Free SF, Fantasy and Horror Fiction for 8/06/2014
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What’s Special About Today’s Free Fiction?
- Apex #63 – August 2014
- Clarkesworld Magazine #95 – August 2014
- Subterranean Summer 2014 – The Final Issue
Written
- @AE – The Canadian Science Fiction Review: “The Winnipeg Kid” by Ken Gerber and Brian Hirt [Science Fiction]
- @Anotherealm: “In the Company of Lizard-Men” by Katherine Sanger [Fantasy]
- Apex #63 – August 2014 [Speculative Fiction Magazine]
- “Jupiter and Gentian” by Erik Amundsen
- “Sister of Mercy” by Amanda Forrest
- “Ten Days’ Grace” by Foz Meadows
- “The Sandbirds of Mirelle” by John Moran
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies #152 – July 24, 2014 [Fantasy Magazine]
- Audio: “One Ear Back” by Tina Connolly
- “The Topaz Marquise” by Fran Wilde
- “What Needs to Burn” by Sylvia Anna Hiven
- @Buzzy Mag: “Cineplex” by M. M. DeVoe [Urban Fantasy]
- @Chrome Baby: “Astreya’s Fish” by Siobhan Gallagher [Science Fiction]
- Clarkesworld Magazine #95 – August 2014 [Speculative Fiction Magazine]
- “Bonfires in Anacostia” by Joseph Tomaras [Science Fiction]
- “Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion” by Caroline M. Yoachim [Science Fiction – also available in audio]
- “Nevermore” by Ian R. MacLeod [Science Fiction – from 1997]
- “Seven Years from Home” by Naomi Novik [Fantasy – from 2010]
- “The Rose Witch” by James Patrick Kelly [Fantasy]
- “The Saint of the Sidewalks” by Kat Howard [Fantasy]
- @The Colored Lens:
- “Damned” by Nyki Blatchley [Contemporary Fantasy]
- “Truth Banks” by Damien Krsteski [Science Fiction]
- @Daily Science Fiction: “Scents of Life” by Robert Lowell Russell [Science Fiction]
- @Drabblecast: “Mister Bob” by Dan Campbell [Strange / Comedy – also available in audio]
- @Escape Pod:
- “A Struggle Between Rivals Ends Surprisingly” by Oliver Buckram [Science Fiction – also available in audio]
- “To Waste” by Luke Pebler [Science Fiction – also available in audio]
- @Kasma SF: “Pink Ice in the Jovian Rings” by C.J. Paget [Science Fiction]
- @Lakeside Circus: “Ultramarine” by G.B. White [Science Fiction]
- @Lightspeed Magazine:
- “State Change” by Ken Liu [Fantasy]
- “Undermarket Data” by An Owomoyela [Science Fiction – also available in audio]
- @Mad Scientist Journal: “Using Supernatural DNA to Enhance Sporting Performance” by Andy Brown [Science Fantasy]
- @Omni Reboot:
- “God Gives Us a Limited Amount of Words. When They Are All used, We Go Insane” by Niko de Silva [Science Fiction]
- “Nerbs Are More Animal Than Plant, so Don’t Eat Them” by Rudy Rucker [Science Fiction]
- “There Is No Escaping The Tower For The Watcher. Time is Running Out.” by Sequoia Nagamatsu [Science Fiction]
- @Short-Story.me:
- “Frey’s Justice” by Darrell Monks [Fantasy]
- “How To Exterminate Vermin” by Saul Greenblatt [Apocalyptic Fantasy]
- Subterranean Summer 2014 – The Final Issue [Speculative Fiction Magazine]
- “Grand Jeté (The Great Leap)” by Rachel Swirsky
- “He Who Grew Up Reading Sherlock Holmes” by Harlan Ellison®
- “Pushing the Sky Away (Death of a Blasphemer)” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
- “The Black Sun” by Lewis Shiner
- “The Last Log of the Lachrimosa” by Alastair Reynolds
- “The Things We Do For Love” by K. J. Parker
- “The Very Fabric” by Kat Howard
- “West to East” by Jay Lake
- “What There Was to See” by Maria Dahvana Headley
- @Tor:
- “A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Trade-Offs for the Overhaul of the Barricade” by John Chu [Science Fiction]
- “Brisk Money” by Adam Christopher [Science Fiction Noir]
- “The Colonel” by Peter Watts [Science Fiction]
- @The WiFiles: “The Wind” by Michael Shirzadian [Fantasy]
- @Words Without Borders: “Letter to Lethe” by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, Translated by Lola Rogers [Speculative Fiction]
Written – Flash
- @365 tomorrows:
- “A Game Of Inches” by Clint Wilson [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Cleanup Crew” by Jae Miles [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Con” by S. P. Mahoney [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Dinner Bell” by Duncan Shields [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Dissidence” by Robert King [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Every Angle” by Jae Miles [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Picking Isometric Cotton” by E.S. Wynn [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Relayer” by Ian Hill [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Suburban Singularity” by TJMoore [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Beginning is Impossible and the End is Impassable” by Nathan Witkin [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Writing on the World” by George R. Shirer [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Wind Chimes” by Sara Norja [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Daily Science Fiction:
- “Kitty Is Alive, Kitty Is Dead” by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Life Lesson” by Gary A. Mitchell [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Readymade” by Shannon Fay [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Ten Wretched Things About Influenza Siderius” by Rachael K. Jones [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Trip” by Christine M Layton [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Ulder” by Vajra Chandrasekera [Magic Realism Flash]
- @Dark Futures: “Out For A Hunt” by Latishia Figueroa [Dark Science Fiction Flash]
- @Every Day Fiction:
- “A Man Who Talked to Fish” by Teddy Kimathi [Surreal Flash]
- “A Year of Cat Ownership” by James Reinebold [Contemporary Fantasy Flash]
- “An Isolated Mechanism” by Moriah Geer-Hardwick [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Beloved of the Enemy” by Stephanie Bissette-Roark [Fantasy Flash]
- “Clarice” by Martin Chandler [Horror Flash]
- “Cravings” by Todd Thorne [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Degrees of Starvation” by Beth Cato [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Farther Stars Than These: “Orion” by C. C. Parker [Dark Science Fiction Flash]
- @Lakeside Circus: “Bottom of the Barrel” by Michael Chapman [Science Fiction Flash]
- @MicroHorror: “The Cute Thing With Those Big, Adorable Eyes” by Russ Bickerstaff [Horror Flash]
- @Nature: “A long way from home” by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Short-Story.me: “The Gift” by B. J. Neblett [Fantasy Flash]
- @Weirdyear: “13-Cedar “ by David Castlewitz [Weird Flash]
- @Yesteryear Fiction: “The Precipice “ by Tara Southwell [Fantasy Flash]
Written – Serialized
- @Author’s Site: Musketeer Space by Tansy Rayner Roberts: [Space Opera Serialization]
- @Author’s Site: The Greenland Diaries by Patrick Marsh – Day 137 [Post-Apocalyptic Serialization]
- @HiLobrow: King Goshawk by Eimar O’Duffy: [Satirical Science Fiction Serialization – from 1926]
- @Kat and Mouse: Guns for Hire: Stand Off by Abner Senires: [Cyberpunk Serial]
- @Paizo: Queen Sacrifice by Steven Savile – Chapter Three: The City Under No Stars [Shared World Fantasy Serialization]
Audio
- Beware the Hairy Mango #240 – “Square Feet” by Matthew Sanborn Smith [Measured Mango]
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies Audio Vault #2 – “One Ear Back” by Tina Connolly [Fantasy]
- Cast of Wonders #131 – “Survivor” by Josh Roseman [YA Science Fiction]
- @Clarkesworld Magazine: “Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion” by Caroline M. Yoachim [Science Fiction]
- Drabblecast #333 – “After the Cure” by Carrie Ryan [Horror]
- @Escape Pod:
- #456 –“To Waste” by Luke Pebler [Science Fiction]
- #457 –“A Struggle Between Rivals Ends Surprisingly” by Oliver Buckram [Science Fiction]
- Every Day Fiction Podcast #180 – “Alien Alley” by JR Hume [Science Fiction]
- Every Photo Tells… #149 – “The Haunted Peak” by Mick Bordet [Fantasy]
- @Lightspeed Magazine: “Undermarket Data” by An Owomoyela [Science Fiction]
- Pseudopod #397 – “Gut Check” by Toni Nicolino [Horror]
- Radio Drama Revival #384 – “1918” [Science Fiction Comedy]
- Tales To Terrify #133 – “Blended Hearts” and “Rainfall and the Snake” by A. J. Huffman and “Curtain Call” by Gary A. Braunbeck [Horror]
- The Classic Tales Podcast #377 – “MS Found In A Bottle” by Edgar Allan Poe – from 1833 [Horror]
- The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine #162 – “Last Contact” by Rish Outfield and B.D. Anklevich [Science Fiction]
- Toasted Cake #116 – “The tell-tale ear” by Alex Shvartsman [Science Fiction]
Audio – Radio Dramas
- @Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod:
- 2000 Plus –“Worlds Apart” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1950]
- Beyond Midnight –“The Crystal Ball” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1969]
- Inner Sanctum Mysteries –“The Edge Of Death” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1946]
- Lights Out –“Death Robbery” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1947]
- Space Patrol –“The Brain Bank & The Space Binoculars” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1953]
- The Hall Of Fantasy –“The Silver Flask” [Dark Fantasy Radio Drama – from 1953]
- The Weird Circle –“The Ghost’s Touch” [Dark Fantasy Radio Drama – from 1944]
- @Relic Radio:
- Beyond Midnight –“The Crystal Ball” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1969]
- Dimension X –“Requiem” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1951]
- Exploring Tomorrow –“The Mutant” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1958]
- Suspense –“Frankenstein” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1952]
- The Creaking Door –“Death On The Road” [Weird / Horror Radio Drama – from 1964]
- The Lux Radio Theater –“The Day The Earth Stood Still” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1954]
- The Mysterious Traveler –“No Grave Can Hold Me” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1947]
- The Weird Circle –“The Ghost’s Touch” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1943]
Audio – Serialized
- Adventures in Space Episode #4 – “Epsilon” by [Science Fiction Adventure Serial]
- Cthulhu Podcast #177 – Dreams in the Witch House by H.P. Lovecraft [Horror Serialization]
- Radio Drama Revival #383 – A Prophets Guide by [Contemporary Fantasy Serialization]
- Welcome to Night Vale #51 – “Rumbling” by [Fantasy Serial]
Free eBooks – Science Fiction
Empire (Redemption Trilogy #1) by Michael R. Hicks
The coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress.
Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.
[Military Science Fiction Novel – First of Series – Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords]
Star Wanderers: Outworlder (Part I) by Joe Vasicek
[Science Fiction Romance Novella – First of Series – Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords]
Free eBooks – Science Fiction – Young Adult
Shadow Born (Shadow Born Trilogy #1) by Jamie Sedgwick
Gabriel Frost is a genetically engineered assassin who has no idea where he came from or what he is. He only dreams of living a normal life. Unfortunately, the dark secrets from Gabriel’s past won’t leave him alone for long.
When a wealthy widow named Julia Winschfield adopts Gabriel, he believes he finally has a chance at being a normal kid. He makes friends. He even starts going to school. Then Gabriel begins to notice things; things a child his age shouldn’t notice, or even understand. And then he begins to remember…
[YA Science Fiction Adventure Novel – First of Series – Amazon | B&N | Kobo]
Free eBooks – Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian
Artificial Evil (The Techxorcist #1) by Colin F. Barnes
In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity survives within a single domed city run by a shadowy benefactor known only as The Family. Each week the death lottery claims more lives and Gerry Cardle, head of the lottery, inexplicably finds himself the next on the list.
Something’s wrong with the system. A deadly artificial intelligence has breached security. Gerry has just 7 days to live. Forced off the grid, Gerry has to do the unthinkable: willingly leave the city. What he finds in the abandoned lands will shatter his perception of what it means to be human. Everything he had been told before was a lie.
In a deadly world of conspiracy, violence, and artificial intelligences, Gerry has to sacrifice everything he loves in order to save it, and time is running out.
[Post-Apocalyptic / Cyberpunk Novel – First of Series – Amazon | B&N | Kobo]
Impetus by Scott M Sullivan
When the world first heard about the meteorites, it was already too late.
Ten arduous years later, Mick and his small group of eight had adapted to the new way of things. With no clean running water, power, or forms of communication, the Earth went backward, taking with it almost everything they held dear. Survivors like Mick were forced to do the best they could with what they had. Because in the post-Impact world, alternatives were a luxury that no one could afford.
Now a deadly virus threatens those who were unfortunate enough to survive.
[Post-Apocalyptic Novel – Amazon]
Free eBooks – Alternative History
Perpetual Motion by Bruce Hesselbach
After Sybil Hardenbergh’s time-traveling parents save Fritz von Lassberg from drowning, Sybil fears that Fritz may be helping Germany prepare to defeat England in the Great War, and, what is worse, that she is falling in love with him.
[Alternative History / Time Travel Novella – Amazon]
Free eBooks – Fantasy
Tribesman by Paul Freeman
A warrior in exile seeks a path home.
Banished from his homeland, a warrior of the Northern Clans grows weary of life in a harsh, alien land. With the dark god Morrigu haunting his dreams, and a desert princess as a companion, Culainn, a warrior and champion sets forth on a journey north in search of a merchants daughter abducted by clansmen and taken back across the mountains. Through a land baked by a scorching sun, where bandits roam free and dark beasts stalk the night.
An ancient evil is rising from the desert. A Benouin myth of a ghost city inhabited by the souls of their ancestors, a bridge to the Underworld is unleashing demonic creatures on an unsuspecting world. Culainn and Persha, warrior and mage stand alone against a tide of darkness. All the while, Morrigu, the dark war god of the north seeks to use Culainn as her own tool, her own champion.
[Sword & Sorcery Novel – Amazon]
Free eBooks – Fantasy – Young Adult
Watchers of the Night by Matthew Keith
From the outside, Paul Bennett appears to be an ordinary high school senior from small-town Kentucky. But Paul has a secret. He possesses an extraordinary gift which allows him to leave his body during the night and go anywhere, see anything—unseen, undetected. Unbeknownst to Paul, he is not alone in his ability–there are others who can do what he can, and they belong to Astralis, a government agency funded by the United Nations who train people like Paul to become spies. When one of their scouts recognizes Paul for what he is, he is offered a place in the agency. Unfortunately, Astralis is an organization under siege from within; some are willing to do anything to make a change of leadership–even murder.
[YA Epic Fantasy Novel – Amazon | B&N | Smashwords]
Free eBooks – Zombies
Victim Zero (The Fall #1) by Joshua Guess
The plague was born from hope.
It was meant to change the world. To cure the incurable and rebuild the broken. When the world ended, the weight of its dead fell on the shoulders of the man at the heart of it all.
For Kell McDonald, survival is not enough.
Alone and surrounded by enemies, he must find a way to do what only he can: find a cure, and perhaps redemption.
[Zombie Novel – First of Series – Amazon]