Anthropomorphic Dreams Publishing » Science Fiction

AD 040 – Visits from Saint Nicholas

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:56:58 +0000

Merry Christmas, we have another holiday episode for you before the close of the year. Tonight’s stories offer different takes on a visit by Saint Nicholas, with anthropomorphic twists.

“Damage Control” by Cindy Ray
Read by Peter Katt

“Greytiger Saves Christmas” by Will A. Sanborn
Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast Novel Podcast

Music cues by Infinity Squared

Download or listen to the story here.

AD 038 – “Rekindle the Sun”

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:46:12 +0000

Sometimes matters of the heart can be as complex and unpredictable as the mechanics applied of astrophysics.

“Rekindle the Sun” by Mary E. Lowd

Read by Peter Katt

Music cues by Infinity Squared

Download or listen to the episode here.

Links of Interest – Catching Up

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:12:50 +0000

It’s been awhile and there have been a few stories on other podcasts that I wanted to post about, so here’s catching up with several links of interest.

First Drabblecast, the podcast of weird fiction, had a neat two-parter story that was darkly thrilling. “Boojum” by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette is a science-fiction story featuring space pirates, sentient organic ships and brain-stealing aliens. It’s a good ride. Listen to part one and part two here.

Escape Pod, the science-fiction audio magazine ran the fun piece awhile ago. Rejiggering the Thingamajig by Eric James Stone features an anthropomorphic Buddhist-practicing T-Rex sent on a quest with a talking gun.

For a more serious and mediative story on Zen Philosophy, there is the wonderful Friction by Will McIntosh.

And finally, there’s Squonk the Dragon by P. M. Butler, which is a wonderful silly and absurdly amusing fantasy story. It features a lovable dragon who is being raised by a fiesty blue bird, and who constantly bothers a curmudgeonly wizard who just wants to be left alone.

The series started on Escape Pod but then moved to the fantasy podcast Pod Castle. The stories in the series so far are: Squonk the Dragon, Squonk the Apprentice and Squonk and the Horde of Apprentices.

AD 031 – Two Sides of The Same Coin

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:25:22 +0000

Humanity’s encounters with other races are as likely to be fraught with conflict as with harmony. Tonight’s stories, told from contrasting viewpoints, offer glimpses into the dynamics and drama of both the conquerors and the oppressors in those situations.

“Welcome Home” by Night Fox

Read by Chris Hvidsten of the Outcast Novel Podcast

“And the Sea Full of Stars” by Searska Grey Raven

Read by Stoker Bramwell

Music cues by Infinity Squared

The story “And the Sea Full of Stars” came from the anthology Different Worlds, Different Skins, volume 1. If you liked this story, you may be interested in that book.

Download or listen to the episode here.

Different Worlds, Different Skins, Volume 2

admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:34:10 +0000

Different Worlds, Different Skins, Volume 2

More of Humanity’s Encounters with Other Races

Print Book, $17.95, available from Amazon and Lulu.

PDF Download, $8.95, 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 continued 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 contemporary fables, exploring themes of race and culture and the endless possibilities of the human condition.

Featuring stories by Earl Bacon, Cebelius, Austen Crowder, Seth Drake, Phil Geusz, G.F.D., Jason Gillespie, Graveyard Greg, Renee Carter Hall, Saia Kferr, Paul Lucas, Annette C. Miller, Brian Miller, Benjamin “eSca” Reed, Ryx, Will A. Sanborn, James Steele, Stephen Soliz, Tim Susman, Phillip Velasquez, Viergacht, and Wirewolf.

Cover artwork by Sara “Caribou” Palmer.

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.