Free SF, Fantasy and Horror Fiction for 01/10/2015
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What’s Special About Today’s Free Fiction?
- Abyss & Apex #53 – 1st Quarter 2015
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies #164 – January 08, 2015
- Crossed Genres #25 – January 2015 – Indoctrinate
- Galaxy’s Edge #12
- Perihelion December 2014
- Words Without Borders January 2015 – Alternate Pasts: International Uchronia
Written
- @365 tomorrows: “Box of Rage” by Rollin T Gentry [Science Fiction Flash]
- Abyss & Apex #53 – 1st Quarter 2015 [Speculative Fiction Magazine]
- “Dreadnought Under Ice” by George S. Walker
- “Faith is a Nanooka” by Corie Ralston
- “Good Luck Charm” by Ron Collins
- “Hornet’s Sting” by Zach Shephard
- “Private: No Parents Allowed” by K.A. Gillett
- “The Dwarf Femme and the Dragon” by Charie’ Craig
- @AE – The Canadian Science Fiction Review: “The Backup” by Nestor Delfino [Science Fiction]
- @Anotherealm: “Pixels” by Margaret Karmazin [Science Fiction]
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies #164 – January 08, 2015 [Fantasy Magazine – also available as eBook]
- “Everything Beneath You” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
- “The Metamorphoses of Narcissus” by Tamara Vardomskaya
- @Cosmos Magazine: “The glow of his eyes, the depth of his gaze” by Lee Batters [Science Fiction]
- Crossed Genres #25 – January 2015 – Indoctrinate [Speculative Fiction Magazine]
- “Cabaret Obscuro” by Julian Mortimer Smith
- “Distant Gates of Eden Gleam” by Brian Trent
- “The Lion God” by Benjamin Blattberg
- @Daily Science Fiction:
- “Beacon” by K. S. O’Neill [Science Fiction]
- “Beauty and the Baby Beast” by Sarah Pinsker [Science Fiction]
- @DargonZine:
- “Fleeing Fears” by Liam Donahue and Joseph Carney [Shared World Fantasy]
- “Insecurities” by Jon Evans and Dafydd Cyhoeddwr [Shared World Fantasy]
- @Every Day Fiction: “The Wind’s Betrayal” by M. P. Rossi [Fantasy Flash]
- Galaxy’s Edge #12 [Science Fiction Magazine]
- “A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Apocalypse Down Your Pants” by Robert T. Jeschonek
- “All You Zombies—” by Robert A. Heinlein
- “Calming the Tempest (Sargasso)” by Tina Gower
- “Counterfactual” by Gardner Dozois [from 2006]
- “Curtain Call” by Sandra M. Odell
- “Game Not Over” by Ron Friedman [from 1959]
- “In Secrets, Absolution (Sargasso)” by Andrea G. Stewart
- “Nothing Ever Happens in Rock City” by Jack McDevitt [from 2001]
- “Part 1”
- “Special Economics” by Maureen McHugh [from 2008]
- “The Book of Alexander” by Zaslow Crane
- @Lightspeed Magazine:
- “A Lie You Give, and Thus I Take” by Damien Angelica Walters [Fantasy – also available in audio]
- “Beautiful Boys” by Theodora Goss [Science Fiction – also available in audio]
- “Headwater LLC” by Sequoia Nagamatsu [Fantasy]
- “The Lost Sepulcher of Huáscar Capac” by Paul Park [Science Fiction]
- “They Tell Me There Will Be No Pain” by Rachael Acks [Science Fiction]
- @Mad Scientist Journal: “Notes on the Genetics and a Hypothesis on the Hybridization Life Cycle of Homo sapiens and Homo aquatium” by Fred S. Lubnow, Ph.D. [Science Fiction]
- @Nightmare Magazine:
- “Night Falls, Again” by Michael Marshall Smith [Horror]
- “Returned” by Kat Howard [Horror – also available in audio]
- @Omni Reboot: “By The Lights of the Silvery Moons” by Ian Mercer [Science Fiction]
- Perihelion December 2014 [Science Fiction Magazine]
- “A Mother’s Touch” by Beth Cato
- “Abram’s Choice” by Jamie Lackey
- “Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow” by Clayton J. Callahan
- “Breathing Space” by J.J. Green
- “Cloud Cover” by Eric Del Carlo
- “Consarn Christmas” by Eamonn Murphy
- “Decoration Day” by Edward J. McFadden III
- “Ecology” by Kurt Heinrich Hyatt
- “Having Robot Sex” by William R.A.D. Funk
- “Longshot” by David Barber
- “Morphological Understanding” by Jennifer Linnaea
- @Shimmer: “The Half Dark Promise” by Malon Edwards [Dark Fantasy]
- @Short-Story.me:
- “Pit Fight” by Bertram Mullin [Horror]
- “Standoff” by Ken Gibbons [Horror]
- “Standoff” by Kenneth L. Gibbons [Horror]
- @Terraform: “How A Dream Machine Works, Exactly” by Mark von Schlegell [Science Fiction]
- @Tor:
- “Kia and Gio” by Daniel José Older [Urban Fantasy]
- “A Beautiful Accident” by Peter Orullian [Fantasy]
- @Uncanny Magazine:
- “Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang, Translated by Ken Liu [Science Fiction]
- “The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History” by Sam J. Miller [Speculative Fiction]
- @The WiFiles:
- “Eden in the Sunken Hill” by Emilio Minichiello [Dark Fantasy]
- “Of Soil and Pine” by Tyler Bourassa [Dark Fantasy]
- Words Without Borders January 2015 – Alternate Pasts: International Uchronia [International Fiction Magazine – Speculative Issue]
- “Cinépanorama” by Xavier Mauméjean, Translated by Edward Gauvin
- “Contreras’s Dream” by Jorge Baradit, Translated by Gabriel T. Saxton-Ruiz
- “Cousins from Overseas” by Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro, Translated by Sarah Ann Wells
- “Distinguishing Marks: None” by Jorge Eduardo Benavides, Translated by Gabriel T. Saxton-Ruiz
- “Mine-Wife” by Karin Tidbeck, Translated by Silvester Mazzarella
- “Saint Lionel” by Hernán Vanoli, Translated by Juan Caballero
- “Scandal” by Aldo Nove, Translated by Elizabeth Harris
- “The Beast Has Died” by Bef, Translated by Brian L. Price
Written – Flash
- @365 tomorrows:
- “Judas Ghost” by Jae Miles [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Life after Jupiter” by Gray Blix [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Revolution” by Connor Harbison [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Spectacular” by David Botticello [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Stars Broke Loose” by Bruce L. Priddy [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Monkey Project” by David Botticello [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Spectator” by Elijah Goering [Science Fiction Flash]
- “They Are Called Emotions” by J.P. Flarity [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Trapped” by Philip McNeill [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Walk-in Bistro” by Rick Tobin [Science Fiction Flash]
- “War No More” by Jae Miles [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Calamities Press: “Dread Pirate” by Theresa Kilpela [Magic Pirate Realism Flash]
- @Daily Science Fiction:
- “Bread Babies” by Caroline M Yoachim [Fantasy Flash]
- “Maximize Revenue” by Chris Limb [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Last Zombie Story” by Joy Kennedy-O’Neill [Zombie Flash]
- “The Words on the Walls” by Brynn MacNab [Magic Realism Flash]
- “Things To Do If We Survive” by Loreen Heneghan [Post-Apocalyptic Flash]
- “Wrong Word” by Michelle Ann King [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine: “Come Winter” by Ace G. Pilkington [Fairy Tale Flash]
- @Every Day Fiction:
- “Burned” by Lee Budar-Danoff [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Frankenstein’s Monster” by Malcolm Chandler [Horror Flash]
- “The Last Flight of Admiral Franco Talbot” by Adam Musil [Space Opera Flash]
- “The Last Man on Earth” by Dave D’Alessio [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The Men’s Room” by Abby Goldsmith [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Farther Stars Than These:
- “I Bet You Are Wondering About The Pup” by Philip Schochet [Science Fiction Flash]
- “My Autobiography “ by Paul Smith [Science Fiction Flash]
- “What the Dickens” by David Castlewitz [Science Fiction Flash]
- Flash Fiction Online January 2015 [Flash Fiction Magazine]
- “Cliona’s Coat” by Leslianne Wilder [Fantasy Flash]
- “Death Comes for the Microbot” by Aimee Picchi [Science Fiction Flash]
- “Star Box” by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks [Fantasy Flash]
- @MicroHorror:
- “Me” by Jane Fell [Horror Flash]
- “Post-Mortem & Perry” by Dan Poorman [Horror Flash]
- @Nature:
- “Infraction” by John Gilbey [Science Fiction Flash]
- “The descent of man” by Christoph Weber [Science Fiction Flash]
- @Short-Story.me: “Chasing Aliens – Maybe” by Walter Giersbach [Fantasy Flash]
- @Yesteryear Fiction: “Stairway to Heaven “ by Linda M. Crate [Fantasy Flash]
Written – Serialized
- @Calamities Press – A: Along the Winter Rails by Fanni Sütő: [Post-Apocalyptic Serial]
- @Calamities Press – D: DOL 39 by Patrick W. Marsh: [Dystopian Horror Serialization]
- @Dark Futures: Nails, Aka When All You Have is a Hammer… by Matthew X. Gomez – Episode 1 [Dark Science Fiction Serial]
- @AJM – Author’s Site: New Dawn by Andrew James Morgan: [Science Fiction Novel Serialization]
- @Tansy Musk – Author’s Site: Musketeer Space by Tansy Rayner Roberts: [Space Opera Serialization]
- @Tansy – Author’s Site: Seven Days of Joyeux by Tansy Rayner Roberts: [Space Opera Serialization]
Audio
- @Beam Me Up! Podcast:
- @Beneath Ceaseless Skies Audio Vault #012: “The Last Gorgon” by Rajan Khanna [Fantasy]
- @Clarkesworld Magazine: “A Universal Elegy” by Tang Fei, Translated by John Chu [Science Fiction]
- Escape Pod #474 – “In Coppelius’s Toyshop” by Connie Willis [Science Fiction]
- Far Fetched Fables #38 – “Fool’s Fire” by Hayley E. Lavik and “Justice” by Suzan Harden [Fantasy]
- @Lightspeed Magazine:
- “A Lie You Give, and Thus I Take” by Damien Angelica Walters [Fantasy]
- “Beautiful Boys” by Theodora Goss [Science Fiction]
- @Nightmare Magazine: “Returned” by Kat Howard [Horror]
- @PodCastle:
- #343 –“Elf Employment” by Heather Shaw and Tim Pratt [Fantasy]
- “#344 – Flash Fiction Extravaganza! Other Worlds Than These” [Fantasy Flash Fiction]
- @Pseudopod:
- #418 –“Shadow Transit” by Ferrett Steinmetz [Horror]
- Bonus Flash –“Tradition” by L.M. Ball [Horror Flash Fiction]
- Tales To Terrify #156 – “Blameless” by David Niall Wilson and “Who Is Like God” by B.E. Scully [Horror]
Audio – Radio Dramas
- @Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod:
- Beyond Midnight –“The Visits” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1969]
- Dimension X –“The Professor Was A Thief” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1950]
- @Relic Radio:
- The Devil And Mr. O –“Revolt Of The Worms” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1971]
- The Hall Of Fantasy –“The Crawling Thing” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1953]
- The Hermit’s Cave –“The Vampire’s Desire” [Horror Radio Drama – from c1930s]
- The Weird Circle –“The Middle Toe Of The Right Foot” [Horror Radio Drama – from 1945]
- X Minus One –“Mr. Costello, Hero” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1956]
- X Minus One –“The Lights On Precipice Peak” [Science Fiction Radio Drama – from 1957]
Audio – Serialized
- @Aftermath: Season 2, Episode 5 –“Revelations” [Post-Apocalyptic Serial]
- The Classic Tales Podcast #400 – Sinbad the Sailor (The Arabian Nights) [Fantasy Serialization]
- Cthulhu #188 – The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers [Horror Collection Serialization]
- Welcome to Night Vale #59 – “Antiques” [Fantasy Serial]
Free eBooks – Science Fiction
Centauri by Ken Bush
Lucky enough to be chosen as an astronaut, Lieutenant Robert Sears finds himself on the Mayflower, a brand new D-75 ship, hurtling towards Mars on a hunt for Martian gold with his captain and two crewmates. Lt. Sears and his fellow crewmates find war instead of gold when they witness an intergalactic battle between the Centaurians and the Zendorans leaves one lone Centaurian survivor and severely injures the captain of the Mayflower. Seemingly desperate to help, the Centaurian survivor, Drayden, transports the Mayflower’s captain and crew back to Centauri to render aid. Yet, when the captain never recovers, one crewmate mysteriously dies at the hands of a Zendoran droid, and another comatose after a deadly fall, Lt. Sears finds himself seething with anger at the Zendorans and willing to do anything to exact his revenge.
[Science Fiction Adventure Novel – Amazon]
Charlie Robot by Benedict Martin
Meet Charlie. He’s a robot. Or so he claims.
It’s the near future, and a tiny robotics lab in Vancouver, B.C is preparing to unveil the world’s first artificial human to a select gathering of investors. Unfortunately the android ran away before it could be shown, and with the lab’s funding hanging in the balance, mild-mannered Charlie is coerced by his boss and laboratory founder, Dr. Doug Layton, to pose as the robot until the real machine can be found. But it’s a nightmare, and as the weeks pass and there is still no sign of the run-away android, Charlie is left with a difficult decision, continue the charade or come clean. Either way, his life will never be the same.
[Science Fiction Humor Novel – Amazon]
Saving Kaldor (Deep Space Endeavor #1) by Ron Francis
Deep in the Polisian system, a natural phenomenon occurs when the planets align. Once every one hundred thirty-six years, a matter conduit opens to another galaxy. Colonel Jesse Marcos, former Special Forces soldier and one-time hero of Earth, takes his new ship, Endeavor, and a small crew to explore this new galaxy. Endeavor is damaged by a mysterious explosion while entering the conduit. As the crew begins repairs to the damaged ship, they are attacked by alien pirates. After barely surviving the encounter, Endeavor lands on the planet Kaldor to finish repairs.
While on Kaldor, the crew of Endeavor has another run in with the pirates. After turning the pirates away, saving Outpost Twenty-Three and picking up an unexpected new crew member, they hear rumors of a vast ancient treasure on a distant world. In Kaldor City, they are approached by the beautiful Cassyanna Reed, Captain of the Catamaran. She needs Jesse’s help. Her ship has been taken by the pirates with her cousin aboard. They decide to work together to find the treasure and save Captain Reed’s cousin.
They begin the dangerous search for the treasure, only to find out the pirates are also after the treasure. While battling the pirates, Jesse uncovers an alien plot to invade all of Kaldor. Now, Jesse has to outsmart the pirates, while evading corrupt elements of the Kaldorian government. He must find the treasure and save both the Catamaran and Kaldor. All while making sure Endeavor can still get them home.
[Science Fiction Adventure Novel – First of Series – Amazon]
The Forever Gate – Part One by Isaac Hooke
3740 A.D. The ice age has immobilized the world. Colossal walls seal off the cities from the uninhabitable Outside. Humanlike entities called “gols” run society, and force the humans to wear collars that block the innate powers mankind has evolved. One man rises up…
[Science Fantasy Novella – First of Series – Amazon | Kobo]
Free eBooks – Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian
5 Blanks by Michelle Erickson
Nick is a pacifist whose been killed for the fourth time. His soul was transferred into the wrong Blank. Not just any Blank, but Creed: a Combat-Ready E-series Elimination Drone.
And he has to share it.
It’s supposed to be impossible. His life defines the word so that isn’t what bothers him. It’s the irony that he’s to blame for making the E-series a reality. He always said it would be the death of him.He may be right.
[Dystopian Science Fiction Novel – Amazon]
Apocalypticon by Clayton Smith
Three years have passed since the Jamaicans caused the apocalypse, and things in post-Armageddon Chicago have settled into a new kind of normal. Unfortunately, that “normal” includes collapsing skyscrapers, bands of bloodthirsty maniacs, and a dwindling cache of survival supplies. After watching his family, friends, and most of the non-sadistic elements of society crumble around him, Patrick decides it’s time to cross one last item off his bucket list.
He’s going to Disney World.
[Post-Apocalyptic Humor Novel – Amazon]
Coyote (After The Fires Went Out #1) by Regan Wolfrom
First came the comet. Then came the fires. Now we fight to save what’s left.
Baptiste, stranded 500 miles from his wife and daughter, at the northern edge of civilization, has made a vow to protect a teenage girl from the chaos that surrounds them. But as food and fuel runs out, and even friends prove they can’t be trusted, Baptiste realizes that this promise won’t be easy to keep.
[Post-Apocalyptic Novel – First of Series – Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords]
Mass Extinction Event: The Complete First Series by Amy Cross
When the power goes out across New York, Elizabeth Marter finds herself forced to look after her younger brother Henry. At first, Elizabeth is convinced that everything is going to be okay. As days pass, however, it becomes clear that the whole of humanity has been struck by some kind of catastrophe.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, two brothers find themselves in the middle of the same disaster. Following the deaths of their parents, Thomas and Joe decide to head to the nearest town, where they discover that a deadly virus has wiped out most of the world. Worse is to come, however, as it becomes clear that the virus was invented for a specific reason, and the dead are now coming back to life.
[Post-Apocalyptic Serial – First Series – Amazon]
Soldiers of Misfortune: Parasite Lost by Kyle Aho
Four eccentric mercenaries are challenged with the task of covering up a parasitic outbreak that is causing the infected to mutate into savage creatures that can only exist through bloodshed. Will they be able to quell the outbreak in time or will their personal agendas cause them, and the rest of the planet, their lives?
[Post-Apocalyptic Novella – Prequel to Series – Amazon]
Free eBooks – Fantasy
Apprentice (A Wizard’s Life #1) by Eric Guindon
What would it be like to be a wizard’s apprentice?
When a wizard visits Benen’s village and chooses him for his apprentice, the boy’s life is irrevocably changed. Unfortunately for Benen, his master is far from kind and often cruel. His education becomes a trial he must survive.
[Epic Fantasy Novella – First of Series – Amazon]
Flourish: The Story of Anne Fontaine (The House of Crimson and Clover) by Sarah M. Cradit
Dive into the secret, ancient, powerful world of two New Orleans families, the Deschanels and the Sullivans…
[Dark Urban Fantasy Novelette – standalone addition to series – Amazon]
Rhamin by Bryce Thomas
Rhamin is the leader of a pack. His rival, who cannot depose him, resorts to doing bad things to try, which results in a young boy, his sister and their parents entering the story.
At a time when some wolves are in need of help to survive, one of the pack discovers that it can communicate with the boy and it is the relationship that builds between the wolves and the family that leads to a dangerous and exciting adventure for them all.
[Fantasy Novel – Amazon]
@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: #164 – January 08, 2015 by
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[Fantasy Magazine – EPUB, MOBI, PDF – Beneath Ceaseless Skies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords]
Free eBooks – Fantasy – Young Adult
The Forever Girl (Forever Girl #1) by Rebecca Hamilton
A Cult. A Murder. A Curse.
At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.
[YA / New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel – First of Series – Amazon]
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 | Kobo | Smashwords]
Free eBooks – Fantasy – Paranormal and Romance
Sebastian Cupid (The Arrows #1) by JJ Martin
If you’ve never shot yourself in the chest, Sebastian Cupid can tell you it hurts like hell. Still, he’d rather take three bullets to any part of his anatomy than find his brother’s body in an alley, drained of blood. Now Sebastian is facing an inquiry from three gods while an innocent mortal lies comatose in a bed just down the hall, and she’s the only eye witness.
[Paranormal Fantasy Novel – First of Series – Amazon]
Free eBooks – Horror
Cecil & Bubba meet the Thang (The Southern-Fried Hex Series #1) by Terry M. West
Cecil & Bubba spend what they think will be an uneventful Halloween night at McGee’s Gas, Garage and 24 Hour Convenience center, until they are joined by a new and unlikely ally. Soon after that, a pair of FBI agents brings a van in for emergency service work. The agents are hauling a weird cargo and Rosalita’s curse soon causes an ancient evil to rise and walk the earth once more. Cecil & Bubba find themselves not only fighting for their lives, but for the very planet as well. Can our two heroes prevail over the horror of THE THANG?
[Horror Comedy Novella – First of Series – Amazon]
Free eBooks – Zombies
10 Minutes From Home: Episodes 1-4 by Bill Howard
A post-apocalyptic love story, focusing on one man’s journey through a world of the undead.
[Zombie Serial – First Four Episodes – Amazon]
Deep Into the Game (Gameland #1) by Saul Tanpepper
Everyone’s addicted to Survivalist, a live-action, virtual reality television show featuring highlights from Arc Entertainment’s The Game. Filmed in Gameland, where cybernetically controlled zombies do battle in the middle of a Long Island wasteland, it’s to die for.
If you’re rich enough, you can buy your way in as an Operator. If you’re desperate enough, you can volunteer to become one of the Undead Players. Jessie Daniels and her gang of computer hackers plan to break their way in.
[Zombie / Cyberpunk Novella – First of Series – Amazon | B&N | Kobo]
This Plague of Days: Season One by Robert Chazz Chute
An autistic boy + elements of The Stand + 28 Days Later = A haunting protagonist versus the Running Dead
[Zombie Serial – First Season – Amazon]