Anthropomorphic Dreams Publishing

Escape Pod – On Cops and Canines

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:25:38 +0000

Escape Pod, the science-fiction audio-magazine has a couple of stories, one recent and one from a couple of years ago, dealing with uplifted canine characters working on the police force. Both stories give an interesting look into the minds of the characters who bridge the gap between animal and human. They also capture the essence of dogs’ personalities quite perfectly and are a treat to listen to, especially for dog lovers. The stories are:

Eugene by Jacob Sager Weinstein

How I Mounted Goldie, Saved My Partner Lori, and Sniffed Out The People’s Justice by Jonathon Sullivan

Drabblecast – The Outsider

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:10:45 +0000

The Drabblecast, the podcast of strange-fiction has a nice tribute for H. P. Lovecraft’s birthday again this year.

The Outsider does not have animal characters, but it is another wonderful use of anthropomorphism and dealing with The Other. It’s a nice bit of dramatic and sympathetic horror and Norm Sherman does a wonderful job narrating the tale.

AD Flash 014 – The Raccoon and the Sea-Maiden

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:38:43 +0000

We have a fable from back when the earth was new, where we find one raccoon and his love for shiny things.

“The Raccoon and the Sea-Maiden” by Renee Carter Hall

Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast Novel Podcast

Music cues by Infinity Squared

Download or listen to the episode here.

PodCastle – Remembrance is Something Like a House

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:49:02 +0000

PodCastle, the fantasy podcast ran an interesting story with a different kind of anthropomorphism.

While it doesn’t have any animals in it, Remembrance is Something Like a House by Will Ludwigsen is a wonderfully inventive idea. In it a long vacant house, haunted by a dark memory of the past, goes in search for the family who used to live within it.

AD 021 – I Guard the Gate

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:25:09 +0000

Tonight’s story mixes fantasy themes with Greek and Egyptian mythology. The world goes on while the Sphinx sleeps, but who will have survived to answer her riddle when she awakens?

“I Guard the Gate” by Carmen K. Welsh

Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast novel podcast

Music cues by Infinity Squared

Download or listen to the episode here.

AD Extra 004 – Duty

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:04:54 +0000

For Memorial Day, we offer this tribute to all soldiers who have fought or who are still fighting in wars overseas, far from home. This is also a remembrance of those canines who have served along side human soldiers, offering companionship and protection during wartime.

“Duty” by Vargr Dragonwolf

Read by Belic Bear

Music cues by Infinity Squared

This story was inspired by and dedicated to the United States War Dogs Association.

Download or listen to the episode here.

AD 020 – Goodnight Ari

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 17:40:14 +0000

Tonight’s story covers the moral implications and drawbacks to possible advances in genetic engineering and where that could lead. It’s a very human story, with leonine characters, but that’s what we like about anthropomorphism.

Story “Goodnight Ari” by Steven Crane

Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast Novel Podcast

Music cues by Infinity Squared

Additional music from the Podsafe Music Network

Download or listen to the episode here.

Girl Power and Dragons

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 07:16:05 +0000

Early on when PodCastle, the fantasy podcast, started up they ran two stories, back to back, which have heroines going up against both menacing dragons and social conventions and norms.

These stories were Fear of Dragons and Run of the Fiery Horse. The stories get a little political, and the first one is a bit heavy handed, while the second is more balanced. Both of them had neat takes on Easter and Western tales of dragons (or serpents) and they had wonderful mythology of them, especially the Fiery Horse one.

Moby’s Beautiful Music Video

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:17:12 +0000

This music video is a few years old, but still worth mentioning for an interesting concept and some dark comedy.

Moby’s Beautiful is a wonderfully twisted skewering of the party crowd, done at a key party with a bunch of people in animal mascot suits. It’s like a furpile on the set of Boogie Nights. The poor rabbit guy is reminiscent of William H. Macey’s character in that film.

There were cries of “fursecution” when it came out, how everyone thought he was making fun of furries. In truth it looks pretty obvious that it doesn’t have anything to do with the fandom. Instead it’s using the suits to create a cartoonish scene and an interesting take on anthropomorphism. They used the costumes to good effect here, playing on the lack of good facial expressions, to heighten the surreal drama.

Pseudopod – Oded the Merciless

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:21:39 +0000

Artificial and cybernetic constructs make for interesting characters because they offer the ability to glimpse into a non-human intelligence. Oded the Merciless by Tina Starr is a good albeit dark example of that.

While it doesn’t have any animal characters in it, the story makes good use of anthropomorphism. The computer AI is an intriguing and disturbing character which allows atrocities to be carried out first by passive limitations of its programming and then actively with dark experimentation on the nature of the human condition.

Warning: Pseudopod is a horror podcast and the story has strong horror elements of the visceral and psychological, and is for fans of the genre and not for the faint of heart.