadow (The Guardians of Eden Book 1) by KH LeMoyne. Paranormal.
• Kaybree versus the Angels (Kaybree the Angel Killer) by Harrison Paul. Fantasy.
• A Breach In Death by Matt Thomas. Paranormal.
• Amongst the Ruins (The Chronicles of 2020 1) by Saewod Tice. Dystopian Romance.

But I Would Walk Five Hundred Miles For Free Fiction.

A few more good reading items for you, with several e-books (including two swiped from SF Signal, one each from John DeNardo and Regan Wolfrom, Bwa-ha-ha). And a cool free gaming 'zine for Star Frontiers (easily adaptable to any RPG if you go old-school and use the "best guess" method).








E-Books
• At Amazon:  The White Tree (The Cycle of Arawn) by Edward W. Robertson [via SF Signal]
• At Amazon: Sandman #1 by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Sam Kieth. Fantasy [via SF Signal]
At Free eBooks Daily:

• Home Lost by Franz McLaren. Fantasy.
• Regent by Brian Rathbone. Fantasy.
• The Guardian of Oakhurst by J. Wolf Scott. Fantasy.
• Of Ants and Dinosaurs by Cixin Liu. Science Fiction.
• Shotgun Rites by Stephany Simmons. Fantasy. Paranormal.
• Wildewood Revenge by B.A. Morton. Time Travel. Romance.
• The Painting by Ryan Casey. Suspense. Horror.
• Shadow Force by J.R. O'Neill. Science Fiction.
• I, the Provocateur by Vardan Partamyan. Science Fiction.
• Dark Pursuit: The Lost Shinmahs by Kevan Dinn. Fantasy.
• Shadowed Magic by Wendy S. Hales. Paranormal Romance.  
• The Portal's Choice by KD Pryor. YA Paranormal. 
• The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 1: American Nightmares by Michael Panush. Urban Fantasy.

Gaming E-Zine
• Now Posted: Frontier-Explorer- Issue #5.
A free PDF gaming magazine with articles for Star Frontiers
The issue content (articles) are:

• A Vrusk Life In Song
• Ice Cave Wolves of Alcazzar
• Creating Plot Hook Laden Backgrounds
• Backgrounds – Rooting Player Characters in the Setting
• Crafting Personal RPG Quests
• Financing A Frontier Freighter
• The Yazirian Warrior Bard
• The Assault Scout
• The Albatross
• Going for the Head
• Oni-Senada Corporation
• A Blast from the Past
• Riddle Me This, Puzzle Me That
• Dealing with Power Creep
• To Live And Die In StarLight
• Grymz Guide Comic #5

Classic Cover #5 - Alien Legs

You know, one of the underlying assumptions of most science fiction stories must be that women have been genetically engineered to be immune to cold, because they sure don't wear much clothing.

Not Free, But Worth a Look At $3.99

In case you didn't already know it, Regan Wolfrom, my peer at SF Signal, is also an accomplished genre writer. In anticipation of the release of Book Two of After The Fires Went Out, Regan is serializing an excerpt from After The Fires Went Out: Coyote on his website.  Give the excerpt a chance in his site and if you like what you read, grab the e-book from Amazon for only $3.99. (More purchase options here,)

Also out now Haunted Horror #5, co-edited by The Horrors of It All blogmaster Karswell.  Classic horror comics in a new anthology so you don't have to pay a gazillion dollars to read them in print (only $3.99).  Check out the preview here, and read some classic horror comics at The Horrors of It All.  If you like what you see, be sure to grab a copy from your local comic book store.  

Science News Plus Hobbit News and Trailer

Some fascinating science news tidbits, some Hobbit and Star Trek news, and a trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and for those brave enough to enter a comic book store, be sure to check out Haunted Horror #2, co-edited by Karswell of The Horrors of It All.












 Science News

• "Can Slamming a Spaceship into an Asteroid Save Earth?" Space.com
• "Are Venus' Volcanoes Active? Clues Suggest Yes" Space.com
• "Scientists say NASA's budget inadequate for its goals" SpaceDaily.
• "What howler monkeys can tell us about the role of interbreeding in human evolution"  Phys.org
•  "New Dino Had Giant Nose" Discovery.
• "You Can Give a Boy a Doll, but You Can't Make Him Play With It" The Atlantic
• "Bizarre Creature Found in 200-Million-Year-Old Cocoon" LiveScience.
• "Last Man on The Moon" Tom's Astronomy Blog.
• "Prehistoric rhino reveals secrets" BBC
• "Rover could be on Martian clays" BBC
• "Titan is Icier Than Thought" Astrobiology Magazine.
• "The Sovereign and the Pirates, 1332" History. Medievalists.net (Amherst College)

Hobbit and Star Trek News

• "Happy Hobbit: Pinecone Bird Feeder – Episode 07" Video.
• "TV spot for The Hobbit : ‘don’t be afraid’" Video.
• "First official photo from SECOND Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug, released"
• "Sir Ian McKellen defends Hobbit trilogy decision"
• "Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Huffington Post.
• "Star Trek Into Darkness: A Very Close Look At The Teaser Trailer"
• "Not again! Star Trek fans in uproar after new Japanese trailer seems to show sequel copies Wrath of Khan"

Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer HD

More Free Fiction. Apex, AntipodeanSF, Conan Motion Comic.

A bonus second free fiction post today! There are only three items, but they are three very big items. First up is the latest issue of Apex Magazine (always great). I don't know how I missed this, but SF Signal scooped me.  So credit where credit is due, though I'll be petty and put it up here, since nobody ever reads this ;-p

 Next is  the November issue of AntipodeanSF, with some cool flash fiction from down under. And lastly, the first three parts of the motion comic book Conan the Barbarian.

 More tomorrow. Art obviously for Apex.
 





Magazines 
Now Posted: Apex Magazine #42 (November 2012). science fiction, fantasy.

“Erzulie Dantor” by Tim Susman.
     "Whispers prowl through the rubble that surrounds the leaning house. Half-fallen buildings stand on either side, as though a careless giant strode through the town and only by chance missed the one house—surely when the gods choose to wreak destruction on all, they are not so capriciously merciful to one."
“Splinter” by Shira Lipkin.
     "Jay was the hippie, floppy surfer-bangs, more pot than speed, more folk than punk, and the first time I met him, he seized my hand and Michael’s—completing the circuit, he said, and I could feel it, feel the energy rushing between us, leaping like fish. Felt home. He was the mystic, of all of us."
“The Glutton: A Goxhat Accounting Chant” by Eleanor Arnason.
     "The translation of Goxhat poetry presents many problems, due in part to the Goxhat language, but also to the biological and social realities that underlie the language. The foremost problem is the Goxhat’s ambiguous sense of personal identity. Much of the time, Goxhat think of their entire species as a single being. "
“Sprig” by Alex Bledsoe.
       "The little boy gazed up at the beautiful girl seated cross-legged on a tree stump. She wore tights, a sparkly skirt, and enormous plastic wings. Her wild hair was decorated with twigs, leaves and flowers. Her small, pointed face was painted with make-up. Strands of plastic ivy decorated the guitar across her lap."
 

 Now Posted: AntipodeanSF November 2012. Speculative Flash Fiction.

• "The Duchess The Captain" by Rachel Towns.
• "The Flesh Trade" by Marcelo Rinesi.
• "Space Dock Garden" by Maggie Mundy.
• "Revelation" by Peter Grantham.
• "Sex As IPR Piracy" by Wes Parish.

 
Comics

At Dark Horse Comics: Conan the Barbarian Motion Comic Parts 1-3
"In this sweeping adaptation of Robert E. Howard's fan-favorite "Queen of the Black Coast," Conan turns his back on the civilized world and takes to the high seas alongside the pirate queen Bêlit, setting the stage for an epic of romance, terror, and swashbuckling."

She had dreams all yesternight
Of her own betrothed knight;
And she in the midnight wood will pray
For the weal of her lover that's far away. 

Free Fiction, Audio Fiction, and Comics Links

Some more good, free stuff. [Tuesday's post will be very late]











@Fantasy Magazine: "The Pragmatical Princess" by Nisi Shawl.

"Princess Ousmani had fallen asleep in her chains, from boredom. She woke to the weight of a dragon’s head resting uncomfortably on her stomach. One rough, scaly paw kneaded her left shoulder, pricking at her skin."

@Electric Velocipede: "The Euonmyist" by Neil Williamson. Science Fiction.
@Mindflights: "The Hand with the Knife" by Jeff Chapman. Fantasy.
@Ray Gun Revival: "The Cowboys of Carnostus" by Timothy Miller. Science Fiction.
@Short-story.me: "Love Killer" by Sarah Ashwood & Kyle MacDougall. Fantasy.

@Pixel of Ink [Kindle]:

• "Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by Van Gogh" by Douglas Smith. Science Fiction.
• "The Walled Garden" by Michele Lang. Fantasy.
• "The Awakened" by Jason Tesar. Fantasy.
• "Smallworld" by Dominic Green. Science Fiction.
• "The Turtle Boy" by Kealan Patrick Burke. Horror.

@Free eBooks Daily [DRM]:

• "The Gauntlet" by Karen Chance. "Supernatural Thriller."
• "Equinox: Six Declinations" by Richard Freeland. Horror.
• "Mug Shot" by Edward Winslow. Superhero.
• "The Heist" by Devin Hobbes. Horror.

@Beam Me Up: "Elko" by Harris Tobias and "Time Enough" by Steve Carter. Science Fiction.
@Cthulhu: "The Demons Between" by Larry Mendel. Horror.


Serial Audio
@Author's Site: "The Starter Episode #26" by Scott Sigler. Science Fiction.
@Journey Into: "The Machine Stops (part 1)" by E.M. Forster, performed by a full cast.

Non-Fiction Podcasts
@SFFaudio: "Podcast #120" – Scott, Jesse and Tamahome talk to Allan Kaster
@SF Signal: "Episode 072" - Panel Discussion of Under-Explored Themes in Science Fiction and Fantasy.







@Comic Book Catacombs: Wild Boy in "The Witch Doctor" (1951). Adventure.
@Comic Book Catacombs: Rulah Jungle Goddess in "The Poison Sourswine" (1948). Adventure.
@Horrors of It All: "?" Horror (1953)
@Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "He Pierced the Unknown" (1958).
@Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: A "Tor" story from 1954. Adventure.
@Secret Sanctum of Captain Video: Captain Video in "Hidden Island" Sci-Fi.

Thursday Online Freebies

A few gems today, including the latest issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies (awesome 'zine), ongoing serial fiction (both quite good), another episode of StarShipSofa (always worth a listen), a complete audio story at Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (part one was incomplete? so the released the whole story in one file), two versions of Robert E. Howard's weird tale "The Fire Of Asshurbanipal," some ongoing fan audio, and many cool comics including the source for today's illustration.








Now Posted: Beneath Ceaseless Skies #73.
"And Her Eyes Sewn Shut with Unicorn Hair" by Rosamund Hodge.

"Why should she hope to see a unicorn now, when she never had in all her life?"

"Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin" by Adam Callaway.

"Tomai awoke to whispers. Hundreds of whispers. All whispering at once. A whirlwind of soft sound. Whispers in a dozen different languages."

Serial Fiction
@Paizo.com: "Plow and Sword (part 3 of 4)" by Robert E. Vardeman.

"Rorr used the shovel to turn dirt amid the tree roots until he struck the buried packages. He dropped to his knees and used his hands to brush away the remaining dirt, revealing several small packets and one larger one. That last one he ignored, instead pulling the oilcloth wrappings free from one of the smaller bundles."

@More Red Ink:"Guerrilla Mural of a Siren's Song (Part 2 of 3)" by Ernest Hogan.

"But I did need her to bring me out of it. Willa Shembe, the pride of the scientific community of Zululand. A girl used to experiencing the universe through other peoples' minds."

@StarShipSofa: "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath The Queen’s Window (Part 2 of 3)" by Rachel Swirsky, read by Amy H. Sturgis.

@MoPO: "The Shadows of Calcutta" by Phil Rossi. Steampunk.

@SFFaudio: Two versions of "The Fire Of Asshurbanipal" by Robert E. Howard. Weird Tales.








Fan Audio
@Pendant Productions: Issue 35 of the Catwoman: Queen of Thieves podcast.
@Pendant Productions: Issue 66 of the Batman: The Ace of Detectives podcast







@The Bloody Pulp: "Lighthouse Of Horror" & "The Hungry Slime" B&W. Horror.
@The Horrors of It All: "The Moon Was Red" Horror. (1953)
@The Horrors of It All: "Graveyard of Ghost Ships" Horror. Pirates. (1953).
@Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: Flying Saucer Comics Sci-Fi. (1954 & 1967).
@Comic Book Catacombs: Cave Girl in "Prey of the Headhunters" Adventure (1953)
@Comic Book Catacombs: Ty-Gor "Trap For Ty-Gor's Uncle" Adventure (1940).
@Grantbridge Street: "Rainmaker" Horror / Weird Tale.
@Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Gran'ma Died Last Year" B&W. Horror.
@Secret Sanctum of Captain Video: Captain Video in "Creatures of Doom" Sci-Fi.
@Atomic Kommie Comics: "Thing on Sputnik 4" Sci-Fi.
@War: Past, Present and Future: "Counter Attack" from Atomic War. Sci-Fi.
@Western Comics Adventures: "Sun Masters" Sci-Fi from Space Western

Quasar Dragon Presents "Audrey's Moon" and "Code of the Fang" as well as Noir Links

Quasar Dragon Presents
A pair of classic stories from 1955 "Audrey's Moon," an SF story about a pair of telepaths in need of some serious anger management and "Code of the Fang" an animal adventure/fantasy.

BOTH HERE

@Criminal Element: [Fiction] "Beneath the Book Tower: An Alex McKnight Short Story" by Steve Hamilton.
"'Now, wait a minute,' Franklin said to me. 'Are you telling me this place is in Michigan? And it’s called Paradise?'"

@Criminal Element: [Fiction] "San Diego Noir: The National City Reparation Society" by Luis Alberto Urrea.
"It wasn’t like Junior Garcia only hung with white people now. But he didn’t see much Raza, he’d be the first to admit. Not socially. That’s why you leave home, right? Shake off the dark."

@Spinetingler: [Fiction] "Meet Market" by Sybil A. Johnson.
"'You said it yourself. Bars attract low-lifes and weirdos. This is the perfect alternative.' Kirsten grabbed a shopping cart from the line outside the store and headed inside."

@CrimeWAV: [Serial Audio] Episode Eleven of The Immortal Game by Mark Coggins.
"Ever wanted to go to a hoity-toity party in Pacific Heights, probably the most affluent neighborhood in San Francisco? Well, in episode 11 of THE IMMORTAL GAME, Riordan is going to take you on a personal tour"

@Digital Comics Museum: Roughly fifty issues of the classic pre-code comic book Crime Does Not Pay in CBR format. [free membership required].
"The series' sensationalized recountings of the deeds of gangsters such as Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly were illustrated by artists Bob Wood, George Tuska, and others. Stories were often introduced and commented upon by "Mr. Crime", a ghoulish figure in a top hat, and the precursor of 'horror hosts'" -Wikipedia. More of the stuff that gave poor, fragile Fredric Wertham nightmares.


Free Comic Book Day
These are possibly today only.
@DriveThruComics: EPIC / Dyangirl One Shot.
@DriveThruComics: TwilightPop FCBD 2011.


That's it for today, two stories never before available on the regular internet (only before in scans via P2P) and a nice little section of noir links to help you plan your weekend murders. Tomorrow Lt. Bob will stream a movie, we'll have the usual comics section and a full post.

Tobias Buckell, Theodore Sturgeon, and Hot Elf Chicks.

It's Saturday and we (the royal "we" apparently) have a googleplex of chores to do, but here are a few rather cool free items from the digital multiverse.




Fiction
At Subterranean Press: "The Fall of Alacan" by Tobias S. Buckell.
"Mynza clung to the side of a stone tower like a bug to a wall. He was hundreds of feet above the dirt street below, halfway up to the bulging copper-plated dome at the very top of the tower. From here he could see the last few merchants of the day who camped out in front of the Mayor’s Mansion leaving their brightly colored stalls."


Online HERE.



At Munseys: "Hoiman and the Solar Circuit" by Gordon Dewey, from If: Worlds of Science Fiction (July 1952).

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



Audio Fiction
The latest episode, number 88, of Spider on the Web is up featuring SF great Spider Robinson hosting readings of "Bianca's Hands" and "Godbody" by another SF great, Theodore Sturgeon.


In MP3 download HERE.




Fetidus is a complete online audio-book, "FETIDUS: The Damned Heir by James Durham. This "future-noir" urban fantasy features a talented cast and original music score, and can be freely downloaded and shared. Join us in the post-apocalyptic world of Art Blanchard, as he takes on a thrilling, twisted case set in the fetid alleys of Washington, DC, circa 2034." Likely R rated.


All twenty episodes are available streaming and in MP3 download HERE. [via The Guild of Cowry Catchers]



The Guild of Cowry Catchers is a series of serialized audio books (now on book three Ashes ). It is "a dark, nautical fantasy for people who shop in the grown-up section of the bookstore." I listened tp book 3, episode one and thought it quite well done, though I would recommend starting from book 1.

The latest episode is Book 3 – Episode 4. Streaming and in MP3 download HERE, or start with Book 1 – Episode 1 HERE (approximately R rated). This a good site to look around in as there are lots of extras.



Episode 11, Ignis, of The Witch Hunter Chronicles is now available.
"What awaits now? The kindling flame of hope? Or the destructive fires of punishment and vengeance? The final hours approach and the skies redden over Sevenpeaks…"

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.

Flash Fiction
@Every Day Fiction: "God Machine" by Ajit Dhillon.
@Flashes in the Dark: "She Took in Silence" by Matthew C. Funk.
@365 tomorrows: "Incarnate" by Ian Rennie.

Gaming
At DriveThruRPG, Salvage Crew: Star Mogul Game.

"The focus of this game is on running a salvage crew operation and earning money. If your company goes broke, you simply open a new one and continue playing your opponents. A two or more player table top game. Future menacing alien encounters will be controlled by all players involved so no DM is necessary for this system."

In a free PDF download HERE. (free membership required).




At Earthdawn Blog: 255 Earthdawn Spells. "The Tableau Infractus Internet Archive released a collection of spells in four brand new fanzine Ebooks. The four books about elemental, illusionary, nethermantic and wizardry spells were collected from various internet sources. The layout of the Ebook spells is based on the editable Spellcards of Maskhim, which I introduced some time ago over here on the Earthdawn Blog."


In four PDF downloads HERE.




At Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets, for D&D or Labyrinth Lord:

"[New Spell] Encounter Iconic Nemesis" online HERE

and "[New Monster] Crimson Arbiter" online HERE.




At A Character for Every Game, "[Friday Map] the Ancient Temple of Torrel"

A nice ruined temple map for any fantasy rpg - HERE.




And at A Rust Monster Ate My Sword, "Hot Elf Chicks with Swords!" A must see -- Trust me, this is as safe for work as it gets (assuming it's safe to look at gaming sites at your work).

Online HERE.

Comics
At Crom!: "From Star-Studded Comics #14 (1968), comes this old-school adaptation of Robert E. Howard's 'Gods of the North'!"



Available in CBR download HERE.

Cat Rambo, Asteroids, Science, Kirk's Middle Name and More

It's Friday and pleasant weather, at least here in Illinois, so I'm in a very good mood as I post this, despite still using an emergency backup computer that is old enough to be considered steam-punk. Lots of good reading and more today, with a slightly off topic final section of science podcasts, but I'll likely be going off topic more frequently than in the old days. It's more fun that way.

E-Fiction
At Daily Science Fiction,

"Swallowing Ghosts" by Cat Rambo.
"Grandma always said, "Don't yawn with your mouth open, a ghost will fly in."

I didn't believe her until it happened."

Online HERE.

"The Birdcage Heart" by Peter M Ball.
"One She likes watching him dress. He likes to be watched, so he goes through the motions: yesterday's underwear; Levis, left leg following the right; the belt threaded through the loops, tugged tight and fastened; yesterday's black socks; the crimson sneakers, the laces, the left foot before the right. The shirts always last, always the struggle. 'No undershirt,' she says. 'Leave it off today.'"

Online HERE.


At Munseys,

"The Honored Prophet" by William Bentley (1954).
"The black dwarf sun sent its assassin on a mission which was calculated to erase the threat to its existence. But prophesies run in strange patterns and, sometimes, an act of evasion becomes an act of fulfillment."

In ebook downloads HERE.

"Tangle Hold" by F. L. Wallace (1953).
"Jadiver objected to being the greatest influence for good on Venus ... because what was good for Venus was bad for Jadiver!"

In ebook downloads HERE.


"Chain of Command" by Stephen Arr (1954)
"By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!"

In ebook downloads HERE.


At Lightspeed Magazine,

"Simulacrum" by Ken Liu.
"[A] photograph is not only an image (as a painting is an image), an interpretation of the real; it is also a trace, something directly stenciled off the real, like a footprint or a death mask. —Susan Sontag"

For online reading, online listening, and MP3 download HERE.


"The Passenger" by Julie E. Czerneda.
"At last, one gave him a purpose to match the unknown one sending the aliens sliding past his prison day in, day out. It was a child’s box of markers."

For online reading HERE.


"Long Enough and Just So Long" by Cat Rambo.
"He talked about rain, about slow gray clouds and tearing nor’easters. Rain drumming on a tin roof versus its sound on slate. Fine spring mist and the hot rain that fell during drought, coin-sized and evaporating too quickly."

For online reading, online listening, and MP3 download HERE.


Audio Fiction
At Dunesteef, "The Alarm" by Harris Tobias.
"An alarm has started ringing, but no one knows what it’s for. Old Havermayer, the beggar, says it’s a signal to alert the town that the dragon wakes. Could it be true? What will become of this peaceful town?"

Listened to this one yesterday. Quite enjoyable, though somewhat predictable.

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.


Online Video
At StarTrek.com, The complete Star Trek animated series (TAS) available for free streaming. These have rather clunky animation and are quite abrupt due to the 30 minute format, but are still entertaining. Trek Trivia, Kirk's middle name "Tiberius" was first used in the animated episode "Bem" not in the original Star Trek series.

These free streaming episodes are online HERE. [via SFSignal [via Bureau 42]]



Comic Books
SF with an asteroid setting theme today

At Golden Age Comic Book Stories, Journey Into Unknown Worlds #20, July/1952. This issue features horror and SF stories including "The Secret of Asteroid #85."



Online HERE.






And at The Comic Book Catacombs, Science Fiction/Double Feature featuring "Asteroid Treasure" from Amazing Adventures #4 (Jul-Aug 1951).

Online HERE.






Science Podcasts
A trio of recommended ones this time.

First up is This Week @NASA a weekly audio podcast covering the latest news. Updated every Friday, this is always interesting even when there is too little going on at NASA.

Available in separate audio and video downloads HERE.




NPR Science Friday is an outstanding weekly science program covering breaking science news as well as ongoing controversies. The archive is especially convenient with each episode broken into topics so that you can download those that interest you.

The archive is HERE.




And Beam Me Up. Although its perhaps better known for its readings of SF stories, one of my favorite parts of this podcast/radio program is the roundup of Science and SF news at the start of most episodes. Topics range from the biggest science stories to odd, easy to miss stories, all presented in a friendly, informal matter. Always worth a listen.


Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.