Anthropomorphic Dreams Publishing » Science Fiction

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

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.

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.

Drabblecast – Of Women and Aliens

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:05:17 +0000

The Drabblecast, the strange-fiction podcast, had a wonderful theme for March. They celebrated Women’s History month with stories by women authors and featuring female characters, plus they threw in aliens, because aliens are cool.

It’s not a simple gimic though. It’s a wonderful collection of fiction covering both our world and those so very different. There are alien worlds ans cultures awash in issues of politics and families and battles big and small fought as worlds collide. House cats fight off tiny invaders and a woman struggles to read the Tarot for a reptilian overlord in order to save her life. Those and other stories are linked below.

What Fluffy Knew by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Her routine was perfect in its simplicity. She spent her mornings in the kitchen waiting for someone to brush her, her afternoons sprawled on the couch in the warm sunshine, and her evenings on the nearest lap. Sometimes she watched the water droplets in bathtub after her people took showers. Yes. It was a good life. Until they came….

Family Values by Sara Genge

Although she was tired, Wu was careful not to show it. Her pregnancies were progressing nicely. The eldest foetus, Hoo, was about to be born, and she was getting too big for parties, but the Senate elections were only months away and her visible pregnancy gave her an advantage she could not afford to waste…

The Second Conquest of Earth by L.J. Daly

I barely recall how it used to be, before the Kus slashed open our sky—before their ships descended, battering the clouds with hurricanes and lightning. I remember the thunder and the majesty. And I remember the weeks of fire that followed…

Going to the Chapel by Sandra Odell

Amilee Jo Baker’s day of wedded bliss was the biggest scandal the congregation of Millton County’s First Brotherhood Baptist Church had endured since Ginger Lynn married that Liebowitz boy from the Army, bless her heart…

Brief Candle by Ruthanna Emrys

The children washed up early this year; we raced down to the beach as soon as we heard. There was already a traffic jam coming out of the inland cells. My pockets are always filled with notes, so I left them well-anchored on the beach. Cells may not survive without new children, but without our studies, survival is meaningless…

Escape Pod Stories – Of Dogs and Rockets

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:28:15 +0000

Escape Pod, the science-fiction podcast magazine has two new episodes with anthropomorphic characters in them.

His Master’s Voice is an interesting look at genetic engineering and uplifted animals.

And Littleblossom Makes a Deal With the Devil is a war drama, complete with AI battle tanks and intelligent missiles.

Different Worlds, Different Skins

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:19:16 +0000

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.

AD 016 – Kill 23

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:45:26 +0000

Khrysha the hangvixen takes some time alone to relive the past and meditate on a particular execution which affected her deeply.

Rated mature for discussion of capital punishment.

“Kill 23″ by Ken Pick

Read by Peter Katt

Music elements by Infinity Squared

Download or listen to the episode here.

Escape Pod – Little Ambushes

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:58:07 +0000

Escape Pod ran an interesting story, Little Ambushes, which examines the idea of a cultural exchange program with aliens from a distant world. It covers some interesting ideas, like what it would be like teaching art to someone with different senses. It also deals with a non-human intelligence and culture well, but in an understated way with a nice bit of character drama as well.

Escape Pod – βoyfriend

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:19:39 +0000

Escape Pod’s story βoyfriend is another story featuring artificial lifeforms as characters, this time in the form of virtual dating partner apps for your smart phones. It’s an interesting concept that’s wonderfully drawn and fleshed out with some good character drama. This should strike chords with anyone who remembers being a teenager and/or being one of the quirky ones.

Drabblecast Stories

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:17:07 +0000

Drabblecast, the podcast of weird fiction for weird listeners has had some stories of interest in recent weeks.

Storm Comes a Callin’ uses a different style of anthropomorphism to personify a force of nature. It’s a nice bit of character drama with some wonderful musical accompaniment with evocative blues songs.

Annabelle’s Alphabet is a wonderfully disturbing piece which starts of innocuous and slowly reveals its dark secrets.

And Nanuq brings another story of the dichotomy between ancient tribal practices coping to exist in a world of modern technology, along with a hunt of an enigmatic polar bear.