Anthropomorphic Dreams Publishing

While it doesn’t have any animal characters, this Variant Frequencies podcast story has an interesting flavor of anthropomorphism to it. Heart of Clay: A Saint Darwin’s Spiritual by D.K. Thompson is a nice noir fantasy steampunk crime story.

Ever since Saint Darwin returned with harvested seeds from an Egyptian bush that wouldn’t burn, golem constables have worked alongside human and ghost inspectors. They patrol England’s cobblestone streets together, keeping them safe from the monsters the patron saint of scientists exposed to the world. But when inanimate golems are being trafficked by a shadowy group of businessmen dressed up in wicked smiles and sharp teeth, it’s up to the Paranormal Patrol’s newest created member – Constable Lump – to go undercover in the gaslit night and learn where his missing brethren have vanished to, without sacrificing his newfound life getting the answers.

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.

Catching up on back issues of the Drabblecast, a weekly podcast of weird fiction, I found this belated Halloween treat. The Great Old Pumpkin is a fun story which manages to blend the Cthulu mythos with the familiar world of Peanuts holiday specials. It was a nice bit of clever humor which was a lot of fun to listen to.