Fictional Worlds

PodCastle 628: Vincent’s Penny Author : Chris Barnham Narrator : Matt Dovey Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Dimension6, Issue 16 (April 2019). Rated PG. Vincent’s Penny By Chris Barnham  May 1941 I’m … I’m a child this time. Five or six years old. Fully clothed under a bed, on a wooden floor. I touch a hand to my throat, but there is nothing there. I examine my hands and arms, astonished by the smoothness of the skin. At last, I crawl out from ben…

PodCastle 615: Field Reports from the Department of Monster Resettlement Author : L. Chan Narrator : Curtis C. Chen Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published by Future Fire in the Making Monster… Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: two ghosts, a pontianak and a manananggal are sitting around the third floor of a community centre after dark. The trick isn’t getting them to come to the support group, the trick is getting them to agree to …

PodCastle 616: DOUBLE FEATURE! Telomerase; Mycelium Authors : Ian Muneshwar and Eleanor Wood Narrators : Sienna Tristen and Jen R. Albert Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastle 616: DOUBLE FEATURE! Telo… You lost your first word when I began to lose my hair. You brought a wicker basket to the hospital and opened it in the waiting room, taking out a blue-checkered blanket that you spread out over our laps. via Pocket

PodCastle 617: The Dead-Wagon Author : Greye La Spina Narrator : Wilson Fowlie Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums CW: illness and plague; references to violence and sexual assault Rated R. The Dead-Wagon G… The Dead-Wagon Greye La Spina “Someone’s been chalking up the front door.” The speaker stepped off the terrace into the library through the open French window. From his padded armchair Lord Melverson rose with an involuntary exclamation of startled … PodCastle 617 The Dead-Wagon - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/3cIkbxb

PodCastle 618: Odd and Ugly Author : Vida Cruz Narrator : Don Pizarro Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published by Writers of the Future vol. 34. Rated PG-13. Odd and Ugly By Vida Cruz I. Y… You come to my tree at high noon in July, sweating, panting, young. So very, very young. I can’t help staring at you: it’s like watching a walking, talking circular window with square glass stuck through it. via Pocket

PodCastle 619: The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle Author : Sofia Samatar Narrator : C. L. Clark Host : Peter Behravesh Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Originally published in The Starlit Wood. Rated… This story is at least a thousand years old. Its complete title is “The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle: It Contains Strange and Marvelous Things.” A single copy, probably produced in Egypt or Syria, survives in Istanbul; the…

PodCastle 629: Though She Be But Little Author : C.S.E. Cooney Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Originally published in Uncanny Magazine. Previously published in Jonathan Strahan’s The… PodCastle 629 Though She Be But Little - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2MmVoCH Though She Be But Little By C.S.E. Cooney Emma Anne had a tin can attached by a string to her belt. via Pocket

CatsCast 289: The Thing in the Basement Author : Gerri C. Leen Narrator : Tina C. Connolly Host : Laura Pearlman Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Artist : Matt Dovey The Thing in the Basement by Gerri Leen You can hear it, in the basement, b… CatsCast 289 The Thing in the Basement - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/3bDT0Cf You can hear it, in the basement, behind the metal boxes that your human puts her outer-coverings in just when they start to smell good—when the boxes are done, she brings out her things stinking of flowers or fruit. via Pocket

March 2020 Metacast Transcript (Alasdair) Hi everyone, Alasdair here. We’re not going to ask how you are right now, because we have a pretty good idea. You’re fine. You’re FINE. You’re the same version of fine as everyone right now, the one Aeros… We’re not going to ask how you are right now, because we have a pretty good idea. You’re fine. You’re FINE. You’re the same version of fine as everyone right now, the one Aerosmith sang about. The one where you’re alternately anxious, terrified, fur…

PodCastle 620: When Hope Is Lost, Touch Remains Author : Nin Harris Narrator : Chang Yiun Yee Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastle 620: When Hope Is Lost, Touch Remains is a PodCastle original. Conte… When Hope Is Lost, Touch Remains By Nin Harris Chowrasta Market was where Maria had learned to love books — upstairs in the claustrophobic crush of second-hand book stalls, where the musty smell of old paperbacks was drowned in a panoply of aromas f…

PodCastle 621: A Salt and Sterling Tongue A Salt and Sterling Tongue By Emma Osborne I found my dying boy curled up in a pile of straw wet with his blood. Seamus rolled over as I entered the barn, and I saw then that he’d chewed his fingers down … I found my dying boy curled up in a pile of straw wet with his blood. Seamus rolled over as I entered the barn, and I saw then that he’d chewed his fingers down to the first knuckle. “I can taste my King in my wet,” he said, rocking forward, naming …

PodCastle 622: Spoken For Author : Evan Kennedy Narrator : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Host : Jen R. Albert Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastle 622: Spoken For is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13. Spoken For by Evan Ken… Twenty-five years after the magic came back, Auden’s wife got turned to stone. It was the dog’s fault. A cockatrice had been wandering Harlan County for the past few weeks, ever since some damn fool two towns over let a cock’s egg hatch instead of c…

PodCastle 623: Caring For Dragons and Growing a Flower Author : Allison Thai Narrator : Jennifer Tran Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastle 623: Caring For Dragons and Growing a Flower is a PodCastle o… Sleep easy tonight, darling. I’m well and alive at the barracks the Party had seized in Sóc Trăng. Because I had sided with the enemy, I expected to be shot, or be assigned to clear the mines. via Pocket PodCastle 623 Caring For Dragons and Growing a Flower - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2KpwscY

PodCastle 601: A Thousand Tongues of Silver Author : Kate Heartfield Narrator : Alyson Grauer Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Originally published in Lackington’s. Rated PG-13. A Thousand Tongues of Silv… PodCastle 601 A Thousand Tongues of Silver - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/332TgWL I am a book. My pages are purple. This is how they made me. First, they flayed the calves, stretched and scraped their wet skins. Then they mixed lichen and leaves, rotted in human urine, to mimic the purple that comes of torturing sea snails to for… via FREE Fiction / Raindrop.io https://raindrop.io

PodCastle 602: Franken-Puppy Author : Derek Künsken Narrators : Jay Odjick, Charlotte Ashley, J. M. Frey, Rati Mehrotra, Sylvain Neuvel, KT Bryski and Brandon Crilly Host : Jen R. Albert Audio Producer : KT Bryski Discuss on Forums PodCastle 6… In the third yard, the puppy darted a suspicious look back at its tail. Then, as if remembering what he’d been doing, he swung his head forward, panted, and sat in the grass. Beyond the ratty picket fence, patched skyscrapers stood in the hazy blue …

PodCastle 603: Copy Cat Authors : K. A. Teryna and Alex Shvartsman Narrator : Yaroslav Barsukov Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Originally published in Strange Horizons. Rated PG-13 for cunning felines an… Imagine a Russian cat. Not just any Russian cat, but a cat from Leningrad. Those who claim passing familiarity with Russian literature might imagine a cat straight off the pages of Pushkin or Bulgakov. via Pocket

PodCastle 604: No Mercy to the Rest Author : Bennett North Narrator : C. L. Clark Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastle 604: No Mercy to the Rest is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13 for super-villain… Sadie parked in the lee of Castle Inferno, where she would be spared from the wind, and sat while the engine ticked, trying to convince herself to let go of the steering wheel. The castle stood stark against the sky, dark stone walls leaching the sa… PodCastle 604 No Mercy to the Rest - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/36pB6ka

PodCastle 605: Blood, Bone, Seed, Spark Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Dani Daly Host : C. L. Clark Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Violence, sex, and graphic content relate… Upstairs, in the little rowhouse on the thirty-sixth meridian of the city of Leth Marno, the scuffling grows louder. Heels ring out against the floorboards, and shouts are muffled; by the rugs, perhaps, or a hand that grasps to cover a mouth. via Po…

PodCastle 624: TALES FROM THE VAULTS — Crickets Sing for Naomi Author : Eden Royce Narrator : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Host : Eleanor Wood Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums This story was a PodCastle original back when we ran it… “If these danggone crickets don’t stop following me,” Naomi grumbled as the insect bounded out of the path of her wedge heel. Another of the bugs scuttled across the top of her foot, its spiny legs pricking her exposed skin. via Pocket

For Your Consideration: PodCastle Award Eligibility 2019 In 2019, PodCastle produced 15 original stories and 33 reprints. For your consideration, we present the Escape Artists stories which are eligible for nomination in the upcoming award season. … In 2019, PodCastle produced 14 original stories and 34 reprints. For your consideration, we present the Escape Artists stories which are eligible for nomination in the upcoming award season. PodCastle itself is eligible for the Best Semiprozine Hugo…

PodCastle 606: River’s Giving Authors : Heather Shaw, Tim Pratt and River Shaw Narrator : Kyle Akers Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : KT Bryski Discuss on Forums PodCastle 606: River’s Giving is a PodCastle original. Rated PG for jolly old… Once upon a time, there was a boy named Alexander who lived in a village by a river in a valley in the shadow of a mountain. Every year when the days grew short and the air grew cold and the snow fell, the village would hold a celebration called Riv… PodCastle 606 River's Giving - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2ER9ngo

PodCastle 607: TALES FROM THE VAULTS — Who in Mortal Chains Author : Claire Humphrey Narrator : Julia Rios Hosts : Jen R. Albert and KT Bryski Audio Producer : KT Bryski Discuss on Forums Originally published by Strange Horizons. Previously a… Ryder was a brewer in those days, when brewing was a thing no one much cared to do. He was well loved among a circle of twenty or so, every one with a lost art. Mylene was a weaver; Tom worked leather; Eskil kept bees. via Pocket

PodCastle 608: The Epic of Sakina — Part 1 Author : Shari Paul Narrator : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published by Fiyah Lit Mag Issue 5. Rated PG-13. The Epic of Sa… The moon was a pale, golden disc in a lavender sky. Sakina, in a brilliant blue caftan that brought out the colour in her skin and eyes, strummed her kora a few times to check the tuning. via Pocket

PodCastle 608: The Epic of Sakina — Part 2 Author : Shari Paul Narrator : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published by Fiyah Lit Mag Issue 5. Rated PG-13. The Epic of Sa… The ride back to her father’s house had never felt so long, doubly so under Naima’s interrogation. Sometime during the wait for Sakina’s return at the barracks, Naima had spoken to a few of the guards and decided that Leif was a djinn. via Pocket

PodCastle 610: Charlemagne and Florent Author : Ranylt Richildis Narrator : Dominik Parisien Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums First published by Myths Inscribed. Rated PG. Charlemagne and Florent By Rany… This is what happened to les deux bretons before I met them, back in the 70s when they were boys in Vannes. One was abandoned at nineteen months (no one knows why, or by whom), the other orphaned by a car wreck at age three. via Pocket

PodCastle 611: Yo, Rapunzel! Author : Kyle Kirrin Narrators : Alasdair Stuart, C. L. Clark, Setsu Uzume, Matt Dovey, Jen R. Albert, Peter Behravesh and Mur Lafferty Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastl… Yo, Rapunzel! And lo, the Princess said: “Motherfucker, I am content.” “But Princess!” said the Knight, from the base of the Princess’ tower. His armor-clad ass was parked atop a huge black stallion, which the Princess found not only pompous, but en… PodCastle 611 Yo, Rapunzel! - PodCastle via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2U6ZNyz

The year I turned ten, the war almost ended. The Chinese army fell back beyond the northern border of Cao Bằng, leaving behind thousands of widows, wide swathes of burned ground, and their great war bells in their haste. via Pocket

Rated R for adult themes. The stagecoach lurches to a halt in a clearing beside the road. Four wild-eyed black geldings rear up and whinny as the top-hatted stage driver cracks a whip over their heads. via Pocket

PodCastle 589: The Horrible Deaths of Helga Hrafnsdóttir Author : Christine Tyler Narrator : Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Discuss on Forums PodCastle 589: The Horrible Deaths of Helga Hrafnsdóttir … The day Helga Hrafnsdóttir went up the Ævilok tree, the entire village held its breath. From the time of her birth, the Ævilok that grew beside Helga’s home had sprouted the most horrible flowers. via Pocket

PodCastle 612: She Searches for God in the Storm Within Author : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Narrator : Stephanie Malia Morris Host : Setsu Uzume Audio Producer : Peter Behravesh Originally published in Sword and Sonnet. Content warning: domestic v… When I arrived at my grandmother’s, in the stillness of predawn, like some restless cat stalking, she was waiting for me on the front porch. It was as if she’d been expecting me. I suppose if she had been watching the sky, she was, because I could b…