Anthropomorphic Dreams Publishing

It’s a hard life for a lone griffin, trying to feed and care for her remaining chick after her mate was killed in a raid. When Sophaaru discovers abandoned dragon hatchlings will she leave them to the wilderness or take them in care for them as one of her own?

“The Sons of Air and Fire” by Xeans

Read by Kemmy

Download or listen to the album here.

PodCastle, the fantasy fiction podcast, has a new story with anthropomorphic characters, and two older ones which are also of interest.

Marsh Gods by Ann Leckie is in the same world as The Nalendar. Both tales deal with gods, usually in the form of animals or nature spirits, living amongst men, sometimes helping them, and always vying for their devotion. The world and the gods which inhabit them are fascinating, as our the rules governing the gods interactions with people. The stories are slightly mature due to some violence, but not more than would be seen on broadcast television.

I’ll Give In by Meghan McCarron is interesting tale of a woman meeting the new neighbor, a minotaur, and being tempted by the mythical stranger. It’s metaphor in the shape of a moving relationship drama with a fantasy twist. This story is more adult for including non-explicit sex.

The second part of the story jumps into the action and delivers a nice emotional plot. Holly decides to do what is right and try and give Caitlin a happy Christmas, but does she really want to go against Santa’s wishes and is she up to the task ahead of her?

“Holly’s Jolly Christmas” part 2 by Renee Carter Hall

Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast Podcast novel

Intro musical cues by Infinity Squared

Story music provided from the Podsafe Music Network

“Dream of a Princess” by Yuzzy
“Welcome Home” by Doug Astrop
“Awakening” by Ax
“Joy Bounce” by Charlie Crowe
“Love” by Brian Turner

Outro music is Auld Lang Syne by Ghostwalker

Sound effects from the FreeSound Project

Download or listen to the episode here.

Holly the reindeer has always wanted to be part of the team pulling Santa’s sleigh, but the same eight bucks are chosen every year. Is it possible she might get a chance at it this Christmas?

“Holly’s Jolly Christmas” part 1 by Renee Carter Hall

Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast Podcast novel.

Intro Music by Infinity Squared.

Additional story music from the Podsafe Music Network:

“The First Light” by Anthony Burbidge
“Finlandiabe Still My Soul” by Brian Turner
“The Moment is Now” by Antiqcool

Sound effects from the FreeSound Project.

Download or listen to the episode here.

Different Worlds, Different Skins
Humanity’s Encounters with Other Races

Print Book, $17.95, available from Amazon and Lulu.
PDF Download, $5.95, available from Lulu.

What if humanity shared Earth with other sentient species? What would first contact with an alien race be like? What wonders or horrors could be wrought by our experiments to create new life-forms, both biologic and mechanical?

This anthology is rated general interest. There are a few stories which cover concepts of romantic love and sex, violence and death, however nothing explicit is shown “on screen.” The ratings of the stories range from G to PG-13.

This anthology examines these ideas, showing humanity’s interaction with the Other, in the form of anthropomorphic animals. The stories cover diverse genres, from science fiction and fantasy, to historical fiction and contemporary fables, exploring themes of race and culture and the endless possibilities of the human condition.

Featuring Stories by Michael Bard, Austen Crowder, Bernard Doove, Seth Drake, William Eakins, Lanny Fields, Phil Geusz, Jason Gillespie, Chris Goodwin, Searska Grey Raven, Renee Carter Hall, Stefan Kaiser, James R. Lane, Alan Loewen, Paul Lucas, Eric Luhman, Brian Miller, Ken Pick, J. Scott Rogers, Will A. Sanborn, Kris Schnee, Sean Silva, Tim Susman and Wookie.

Cover artwork by Sara “Caribou” Palmer.

If you wanta learn you somethin’, go on down to a place where two roads cross. Get there Saturday ’round midnight, and wait there ’til Sunday morning—do that for nine Sundays, all in a row. The dark man, he’ll send his dog to watch on you while you wait. And on the ninth morning, the dark man will meet you. And he will learn you—anything you wanta learn. But you remember this: that dark man, he don’t work for free.

PodCastle’s story Nine Sunday’s in a Row spins an interesting yarn leading up to one person’s ill-fated deal with the devil. It mixes character drama with a nice southern flavor and is told from the sympathetic viewpoint of the Dark Man’s dog himself.

Pseudopod’s recent story Love Like Thunder is a wonderful mix of Native American folklore and mythology along with a nice tale of a sympathetic monster.

It has mature content due to bits of violence and horror imagery, but it also has some nice drama.

Lend me your ear while I call you a fool
You were kissed by a witch one night in the wood
And later insisted your feelings were true
— Jethro Tull, “Witch’s Promise

An additional Halloween treat, better late than never, recorded at a podcast panel last month at Fur Fright .

“Witch’s Promise” by Will A. Sanborn

Read by Peter Katt

Download or listen to episode.

One of the recent stories on PodCastle brings a new twist on a classic fairy tale. Kissing Frogs updates Grimm’s story, not only with a modern setting, but new themes of both romance and self image.