3,156 stories · showing 1,050
For Seanan McGuire. And Coyote. Let me tell you about the year Coyote took the Devils to the State Championship. Coyote walked tall down the halls of West Centerville High and where he walked lunch money, copies of last semester’s math tests, and unlit...
sexual-content
Because it’s Carnaval, Iara wears a striped pirate shirt and a red pirate headband. And because of who she is, she sits on the bathroom floor, closes her eyes, and wears the perspectives of seven alley cats, three stray dogs, and a single pigeon for the...
sexual-content
Content note: suicidal ideation I am a star, falling. “Awake now?” My eyes open to words as an unknown face greets me, small with a curious gaze. She parts full lips to bare teeth and I tense. A threat? No. A smile. I stare back. “I didn’t think you’d...
slaverysuicidewar
Kate was cursed by her cousin on his deathbed to never stay. She and her cousin Bo didn’t hate each other—far from it. They’d grown up together: same small farming town in the inland northwest, population 394. So small that when Bo finished high school, he...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
1. A photograph in black and white, taken with a Zenit vintage Soviet camera. Taken outside what would much later become Tong Yun City, in the days when it was still just a cobbled-together mass of crash-landed jalopies, connected with primitive tubing...
death-of-a-loved-one
After the braiding, a low buzzing remains in Memoire’s ear. It reminds her of the low buzzing she heard while they shampooed her hair. They told her she could never submerge her head in water after the braiding. No more swimming. No more drifting on her...
body-horror
Before the world ends, Miri’s family saves up enough money to escape to 2004. 2004: a safe haven. The year lilts off the tongue, like a promise. Miri and Lise spend their last evening together in their favorite spot, sitting on the top of the holotower at...
Well, Officer, the trouble really start when Mr. Vincent dead. I shouldn’t have been surprise eh. My neighbour wasn’t studying he health at all. He was young still, in he sixties, so he spend a lot of time by the bar down by the football field drinking and...
“Always just. Always magical.” When the four of us first started working as Magical Girls, we penned the slogan in a McDonalds, giggling about how corny it sounded. Annie joked about how we’d still be calling ourselves magical girls when we were eighty,...
deathgoreviolence
LA NDRY or L UNDRY. Those were the two choices. You never knew which one you were gonna get. The letters took turns to be fickle, blinking and spluttering in a game of chance. Mr. Lee, the laundry-mat owner, was stingy with the upkeep. He let his...
The wall of the city is made of glass, smooth and clear, slippery and strong. The stranger and his dog wear a path outside it every day, watching, listening, waiting to be ready. The wall is about three times the stranger’s height, perhaps a bit taller. As...
body-horrordeathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Out in the great expanse of cosmos, little seeds float. They have been drifting for billions of years in the cold darkness of space from one planet to the other, driven by the need for survival and propagation, but most of all driven by spite (they will...
body-horrorgoreviolence
"Do you remember that meme from way back when? Meme? Yeah, from the Age of Memes. Come on, you know the one. 2026 . . . Ah, I see where you’re going with this. In January they thought the Australian wildfires would be the biggest disaster of the year?...
Unknown Compartment There is no door where there should be a door—no hall where there should be a hall. The house has reconfigured itself, again, and I find myself before […]
body-horrordeathviolence
"They are travelling in the great dark before them nothing behind them stars just the two of them the man that captains and the ship that sails darts flies through space —whoever said space is empty did not know what they were talking about space is full...
body-horrorsexual-content
"Sing. Sing the world into being. The world’s misty valleys and sunlit hills are described by the song of all things. So is the work of skilled hands and the begrudging march of soldiers’ boots. Every action, every object, in the past and the present and...
violence
"Peter and Isaac were the last remaining of their small, close-knit group. Isaac had been sick for several months, and Peter missed their weekly lunch get-togethers at the Café Sosie. His wife used to warn him he needed new friends. “Those old men are...
This episode features "The Animator and the Glazer" written by Ju Chu and translated by S. Qiouyi Lu. Published in the July 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
This episode features "Focus" written by Carlos Hernandez. Published in the July 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/hernandez_07_26 Support us on...
This episode features "Cliff's Girl" written by Fiona Moore. Published in the July 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/moore_07_26 Support us on...
When Cliff came back home for Casey’s wake, he brought his robot Will, and he also brought a girl. A woman, Morag corrected herself. Just as she shouldn’t think of […]
Let’s begin with a 19th-century mystery. In 1873, merely a year after he had taken the position as naturalist at the Brighton Aquarium in the eponymous town on the southern […]
—for Rory Cooney It’s July 23, 4:17 p.m., and I’m box-breathing like my life depends on it. My forehead is pressed against the door of the meeting room of the […]
The other animals in my territory keep disappearing; it’s perfect. The yard is safer without the cats, so I’m free to search the bushes for unwanted guests while I consider […]
I first reached consciousness in a peaceful library. It looked like a library not far from my apartment, though not exactly the same. There were high ceilings and large windows […]
1. Lu Yuan’s company was going to go under if he didn’t find an animator with great potential. Torrential rain thundered against the sheet metal roof. Before him sat ten […]
It was night on Endymion, and the pollen hovered, blue and luminescent, in the trees. Isaac’s camp lantern also burned blue. It was designed to interfere with the sensory systems […]
This episode features "The Life and Times of the Extraterrestrial Potoo" written by K. J. Khan. Published in the July 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
. . . We interrupt our programming- “ . . . for this incredible announcement. The first one thousand customers get an extra 15 percent off during this holiday weekend and . . . ” “ . . . it’s buy one, […]
This episode features "Ice, Rock, Empathy" written by Damián Neri. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/neri_06_26 Support us on...
This episode features "Burning Day" written by Samantha Murray. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/murray_06_26 Support us on...
This episode features "A Life Measured in Seconds" written by Anne Wilkins. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/wilkins_06_26...
This episode features "Three Cases from the Cosmic Psychiatric Clinic" written by Pan Haitian. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
This episode features "The Floating Republic" written by Rebecca Campbell. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/campbell_06_26...
This episode features "The Potential Side Effects of Roleplay Stimulation Therapy" written by Claire Jia-Wen. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
Ashwan To be born in the year 2615 on the 21st of March was fortuitous, but to be born at 14:59:30 hours on that same day made you a God. […]
abusebody-horrorviolence
Part 1: 2075 <It might be good for you to take a new route,> said Aly. Xavi jogged out of his tenement building. He joined the stream of lunchtime runners […]
substance-usewar
This episode features "Aly" written by Grace Chan. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/chan_05_26 Support us on Patreon at...
mental-illnesswar
Teresa finds the first site right after she gets back from maternity leave, Daniel snug in a baby sling at her chest. He’s quiet as far as babies go, sleeping […]
death
This episode features "Archaeological Evidence for the Time Traveler" written by Tia Tashiro. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
death
“Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself, and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. […]
This episode features "Bend Like the Palm" written by David D. Levine. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/levine_03_26 Support...
You’d expected the gravity on Vixiv-11 to be fractionally more than that on Earth. It is not something you ever notice much, even in the beginning, beyond an exhaustion that […]
1 Mayzelle hurried from her hab-hut, tacked shut the canvas door, and hustled down the bamboo steps. She’d sworn she wouldn’t stand for this anymore. She’d sworn. In the clearing, […]
This episode features "Conquerors" written by Nick Wolven. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/wolven_05_26 Support us on Patreon...
Tell me a story where it all goes right. Say that we only ever stopped at the station with the largest wingspan and busiest fuel pipes, the fifty-something spears jutting […]
deathviolence
This episode features "Crosstalk, Elysium" written by Carolyn Zhao. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/zhao_03_26 Support us on...
deathviolencewar
When D0G hears the scream and streaks ahead down the leaf-strewn road through the fall-bright birch and beech and maple, I remember what my sister Taylor used to say: there […]
deathviolencewar
This episode features "D0G" written by Tania Fordwalker. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/fordwalker_04_26 Support us on...
death-of-a-loved-oneviolencewar
Layla was bleeding out. Her neurons began to supernova and transmute into a new electrical form. A maglev of old memories zipped past her. She was thinking about that one […]
body-horrorgoreviolence
This episode features "Decimation Circles" written by Raahem Alvi. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/alvi_05_26 Support us on...
body-horrorgoreviolence
It’s the second Thursday of the month, so I spend the evening regenerating my skin. The procedure is painless but dull. I often fall asleep. It’s fine to do so; […]
deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneillness-and-pandemic
This episode features "Eternity in Their Hearts" written by Katherine Khan. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/khan_04_26...
death-of-a-loved-one
The afterlife on Mars is different from the afterlife on Earth. I was the first ghost to experience both worlds: a pioneer like Neil Armstrong stepping on the Moon, minus […]
body-horrordeathviolence
This episode features "First Human Ghost on Mars" written by R.L. Meza. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/meza_03_26 Support...
body-horrordeathviolence
Notes on specimen “Efren Vargas” 1022/204.27.3: >> Supposed to be married to “Joan Dimagiba,” his fiancée. >> Was in bed with some other woman* a week (in human time) before […]
This episode features "Human Studies 401" written by Abby Nicole Yee. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/yee_04_26 Support us...
Iridescent algae glowed upon the ice and rock of the world, signaling the start of a new day. The patterns of their light, which we had trained over many estrous […]
body-horrordeathviolence
Verity crawled through the endless dark of the tunnel, the false safety of her Colony home now half a mile behind her. All she could see in the dim light […]
deathillness-and-pandemic
This episode features "Macaroni Art in the Age of Filtration" written by Ryan Cole. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
deathillness-and-pandemic
Normally, Tillie didn’t mind being the object of everyone’s gaze. But today, the crowd loitering in the street wasn’t drawn to her orange-red curls or her height or regalness. They […]
deathsexual-contentviolence
This episode features "Paper Airplane Poet" written by Sheri Singerling. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/singerling_05_26...
deathgoresexual-content
I speak human very well, better than any of my colony. You can tell that I speak human very well because I didn’t make the obvious mistakes like “I speaking […]
violence
This episode features "Person, Place, Thing" written by Marissa Lingen. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/lingen_03_26 Support...
This episode features "Scion" written by Thomas Ha. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/ha_03_26 Support us on Patreon at...
body-horrorgoreviolence
I have done my best to transcribe the account found in the recently excavated cenotaph, but, as you’re aware, these experiential simulations don’t easily lend themselves to direct reproduction. Nonetheless, […]
death
This episode features "Scion: Afterword" written by Thomas Ha. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/ha2_03_26 Support us on...
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Name of Employer: Chaska Punku Space Port Administrative Authority (CPSPAA), based in Chaska Punku, Chile, acting in lieu of the European Space Agency (ESA), based in Paris, France […]
body-horror
This episode features "Shelter" written by Nadia W. Aldsen. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/aldsen_04_26 Support us on...
body-horror
CHAPTER ONE Captain Ignatius Faber’s eyes were full of halos, and each scratch in the Philoctetes’ viewscreens caught the light, bleeding across his retina like stars. His vision had weakened […]
deathviolencewar
There is no formula for forgetting. No precise way to erase the pain. Complete healing is impossible. Because there is always a little needle sticking inside. A pain so slight […]
death-of-a-loved-one
This episode features "The Forgetting Code" written by Malena Salazar Maciá. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/macia_04_26...
death-of-a-loved-one
Open your eyes. Look down at your hands. What do you see? Your life is never the same after you get into the car with that bitch Sophia, who was […]
abuseself-harmsubstance-use
DAY 1 Hello, little switch. Welcome to the world! I’m your Buddy, and I’m very pleased to meet you. You shouldn’t be afraid. Try to orient yourself, if you can. […]
violencewar
This episode features "The Profitable Sentience of Household Goods" written by Louis Inglis Hall. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
violencewar
This episode features "The Scent of Memory" written by Zhao Haihong and translated by S. Qiouyi Lu. Published in the May 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
The bus jerked, waking Shijun. The Greyhound was speeding down a wide North American road. What am I doing here? The coach window framed the landscape: White clouds floated against […]
1. Sky of Change Three hours ago, Dharsh had woken in his seaside colony with little more than a vague sense of himself. Now, he teetered on an obsidian ledge […]
This episode features "The Trajectory of Memory is Forward" written by Rajeev Prasad. Published in the April 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
body-horrorviolence
This episode features "Those Who Left History" written by Wanxiang Fengnian and translated by Stella Jiayue Zhu. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
self-harmviolencewar
From his exclusive residence, Zhou Xiaoliang’s diary: I know you will never read this, but I have to pretend I am writing for you. Or else what’s left to do? […]
deathsuicidewar
The Tree Man’s Rebirth At the threshold to the Kuiper Belt in the outer solar system, Deep Space Gate was the largest station humanity ever built. The station psychologist Chu […]
abuseanimal-harmviolence
“We have a problem,” Major Needham said, marching into the office, but since she said that almost every day, Lucas didn’t really pay attention. He was a civilian contractor, so […]
war
This episode features "Up the Line to Death" written by Carrie Vaughn. Published in the June 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/vaughn_06_26 Support...
war
I warn my child about speaking to the humans: it kills them. Why? Awakened From Glacially Eroded Foliated Schist With Garnets And A Uranium Heart asks. Their bodies are like […]
This episode features "You Are Invited to Our SPRING CELEBRATION" written by Thoraiya Dyer. Published in the March 2026 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at:...
"Once upon a time,” outputted the algorithm, “there was an AI. “It generated recipes and ingredient descriptions for an online grocery store. The website said that this recipe was not just a squash soup recipe, but it also was a good diet recipe / keto...
"On the necropolis space station of the Tau Andromeda planetary system, the keepers of the tomb attended to the dead and the dying. They cleansed, prepared, and prayed over the bodies. They performed the last rites, paying intricate attention to the...
death
Espie Droger dreams of war. What else can he dream of? There is nothing left. He has dreamed of world travel and expensive Scotch and lithe young women and sudden uncontrollable laughter. But his vitality has seeped from him like fluid from a dying tree....
deathillness-and-pandemicwar
"High above the Amazon Rainforest, Hynd circled, her massive wingspan only visible by the shadow she cast on the battlefield below. She felt the wind pass across her wings, whispering of torrential rain coming; not her concern, so far above the clouds, but...
body-horrorviolencewar
He hates the birds. There are two, a breeding pair. Their eyes are red as devils’. On land they’re stupid, little feet pushed so far back on their bodies that they can’t escape by running. Yet they glide over the water, glossy mottled boats. Their chicks...
The airship’s spotlights played off the vast rocky sides of the shaft that plunged deep into the Earth’s core through the lithosphere and eventually to our destination: the Center of the Earth! I yawned. We fell so slowly, the sides of the shaft several...
There’s a wolf where my brother used to be, a beast absolutely hellbent on ruining my life. He plunges his broad snoot into the Wednesday night spaghetti, and neither Mom nor Dad cares when half the bite slides off his nose and onto the table, to later be...
Maria Haddid looked like she was screaming. I’ve heard singers say that’s all singing is deep down, but if you’ve seen enough screams you won’t often get them mixed up. The faithful gathered around her in the picture—the soccer mom, the children, the...
Abuelita has been feeding me her memories. Yesterday, it was the time she trudged up the mountain carrying a basketful of offerings for Pachamama (flowers, incense, a llama sculpted out of animal fat and adorned with gold leaf) in hopes the Earth Mother...
deathillness-and-pandemicsubstance-use
You know you are fucked when you see fragments of the broken radio on the floor. Your damaged ship lay nose caked into the sand, and coupled with your sprained ankle that hums an excruciating pain, and slight concussion on your head—your chances of...
Madison Brake is a scribbler, freelance illustrator, and casual skeleton enthusiast. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. Her fiction has appeared in the anthology All Worlds Wayfarer: Into the Dark, and her...
There once lived a boy who paid for a fortune. Nassim wore carob hair and eyes severe like cardamom. He spent his days scouring the souk for unique trinkets he liked to collect or counting the uneven stones of Jerusalem’s cobbled streets as he passed...
sexual-violenceviolencewar
The creatures who shared your art with us had to explain many things to make it minimally comprehensible. This by itself made sense. You are who and what you are, and we are who and what we are, and the physical differences between us are profound. We...
suicide
Look, it’s bad enough that my wife gets cat-called in the street and flashed on the train. There’s a lot of sickos out there who get their jollies by harassing women, and usually I try to shut them down without escalating it to a fight. But we moved a few...
sexual-violence
We’ll skip ahead. Say eight minutes in, so I’m not wasting your time. You’re in your chair, strapped tight, taking around eight Gs. Like this, they wouldn’t even feel that bad, all the force coming from front to back, pressing you down into your seat. Your...
When you look out from the garage doors of the corrugated steel warehouse where the Fort Springwell Community College soccer team made their heroic stand against the forces of darkness, the view at first seems . . . idyllic. A rocky shoreline, uncommon for...
body-horrorgoreviolence
“They farm starlight.” “Bullshit.” “Okay, they’re going to farm starlight. For now they’re running fusion rigs. But that’s not their long-term plan.” “No one in the sunforsaken Oort has a long-term plan. Other than slow suicide. You know what they told me,...
This was in August of 2019. A day-old newspaper reported civil wars in Somalia and Yemen. A gunman killed twenty-two people in an El Paso Walmart. Jeffrey Epstein had taken a plea deal, promising to name names, promising to name the name .
When we moved Dad to the care facility, his only complaint was the Wi-Fi. “Laggy,” he called it when he was having a good day. “Fucking piece of shit,” he called it the rest of the time. At first I was relieved. I’d been worried that he’d bristle at the...
death-of-a-loved-one
Personality Disorder (Not Otherwise Specified) My patients called me Dr. Holloway. My friends called me Jason. I won’t tell you what my three ex-wives called me but I’m sure you can guess. I was a psychiatrist (and a damn good one seventy percent of the...
mental-illnesssubstance-usesuicide
LOGIN CREATE ACCOUNT username: squirglover46 password: **************** for security reasons your password must contain minimum 1 number, 1 diacritic, 1 universal babelkey and at least 8 distinct phonemes. password cannot contain your username, date of...
The first time you killed me, I cried like a baby. Stupid, stupid, to cry over something make-believe—stupid and ugly and pathetic, too, when already the only thing I wanted in the world was for you to find me pretty. I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t expected...
abusegoresexual-content
And all the devils are here. “What’s that from?” Millie asks as she gets her coat. I stand at the back window, looking out. Usually, you can see the downtown skyline from this position. Today, it’s just the hellmouth. A long tube that looks like an...
deathviolence
The only sound Zero heard in their helmet was their own hyperventilating and the gentle pings from their pegasus. > waiting . . . > waiting . . . > communication received > confirmation of countdown initiation: 30 seconds
deathgoreviolence
Everyone knows the Walls around the cities fell. What some people don’t remember is that the first one fell because of a laugh. It sounded like a ringing bell. Not like it came out of a baby at all. That was the first thing I told the scholar boy. He was a...
racismviolence
New Providence sparkled like fool’s gold in the distance, all gleaming spires and whirring clockwork, nothing like the two-bit townships I usually rode through. My Halfie tensed beneath me, his wolf-hackles rising at the stink of machine oil and steam that...
child-abuseracismviolence
The sun was sinking toward the horizon like a brass penny dropped in muddy water by the time I rode back into New Providence. My Halfie’s mechanical shoes struck sparks off the metal road plates, each impact sending little jolts of pain through my spine....
body-horrorgoreviolence
1. I’m sorry, my lord. 2. I miss the sound of your voice, deep enough to shake the mountain fortress’s stones. I miss feeling it rumble in the soles of my feet. I miss the glow of your eyes while you paced the Chamber of Mysteries, lava burning in the...
abusemental-illnessviolence
Jay found himself sitting across from a bearded old man in voluminous maroon robes. “Why are you here?” the robed man asked. “I was sentenced to VSIM rehabilitation by my judge-counselor.” “Yes,” replied the robed man. “You would choose the literal...
The typewriter proved, at first glance, to be a poor investment for a daring aerial escape. Kallista had been drawn to the typewriter from the moment she viewed it languishing in a Museum of Curioddities, a pun that 3% of Pennon City’s citizens might...
She assures them, again and again, that she acted under the best—the very best—of intentions. Oh, yes, she can be a bit dramatic at times—she won’t deny that. And she was hurt—very hurt—by that mess with the invitations. She won’t deny that, either. But...
deathviolencewar
A year of living in the ground had not accustomed Moyer to the smell. He wondered how the French, who’d been at this business so much longer, could stand it. But if the officers who had trained his unit in the intricacies of trench life were any...
deathwar
On a wooded hillside outside Pittsburgh, where the rivers braid together and the bridges flash yellow in the sun, there stands an old private school no one ever remembers enrolling in. Ivy grips its cracked bricks. Moss blurs the leaded windows. To almost...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
The most surprising thing about my journey (well, the first most surprising thing) is that the dream I experienced while traveling lasted a thousand years, a single dream stretching all the way to the Iota star in the Gemini constellation. I dreamt of...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Draw a rectangular shape. Put a cylinder around it. Add a few small rectangles to any lines, such that they straddle them. At least one on the rectangle, and another on the cylinder. These are airlocks. The engine should look like a lighter stacked on top...
body-horrordeath
Jacey Watkins’s fingers were shaking as she stared at the five remaining questions on her Advanced Temporal Disruption Midterm. She was already exhausted from responding to ten “short” essay questions. Now she hit the “long” essay questions and as she read...
In summer, when the ocean ebbs at dusk, when the sand turns to glass and it becomes impossible to discern the difference between reflection and sky, the Tide Folk emerge from their pools. You might think, if you clamber on the cliffs searching for those...
On the morning Gwen woke with the ability to manipulate time, it was already too late. She didn’t immediately realize she could stretch or compress time—that would come later. At first, all she knew was Dianne was gone, and she wasn’t coming back.
Dear Members of the Community, As we begin yet another fall semester in the throes of the rogue timestream unleashed on our campus, I cannot help but take a moment to marvel at just how vibrant our community has become. In addition to our current...
slaveryviolence
I beg you, let me tell you about my daughter. My brilliant daughter will be one of the four people who survive their airplane crashing into a giant. Or, more accurately, a giant swiping their airplane out of the sky. Perhaps it meant to catch, or caress....
death
"Before you hear what I’m about to tell you, I need you to understand two things. Firstly, I do not know how to swim. When you live in the place I do, it’s more or less a useless skill. I mean, the deepest water around is up to my shoulders at best, can...
body-horrordeathgore
I took the rats with me when Ilona kicked me out because I knew she loved them. She’d hold them, caressing their pink tails as she fed them pierogi, their large front teeth scraping against the pads of her fingers. Anton was her favorite, a big black rat...
The engines echo across the emptiness of the plain like a chorale, individual melodies weaving together to create a tune in the voiceless air. We hear them miles away, aeons in the distance, giving us time to prepare for their arrival. By the...
Your companions drag the coolie girl to her feet. Some two-cent girl with rags for clothes and hair hanging across her face in tangled strings. Her eyelids flutter but do not open, revealing only the white crescents of her sclera. Blood trickles from a...
Matthew Sorrento’s latest books are Becoming Nosferatu: Stories Inspired by Silent German Horror (co-edited with Gary D. Rhodes) and David Fincher’s Zodiac (co-edited with David Ryan). He has contributed to Noir City Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books,...
The dryer groans to life, then begins thumping ominously. Maddie, already halfway out of her building’s laundry room, swears under her breath. The machine grinds and shakes. She slams the stop button, trying not to think about what the landlord might charge.
The videos show people kissing. They press their mouths together and open their lips. Their tongues move, wet and intrusive, less like they are tasting each other than like they want to lay eggs in the protected throats of their lovers.
When I worked at Disneyland in the summer of ’65, it was strange enough even without what I found in the dumpster. This was the sixties, and the Magic Kingdom, no matter how many long-haired hippies it denied admission to, couldn’t escape the decade.
On September 28th, 2023, Art the Clown from the Terrifier movies accompanies me to poet Jane Hirschfield’s reading at the Anchorage Museum. Sitting next to me in a blue, padded fold-down theater seat, he wears his usual outfit.
They fell just to splatter on the concrete, some of them small as ice cubes. It was a day without clouds and the man selling fruit from his stand on the corner was nearly concussed as they began to patter against the street with sound like the early...
My wife sometimes asked what had gone wrong with us. She had always been our bank of compassion, the caretaker of our marriage, the one who diagnosed what was needed to keep us on track, and made sure that it was provided. I evaded the question. How could...
In Sunnyhaven, we were all equally unique—and we’d been that way for years, the morning the New Girl arrived. Now, any of us would’ve admitted it: Sunnyhaven wasn’t perfect. There were no public parks or pools, no families walking their dogs down ash-lined...
My mom was sixteen when a band of boys took her out to the woods and bound her to a tree and tortured her to death, like in Jennifer’s Body , so you see her womb was kinda already out of commish by the time she got around to wanting to have me. A year ago,...
They were on their way to El Paso when Yolanda asked Bernard to pull over. He choked the steering wheel until his fingers turned white. “Are you fucking serious?” “It’s okay,” she said shrinking into her seat, her hands rubbing together nervously between...
No one knows where the doll came from. With its blue glass eyes and ribboned hair, it looks like the ones you see at department stores and wonder who the hell buys them. “It’s gonna kill us in our sleep,” Kathy says, slapping Yuki’s hand away when he tries...
You can know something is a trap and walk right into it anyway. There’s a vicious kind of glee in the snap of steel jaws springing closed, biting through skin and splintering bone. You can think aha, I knew it as you swallow the pain.
Nena came to consciousness little by little. She was ever present in the air of apartment 5K in the seventy-unit building in Brooklyn, like the wafting scent of sewer gas coming from old drain pipes: it’s easily ignored but still makes you a little sick....
The image flashes only briefly on the television screen, but that’s all it takes. In that millisecond before Libby squeezes her eyes shut, the spiders are already at work in her mind, weaving sticky new synaptic bridges. They twist and shape the unlikely...
The day before the blind missionaries first arrived in our village, we had been raided by one of Jurgen Blanco’s enforcement squads. Blanco’s people were all the same—gaunt, lupine-visaged mockeries of men and women with broken, half-formed grins that...
1. There is no better friend than the dermestid . I found them first in the woods, adorning the staring sockets of a coyote skull. So small I could have crushed them, they accomplished more than my child hands could—crawling, chewing, cleaning better than...
We pull in the first wrong thing at two a.m., under a choppy wind and reddening moon. It’s not discovered until two fifty-five a.m, after the great nets have been poured through the processing machines and seas of pelagic fish spill over the lip of the...
I have told this story before, and I will tell it again, and each telling grows more teeth. Sometimes thirty-four, thirty-six. Sometimes they multiply faster than your science allows, like every word you made me swallow coming back to bite you.
The Idiot looms like a tumorous moon in the morning sky as Morris County Animal Control Officer Bailey Butler passes Stantonsville’s last operating gas station and turns off onto Franklin Road. For a merciful half-mile, a run of white ash and pignut...
my lover has peculiar tastes; her cravings are unnatural. she apologises for her appetite
edited by Ziv Wities Content note (click for details) Body horror; extended description of assisted suicide with dubious consent The attractive blonde technician responsible for your death smiles lovingly, and a smooth plastic pen slides into your gnarled...
written by David Steffen This post is in response to a post made on the Amazing Stories‘s OpEd section on July 10, 2026, titled “MRM Titles Remain Non-Qualifying Markets On The Submission Grinder”. Most of the article seems reasonably accurate quoting of...
written by David Steffen On May 30th, at the Locus Award ceremony in Berkeley, California, The Submission Grinder was the recipient of the Locus Special Award for Supporting the Speculative Writing Community. At the award, I gave a speech. This is a...
edited by Amanda Helms He’s the last independent optician working in my zone. Two or three years ago, there was a second one, but she worked part time and by appointment only. Who could make appointments for the future even then? The last optician doesn’t...
Hello! I am here with Erin Cairns (of InkFoundry) to announce a new Submission Grinder feature in collaboration between the two sites! (Erin here! Hi!) What is the Submission Grinder? The Submission Grinder is the sister site of Diabolical Plots and run by...
Content note (click for details) Threatened harm to women and children; non-graphic mentions of death by drowning; poverty edited by Ziv Wities The monster came out perfectly. The head of an ass. A human left arm, delicate in comparison to the elephant’s...
Hello! Submission Window announcements for you! General Submission Window This year for the general unthemed Diabolical Plots submission window we are opening from July 13-27, 2026. Again, no theme on this one, but of course you should read our submission...
edited by Amanda Helms The first god on our list wears the skull of a polar bear. The god is shrunk to the width of my little finger and almost transparent. Darkness seeps like squid ink from their eyes. “Sir,” I address the tiny god. “Can you give me an...
Content note (click for details) oppression of marginalized groups, references to self-harm edited by David Steffen The antler people are exceedingly rare, but I’ve made sure my daughter knows about them. Not just as myth or stereotype, but as people like...
Content note (click for details) Homophobia, transphobia edited by Hal Y. Zhang On October 19th, 2019, Stonewall Productions released Coming Out to Your Parents on PC and PlayStation 4. While it was the studio’s first major title, it took the gaming...
edited by Ziv Wities Here is Jefferson, talking to himself again. It has happened increasingly of late. The pantograph in the study summarizes his monologue endlessly, and the shelves fill with more and more of less and less. In the great and...
Content note (click for details) Depictions of illness and vomiting, religious themes edited by Amanda Helms Sara collapsed into the folding chair in the rhomboid of shade by the camper pod, stared out at Terga’s vast red plains and tried to remember the...
Content note (click for details) Implied sexual assault of a teen, death of an animal edited by Hal Y. Zhang I toss the keys on the green Formica counter. I always aim for the same spot: that ugly, little brown ring—bubbled up and cracking—where Bill had...
Content note (click for details) Drowning (non-graphic); brief use of homophobic language. edited by Ziv Wities The waves crested with foam as thick as fish eggs. Jim Walsh would have paid good money to stay indoors that evening with his feet up, tea in...
Content note (click for details) This story contains references to mass atrocities. edited by Amanda Helms Dourglamis. The largest castle I’d seen in the flesh. Barreling towards me, it was also clearly the fastest. Great granite legs churned beneath its...
edited by David Steffen The bay air felt strange on Domenico’s skin. He’d been here every evening for weeks, but this was the first time in a while — years, really — that he’d taken his body with him. He’d forgotten the kiss of breeze on flesh. The rental...
Content note (click for details) Animal cruelty. edited by David Steffen Do not scream, my friend. Hold it back. Good—I know it hurts, trust me I do, but this is one of the most important things you will ever do in your life. Hold fast, now. Keep your...
Given Rebecca’s hunger for blood, our hopes being complimentary seemed unlikely, yet Auntie Regina’s blessing poured over us both from head to toe. Never before had I felt closer to my sister. The warmth penetrated deeper into our skin, past the second...
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Aimee Ogden's 'Because I Held His Name Like a Key' read by Jenna Hanchey. Subscribe to the Strange Horizons podcast: Spotify
His app was called Promises Promises, and its download page was one of the last things in Ellie’s search history—behind two hundred chapters of Fruits Basket and six clickbait articles with titles all on the pattern of “17 Spectacular Strategies to...
body-horror
When 2008 hit and I got laid off from Circuit City, a friend of mine managed to get me work at the local supermarket deli. It was a shit job, but I was beyond grateful at the time.
Despite the two hundred and fifty-two million years that separate us, I feel close to you tonight, dear trilobites.
child-deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneillness-and-pandemic
What I’d taken for white beads are actually human teeth, mixed with white crystals I identified (via taste, to Mole’s horror) as salt. Mole looks at the mixture and shudders. I don’t know how to explain why I keep them. As much as I wish to deny the...
body-horrordeathgore
But I am no king, no man. It is a role I assumed in serving, with perfect order, those who scarcely saw fit to name me. Wild and shimmering, I hide from myself no longer. I was born twice from death. It is time to mend what was broken, even if they will not.
child-deathillness-and-pandemic
I am not here to talk about how i got my arm, i am looking for hel p trying to fix it . Apologies for typos the f fingers lag a lot
body-horrorviolence
If only Serthe'P had been able to fit in, maybe she could have protected —. No. This thought was dangerous. Mnth’R had helped her understand that their isolation had more to do with the Raja’s exploitation of their cast’s fears than any shortcomings of...
deathgoreviolence
Maybe we overestimated ourselves, I thought, watching the ferries hum against the wine-dark sea. Even if we floated above it, we were still bound to the ocean, engulfed in all its weight and inescapable history. To believe otherwise was a kind of hubris....
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Louis Inglis Hall's 'Cold Comfort' read by Emmie Christie. Subscribe to the Strange Horizons podcast: Spotify
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onesuicide
"The form is one page long. No back. Just a front. It should be longer. There are six copies of the form, all different colors. Like I’m working my way through the rainbow to the end where I’ll finally find peace. Red. A parent or guardian. I meet my...
abuseillness-and-pandemictransphobia
"My country may seem strange to you. There are times when it seems strange to me. I wake and work. I work then rest. And in between I say things, and I don’t say things. Because, as you’ll learn, in my country, what you say is important. But what you don’t...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
A woman about to leave on an overseas business trip, calls home from the airport and discovers that “daddy” isn’t there and her six-year-old son is all alone in the dark…
abuse
Last year was an unusual year for GigaNotoSaurus. As such, we have a fewer number of stories award-eligible for 2025. Here are the ones we did publish along with the categories they fall under. We are using the Nebula Award categorization rules: short...
Gerry and I didn’t have kids though we’d tried. I’d lost those babies in the fourth month, the fifth month, the fourth month again. By then I was so exhausted by hope and disappointment that I didn’t want to do it again. Gerry didn’t push me since we had...
death-of-a-loved-oneillness-and-pandemic
Bring your sister and I will tell you the story of how the waters returned to Apicuya. No, bring all the children. This is important. Don’t splash. If you cannot hear the thrum of the skymill, you are being too loud. Sit in the shallow pool, otherwise your...
child-deathdeath
Hello friends, I’ve finally reached the point where I only have a few stories left in my personal slush pile…which means GigaNotoSaurus will be opening up to submissions again! Our plan is to reopen on Monday, June 15 at 9am CST (Central time) and stay...
April It is in the floral heaviness of late-spring that his mother comes home and hands him the present. It fits well in the palms of his hands, neither too heavy nor too light. Perfectly square, perhaps—and later confirmed to be exactly—five inches wide...
self-harmviolence
"There is a future in which a hellgate opens off the coast of California. It happens at midnight on the first day of the new year, which is sooner than anyone expected. The waters rise and we are forced to abandon our home, but one of the neighbors has a...
deathillness-and-pandemicmental-illnessviolence
"You used to be in a band. Now you cut hair. The Institute hired you because you’re the daughter of the Floating City’s Founder’s fourth mistress, the one who always cooks up trouble when she gets too hungry. You don’t like the work, but you like all the...
abusesexual-violence
"When Mark told you he was marrying your clone, you said “congratulations” on autopilot, because that’s what you say when your friend tells you they’re getting married, and you had promised to stay friendly after the divorce. You studied his face, his...
child-abuse
On July 6th, 2026, the editorial team of Translunar Travelers Lounge learned that an author we had published in our fourteenth issue, which came out in February, had been accused of using generative AI and multiple pseudonyms to have her work published in...
They said afterward that the first fishermen who’d gone down to the beach that morning had found her, but when the people from the village hurried to see what the tide had carried in, no one claimed to be the person who’d discovered her. It was as if the...
Before you open your eyes, you know you're not home. The weighted blanket gave it away, wrapped around your body like a tortilla, turning you into a breakfast fucking burrito on that cold, cold early morning. The weather — that was the next sign. You know,...
When people ask me where I’ve been for the last year, I always enjoy seeing the look on their faces when I tell them. “Titan? That’s so far away. There’s nothing out there.” “Wait, did you say they didn’t even pay you? I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.” “Oh,...
I drifted over the top of Diver’s Cliff in my spacesuit and considered going for a swim. That’s what we called giving up on Sapphire Alpha: going for a swim.
It was just past midnight, and the only life present in the sorcerer’s sanctum was the cat who called it home. The real master of the domain, one might believe.
“Careful, mortal.” The voice was disembodied, high and sweet as a nightingale’s call, commandingly stern as a priest’s sermon. “You dare step into the abode of a van-yakshini?”
Oh my gods, calm down. Please—please—don’t hit me with that hurdy gurdy, you’ll damage it. I know how this looks but I’m not here to murder your family or burn your village—not my style. Just stay and listen a moment. I’ve got a tale for you, kid.
The railcar rumbled as it descended into the sewer levels of the fortress city, Aguiyi. The cramped railcar smelled strongly of bleach and grease. Hazard and Safety Commission workers filled the available seats, bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder, with...
Elara moved through the settlement with a careful quiet that was almost second nature, the worn soles of her boots tracing familiar paths across the rippling surface of the Great Wanderer’s back. Evening light pooled in low hollows, settling into a dusk...
This is the story of you, a man—simple, uncomplicated, perhaps a little stubborn, getting on in years, but still vital. And some of the stupid fucking choices you've made.
"Notebooks, Conchas, y Un Café con Leche Those are the items that make up your world the day the girl with the side buzz and brown bomber jacket says to you, in the back of a crowded cafetería, “Explícame pues—¿Qué sabes acerca del concepto de la...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
"Your mom loves you,” Cassie’s father says. They’re in an elevator. They only ever talk about Cassie’s mom in elevators, or when they go hiking and Cassie’s father leaves his watch at home. Cassie doesn’t know if her mom actually doesn’t listen, then, or...
abusesexual-violencesubstance-usesuicide
When the real world becomes unbearable, what would you sacrifice for the chance to live in a dream? Content warnings: Euthanasia, death and dying, implied eugenics Copyright © 2026 khōréō magazine. Story by Megan Chee, edited by Danai Christopoulou. Audio...
When her mother is absorbed into the local flesh monolith, Kayla struggles with her identity and looks for a way in. Content warnings: Violence, nudity, racism/discrimination, body horror Copyright © 2026 khōréō magazine. Story by Mary Miseon Wu, edited by...
body-horrorracismviolence
Able Seaman Pol has a lot of problems — getting the cats fed, watered, and reporting for duty, keeping tree roots from destroying the wiring, the monkeys out of the pantry and the mines from exploding on deck. Talking octopuses, though? That was new....
deathwar
A woman slowly smokes herself to death to protest an atrocity. When her cigarette supply runs low, a local kid grappling with both the protest and the atrocity brings her a cigar. Content warnings: Self-harm (smoking), references to genocide, a dead body,...
body-horrordeathwar
A man sets out on a voyage accompanied by his fiancée's right arm. Content warnings: Violence (graphic), threat of bodily harm, covert misogyny Copyright © 2026 khōréō magazine. Story by Natalia Theodoridou, edited by Isabella Kestermann. Audio edition...
body-horrormisogyny
Deerbreed blogger Kirill wants to tell the story of worldwide human-animal transformations, but the Flock is calling to him. Content warnings: Classism, animal cruelty, body horror This piece is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of the novel Skin and Hide....
A woman returns to burn the last of her mother's body, in the wake of her mother's death — an effort to escape a dark entity that has sealed itself to the bones of three generations of Thai women. Content warnings: Racism, ageism, self-harm, blood,...
body-horrorracismself-harm
A young scribe joins a voyage to hunt sea creatures in waters that once belonged to the feared Northerners, but the truth behind the Northern myths is more complex than they first believed. Content warnings: Animal cruelty and death, use of the r-word...
animal-harmgoreviolence
In a post-apocalyptic world, a mother accidentally becomes a leader and a god. Content warnings: Death of a spouse, natural disasters, references to pre-disaster ableism Copyright © 2026 khōréō magazine. Story by K. Lynn Harrison, edited by Danai...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
"At five A.M., Joy got a call from the truck stop off the freeway east of the city. Wasn’t the first time. “Did it get dumped? Did it get loose from a truck?” Joy asked. “I don’t know,” the night manager answered. “But it’s digging around in the garbage...
"Hey cuz! It’s been too long. Love to come out and see your digs. The message hung in the air, glimmering in her Heads Up Display overlaid across the moss garden she was tending. The chill that swept over Euryale made the hair on her arms stand on end and...
deathsexual-violence
Author : P. H. Low Narrator : Jo Moran Host : Eleanor R. Wood Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published in Fantasy Magazine, March 2023 Rated PG-13 The Will of the God of Music by P. H. Low You hear the door open as if in dreaming. Back when you...
Author : Emily Munro Narrator : Sandra Espinoza Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie PodCastle 952: Putti Call is a PodCastle original. Rated R Putti Call By Emily Munro Hopefully you’ve never tried to stuff a struggling toddler into a dog...
Author : C. J. Lavigne Narrator : Nicola Chapman Host : Tarver Nova Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 951: TALES FROM THE VAULTS: ‘Til Death is a PodCastle original. Content note for grief Rated PG-13 ‘Til Death by C. J. Lavigne My dear Clarinda, They...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
Authors : Gregory Marlow, RJ Aurand and Jeanna Cammarano Narrators : Karen Menzel (née Bovenmyer), Rosie Sentman and Dani Daly Host : Wilson Fowlie Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie PodCastle 950: FLASH FICTION EXTRAVAGANZA: Reapings is a PodCastle original....
child-deathdeathsuicide
Author : Tony Dunnell Narrator : Devin Martin Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 949: The Troll Road is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13 The Troll Road by Tony Dunnell Sir Lederick dismounted in the Humble Woods on the southern flank...
Authors : Bree Wernicke and AnaMaria Curtis Narrators : Kat Kourbeti and C. L. Clark Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie PodCastle 948: DOUBLE EPISODE: How I Did Not Make Friends With Teniel eu Letxie and The Gift of Her Light is a PodCastle...
Author : J. L. Akagi Narrator : Jo Moran Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 947: Why a Spider Needs a Parachute is a PodCastle original. Content notes for domestic violence and spiders. Big — friendly! — spiders Rated R Why a Spider...
abusetransphobiaviolence
Author : Audris Candra Narrator : Zilla Paramita Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 925: The Immortal Rabbit is a PodCastle original. Content notes for homophobia, violence, the death of a spouse, and second-person...
death-of-a-loved-onehomophobiaviolence
Author : Tony Pi Narrator : S. Qiouyi Lu Host : Graeme Dunlop Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously ran as episode 423 and first published in Fantasy Magazine Rated PG-13 The Gold Silkworm by Tony Pi When I first became keeper of the Spirit of Grass, she...
violence
Author : Jay Kang Romanus Narrator : John Chu Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 927: The One Who Carries Abinakhee Has Died is a PodCastle original. Content note for drowning Rated PG The One Who Carries Abinakhee Has Died by Jay...
deathviolence
Authors : Rachel Gutin, Christina Trujillo and Toshiya Kamei Narrators : Jess Lewis, Sandra Espinoza and Amal El-Mohtar “Peppermint Tea” previously published by Baffling Magazine “Ghosts” previously published in Gingerbread House Literary Magazine. This...
death-of-a-loved-one
Author : A. T. Greenblatt Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Devin Martin Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously ran as episode 558 and first published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies Rated PG A Place to Grow By A. T. Greenblatt Lillian was wearing one of her...
Author : Natalie Zutter Narrator : Valerie Valdes Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 930: Parsley Girl, Parsley Girl, Let Down Your Trichobezoar is a PodCastle original. content notes for pregnancy loss, post-natal depression, and...
body-horrormental-illnesspregnancy-loss
Author : Kelsey Hutton Narrator : Christiana Ellis Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Originally published in Zooscape, Issue 23, April 15, 2025 Rated PG Birds of Fortune by Kelsey Hutton Water droplets still glistened on each...
Author : Anna Kahn Narrator : Nicola Chapman Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 932: Carina is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13 Carina by Anna Kahn “I’ve had a baby. Still feels strange that you don’t know that — I’ve been looking...
Author : Xander M. Odell Narrator : Sean D. Sorrentino Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 933: TALES FROM THE VAULTS – Ink is a PodCastle original. Rated R Ink by Xander M. Odell A woman stood at the tattoo parlor’s door. Small,...
Author : C. T. Muchemwa Narrator : Munashe R. Goromonzi Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie Previously published by FIYAH 33 (February 2025) Content note for gore Rated PG-13 The Inheritance by C. T. Muchemwa Taona did not shed a single tear...
deathgoreviolence
Author : Beth Goder Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published in Strange Horizons, February 2025 Content note: spiders Rated PG Arachnomorphosis by Beth Goder At night, Olivia becomes a...
mental-illness
Author : Mar Vincent Narrator : Rosie Sentman Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie PodCastle 936: Ananconfabulation is a PodCastle original. Rated G Ananconfabulation by Mar Vincent Our homes are buried, so we built tunnels. From Tomas’ window...
Author : Victor Forna Narrators : Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Munashe R. Goromonzi, Wanini Kimemiah, Tahnia Barrie, Soila Kenya and Opie Ogundiran Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published by Apex Magazine Rated PG Kɛrozin Lamp Kurfi...
violence
Author : Anne Ivy Narrator : Elizabeth Green Host : Alicia Caporaso Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie Previously ran as episode 292 and first published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Read the full text here! Rated R Read the full text here! The post PodCastle...
goresexual-contentviolence
Author : Amanda Helms Narrator : Stephanie Malia Morris Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 939: The Worth of Ashes is a PodCastle original. Content notes for death of family members to illness (off-page), grief Rated PG THE WORTH OF...
death-of-a-loved-oneillness-and-pandemic
Author : André Geleynse Narrator : Rae Lundberg Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #433 Content note for suicide attempts Rated R Last Train from Deadwall PART ONE of Two by André Geleynse...
body-horrorsuicidewar
Author : André Geleynse Narrator : Rae Lundberg Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #433 Content note for suicide attempts Rated R Last Train from Deadwall Part TWO of Two by André Geleynse...
body-horrorsuicidewar
Author : C. L. Clark Narrator : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Host : Wanini Kimemiah Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie Previously ran as episode 519 as a PodCastle Original Rated PG-13 Burning Season By C. L. Clark It was burning season in Rashid. Again. Even in the...
deathviolencewar
Author : T. R. Steele Narrator : Jordan Kurella Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 943: At Death’s Door is a PodCastle original. content notes for suicidal ideation and second-person narration Rated PG-13 At Death’s Door by T. R....
mental-illnesssuicide
Author : Stephanie Burgis Narrator : Tina Connolly Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie Previously published in The Sunday Morning Transport March 2, 2025 Rated G Mail-Order Magic by Stephanie Burgis Shopping online during a bout of brain fog...
illness-and-pandemic
Author : Merc Fenn Wolfmoor Narrator : Sandra Espinoza Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published in Apex Magazine (2021) Rated PG-13 Gray Skies, Red Wings, Blue Lips, Black Hearts by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor A girl has lost her soul...
body-horrorgoreviolence
Author : Charlotte Ashley Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Ziv Wities Audio Producer : Wilson Fowlie Previously ran as episode 517 and first published in Fantasy & Science Fiction. Rated PG-13 A Fine Balance By Charlotte Ashley My mistress, Shoanna Yildirim,...
deathgoreviolence
Author : Remy Nakamura Narrator : Roberto Suarez Hosts : Valerie Valdes and Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Impossibility Crow was originally published as Escape Pod episode 557 on January 5, 2017. Includes violence and swears. Impossibility...
Author : Meridel Newton Narrator : Alexandra Rose Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1054: Takahata-fudo is an Escape Pod original. Takahata-fudo by Meridel Newton If you walk far enough along the old Keio line rail tracks to...
Author : Ethan Ham Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1053: The Game of Possibilities is an Escape Pod original. Ethan Ham https://www.ethanham.com/index.html?second-edition Elie Hirschman...
Author : Kameron Hurley Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When We Fall” was originally published on Kameron Hurley’s Patreon, and also featured in Escape Pod 611 in January 2018. Intense, life-threatening...
Author : Jo Miles Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1051: You Have Arrived at Your Destination is an Escape Pod original. You Have Arrived at Your Destination By Jo Miles It starts with an accident. A dreary...
Author : Sylvie Althoff Narrator : Jess Lewis Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1050: Freebooter is an Escape Pod original. Moderate use of harsh language. Freebooter by Sylvie Althoff The pirate bot was easy to miss....
violence
Author : Kiran Kaur Saini Narrator : Kaushik Narasimhan Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Amrit originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June 2023. Kiran Kaur Saini https://kirankaursaini.com/ Kaushik...
Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “What Any Dead Thing Wants” originally appeared in Psychopomp (February 2024) Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. What Any Dead Thing...
violence
Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. Don’t miss Part 1: Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3) What Any Dead Thing...
body-horrordeathgore
Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. Don’t miss Parts 1 and 2: Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3), Escape Pod...
death
Author : Myna Chang Narrator : Amanda Ching Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Graduated Justice originally appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, February 2025. Graduated Justice: An Amelia Li Mystery By Myna Chang I was leaning against...
death
Author : Rodrigo Culagovski Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1030: The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On is an Escape Pod original. The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On By Rodrigo Culagovski There are two...
deathwar
Author : Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko Narrators : David D. Levine and S.B. Divya Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Tina Connolly Audio Producers : Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1031: The Anatomy of Miracles (Flashback Friday) is an Escape Pod original....
Author : Victoria N. Shi Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “milt” first apeared in Fission #5 by the British Science Fiction Association (June 2025) Contains Injury/body horror, climate grief, implied sexual...
body-horrorsexual-contentviolence
Author : G. M. Paniccia Narrator : Christiana Ellis Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1033: The Automatic Grocery Store is an Escape Pod original. The Automatic Grocery Store By G. M. Paniccia It took thirty-six days, four...
Author : Jacob Seinemeier Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1034: “An Honour to be Nominated…” is an Escape Pod original. Mild profanity “An Honour to be Nominated…” by Jacob Seinemeier TRANSGALACTIC...
Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. We Who Live in the Heart By Kelly Robson Ricci slipped in and out of consciousness...
Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. We Who Live in the Heart (Part 2 of 3) By Kelly Robson (…Continued from Part 2)...
Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. Quantum Superposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_superposition...
deathviolence
Author : ace tilton ratcliff Narrator : Jordan Kurella Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1038: Meet the Mets is an Escape Pod original. Contains brief moments of violence and bigotry towards a transgender character Sponsored by...
transphobiaviolence
Author : Tim Pratt Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita” first appeared in 2025 on Tim’s Patreon Sponsored by Mixtape Stories The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita by Tim Pratt My...
Author : S. C. Mills Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1040: Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses is an Escape Pod original. Loss of an infant Sponsored by Mixtape Stories Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses by S....
child-death
Author : Sharon Joss Narrator : Torin Andrus Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Love in the Time of Dust and Venom originally appeared in 2013 Fiction River – Time Travelers. Includes a form of assisted suicide. Sponsored by Mixtape Stories...
death-of-a-loved-onesuicide
Author : Premee Mohamed Narrator : Dani Daly Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “More Tomorrow” was first published in Automata Review, March 2018, and previously published as Escape Pod 713, in January 2020. A few grade-A curses. More...
body-horrorviolence
Author : Sierra Bibi Narrator : Laurice White Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1043: The Smokejumpers is an Escape Pod original. Includes wildfires and peril. The Smokejumpers By Sierra Bibi When Fern jumps from the plane into...
death-of-a-loved-one
Author : S. L. Myers Narrator : Dani Daly Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1044: Rhona’s Tavern and Spacetime Portal is an Escape Pod original. Occasional use of harsh language Escape Pod is proud to say that we have...
deathviolence
Author : Frank Baird Hughes Narrator : Jairus Durnett Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1045: The Graduates of Formost 891c is an Escape Pod original. Contains examples of animal surgical modification. The Graduates of Formost...
animal-harmdeath
Author : James Dick Narrator : Abra Staffin-Wiebe Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “EDIE” was previously published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact (January/February 2023) EDIE (Part 1) by James Dick High above Europa, a lonely traveller...
Author : James Dick Narrator : Abra Staffin-Wiebe Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “EDIE” was first published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact (January/February 2023) Don’t miss Part 1: Escape Pod 1046: EDIE (Part 1 of 2) EDIE (Part 2)...
Author : Rati Mehrotra Narrator : Joe Moran Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht The Library of the Apocalypse was first published in Clarkesworld, May 2025, Issue 224. Includes death and cursing. The Library of the Apocalypse By Rati Mehrotra...
deathviolencewar
“The Song of the Living” was originally published in 2025 in an anthology Tonja edited titled, “If Fists Could Speak: A Black Speculative Fiction Anthology” CW: harm to animals Please see the host commentary below for notes from the author. When the trees...
PseudoPod 1038: Red Ripper is a PseudoPod original. C/W reference to alcohol and drug abuse Listen, I could still stretch half you pups if I felt like it. Sit down and learn something about the business. Did I ever tell you about the Red Ripper? I got a...
“Playing Tricks” was first published in It Was All A Dream: An Anthology Of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right, edited by Brandon Applegate, and later in Angela Sylvaine’s collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls C/W: mental illness, gaslighting, child...
PseudoPod 1036: A Greater Dark is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Xenophobia, gun violence, harm to animals Gray sheets of rain as the door bangs in, Willard and his men materializing in that opaque haze and shaking the wet from their long coats. They assess...
“Interstate Mohinis” was originally published in Diabolical Plots (June 2023) C/W: sexual violence, cannibalism, reference to drug abuse In the way of Death runs the Vaitarani river. We are flayed open to its woe. We are always aware of its currents in...
PseudoPod 1034: Only In The Dark is a PseudoPod original. The crackling sound of static fills the room as the screen lights up. We see a simple landscape with some rocks and trees. The outline of a bird appears, its wings flapping softly. The bird takes...
“Devil Is Fine” was first published in Cosmic Horror Monthly, in January 2025 C/W: strong body horror, gun violence, animal harm Author notes: “I was still pretty drunk on the experience of playing Red Dead Redemption 2 when I wrote this story and wanted...
“A Rose For Emily” was first published in The Forum, April 30, 1930 C/W for racial slurs [n-word], mental illness, misogyny, homophobia and Spoiler poisoning [collapse] I When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a...
“Tailpiece” first appeared in More Ruthless Rhymes, 1930, and “The Second Awakening of a Magician” first appeared in The London Mercury, November 1930 C/W: fire My son Augustus, in the street, one day, Was feeling quite exceptionally merry. A stranger...
“The Book” was first published in 1930 in The London Mercury and later collected in The Weird (Tor Books, 2012) CW: harm to child/animal, reference to suicide On a foggy night in November, Mr. Corbett, having guessed the murderer by the third chapter of...
“The End Of The Story” was originally published in Weird Tales, vol. 15, no. 5 (May 1930). Link: Weird Tales original text Original layout from Weird Tales The Emperor of Dreams documentary Best collection of Smith’s poetry The following narrative was...
‘Faith, Hope and Charity’ was first published in Hearst’s International Combined with Cosmopolitan, April 1930. C/W strong violence, racist language Here’s a link to the Archive.org of the original text:...
PseudoPod 1015: What Haunts the Newbuild? is a PseudoPod original. When the Night Comes Out If the dead who loved her haunt an old home’s bones, what haunts the newbuild? What makes her creak and moan? Every house is a violence—and a weathered house knows...
“Left by the Tide” first appeared in Weird Tales, March 1929 “Sirens Chasing Sirens” first appeared in The Gateway Review back in 2018 “Dread and Faith” was originally published in February 2025 in Blood Lust from Black Hare Press Far from the frenzy Of...
PseudoPod 1017: In the Hands of a Different God is a PseudoPod original. C/W for body horror, child abuse/neglect, implied homophobia Jim Kristofic novels Coyote Stranger The Sundown Killers Why Miitaries Must Destroy Cities To Save Them (Add your own air...
‘The Polyamorous Heart of Death’ first appeared in the anthology And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel CW: 2nd person PoV, transphobia, implied necrophilia The Neutral Milk Hotel The music track that inspired...
‘Superstition’ was first published in the anthology 120 Murders: Dark Fiction Inspired by the Alternative Era Remote Viewing Clerks 1 Donnie Darko The Destructors Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand by Primitive Radio Gods The...
PseudoPod 1020: Walking Tour of Scarborough in Nuclear Winter is a PseudoPod original. Rogue One final scene 30 Days Of Night trailer From the author: “All of the landmarks in this story are real places in Scarborough, where my mother grew up and where I...
‘Bad Doors’ was originally published in Uncanny Magazine in 2023, and was a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. C/W: pandemic, family and animal disappearance/death The country was at just over ten thousand deaths the morning that the door...
‘All the Good You Did Not Do’ originally appeared in Apex magazine in November of 2023 C/W: reference to PTSD, depression When the doors slide open, the screams escape. Saul is summoned from his security podium by the researchers’ howls, and he slides in...
PseudoPod 1023: Grandifolia is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Emotional control, intimate partner abuse The first time I do everything the way I’m supposed to. I wait for the new moon and walk into the woods at midnight. I carry a jar of pig’s blood and wear a...
“Witchcraft” was first printed in Ornaments in Jade, 1924 “How I Turned My Little Brother Human” was first published in Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces, edited by Eric Raglin, in September 2025 “Visit Seahaven” was first published in Factor Four magazine...
PseudoPod 1025: Impostor Syndrome is a PseudoPod original. The Mighty Boosh-Back to the Crunch Looking back, the first red flag was during the job interview, when Chad said their target demographic was males, ages thirteen to seventeen. “That’s pretty...
PseudoPod 1026: Thoughts and Prayers is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Gun violence, school shooting https://www.npr.org/2025/09/08/nx-s1-5317647/school-shooting-industry https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-database/...
PseudoPod 1027: This Thing of Darkness is a PseudoPod original. C/W: grief, approaching death Nissa Harlow: nissaharlow.com Tina Connolly: tinaconnolly.com ‘Don’t Put a Rug on a Polished Floor’ public information film Scarred for Life on Bluesky:...
“All The Eyes That See” was originally published in Cosmic Horror Monthly issue #42 (ed. Charles Tyra, December 2023); it also won the 2023 Australian Shadows Award for Short Fiction. C/W: child abuse, domestic abuse From the author: “This story is me once...
PseudoPod 1029: Feeding the Choke-Tree is a PseudoPod original. Okja “Straws,” I said. “Why straws?” “Because they’re cute, obviously,” said Foreman. “Don’t you think?” I squinted at them. Nearly a dozen were inching around his feet. As I watched, one...
PseudoPod 1030: Keeping Up With the Conan Doyles is a PseudoPod original. C/W: disordered eating, fat-shaming May 22nd is Conan Doyle’s birthday and Sherlock Holmes Day Jess Whitecroft’s Patreon Cautionary Tales: Photographing Fairies From the Journals of...
“Her Skin” first appeared in the anthology, They Walk Among Us: A Collection of Utah Horror (42 Books, April 2020). C/W: intimate partner abuse/control Notes contain possible spoilers: see Host Commentary below He found her in Hells Canyon. After that, my...
PseudoPod 1032: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVIII (78): Terraeque urbesque recedant is a PseudoPod original. C/W: racism, xenophobia, road death From the author: “Othertongue” began as a pastiche of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space,” provoked by...
Sheridan feels his life force ebbing away, and invites some old friends for a final gathering... The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Sleeping in Light” appeared first on Reactor .
Let this be your reminder to watch the other Dark Matter (the one that was on Syfy) The post <i>Dark Matter</i> Ventures Into Uncharted Dimensions in Season 2 Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
He steals data. In cyberspace The post First Trailer For Apple TV’s <i>Neuromancer</i> Looks Really, Really Promising appeared first on Reactor .
Familiar images seemingly hide a re-imagined story The post High School Remains Hell in the Teaser for Mike Flanagan’s <i>Carrie</i> appeared first on Reactor .
It's the grumpy one and the even grumpier one! The post <i>Lanterns</i> Trailer Reveals Manhunters, Sinestro, and a Much Bigger DC Story Than Expected appeared first on Reactor .
Well... that ended badly. But on the bright side: mystery eggs! The post No Glory, No Songs, Only Butchery: <i>House of the Dragon</i>, Season 3 Episode 6 appeared first on Reactor .
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular, so why not take a page from SF? The post Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction appeared first on Reactor .
The Unicorn Hunters is a driving, atmospheric fantasy that will entice you and then not let go. The post Sovereign of a Lost Land: Katherine Arden’s <i>The Unicorn Hunters</i> appeared first on Reactor .
We keep equating cowboy archetypes with machismo, when the image an "equestrian" evokes these days looks far different... The post <i>Star Trek</i>’s Christopher Pike Is a Horse Girl appeared first on Reactor .
Let's talk about the latest celebrity animal sensation The post The Summer of Jimothy appeared first on Reactor .
She is really not the answer!! But you'll find that out soon enough. I hope The post <i>The Vampire Lestat</i> Becomes <i>The Queen of the Damned</i> for Season 4 appeared first on Reactor .
The series' seemingly villainous take on Korra certainly feels like a red herring The post <i>Avatar: Seven Havens</i> Trailer Leaves Us Asking, “What Happened to Korra?” appeared first on Reactor .
Hunter Schafer and Michelle Yeoh star in a bold new Blade Runner story The post <i>Blade Runner 2099</i> Trailer Finally Reveals the Show’s Plot appeared first on Reactor .
Princess Donut has been cast before Carl himself The post Peacock’s <i>Dungeon Crawler Carl</i> Series Has Found Its Princess Donut appeared first on Reactor .
Sauron-maxxing (sorry) The post <i>The Rings of Power</i> Season 3 Trailer Is All About Sauron appeared first on Reactor .
How is Xavier holding up given a certain someone's death? Not well. The post <i>X-Men ’97</i> Heats Up With New Mutants, New Uniforms, New X-Corp and More in “Danger.Exe” appeared first on Reactor .
It's season four and we're so back. The post A Commander of Mars — <i>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</i>: “Valles Marineris” appeared first on Reactor .
How Mike Flangan plans to generate some sympathy for the devil in his Carrie miniseries The post Mike Flanagan Doesn’t Want You to Hate Carrie’s Mom in His <i>Carrie</i> Series appeared first on Reactor .
The trailer for Zach Cregger's next movie shows why he was drawn to this project The post <i>Resident Evil</i> Trailer Looks Nothing Like the Games, But Feels Exactly Like Them appeared first on Reactor .
Roger Corman presents the male gaze at its most jaundiced and bloodshot. The post <i>Sorceress</i>: A Low Point in Sleaze-and-Sorcery Sexploitation appeared first on Reactor .
In a hundred different ways, this movie teaches both children and adults how to hope. The post The Unfailing Optimism of <i>My Neighbor Totoro</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Clever books, delightful comics, and the best TV show ever will always be here for you! The post Finding Joy with Jimothy, Genre Hijinks, and <i>Pushing Daisies</i> appeared first on Reactor .
This time, it's no pottery accident The post It’s Hard for a Thespian on the Mean Streets of Gotham in the Trailer for <i>Clayface</i> appeared first on Reactor .
It's 10 pm. Do you know which dinosaurs are eating your children? The post It’s Not a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood in the Latest Trailer for <i>The End of Oak Street</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Jimothy the raccoon's cultural takeover has reached another milestone The post Jimothy the Raccoon Has Been Added to Dungeons & Dragons appeared first on Reactor .
Arthur's confession reaches its conclusion, 100 years in the future... The post ROUSes Abound: Stephen Graham Jones’ <i>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter</i> (Part 12) appeared first on Reactor .
A group of friends must confront questions of identity, aging, and desire during a vampire infestation in an isolated Californian desert. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Tapeworm</i> by A.P. Thayer appeared first on Reactor .
“We want to show you the thing that you don’t know” The post <i>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</i> Showrunners Tease How Series Ends for Non-Canon Characters appeared first on Reactor .
Are you defying the gods, or betraying them? The post The Eyes of Athena and the Disenchanted World of <em>The Odyssey</em> appeared first on Reactor .
John Boorman brings us guns, sex, giant stone heads, and Sean Connery in a wedding dress. The post <i>Zardoz</i>: …What the F*ck Did I Just Watch? appeared first on Reactor .
AI has no morality at all — that's precisely what makes it so dangerous. The post HAL Is Not an Evil Robot — He’s an Amoral One (and Why That Distinction Matters) appeared first on Reactor .
Ten great SFF stories featuring fox spirits, dystopian puppets, and TEETH The post Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: June 2026 appeared first on Reactor .
In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Unknown</i> by Riley Sager appeared first on Reactor .
As chapter one of Towers of Midnight begins, Rand is coming down the mountain… The post Reading The Wheel of Time: Rand, Perrin, and Galad Level up in <i>Towers of Midnight</i> (Part 3) appeared first on Reactor .
Marvel Studios returns to San Diego Comic-Con as we (hopefully) get a better look at the future of Star Trek The post San Diego Comic-Con 2026: Every Major Panel To Watch For appeared first on Reactor .
Can Morph and Wolverine overtake Magneto and Xavier for the most subtext of the X-friends? The post Subtext and Tragedy Dominate the Latest Episodes of <i>X-Men ’97</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Nobody is getting inside this heart!!! The post The <i>Other Mommy</i> Trailer Contains a Sneakily Effective Jump Scare appeared first on Reactor .
“It was a little bit like Sixth Sense… ” The post The <i>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</i> Carol Kane Episode We’ll Never Get to See appeared first on Reactor .
Avengers: Doomsday's "Infinity Vision" tickets are selling fast, but the format is really more of a marketing tactic The post Why <i>Avengers: Doomsday</i> Is Being Shown in “Infinity Vision” Instead of IMAX appeared first on Reactor .
Thoughts on finally reading the novel that inspired a pop culture phenomenon... The post You’ve Seen the Movie, Now Read the Book: <i>Planet of the Apes</i> by Pierre Boulle appeared first on Reactor .
Face ... off? The post Adam Scott and Two <i>Severance</i> Colleagues Are Teaming Up to Develop a New Sci-Fi Series appeared first on Reactor .
Sheridan and Delenn prepare to leave Babylon 5 for Minbar The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Objects at Rest” appeared first on Reactor .
If anyone sees Alan Cumming, tell him we miss him The post Every Major Character Missing From the <i>Avengers: Doomsday</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
Get swept away with these 16 romantasies! The post Kitchen Witches, Floating Islands, and Enchanted Swords: Romantasy Report for July and August 2026 appeared first on Reactor .
He-Man, he streaming The post <i>Masters of the Universe</i> Gets Second Chance on Streaming Later This Week appeared first on Reactor .
White Worms, deadly butterflies, and some significant departures from the source material... The post Rushing Headlong Toward a Terrible Fate: <i>House of the Dragon</i>, Season 3 Episode 5 appeared first on Reactor .
It's gonna take a minute for these Avengers to assemble, no? The post The <i>Avengers: Doomsday</i> Trailer Is Here To Remind You How Many People Are in This Movie appeared first on Reactor .
Who needs words when you have attitude? The post The Sassy Horses of Disney Animation appeared first on Reactor .
The too-short season comes to a close in appropriately dramatic fashion The post <i>The Vampire Lestat</i> Goes Deep and Dark in “The Failures” appeared first on Reactor .
Who will step into Kratos' powerful boots? The post <i>God of War</i> Will Have a New Lead After Ryan Hurst’s On-Set Injury appeared first on Reactor .
Whose Enterprise is it anyway? The post <i>Strange New Worlds</i> Season 4 Episode Titles Include an Intriguing <i>Next Generation</i> Reference appeared first on Reactor .
What do cheetahs and genetic bottlenecks have to do with interstellar colonization? Glad you asked... The post The Fermi Paradox, Percolation, and Inbreeding appeared first on Reactor .
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From evil twins to alter egos that take on a life of their own, you're always your own worst enemy... The post Five Books About Battling Doubles, Doppelgängers, and Clones appeared first on Reactor .
WARNING: MAY CAUSE REBELLION, RADICAL GARDENING, AND ROMANCE. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Divine Gardener’s Handbook</i> by Eli Snow appeared first on Reactor .
Oh no, not the secret THIRD identical sister! The post The Dangers of Dating: <em>Deadly Attraction</em>, <em>Double Date</em>, and <em>Killer’s Kiss</em> appeared first on Reactor .
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Be it a supernatural curse or ennui-driven insomnia, messing with someone's ability to sleep can have dire consequences... The post Five SFF Works Based Around Sleep or Sleeplessness appeared first on Reactor .
The real odyssey are the tickets we tried to get along the way The post IMAX Says It Can’t Build More 70mm Projectors for <i>The Odyssey</i> appeared first on Reactor .
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The delay comes with new footage from Matt Reeves' "camera test" The post <i>The Batman Part II</i> Will Skulk Into Theaters in 2028 After Release Date Delay appeared first on Reactor .
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Please give all these people Emmys already The post <i>The Vampire Lestat</i>’s Live Concert Will Stream on AMC+ appeared first on Reactor .
Saddle up for a deep dive into the making of an iconic sci fi Western and its intriguing cinematic legacy... The post <i>Westworld</i>: It’s All Fun and Games Until the Robots Start Shooting appeared first on Reactor .
The director explains how his version of The Odyssey finally helps bring the story to life The post Christopher Nolan Says <i>The Odyssey</i> Addresses a Fantasy Movie Gap “That Hadn’t Been Filled” appeared first on Reactor .
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A tantalizing pact between an ordinary woman and the silver-tongued son of the Devil is all that stands between Britain—and all hell breaking loose. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Demons and Diplomacy</i> by Megan Frampton appeared first on Reactor .
Galad leads seven thousand Children of the Light through a deep and large swamp, taking a path deliberately chosen because it seems the least likely place for Asunawa to be looking for them. The men are struggling in the heat and the mud and the insects,...
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G'Kar prepares to leave Babylon 5, while Garibaldi receives word of an assassination plot. The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Objects in Motion” appeared first on Reactor .
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What seems to be a fairly standard talking-animal fantasy turns abruptly into science fiction. The post Rise of the Super-Rodents: <i>Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH</i> appeared first on Reactor .
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I thought I knew what to expect, but there's so much I didn't understand about this game... The post Late to the Party: On Finally Playing (and Loving) <i>Final Fantasy</i> appeared first on Reactor .
The collection will look to address a "steady decline in the number of Best Of anthologies being published" The post <i>Locus</i> Magazine Will Publish a New SFF Anthology appeared first on Reactor .
We certainly HOPE this movie is as good as it looks, ha ha ha The post Na Hong-jin’s Alien Film <i>Hope</i> Gets Another Delightfully Chaotic Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
An achingly romantic, slow-burn love story set in a sumptuous world ruled by magical perfume. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Immortal Rose</i> by Alexandra Bracken appeared first on Reactor .
Just look at that stunning stoner garbage bag couture The post The (Talking?) Cats Are in the Bags in the Trailer for <i>The Wrong Girls</i> appeared first on Reactor .
A cast guide for everyone who kind of remembers reading The Odyssey in school but also not really The post Who’s Who in <i>The Odyssey</i> Cast: Every Actor and the Mythological Character They Play appeared first on Reactor .
The Cat-Man returns as Good Stab's confession draws to a close... The post Cleaning After Confession: Stephen Graham Jones’ <i>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter</i> (Part 11) appeared first on Reactor .
A movie that's even more interesting than the conspiracy theories surrounding it would suggest... The post <i>Colossus: The Forbin Project</i> — A Cautionary Tale From the Early Days of the Computer Age appeared first on Reactor .
The Peter Jackson remake perhaps owes a debt to the much-maligned 1976 version The post Does the First <i>King Kong</i> Remake Deserve a Fresh Look? appeared first on Reactor .
We also see the return of Duncan Idaho, Chani, Alia, and more… The post <i>Dune: Part Three</i> Trailer Takes Us 20 Years Forward, With Paul Atreides Now a Tyrant appeared first on Reactor .
Whether they owe money, their souls, or their futures, these characters are in desperate straits... The post Five SFF Works About Trying to Escape Massive Debt appeared first on Reactor .
Some blood tastes like vengeance. Some blood tastes like grief. Some blood tastes like nothing at all. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Lion & the Deathless Dark</i> by Carissa Broadbent appeared first on Reactor .
Cast Dale Dickey in everything, you cowards The post <i>Widow’s Bay</i> and <i>Pluribus</i> Rightly Earned a Pile of Emmy Nominations appeared first on Reactor .
Looking back on the incredible career of science fiction icon with awe and admiration. The post A Heartfelt Appreciation of C.J. Cherryh appeared first on Reactor .
The animated film now lands on Paramount Plus this month The post <i>Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender</i> Gets a Trailer and a Much Earlier Release Date appeared first on Reactor .
The animated feature hits Paramount+ on July 25, 2026 The post How <i>Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender</i> Is Both a Sequel and a Prequel appeared first on Reactor .
The production companies behind A Quiet Place, The Purge, It, and Annabelle are backing the project The post John Langan’s <i>The Fisherman</i> Will Get an Adaptation From David Lowery appeared first on Reactor .
The delightful adventures of a group of aspiring young scientists... The post Making Things and Having Fun: <i>The Mad Scientists’ Club</i> by Bertrand R. Brinley appeared first on Reactor .
Thirteen stolen works of art. One haunted marsh. And a Boston witch willing to risk everything for the friend she’s already failed. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Portrait of a Witch Undone</i> by K.S. Shay appeared first on Reactor .
Good day and welcome back to Reading the Wheel of Time! We are starting Towers of Midnight this week, and will be covering the first half of the prologue, which includes Lan’s section, Perrin’s section, and Graendal’s section. Onward to Tarwin’s Gap the...
An historical fantasy about a cursed East African railroad The post Revealing <i>Goma</i> by Peter Gikandi appeared first on Reactor .
Hasta la vista at the theaters The post <i>Terminator 2: Judgment Day</i> Got a Glow Up & Is Heading Back to the Big Screen appeared first on Reactor .
The teaser certainly captures the look and feel of the novel The post Apple TV Shares Mysterious First Teaser for Adaptation of William Gibson’s Sci-Fi Novel <i>Neuromancer</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Everything is IP, but IP needs to be shorter and look worse and get retold infinite times. The post <i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> and the State of Modern TV appeared first on Reactor .
Alexander is arrested for financing terrorism, Sheridan confronts Garibaldi about his drinking, and G'Kar struggles with his growing mass of worshipers. The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “The Wheel of Fire” appeared first on Reactor .
The Superman spinoff Is one step closer to reality The post DC’s Mister Terrific TV Series Now Has a Writer appeared first on Reactor .
Rhaenyra sees enemies and traitors everywhere, and questions of legitimacy weaken a key alliance. The post Suspicious Minds, Rats, and Imposters: <i>House of the Dragon</i>, Season 3 Episode 3 appeared first on Reactor .
This summer’s word-of-mouth movie is a quirky delight. The post The Kindest Creatures on Earth: <i>The Sheep Detectives</i> appeared first on Reactor .
"I don't want a job. I want to die." The post <i>The Vampire Lestat</i> Finds a New Sound in “New York” appeared first on Reactor .
The sophomore season starts with a time-traveling family reunion, a break-out role for X-Force, and an Apocalyptic Big Bad. The post <i>X-Men ’97</i> Kicks Off a New Season With Timey-Wimey Adventures appeared first on Reactor .
A second season is on its way, but in case you need convincing... The post 10 Reasons You Should Watch <i>Widow’s Bay</i> appeared first on Reactor .
From campy cult classics to high art, every movie can teach us something about passion, artistry, and storytelling The post 6 Things I’ve Learned From Watching More Than 100 Sci Fi Films appeared first on Reactor .
The first god's arrival was an event, now they're just another fact of life... The post Keep Your Hands Inside the Car: Matthew MacDonald’s “How to Deal with Fallen Gods” appeared first on Reactor .
Have you checked on your local Classics department lately? The post Odysseus’ Long Journey to Theaters Is Almost Over With the Final Trailer for <i>The Odyssey</i> appeared first on Reactor .
NINE. EIGHTEEN. ONE. CHILD. SEVENTEEN. REMOVE. VILE. The post <i>Siren Head</i>: Zach Cregger & Brian Duffield Working on Horror Movie Based on Internet Phenomenon appeared first on Reactor .
The best additions to ever-growing streaming libraries for July 2026 The post The Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Movies and Shows Streaming This July appeared first on Reactor .
The novel is an adult pirate fantasy and Aveyard’s first foray outside of young adult books The post Victoria Aveyard’s <i>Tempest</i> Picked Up for TV Adaptation Before Publication appeared first on Reactor .
Clueless tourists, treasure seekers, ruthless mercenaries... this is not going to end well for you. The post Blood, Sweat, and Trees: Five Horror Stories Set in Jungles and Rainforests appeared first on Reactor .
I am seated The post <i>Her Private Hell</i> Trailer Will Make You Say “WTF?” (Complimentary) appeared first on Reactor .
Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a little more literacy about the capabilities and compromises of their own minds? The post Irrational in a Way That Makes Complete Sense: Daniel Kahneman’s <i>Thinking, Fast and Slow</i> appeared first on Reactor .
The Killing Spell shines in "its exploration of power, racism and cultural erasure via limits placed on language." The post Language Magic and Culture as Power: <i>The Killing Spell</i> by Shay Kauwe appeared first on Reactor .
As Wells' epic continues, good people are forced to do terrible things... The post Martha Wells Book Club: <i>Queen Demon</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Seeing this and Disclosure Day back-to-back would be an interesting experience The post <i>Not Alone</i> Trailer Gives Us Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez & Cute Lil’ Aliens appeared first on Reactor .
Six women, lab-designed to serve billionaires in a luxury fallout shelter, rebel against their programming after the end times arrive. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Felicity Complex</i> by august clarke appeared first on Reactor .
Sylas discusses mental health struggles in the context of the Wheel of Time. The post The Triumph of Rand al’Thor and Why I Named My Inner Voice Moridin appeared first on Reactor .
"The wheels on the bus go me, me, me ..." The post A Bus Full of Ghosts: <i>The Vampire Lestat</i>, “The Devil’s Road” appeared first on Reactor .
“The Fall of Centauri Prime”Written by J. Michael StaczynskiDirected by Douglas E. WiseSeason 5, Episode 18Production episode 519Original air date: October 28, 1998 It was the dawn of the third age… The joint Drazi-Narn fleet is bombarding the shit out of...
Happy Fourth of July! The post <i>Backrooms</i> Is Headed Back to Theaters With 15 Minutes of Bonus Footage appeared first on Reactor .
There is still true magic to be found in independent film. The post <em>Camp</em> Is an Enchanting Tale of Grief and Magic appeared first on Reactor .
The cooler heads of an older generation meet violent ends, and Rhaenyra puts on a brave face... The post Fishfeed, Severed Heads, and Political Theater: <i>House of the Dragon</i> Season 3, Episode 2 appeared first on Reactor .
Trek and the X-Men are back, and Chrunchyroll has geared up for summer! The post Here Are All the Genre TV Premieres Airing in July! appeared first on Reactor .
Congratulations to all those selected! The post Here Is the Shortlist for the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction appeared first on Reactor .
The relaunched publication will be both a tribute to the legendary sci-fi magazine and an exploration of new frontiers The post STARLOG Reveals What Fans Can Expect From The New Magazine, Podcast, and Newsletter appeared first on Reactor .
Brutal experiments, corporate cults, eldritch beings, and zero respect for your work/life balance... The post Seven of the Worst Workplaces in Weird Fiction appeared first on Reactor .
It turns out Craig Gillespie initially avoided looking at Woman of Tomorrow when crafting the film's visuals The post <i>Supergirl</i> Director Explains Why the Movie Doesn’t Look Like <i>Woman of Tomorrow</i> appeared first on Reactor .
What started as simple children's stories, transformed into a full-on epic The post The Lapineid: Richard Adams’ <i>Watership Down</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Nobody ever asks "How wolf?" The post Things Look Bleak in the Trailer for Robert Eggers’ <i>Werwulf</i> appeared first on Reactor .
The alphas are coming The post An Adaptation of Lauren Palphreyman’s <i>The Wolf King</i> Is In Development at Starz appeared first on Reactor .
If the DCU wanted to assure us that it had the right stuff… this wasn’t the way to do it. The post <i>Supergirl</i> Should Be Ashamed of Itself appeared first on Reactor .
Plus: Labyrinth at 40 and the joys of Jackass The post What to Watch and Read (and Smell?) This Weekend: Haunted Short Stories and Haute Vampire Scents appeared first on Reactor .
Ultimately, life found a way for Goldblum to play an unhinged doctor The post <i>Back to the Future</i> Co-Writer Says Jeff Goldblum Nearly Played Doc Brown appeared first on Reactor .
Gimme a D - E - A - T - H !!! The post Fears and Cheers: <em>The Scream Team</em> appeared first on Reactor .
Before isekai began ramming people into other dimensions, classic SFF tried out some other weird strategies... The post Five Ways to Get Transported to Other Worlds That Don’t Involve Getting Hit by a Truck appeared first on Reactor .
From the studio behind The Secret of Kells and Wolfwalkers, a new adaptation of a modern children's book classic. The post Louise Bagnall Discusses the Magic of Her New Animated Film <i>Julián</i> appeared first on Reactor .
We also get a tattoo-covered Lee Pace The post <i>Practical Magic 2</i> Trailer Reveals the Curse Is Still There and the Kids Are in Trouble appeared first on Reactor .
The future of Blackwood Academy—and the entire afterlife—is at stake. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Ruinous Ends</i> by I.V. Marie appeared first on Reactor .
This isn't a "just do it" pep talk, I promise. The post The Way to Read More Is to Read More appeared first on Reactor .
The show will take place five years after the events of Ghostbusters II The post Animated Series <i>Ghostbusters: Night Shift</i> Will Premiere on Netflix in 2027 appeared first on Reactor .
A bunch of friends accidentally discover a time paradox-vortex-loop thingy in this goofy, delightful comedy. The post <i>Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes</i>: Charmingly Low-Stakes Time Loop Hijinks appeared first on Reactor .
After weeks of projected guilt and petty sins, we're finally through to the real confession... The post Dueling Metaphors: Stephen Graham Jones’ <i>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter</i> (Part 10) appeared first on Reactor .
Speculative fiction can show us the way to a better world, envisioning futures that are both achievable and optimistic. The post Five Books About Futures Worth Fighting For appeared first on Reactor .
What is best in life is apparently lots of barbarians The post Genndy Tartakovsky Developing Animated <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> Series for Prime Video appeared first on Reactor .
A relic-hunter searches for an ancient fae object to restore the magic to her world, but must learn to trust her own powers—and her heart. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The River She Became</i> by Emily Varga appeared first on Reactor .
There’s even a fart joke in there The post The Magic Faraway Tree Trailer Gives Us the Film’s Plot and a Whole Lot of Whimsy appeared first on Reactor .
It’s baaaaad out there The post The Year of the Sheep Continues With <i>Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
Developmental woes, money, and studio concerns can make for fascinating changes to a text. The post Why a Planet of the Apes Sequel Was Weirdly More Faithful to the Original Book appeared first on Reactor .
There is work, and there is sleep, and there is no escape. The post You Got Your Time Loop in My Ghost Ship: <em>Rose of Nevada</em> appeared first on Reactor .
S&S is making a comeback in a very narrow way — we need to restore the genre's essential weirdness. The post Bored of the Swords: The Rebirth of Sword & Sorcery and the Death of the Weird appeared first on Reactor .
Legendary is looking to make a live-action feature film based on the classic children’s books The post Elizabeth Banks to Play Ms. Frizzle in <i>The Magic School Bus</i> Live-Action Adaptation appeared first on Reactor .
The found footage technique is perfect for horror, but also stories about space, time travel, and superpowers... The post Five Sci-Fi and Fantasy Found Footage Movies appeared first on Reactor .
A second round of stories exploring power, politics, and survival... in space!!! The post Further Adventures in Classic, Quirky Anthologies — <i>Galactic Empires: Volume Two</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Unferth plays with scope and scale in her new novel. The post Life Continues On: <i>Earth 7</i> by Deb Olin Unferth appeared first on Reactor .
The fantasy time-loop novel came out in 2025 The post Netflix Is Adapting Alix E. Harrow’s <i>The Everlasting</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Wylla and Sable take their revenge to the very corporation that keeps the galaxy turning. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Null Entity</i> by Seth Haddon appeared first on Reactor .
Intrepid young adventurers, a bard, some witches, and a bit of necromancy — how did this adaptation go so wrong? The post <i>The Black Cauldron</i>: The Dark Fantasy Disney Tried to Bury appeared first on Reactor .
You might even be reminded of Dunkaroos once you meet Raww. The post You Won’t Forget the Latest <i>Forgotten Island</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
“Movements of Fire and Shadow”Written by J. Michael StaczynskiDirected by John C. Flinn IIISeason 5, Episode 17Production episode 518Original air date: June 17, 1998 It was the dawn of the third age… Lochley records a log entry bringing everyone up to...
Like all great comic characters, Bugs is more than a set of gags or a laugh line... The post Dat Wascally Wabbit: Bugs Bunny and His Dearest Frenemies appeared first on Reactor .
Mahvesh Murad reviews a genre-bending meditation on loneliness by Sara Van Os. The post Death Becomes Her: <i>Decomposition Book</i> by Sara Van Os appeared first on Reactor .
When we make history fantastic, we remind ourselves that the future has not already been written The post Five Books That Make History Fantastic appeared first on Reactor .
A spectacular sea battle and a major character death set the stage for all-out war. The post <i>House of the Dragon</i> Roars Back to Life in Its Season 3 Premiere appeared first on Reactor .
The movie from Taika Waititi is an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s book of the same name The post Jenna Ortega Wants to Be Your Artificial Friend in <i>Klara and the Sun</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
But will Reeves be a minifig? The post Keanu Reeves in Talks to Star in Lego Live-Action Hybrid Movie appeared first on Reactor .
Despite rumors to the contary, The Last of Us' production has not been shut down The post Peter Sarsgaard Joins <i>The Last of Us</i> Season 3 as Cancellation Rumors Are Debunked appeared first on Reactor .
It's not the first time someone has tried to insert realism into a Robin Hood story... but it might be nice if it were the last. The post <i>The Death of Robin Hood</i> Brings a Legend Low appeared first on Reactor .
The movie starring Hugh Jackman and a bunch of sheep will soon stream on Prime Video The post <i>The Sheep Detectives</i> Will Soon Be Streaming Near Ewe appeared first on Reactor .
“Mmm, performative journalism.” The post <i>The Vampire Lestat</i> Breaks Out the Power Ballads in “Toronto” appeared first on Reactor .
Mahvesh Murad reviews Isabel J. Kim's novel about migration and personhood. The post Double Take: Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim appeared first on Reactor .
From wise-cracking antiheroes to shapeshifting aliens to dystopian hellscapes... The post Five Anime for Fans of John Carpenter appeared first on Reactor .
A shapeshifting god. A divine peach. And a woman gifted with forever. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>These Immortal Truths</i> by Rachelle Raeta appeared first on Reactor .
A few likely candidates for the identity of the unseen threat The post <i>Spider-Man: Brand New Day</i>’s Body-Hopping Villain Could Be One of These Marvel Characters appeared first on Reactor .
Season 3 is set to premiere in July The post <i>The Ark</i> Season 3 Trailer Sees Strife in the Skies and Planetside appeared first on Reactor .
Overstimulation? In a cyber thriller? The post The System Is Not Stable in the Trailer for <i>Hot Spot</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Let's support LGBTQIA+ stories and creators this Pride Month, and every month... The post There’s Never Been a Better Time to Celebrate Queer Joy appeared first on Reactor .
A curated watchlist that is the next Martha's Vineyard and definitely not cursed The post What to Watch After <i>Widow’s Bay</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Three amateur astronomers pick up a mysterious signal that no one else seems to be hearing... The post <i>Cosmos</i>: Stopping By Woods on a Momentous Evening appeared first on Reactor .
Ah, the beautiful oblivion of Vague Movie Catholicism The post <em>Disclosure Day</em> Puts Religion and Aliens in a Blender, With Mixed Results appeared first on Reactor .
Two sorceresses of unrivaled potential clash to claim the greater fate and the heart of prince charming. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Among the Thorns</i> by Jennifer K. Lambert appeared first on Reactor .
Laugh about degeneracy today, and you'll be tempted into degeneracy tomorrow! The post Spicy Fables: Ayida Shonibar’s “An Unholy Terroir” appeared first on Reactor .
The fourth Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to premiere in theaters in July The post <i>Spider-Man: Brand New Day</i> Trailer Teases Mysterious New Villain appeared first on Reactor .
This better not be another Tauriel situation The post Anya Taylor-Joy Will Play Seren, a Sindar Elf, in <i>The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Imagining life among the stars, from space stations in crisis to a planet-sized shopping mall... The post Five Very Different Science Fictional Takes on Space Habitats appeared first on Reactor .
The feature premieres in theaters this Thanksgiving The post <i>Hexed</i> Trailer: Hailee Steinfeld Voices a Girl Discovering Magical Powers in a Magical World appeared first on Reactor .
A criminal and a royal guard are drawn into the hunt for a dangerous witch—and an unexpected romance. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>To Drown a Witch</i> by Lindsey Olsson appeared first on Reactor .
That’s pretty much all there is to say about the fifth installment in the franchise. The post Shrek and Donkey Are at It Again in <i>Shrek 5</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
I feel like this Kirk guy might have a future in Starfleet The post <i>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</i> Season 4 Trailer Reminds Us We’ve Seen a Lot of Strange New Worlds appeared first on Reactor .
Warner Bros. will bring the YA series to the big screen... eventually The post Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me Series Acquired For Feature Film Adaptation appeared first on Reactor .
What inspiration for speculative stories can we find while enjoying travel, art, music, philosophy, and history? The post Touching Grass and Listening to Renaissance Gossip: Inspiration Beyond Books appeared first on Reactor .
"... I don’t think anyone or anything is safe from here forward.” The post Why <i>House of the Dragon</i> Season 3 Is Starting With the Battle of the Gullet appeared first on Reactor .
Greta Lee and Wagner Moura star in a claustrophobic new horror from Netflix. The post A Night at Home Turns Into Years in <i>The Last House</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
“Are all your songs about this guy Lewis?” The post Are You Enjoying This Exclusive Fan Experience? <i>The Vampire Lestat</i>, “Toledo” appeared first on Reactor .
The Centauri withdraw from the Interstellar Alliance with a display of force... The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder” appeared first on Reactor .
These books and stories feature final girls who don't conform to the conventional mold. The post Five Horror Stories That Offer a Twist on the Final Girl Formula appeared first on Reactor .
These movies gave us a language to voice our misgivings — but does the same formula hold up today? The post Looking Back on the ’90s Films That Tackled Our Anxieties About New Technologies appeared first on Reactor .
Treat yourself to ten short reads to kick off the summer! The post Must Read Short Speculative Fiction — May 2026 appeared first on Reactor .
The hero’s journey, reimagined with talking animals... The post Mythologizing the Animal Kingdom: Disney’s <i>The Lion King</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Is this a murder cult? The post This Is Not Idyllic: <i>Make Me Better</i> by Sarah Gailey appeared first on Reactor .
At this rate they're going to cast more UK superstars than that OTHER series The post Two Doctors Who—and the Incomparable Kathryn Hunter—Are Checking In to <i>Only Murders in the Building</i>’s London Season appeared first on Reactor .
Please get us away from this era where we explain away all the wonder of the universe and treat the entire population of the world as a reaction meme. The post <i>Disclosure Day</i> Should Have Remained Undisclosed appeared first on Reactor .
Plus: Doctor Who, Steven Spielberg, and the New York Knickerbockers The post What to Watch and Read This Weekend: Librarian, Watcher, Legend appeared first on Reactor .
The horror comedy tied with Heated Rivalry and Industry for having the most nominations The post <i>Widow’s Bay</i> Co-Leads the Pack for TCA Awards Nominations appeared first on Reactor .
Please give this show all the awards, thanks The post <i>Widow’s Bay</i> Will Continue to Draw Unwitting Tourists in a Second Season appeared first on Reactor .
A satiric dystopia about censorship and art The post Found in Translation: Bothayna Al-Essa’s <i>The Book Censor’s Library</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne also voice two of the mob-inclined cats The post <i>Gatto</i> Teaser Trailer Gives Us a Very Feline Interrogation appeared first on Reactor .
There will be fire. And ash The post James Cameron’s <i>Avatar: Fire and Ash</i> Will Soon Be on Disney+ appeared first on Reactor .
Your part-time job might just be murder... The post Killer Jobs: <em>The Knife</em> and <em>The Waitress</em> appeared first on Reactor .
At the height of Thatcherism and the AIDS crisis, two queer British horror writers began carving out their unique visions... The post Poetry From the Plague Pit: The Early Stories of Clive Barker and Joel Lane appeared first on Reactor .
Death isn't finished with them yet. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>This Blade of Ours</i> by Shalini Abeysekara appeared first on Reactor .
Surely, issues like traffic jams, speeding, and road rage can be solved through these creative strategies... The post Safer Driving Through Science Fiction appeared first on Reactor .
How do we feel about the ending that the patients of New Hyde received? The post <i>The Terror: Devil in Silver</i> Makes a Deal in “Starry Night” appeared first on Reactor .
Russell Davies weighs in as the BBC puts Doctor Who up for "competitive tender" The post <i>Doctor Who</i> Christmas Special Canceled as BBC Changes Gears appeared first on Reactor .
From an aging Elvis Presley to a Final Girl in her late 70s, these characters spend their golden years fighting evil The post Five Horror Books Featuring Older Protagonists appeared first on Reactor .
“We have a plan, we’re going to stick to it, we’re not going to listen to the noise in between…” The post <i>House of the Dragon</i> Showrunner Ryan Condal is Sorry, Not Sorry, About Season 2 Ending appeared first on Reactor .
Amaze! The post <i>Project Hail Mary</i> Gets Streaming Release Date… on MGM+ appeared first on Reactor .
An aspiring scholar is sent to research the mysteries of an adventurer’s inn, only to uncover a centuries-old secret—and find true friendship. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance</i> by Chiara Bullen appeared first on Reactor .
Could tobacco make one's blood toxic to a vampire? The post Smoke and Mirrors: Stephen Graham Jones’ <i>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter</i> (Part 9) appeared first on Reactor .
A disturbingly cheery cult, cosmic horror, and classic Southern California weirdness. The post <i>The Endless</i>: You Can Go Home Again (But Maybe You Shouldn’t) appeared first on Reactor .
Age-of-Streaming-and-Smartphone foibles aside, there's a lot of what's good about noir in the Spider show. The post Where <i>Spider-Noir</i> Fails To Live Up To Its Genre — And Where It Succeeds appeared first on Reactor .
Blish's adaptations of the original series bring additional detail and nuance to the scripts... The post Boldly Going Into Print: The Star Trek Adaptations of James Blish appeared first on Reactor .
Reactor interviewed Uche about playing Coffee on the Shudder series. The post <i>Devil in Silver</i>: Chinaza Uche on How Coffee’s Pivotal Scene Was a “Different Experience” appeared first on Reactor .
A man tries to protect his dead mother's body from the evil that is hunting them. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Carry Me to My Grave</i> by Christopher Golden appeared first on Reactor .
We have reached the end of The Gathering Storm. The post Reading The Wheel of Time: The Dragon Confronts Despair and Discovers Hope in <i>The Gathering Storm</i> (Part 29) appeared first on Reactor .
Check out the new cover art for the first three books in the series — plus process videos from artist Marc Simonetti! The post Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen Is Getting a 10-Book Repackage appeared first on Reactor .
Revisiting Terry Gilliam's wildly ambitious, extravagant celebration of the power of imagination. The post <i>The Adventures of Baron Munchausen</i>: The Life and Times of a Master Storyteller appeared first on Reactor .
Spoiler: the whale is his dad (kinda) The post <i>Whalefall</i> Trailer Sees Austin Abrams Swallowed by Grief and/or a Sperm Whale appeared first on Reactor .
The inspiration for Disney's adorable fawn was not intended for children, and gets considerably darker... The post A Prince Among Deer: Felix Salten’s <i>Bambi: A Life in the Woods</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Lennier investigates coded signals, while Alexander continues Byron's dream of finding a homeworld for telepaths... The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Darkness Ascending” appeared first on Reactor .
Pride isn’t just a celebration, it’s a revolution. The post Backlist Bonanza: 5 Queer YA Books for Pride Month appeared first on Reactor .
The BritBox show will center on Agatha Christie’s iconic detective as he tackles his first cases The post Edward Bluemel Will Play Young Poirot in Upcoming Series, <i>Hercule</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Everyone loves the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat, but what about these weird and wonderful creations? The post Eight Overlooked Characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice Books appeared first on Reactor .
Nobody feels fine, though The post It’s the End of the World Again in the Trailer for Ridley Scott’s <i>The Dog Stars</i> appeared first on Reactor .
WHERE IS ORKO The post <em>Masters of the Universe</em> Needs to Commit appeared first on Reactor .
Ahoy! The post Ridley Scott to Adapt <i>Treasure Island</i>, With Hugh Jackman as Long John Silver appeared first on Reactor .
“The fourth best thing a vampire can do to avoid thinking about the past is to have sex.” The post The Rewrite Begins: <i>The Vampire Lestat</i>, “Detroit” appeared first on Reactor .
Sam Reid plays more than one character in The Vampire Lestat; the actor explains how he prepped for the other one The post <i>The Vampire Lestat</i>: How Sam Reid Brought Jarda to Life appeared first on Reactor .
Could non-human creatures walk among us, hidden in plain view? The post An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles: Donald A. Wollheim’s “Mimic” appeared first on Reactor .
Liminal spaces are excellent for horror, but it's even better when the liminal space IS the horror. The post <em>Backrooms</em> Is the Best Nightmare You’ll Ever Have appeared first on Reactor .
The movie found a second life after getting shelved by Warner Bros. The post Bugs Bunny Returns in <i>Coyote vs. ACME</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
Schrödinger’s cat, astronomical anomalies, and parallel realities collide with an ill-fated dinner party. The post <i>Coherence</i>: Dinner at My Place Tonight, Just Bring Yourself appeared first on Reactor .
The film has been a staple of American childhood since 1942. The post Deer-ly Beloved: Walt Disney’s <i>Bambi</i> appeared first on Reactor .
Reactor interviewed Mandvi about his character's journey over the course of the show. The post <i>Devil in Silver</i>: Aasif Mandvi Talks About Shooting Dr. Anand’s Major Scene appeared first on Reactor .
Who knew that rolling giant balls of garbage around could be so joyful? The post Embracing the Therapeutic Power of <i>Katamari Damacy</i> appeared first on Reactor .
We've all encountered this trope in post-apocalyptic fiction before. Let's give it a name... The post Finally, a Unit of Measurement for a Certain Kind of Moral Depravity… appeared first on Reactor .
In a press conference hosted by the Television Critics Association, Sam Reid dished on his inspirations for Lestat's onstage persona The post How David Bowie Inspired Sam Reid’s Performance in <i>The Vampire Lestat</i> appeared first on Reactor .
It's exciting to see anime getting wider distribution globally all the same. The post Indie Anime <i>Jinsei</i> Is More Conceptually Impressive Than Enjoyable to Watch appeared first on Reactor .
Stargate may yet live on in some other form The post Martin Gero’s <i>Stargate</i> Series Is Canceled at Amazon appeared first on Reactor .
Curry Barker would love to helm an Obsession TV series, but there's at least one annoying detail in the way The post <i>Obsession</i> Director Wants an Anthology TV Series If He Can Explain a Major Plot Hole appeared first on Reactor .
The stakes are high, the love is forbidden, and the slow burn turns steamy… The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy</i> by Brigitte Knightley appeared first on Reactor .
Rand's reunion with Tam doesn't go as well as was hoped. The post Reading The Wheel of Time: Rand’s Past and Present Collide in <i>The Gathering Storm</i> (Part 28) appeared first on Reactor .
We've got mermaids, elder gods, ghost pirates, sunken cities, and more! The post Seven Deeply Unsettling Nautical Horror and Fantasy Novels appeared first on Reactor .
"Our Peter Parker was a radical communist..." The post Spider-Man Noir Creator Wanted the Prime Video Show to Take a More “Courageous” Political Stance appeared first on Reactor .
Is this Ichabod Crane Is the Villain, the book/movie? The post Sydney Sweeney Will Face Off With the Headless Horseman and a Love Triangle in <i>Hollow</i> appeared first on Reactor .
We also get more of Jason Momoa's Lobo The post The Dog Is Still in Danger in Final <i>Supergirl</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor .
Sledgehammers very useful in The Legend of Zelda; perhaps less so against dinosaurs The post <i>The End of Oak Street</i> Trailer: Forget Traveling to Distant Islands; Dinosaurs Come to You appeared first on Reactor .
And we get another look at New Hyde's past. The post <i>The Terror: Devil in Silver</i> Readies Us for a Final Teamup in “Vermillion” appeared first on Reactor .
Seriously, where do they get all their furniture? The post The Trailer for <i>Silo</i>’s Third Season Finds Yet More Ways to Make Juliette Suffer appeared first on Reactor .
What the cutting-edge science of plant behavior and intelligence can teach us about the world and our place in it... The post Vegetable Neighborhoods, Clan Wars, and Hunting Strategies: Zoë Schlanger’s <i>The Light Eaters</i> appeared first on Reactor .
The series also has a Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia alum in the director’s chair The post <i>Warrior Cats</i> Gets Animated Series Adaptation With <i>Ms. Marvel</i> Showrunner on Board appeared first on Reactor .
There is so much more to the Backrooms than what you saw in the movie The post What the <i>Backrooms</i> Movie Doesn’t Tell You About <i>Backrooms</i>‘ Lore appeared first on Reactor .
Plus: A sea shanty band with a secret and Mina the Hollower The post What to Watch and Read This Weekend: Chase the Minimalist <i>Backrooms</i> With These Maximalist Genre Movies appeared first on Reactor .
Plus: Is Mads Mikkelsen a genre? The post What to Watch and Read This Weekend: <i>The Vampire Lestat</i> Always Plays The Hits appeared first on Reactor .
Reactor interviewed O’Flynn about Patricia’s journey against The Boogeyman, and what the latest episode means for the rest of the season. The post <i>Widow’s Bay</i>: Kate O’Flynn on Patricia’s Final Girl Moment appeared first on Reactor .
The novel isn't even out yet! You can read it starting on June 30, 2026 The post <i>Witch Season</i>: Julia Bianco’s Contemporary Romantasy Gets Picked Up for TV appeared first on Reactor .
The 1981 film is perfect… just sayin’ The post Zack Snyder Is Eyeing a Remake of John Carpenter’s <i>Escape From New York</i> appeared first on Reactor .
"I met a woman whose job is to help you forget. Erasing your memories seems like something no one would trust a stranger with, I know. But then—therapy, right? We trust strangers with that. Maybe we think strangers have no reason to hurt us. No personal...
To celebrate her grandmother, all the captain of the Sopinha de Feijão wanted was to build a street market on a distant moon. But now the captain is dead and…
body-horrordeathdeath-of-a-loved-one
"So they broke into the hole in the ground, and they killed the kid, and all the lights went out in Omelas: click, click, click. And the pipes burst and there was a sewage leak and the newscasters said there was a typhoon on the way, so they (a different...
child-abusechild-deathgoreviolence
"November 1938 “What we are looking for,” said the doctor, “are photographs to help us document the treatment’s effect upon the patient. We need a picture before the treatment and afterward. Those are for the hospital files. But we also want photos taken...
As a young scholar sets out on a research project to find the stones where the settlers of Iceland made human sacrifices, a long dormant volcano rouses…and other, long-sleeping horrors might also be stirring.
"Hunter’s Moon rises fat and golden over the burned-out husk of the CN Tower. Excitement ripples through us, making us forget, for the moment, the hunger that gnaws our insides. The sign for the Library appears only on clear, full moon nights, and it’s...
deathviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
body-horrormental-illness
"The side of the box says “FRANCHISE KIT.” Inside is an engraved knife, a pamphlet, and the skin of el chupacabra. I take out the pamphlet. Bold, blocky letters scream “CONGRATULATIONS!” Below that, in a more sensible font: “Welcome to the Cryptids, LLC...
"The door loomed over the robed assembly like the constellations at night: vast, alien, uncaring, and immeasurably ancient. At the back of the spiral, Yehin kept his head pitched to the right, his neck straining to hold his head back, so that he could try...
"It should have just been another stray. If the ship would have woken me from cryo a few days earlier—and weeks would have been preferable—I might have been able to do things differently. Maybe. Later, I’d wonder if any additional time would have made a...
Following a mysterious world-wide event that makes ghosts visible, a young woman is invited to attend Ghost Camp.
deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
A woman returning to her family’s home town for a wedding discovers why people in Connorville—including her family—might be more than they seem.
body-horrorgoreviolence
Mel relishes running the “Enchanted Jungle,” a roadside attraction in the Everglades filled with live parrots, concrete dinosaurs, and other unexpected wonders.
death-of-a-loved-one
The spirit of a recently deceased young boy helps a group of ghosts seek revenge on a corrupt and abusive town minister.
child-deathdeathviolence
"The apartment is dark when I return, the blackout curtains doing their job of keeping the late afternoon sun out. It doesn’t matter, though. The air is stifling hot, thick and oppressive. Sweat gathers on my skin, sticking clothes to flesh. But I welcome...
death-of-a-loved-one
"I know Jome Hill-Moses is in the crevasse before I look in it—and as soon as I do, I don’t need to reach the bottom to know he’s dead. In a way, that’s actually good for me. It’s infinitely easier to rescue a dead person than an injured one. Injured ones...
"I request a poison pill, in case I decide to kill myself today.” “It is your right to do so,” says the interrogator, “Here is your pill.” This is the scripted question and the standard answer. Both the interrogator and the captive scientist have recited...
A two-man team must risk a spacewalk when meteoroids threaten crucial portal-spanning telecommunications cables that hang a hundred meters beneath the ocean…and forty-five billion light years away.
"1. To kill a language, you must first rip it from living throats. Don't look so askance; you knew it already. The dead can't speak unless called and the only way to prevent our enemies calling upon their own hordes of dead ancestors is to strip their...
sexual-violenceviolence
"Salty swell over my head, tugging me back, the raw and tender creases of my elbows against the forearms they're linked with. Brine up my nose, in my mouth. The anchor of my feet in the sand holds me fast with the rest. The water recedes and we breathe, a...
body-horrordeathsuicide
"1.8 billion miles from the sun, my roots dig deep into the soil of a small garden. I am a curious thing—an aspiration. Everything else on Miranda is ruthlessly utilitarian, but I am ornament. I am beauty. This garden nominally exists to facilitate some...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"When I was little, I drew dragons and leviathans in my room, stomach down on my bed or tipping my chair back and staring at the ceiling like the lines would rearrange into inspiration. Now I swipe my fingerprint through three levels of security and...
death
"It’s cruel of the soldiers to come when Mama is so sick and so pregnant. I tell this to Dijkstra, and she agrees. Then she goes to Mama and clambers into her lap, which is now too small to hold me and almost too small to hold Dijkstra, and says it in a...
body-horrorchild-deathviolence
"He told me his mother was a spacecraft. We had just made love, and our bodies were spent and sweat-slicked, the scent of our seed mingling in the stables with the sweet musk of the drowsing horses. Our lids were heavy, but his muscles grew tense in my...
death
"The kids like Luzhanqi because it’s a non-perfect strategy game: a bridge as they make their way onto bigger, more serious things, like chess and Go. It’s something that even the most incompetent of them could hope to win. Sometimes you just get lucky....
"They cut off Auréle’s head and they put it on a pike above the city’s third best bridge. To me, that seemed a shame. I had only just got his nose right. It had a crook in it, Auréle’s nose. A sporting accident, from his days at the Academy. He’d been...
death-of-a-loved-oneviolence
"Even after Uncle Sulim died, he remained occasionally intolerable. “Did you check the pollen count inside the base?” “Yes, it’s at the higher limit of the acceptable range. Within two basis points.” Nika’s response was almost devoid of irritation. “I’ll...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
"The moon was full that night in the summer of Meiji 29 when three hundred and sixty new stars appeared in the sky. Glowing even brighter than the capital’s newly installed electric lamps, they formed a nineteen-by-nineteen grid. My wife, Tsuru, and I were...
illness-and-pandemic
"Oscar’s Digital Double comes two hours, thirty-eight minutes, and eleven seconds late. Maxine snatches the package from the delivery drone and doesn’t tip. She rearranged her day—went to HMart right when it opened, skipped the gym, cooked Grandma a quick...
child-deathdeathsuicide
"Seven months since the war and two since winter should’ve ended, and Lake Erie is still frozen thick enough for me to walk out and gather care packages dropped from orbit. Soon enough, those metal husks will spill out harvests from Luna, Titan, Mirabilis;...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onewar
"Itsy bitsy,” whispers the girl in the glass tank beside mine. Not a girl anymore, not really, but it’s better for my sanity to pretend she’s still human. That we both are. We had names once—and skin, soft to the touch. In the sterile, blinding white...
body-horrorgoreviolence
"Hey there—comrade—are you also part of the—Space Industry—Development Program—First Cohort? I’m Zhang Haoyu—second lieutenant—pleased to meet you.” The man in front of me spoke in choppy fragments. He extended his hand, heedless of the puzzled looks...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onemental-illness
"Hi Lisle. Hope you’ve had some coffee. The topside comms array is still glitching, and engineering hasn’t lifted a finger to run diagnostics. They say the work order has to come from your end. Shouldn’t take long once they get it. Happy simulated morning to you!"
"Ambassador Shǐ Guì Sūn Yán and Prime Minister Xiang Hu Li Yáng floated in the crystalline water tank at one side of the courtroom. Beyond the anchoring shelves for the judges, the bulbous organic diamond window looked out onto a swollen, orange, solar...
"When I met the young Mr. Turing, I had not yet ascended as Autumn’s King. Nowadays it has become fashionable for the sons and daughters of the lesser fey gentry to improve their position in the shifting hierarchy of the Courts by virtue of intrigue,...
deathsexual-contentsexual-violence
"The wind sings in the petal wires. Alma hangs by one arm from the hull of the lily. With the other she works furiously at the tether brake. Each time the lily is lifted by a wave the tether zips down into the big dark. The third time the water breaks over...
"Licensed psychologists follow a set of ethical standards enforceable by law. Don’t fuck your patients, commit no felonies, refer out if you don’t know what to do, stuff like that. Then there are aspirational principles. More like ideals, inspiring better...
"The plaque on the living room wall was dark cherry with a brass-plated steel rectangle at its center, lacquered. The engraving stated IN APPRECIATION OF HAROLD MOSS. On another line: 45 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE. Then at the bottom: WILSON TECHNOLOGIES,...
"You ever love a place more than people? Mama Patch’s house held me and all my running and snooping without ever forcing me to slow down or stay put. I could run from the rafters down the bang-bang spiral case, then sideways through the six rooms of...
homophobiasexual-violenceviolence
"The first time through this cycle, Devaki does not believe he will go through with it. Kasma is her brother, after all, and for all his fears, he didn’t kill her when he had the chance. So as her baby grows inside her, the first fruit of her marriage to...
child-deathpregnancy-losssuicide
"Steve, over here! Turn to your right. Can we get a smile?” He falls back on his training easily enough, turns to the cameras, gives them his famous crooked smile, tilts his head just so as the flashes go off so they can capture the smoulder that...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Tonight, Rhoda would tell Sev she loved him. She was sitting in her dream kitchen, at a small, square table built exactly to her specifications, with a dark reddish cherry-wood finish. Everything in her kitchen was compact, but beautiful, with cookware...
"This is a story of children, and the adults those children will or will not grow up to be. Since the dawn of time, everyone who has ever existed has been either an adult they are or an adult they are not, even the living. This is how the real world works:...
"It was late—too late for a grown-ass adult to be doing homework and too late for caffeine—when perpetual grad student Grayson George dropped his mug and splattered four million droplets of coffee across the computer lab. Cursing, Grayson left his stupid...
"Vera was eight hours into her experiment before hunger drove her to raid the locker of her lab mate Ashok. It contained a box of extra-large Band-Aids, a Cornell T-shirt, two empty AirPod cases, the locked pouch where he stored his cannabis edibles,...
"Clean, bright, and well lit, the Palisades Mall was just like Bill remembered it when he was younger. Except, now, there were no crowds. And most of the stores were gone. Across the long hallway, Bill could see a man sitting in a folding chair with a card...
"Beauty grants a thing its own significance. Daybreak here has none. No pastel herald of the approaching Sun, like the horizons of far lost Earth. No splendid bloom from black sky to blue. Just a sudden harsh frill behind the mountains, and then the...
"Grace had just tucked herself next to John on the wooden bench with her morning tea when she noticed a puff of dust rising from the access road. She stood and placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “John—someone is coming. Down by the bottom of the road.”...
"Racer dead at 24, read the news reports, which wasn’t an uncommon headline. The only thing eye-catching was the method of death—brain aneurysm— and how it swept the front page of the papers rather than being relegated to the sports section. But CJ was a...
"I heard you’re returning to our world again. What do you want here exactly, Orhija? The Earth is dying slowly. It’s losing its sheen and glow. The blackness of the soil that you used to say was as beautiful as mine has changed since you left. It’s redder...
"We put my body double together in June Lee’s basement. Her mom was one of those chill Asian moms who liked having an artsy-fartsy daughter she could brag about at Bible study. She was already pushing the whole portfolio-for-college-apps deal, so she...
"Dear Dr. Erzsébet Krajcsik-Nagy, I am contacting you as a member of the general public, and not as a fellow scholar, though I must say my chosen field of art history does have certain similarities to yours. I read the interview with you in the online...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
body-horrordeathdeath-of-a-loved-onegoreviolence
"Sparrow retired from the battlefield at the height of her powers and couldn’t be persuaded to change her mind. She was done with fighting, armies, blood, death, and taking orders. Now, she ran a salon at the edge of Florelia, Tira City’s entertainment district."
war
"Dekar Druid lives in an infinite library. Besides Ebizenum, who is in a special category of their own, he is the only living person in the library’s single tower. Outside, a forest surrounds the tower. There’s a lake a short walk to the north and a peak...
"Once upon a time, on a spaceship traveling through the divide between galaxies, a married couple was bickering about whose job it was to clean the mouse shit that’d accumulated in the reactor tubes."
"The men knew before she did. Before this boy, before sophomore year, before even her twelfth birthday, they had jostled her on the sidewalk and hooted from cars, searching for something just past her skin. But now, with her panties stripped off and the...
goresexual-violenceviolence
"Attention, please,” the Manager says over the office intercom. “The Auditor’s shuttle is scheduled to dock in one hour. I repeat, one hour. Warehouse staff, please ensure that all inventory is in place.”
"The city of Nan Rhok stands on the ridge of a great mountain, where a gullet of steaming water flows from volcanic hot springs. The ridge is narrow and the mountain chill, so the city hews close to the spring, building high its granite towers. The name of...
child-deathdeath
"The buffet was infinite. It existed in a pocket dimension, via some sort of technological jiggering of the sort that you have heard about before and, unless you are totally anal, don’t want to hear about now. You could probably summon an explanation that...
cannibalismgoreviolence
"Gardener ladled dark-purple porridge into her primary digestion sac, staring absently out the viewport at black space and the distant smudge of the planet they had come to study. The simple meal and the gesture it represented soothed her after a long,...
death
"Night to day. In Diyu, the Earth Prison, Chun Wei opened her eyes. “Day” in the realm of the dead registered only as a less pervasive chill to the stagnant air. Not that Chun Wei needed to breathe any longer. She unfolded from the lotus position she’d...
death
"At 5:43 a.m. this morning, residents of Grackle Pointe Apartments awoke to a malfunction in their complex’s multi-spatial engine due to an unprecedented derecho that swept through the Montrose area of Houston. This resulted in tenants being mentally and...
body-horrordeathgore
"I learned from Bernadette that there are two ways a star can go supernova. The first is in a double star where one partner dies first, turning into a white dwarf, and the surviving partner swells in grief and dumps mass onto the compact star. But the...
death-of-a-loved-oneillness-and-pandemic
"The Starsinger, the Starsinger, the Starsinger, he sings. His histories have long been recorded—in every pit stop he has visited. In every station he has stayed. It may be just a minute of the traffickers slapping the Bini out of his mouth, or them...
child-abuseslaverysuicide
"In the pre-dawn light she lies in bed, gazing through the window at graceful trees silhouetted against a turquoise sky. The air is still, the pretty room orderly and calm. She lies motionless except for her eyes, the soft blue quilt rising and falling...
death
"The woman’s name was lost in The Fall, as was so much else we once thought vital—seasons, rivers, uncharred air—but her image persists, has become indelible. The giant wall of white upon which her travesties are projected once yearly has become a mecca...
goresexual-contentviolence
"Tyler Moore’s spells strive to exist in and of themselves. They make no excuse or justification for their existence: no promise to speak to the dead, predict next year’s grain or gold prices, or read the mind of lawyers during a hostile takeover. They are...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"USER: this is a message for Milwaukee Elementary’s curator Jude Towers, I hope this is the right address. anyway thanks for the story you had RIGHTR generate for my 10th graders’ Empathy Week. it was really great! can you tell me more about it? CURATOR: I...
mental-illnessracismtransphobia
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"DIRECTIONS: Fill in the correct letter with a #2 pencil on the answer sheet. Do not use ink or ballpoint pens. Questions left blank will be marked incorrect. Completely fill in each circle."
"This is our story, simplified: Life. Loss. Transformation. Love. Death. Iteration. The first time you get our message, you only / find one thread. It mimics your language in / its simplest form, a single strand of words / laid end to end. You will have to...
death
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
gorehomophobiaviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"I ended up on Pluto on the night of my nineteenth birthday, after breaking my own stupid heart. It wasn’t even over anything important. All I did was jump in a pool, and then the chlorine got in my nose and I came up coughing on the side of the tiles, and...
sexual-violence
"The Alamgir Dynasty has been guiding the Kingdom of Hindustan through centuries of peace, prosperity, and stability. Yet, credit does not rest solely on the wisdom of our modern kings; from the earliest days of what was then called the Alamgiri Empire,...
death-of-a-loved-one
"Bloodsoaked and grinning, the Soldier climbs to the summit of the ruins. The wind is mountain-top fast. It grabs the strands of her hair that have escaped her ponytail and sticks them to her ecstatic mouth: the slick surface of teeth, the gloss-wet of...
violence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Carlo checked his rearview mirror, gravel flying as he tore over the road. He didn’t know why the Cappelli Verdi were after the woman in the back of his van, clutching a hemp blanket around her shoulders. All he knew was that he needed to get out of town,...
"A garden is a joy, but also a labor. It is no small thing to call forth life from the desert; do not imagine any but a witch could do it so well. Every day I draw flowers from sand, shrubs from sand; I turn sand to grass as rich as cream. The garden is...
slavery
"The Henrietta, passenger, cargo, and slave ship, was routinely used to transport goods from the Florida Keys up as far north as Rhode Island, and is also said to have made at least six voyages transporting enslaved African peoples from the Gold Coast of...
racismslavery
The vampires aren’t even the worst part about being a teenage trans girl on tumblr.
abusechild-abusedeath-of-a-loved-onegoremisogynysexual-violencesubstance-usetransphobiaviolence
"Margery crouched in front of the fireplace, skirts tucked back to avoid the flames, and raked coals out onto the hearth. She’d pushed the shutters open this morning to let a breeze but even at this hour sweat beaded on her brow and stuck her chemise to...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
body-horrordeathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Michael sips his coffee, watching the screen automatically cycle through vidfeeds coming in from across the country, lingering just long enough to hit the relevant button. He knows the dominionist rhetoric, had heard it in the media, read it when he...
deathgoreviolence
"The formula for how to end the world got published the same day I married the girl who used to bully me in middle school. We found out about it the morning after, on the first day of our honeymoon in Cozumel. I got out of the shower in our small bungalow...
mental-illnessracism
"Valentini doesn’t flinch when the purple-bellied storm shakes the house, heedless of the film being shot within its derelict husk. Scene fifteen, take three. The Hollow Places crew rushes to stop the windows’ skeletal rattling before the atmospheric...
child-deathgoreself-harm
"My stitches laddered their way up the split seam, in and out one side, across, and then in and out the other. When you pulled the thread through, if you had done the job right, it closed the seam like it had never been torn at all. The salesman kept...
death-of-a-loved-oneracismviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
body-horrormental-illnessself-harm
"At night, Olivia becomes a spider. She scurries down San Francisco streets, floats gently between cotton-candy-colored houses, and hides behind signs for trendy restaurants, like Trough and Instance. By day, she works as a software engineer for a company...
mental-illness
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
goretransphobiaviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
death-of-a-loved-one
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
violence
Author : E. M. Linden Narrator : Louise Hewitt Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 879: The Tawlish Island Songbook of the Dead is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for grief, infant death, and a reference...
child-deathdeath-of-a-loved-onesuicide
Magical Girl Antifa War Machine By Esther Alter XYLIA We were at the bottom of a hole, a new construction site that went deep into the bedrock. I was the first to touch the artifact, a thing that didn’t quite have shape or color. I grabbed it. My new...
deathgoresexual-contentviolencewar
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
In the last blush of autumn, the King of the Forest requested an audience with the King. The King was so delighted that he agreed at once. The audience was held in the King’s hall, the burnished tile laid in gold and green, the fire stoked high with ash...
Hello friends, As you’re noticing, there’s no story this month. Instead, have a little editorial from me. Consider it a tiny state-of-the-magazine address. This month marks the official fifteenth anniversary of GigaNotoSaurus. I’ve been editor, and more...
A professional caregiver’s commute takes an unsettling detour when car trouble forces her to pull over on the highway, where she begins receiving distressing phone calls from strangers…
death
Author : Eden Royce Narrator : Laurice White Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 914: The Magnolia Returns is a PodCastle original. Rated PG The Magnolia Returns By Eden Royce The Magnolia blooms out of nowhere at any time of year it...
abusebody-horror
A traumatized time traveler keeps traveling back to his past to punish his younger self. Over multiple loops, he learns to forgive himself. Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Samir Sirk Morató, edited by Danai Christopoulou. Audio edition read by...
child-abuseself-harmviolence
A transnational adoptee is haunted by the ghost of his birth mother. Content warnings: Self-harm, suicidal ideation Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by Woody Dismukes, edited by Isabella Kestermann. Audio edition read by Sam Cavalcanti, with...
body-horrorgoreself-harm
PseudoPod 963: Mavka is a PseudoPod original. CW: cannibalism, suicide, starvation, use of second person perspective You pray to forget this. You pray to forget the cold. Even under two wool blankets you’re always cold now. Skin and bones, you. A February...
cannibalismchild-deathsuicide
Evan is suddenly coughing up bones, like, A LOT of bones, but that’s not even in the top ten strangest things that have happened to him since he moved into his new (possibly haunted) duplex...
Author : Ruth Joffre Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Dean Kidd Discuss on Forums PodCastle 916: Woodpecker, Warbler, Mussel, Thrush is a PodCastle original. Rated G Woodpecker, Warbler, Mussel, Thrush by Ruth Joffre Yesterday, I...
"Once a decade, a titanium-nosed shuttle plows through the rings of the planet Tartarus with a new batch of prisoners destined for the Orpheus Factory. The debris that makes up the rings is so thick that it thunders like a hailstorm, deafening the...
body-horrordeathviolence
An alien-human symbiote tries to sort out complicated feelings at his former friends' wedding. Content warnings: Brief mention of suicide Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by Sharang Biswas, edited by Danai Christopoulou. Audio edition read by Eli...
"You are born not long after the disaster. The city center has lain evacuated for two days by the time your mother makes her nest. She builds a small burrow from packing blankets, rags, her own sinewy body behind a row of waste containment units, and you...
animal-harmdeath-of-a-loved-one
35 / F / Lane's Creek, Oklahoma By Hans Ege Wenger Sandra loaded. Boxes and pallets, mostly. Full of avocados, computer chips, plastic toys, etc. All carefully placed by her rubber-faced grippers into the trucks that darted in and out of the warehouse...
Aliens who share distant human ancestors with Earthlings arrive on Earth seeking refuge, and their African lineage run into issues with the US government. Content warnings: Racism, genocide Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Chris Campbell, edited by...
Deb is dead set on getting a pedicure, now, damn anyone else's time! But the Universe has its own plans, and she's not the only VIP to walk through the doors of SALON LA BELLE, eager to have her wish granted. Content warnings: Blood, violence, death,...
In New Hope City, an indentured clone comes out as trans. People have opinions about it. Content warnings: Transphobia (including misgendering), abuse, implied forced servitude, implied climate disaster Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Leon Tomova,...
In an RPG game, a Black avatar repeatedly attempts to survive an encounter with the police. Content warnings: Violence, death, racism, hateful language, xenophobia Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by KÁNYIN Olorunnisola, edited by Isabella Kestermann....
A boy walks into an art exhibit and steals a sex doll on display. It doesn't go anywhere the doll expects. Content warnings: Body horror described in detail Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Kawai Shen, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read...
In 2102, Michi goes undercover as a maid for a hacking job, while in 2030, Ryo sells his appearance to a tech company. Their lives intersect to expose the dirty laundry of neo-feudal futuristic Japanese elite society. Content warnings: Classism, injustice...
A storyteller in the distant future shows the reader different vantage points, in hopes they might "see" the web of connections between past and future, reader and story, responsibility and joy. Content warnings: Acknowledgement of genocide, animal harm...
Hollywood actor Hendrick lives through a curated trauma experience to become Greek enough for a role. But how much will it cost him? Content warnings: Suicide, torture simulation, cultural appropriation Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Christos...
An imprisoned god is bound to the trees of an ancient swamp, until one day someone comes looking. Content warnings: Violence, body horror Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Natasha King, edited by Zhui Ning Chang. Audio edition read by Suzie Rai and...
Dr. Sun, the solo practitioner of an extraordinary medical specialty, is asked to save one last patient by the protege who abandoned her. Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Shiwei Zhou, edited by Isabella Kestermann. Audio edition read by Ishani...
A father bumbles his way through family domesticities as he makes his way to the airport. His children do not know he is not their father at all, but a stranger with a gruesome past, hard-earned advice, and a primal longing for a stolen life. Copyright...
A young paramedic defies a military summons by heading into the forest, where she gradually builds a new home and becomes something more than human. Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Evgenia Nekrasova, translated from Russian by Marianna Suleymanova...
In Japanese-occupied Malaya, an older Chinese immigrant reflects on his arrival to this land in his youth and embarks on a daring rescue. Content warnings: Blood Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by Joshua Lim, edited by Zhui Ning Chang. Audio...
When a lonely mountain is visited by a wonderbird, she learns about the far-away White City, and sets out on an unlikely journey. Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by Diana Dima, edited by Danai Christopoulou. Audio edition read by Kat Kourbeti, with...
"Wax and Full Circles" is the quiet story of a couple navigating life where one of them is a werewolf. Content warnings: Death, animal death, grief Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by Stefani Cox, edited by Isabella Kestermann. Audio edition read by...
It's about the things that become a part of you when you aren't paying attention, without your even realizing they're there. Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by T. Chiu-Chu, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read by D Casellian, with...
The survivor of an apocalypse event in an alternate universe tries to rebuild and avoid being dragged back into the past when a visitor crosses the in-between and asks for help.
Misunderstanding threatens a commune whose survival is dependent on precise communication with another species…
death-of-a-loved-one
When their rental truck breaks down, two friends moving cross-country kill time by telling stories about the strange carving in front of the motel where they’re awaiting a mechanic…
deathviolence
"It slips, now—I know it slips. There are men in my parlor, in uniforms, crisp navy, badged. Police. Beyond them Eveline wavers in a yellow nightgown, hands clasped to her chest, eyes wide and worried—no, no, she doesn’t, she’s not here, I’m dreaming her,...
deathmental-illnesssuicide
"If it was the first time I saw a house mourning? No, my dear. Not at all. Yet, it broke my heart to enter House and hear her parquet floor moaning, see the toilet sink weeping, feel her foundations shuddering ever so slightly. I put the plastic bags on...
death-of-a-loved-one
"The women of Dejima Island could never pinpoint when their dreams began to change, but they knew it had something to do with the tradesmen’s tales. The foreigners who arrived at the docks were hard men, chiseled by salt and wind and all the horrors of two...
Author : Cécile Cristofari Narrator : Wilson Fowlie Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by Interzone Content warning for dementia Rated PG The Third Time I Saw a Fox by Cécile Cristofari “You know what I...
Author : P.C. Verrone Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 874: The Husband is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for sex, violence, and references to the death of a spouse Rated R The...
Author : Osahon Ize-Iyamu Narrator : Takudzwa Sharon Kirimi Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by Lightspeed Magazine Content warnings for grief and the death of a spouse Rated PG-13 Last Ritual of the...
Author : Hilary Moon Murphy Narrator : Chistopher Reynaga Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 876: TALES FROM THE VAULTS: Nine-Fingered Maria is a PodCastle original. Rated PG Nine-Fingered Maria by Hilary Moon Murphy...
Author : Louis Inglis Hall Narrator : Pippa Alice Stephens Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by The Colored Lens Content warning for the death of a child Rated PG-13 The Hand That Feeds by Louis Inglis...
Author : Somto Ihezue Narrator : Mofiyinfoluwa Okupe Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by Tor – Africa Risen anthology Content warnings for violent murder and the death of an animal Rated R The Carving...
Author : Samantha Mills Narrator : Sandra Espinoza Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by Translunar Travelers Lounge and as PodCastle #639. Rated PG-13 Kiki Hernández Beats the Devil By Samantha Mills...
Author : Luke Wildman Narrator : Hollis Monroe Host : Matt Dovey Artist : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published in Writers and Illustrators of the Future, Vol. 37 Rated PG How to Steal the Plot Armor – PART ONE by Luke Wildman The day before...
Author : Luke Wildman Narrator : Hollis Monroe Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published in Writers and Illustrators of the Future, Vol. 37 Rated PG How to Steal the Plot Armor by Luke Wildman PART TWO of TWO...
Author : Brigitte Winter Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by New Year, New You: A Speculative Anthology of Reinvention Content warnings for violence and coercive control Rated R...
Author : J.J. Roth Narrators : Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali, Jen R. Albert, Dagny Paul, Graeme Dunlop, Summer Fletcher, Matt Dovey, Alasdair Stuart, Marguerite Kenner, Eleanor R. Wood and Steven Capps Host : Emmalia Harrington Audio Producers : Eric Valdes and...
Author : Si Wang Narrator : Shingai Njeri Kagunda Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums PodCastle 885: Prisoners is a PodCastle original. Rated PG Prisoners by Si Wang The fortress was as large as a city and empty as a dried-up...
Author : Cynthia Zhang Narrator : Curtis C. Chen Host : Shingai Njeri Kagunda Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 886: Houyi the Archer Fights the Sun is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13 Houyi the Archer Fights the Sun by Cynthia...
Author : Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko Narrator : Yaroslav Barsukov Host : Kaitlyn Zivanovich Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies Rated PG-13 The Cuckoo of Vrežna Mountain by Filip Hajdar Drnovšek...
Author : Mimi Mondal Narrator : Elizabeth Green Host : Kaitlyn Zivanovich Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Originally published as PodCastle 349 Content warnings for violence and disturbing imagery Rated R This Sullied Earth, Our Home by...
Author : L. S. Johnson Narrators : Nicola Chapman, Matt Dovey and Peter Seaton-Clark Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by G Is for Ghosts, Poise and Pen Publishing Content warning for era-specific...
Author : L. S. Johnson Narrators : Nicola Chapman, Matt Dovey and Peter Seaton-Clark Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by G Is for Ghosts, Poise and Pen Publishing Content warning for era-specific...
Author : Mitchell Shanklin Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums PodCastle 891: Trending Now! Help With Legal Fees for Reluctant Swordsman is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for child...
Author : Daniel Abraham Narrator : Wilson Fowlie Host : Wilson Fowlie Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published as PodCastle 051 Rated PG The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics by Daniel Abraham For as many years as...
Author : Victoria Dixon Narrator : Eleiece Krawiec Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 893: Counting Fairies is a PodCastle original. Content warning for injury to an animal Rated PG-13 Counting Fairies By Victoria...
Author : M. T. Lee Narrator : A.J. Fitzwater Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums PodCastle 894: The Summer of Lugubriosity is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13 The Summer of Lugubriosity by M. T. Lee We did the ritual on a...
Author : Jennifer Hudak Narrator : Pippa Alice Stephens Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Rated PG-13 The Day of the Sea by Jennifer Hudak When the Sea came...
Author : Jason Fischer Narrator : Wilson Fowlie Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously run as episode 438, and first published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies (#180) Content warning for frequent and bloody violence. Rated R...
Author : Jessie Roy Narrator : Kyle Akers Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums PodCastle 897: Oops! All Swords is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for repeated violent death and strong language throughout. Rated PG-13...
Authors : J. R. Dawson and John Wiswell Narrator : John Bell Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Haven Spec Rated PG This Mentor Lives by J.R. Dawson & John Wiswell Abraham was rushing through his...
Author : Cat Rambo Narrator : Cat Rambo Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by UNLOCKING THE MAGIC, edited by Vivian Caethe Content warning for PTSD, suicidal ideation, and body horror Rated PG Broken All...
Author : Gillian Knox Narrator : Karen Menzel (née Bovenmyer) Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums PodCastle 900: Sour Fruit is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for domestic abuse and the death of a parent Rated PG-13...
Author : Christine Lucas Narrator : Kat Kourbeti Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Abyss & Apex Content warnings for ableist slurs and attitudes, violence, and misogyny Rated PG-13 Moths in a...
Author : E. M. Faulds Narrator : Eliza Chan Host : Devin Martin Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums PodCastle 902: Godzilla as a Young Man Named Mike is a PodCastle original. Content warning for ableist attitudes Rated PG-13 Godzilla as a Young...
Author : Charles Chin Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 903: On the Shoulders of Giants is a PodCastle original. content warning for suicidal ideation Rated PG On the Shoulders of Giants by Charles Chin I was...
Author : Sarah Prineas Narrator : Steve Anderson Host : Wilson Fowlie Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously ran as episode 18 and first published by Strange Horizons Rated G The Illuminated Dragon by Sarah Prineas Rafe Greatorex thought...
Author : Jeanna Mason Stay Narrator : Valerie Valdes Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 905: The Next Dead Wife is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for coercive control, domestic violence, and murder Rated...
Authors : Amanda Helms and Anne Leonard Narrators : Cherrae L. Stuart and Christiana Ellis Host : Eric Valdes Artist : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums “The House, The Witch, and Sugarcane Stalks” Previously published by Lightspeed, “To Pluck a Twisted...
Author : A. D. Ellicott Narrator : Emma Osborne Host : Wilson Fowlie Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously Published by Body of Work, ed. C.Z. Tacks, Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (2023) Content warnings for fatphobia and eating...
Author : Dani Atkinson Narrators : Andrew K. Hoe, Kitty Sarkozy and Katherine Inskip Host : Eleanor R. Wood Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously ran as episode 722 and first published by Daily Science Fiction Rated PG-13 Said the...
Author : Stephanie Malia Morris Narrator : Dominick Rabrun Host : Wilson Fowlie Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 909: Resurrection Rum is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for death, gun violence, and racism Rated PG-13 Resurrection Rum by...
Author : Lalini Shanela Ranaraja Narrator : Shweta Adhyam Host : Eric Valdes Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously Published in Strange Horizons, 15 August 2022 Issue. Content warnings for animal cruelty, blood, and suicide Rated PG-13...
Author : Beth Goder Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Rated PG Mycelium by Beth Goder I only travel to the golden head when the dragonflies are in...
Author : Eugie Foster Narrator : Tina Connolly Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously ran as episode 28 and first published by Cricket Magazine Rated G The Tanuki-Kettle by Eugie Foster When Hisa was a baby, her mother...
Author : Adriana Kantcheva Narrator : Kat Kourbeti Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Trollbreath Magazine CW for drowning Rated PG Vedritsa of the River by Adriana Kantcheva The Kamchia river had grown...
Author : Leah Ning Narrator : Amanda Ching Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published in Monster Lairs (Dark Matter INK, October 2023) Rated PG-13 The Hunter, the Monster, and the Things That Could Have Been by...
Author : Amal El-Mohtar Narrator : Marguerite Croft Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously ran as episode 139 and originally published in Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories. Rated R We unfortunately do not have the rights to...
Author : Diana Dima Narrator : Matt Dovey Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 918: Waterways is a PodCastle original. Content warning for self-harm and coercive control Rated PG Waterways by Diana Dima When his father...
Authors : B. Morris Allen, David McGuire and Courtney Floyd Narrators : Hugo Jackson, Steve Anderson and Kaitlyn Zivanovich Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 919: FLASH FICTION EXTRAVAGANZA: Possibilities is a PodCastle original. The...
Author : Jennifer R. Donohue Narrator : Heather Thomas Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published in issue #3 of Gamut, on March 1, 2024 Content warnings for gore and traumatic birth Rated R Auguries By Jennifer R. Donohue She...
Authors : Cat Rambo and Jeff VanderMeer Narrator : Graeme Dunlop Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously ran as episode 146 and first published by Subterranean Press. Read the text here! Graphic Surgical Detail Rated R Read the full text...
Author : Anita Harris Satkunananthan Narrator : Chang Yiun Yee Host : Eric Valdes Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Previously published by GiGaNotosaurus Rated PG A Long Tango Across A Canopy of Whispering Leaves By Anita Harris Satkunananthan The return of...
Authors : Tim Pratt and Heather Shaw Narrator : Tina Connolly Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 923: The Sun Globe is a PodCastle original. Rated G The Sun Globe Heather Shaw & Tim Pratt Grace Morley was singing “Silver Bells”...
Author : Leah Ning Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes PodCastle 924: Reverent is a PodCastle original. Rated PG-13 Reverent by Leah Ning It’s the smell of gravity that tells me Father’s been to my rooms: empty and...
Author : Matt Wallace Narrator : Mur Lafferty Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1000: A Thousand Names for God and Infinite Mustard is an Escape Pod original. Contains some harsh language A Thousand Names for God and Infinite...
Death by Pink in the Lollipop Apocalypse By Ryan Cole In the dark of her bed, curled up in her sheets, Susie tried to hide from the next few days and the reckoning they’d bring: of prom and graduation and the dozens of goodbyes she’d have to force herself...
body-horrorhomophobia
Author : Risa Wolf Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Tigers for Sale was first published in Clarkesworld Magazine in July 2023 Content warnings: colonialism, implied genocide, psychological manipulation Tigers for...
abusedeath
Billionaire's Tears By Vanessa Ricci-Thode I wake up to the sound of screaming, and know I’m going to die. I shoot out of bed, calling for my mother. First thing I’ve spoken clearly in two days. “Maria!” My mother bursts into my room. “Baby, what’s wrong?”...
deathillness-and-pandemictransphobia
The Girl Who Came Before By David von Allmen When me and my family pulled into our driveway, my five best friends were waiting in our front yard, waving glittery poster-board signs that read “Welcome Home Sam!!!” and jumping around with full-on 13 year-old...
child-deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Author : Albert Chu Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When the Oracle Speaks” was first published in Metaphororsis, July 2023 When the Oracle Speaks (Part 1) by Albert Chu One year after the war’s end, the royal...
war
Author : Albert Chu Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When the Oracle Speaks” was first published in Metaphororsis, July 2023 When the Oracle Speaks (Part 2) by Albert Chu Outside the warehouse, the rain fell in...
war
Author : Tim Pratt Narrator : A Kovacs Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Observer Effects” originally appeared in Diet Soap (2007), and was originally presented in Escape Pod 350 Contains harsh language Escape Pod is proud to say that...
suicide
The Combat Pilot's Dictionary By Arden Baker Boot Rookie pilot. See also - nugget. You called us ‘boots’ when we turned up to the flight deck that first morning I laid eyes on you. The halogen lighting shone down onto the makeshift parade ground with a...
deathviolencewar
Author : Cooper C. Wilms Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1010: Grifting the Zaxonite is an Escape Pod original. Grifting the Zaxonite by Cooper C. Wilms Of all the cons in his little black book, Trevor...
Once Upon a Planet By Kelsey Hutton Once upon a time, there were three boring, totally normal planets lazily circling their sun. One was too hot. It spewed out venomous flames like a firebreather with something pokey stuck in her teeth—dangerously...
Author : J. R. Dewitt Narrator : Rebecca Wei Hsieh Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1012: Hot Bot Summer is an Escape Pod original. Contains depictions of war violence. Hot Bot Summer by J. R. Dewitt “God, these bots are...
goreviolencewar
Here Instead of There By Elizabeth Bear Waking up sick in a punk house shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody so I don’t know why it always came as a surprise to me. My head throbbed so bad I couldn’t tell the difference between the hangover, my sinus...
substance-use
Here Instead of There (Part 2 of 2) By Elizabeth Bear (... Continued from Part 1) With the launch gone, there was just one rubber dinghy with an outboard motor stowed under the floor of the hangar, along with two kayaks, a sailboard, and a jet ski in an...
Author : Elly Bangs Narrator : Christiana Ellis Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias” was first published in Lightspeed Magazine in November 2021 Copious amounts of casual strong language. This...
Author : N.K. Jemisin Narrator : Stephanie Malia Morris Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Valedictorian” was originally published in After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia. It then appeared in Escape Pod 450, and in a...
abuseviolence
The Love Pyramid: A Rocky Cornelius Consultancy By Andrew Dana Hudson “What do you mean you aren’t fucking?” Rocky Cornelius demanded. “That’s terrible! This is going to throw your whole value prop out of whack!” The trio of button-cute narrative design...
Author : Marie Vibbert Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Knit Three, Save Four” first appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction (November 2019) Knit Three, Save Four by Marie Vibbert The ship was two days overdue for...
Baron Quits The Payloaders By Renan Bernardo This story starts with a gig. Half a million people from all corners of the galaxy, hands in the air, heads banging to our vibrant noise. You probably saw the venue on some feed already. It’s the Amplitude, our...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onepregnancy-loss
Author : Natalia Theodoridou Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks When They Come Back was originally published in Crossed Genres (Issue 22), in October 2014, and in Escape Pod Episode 550 Frank though not explicit...
body-horrorsexual-contentviolence
Author : Kal M Narrators : Valerie Valdes, Eric Valdes, Dominick Rabrun and Alasdair Stuart Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Butter Side Down originally appeared in Writers of the Future (volume 40) – May 2024. Butter Side Down (Part 1 of...
violence
Author : Kal M Narrators : Valerie Valdes, Eric Valdes, Dominick Rabrun and Alasdair Stuart Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Butter Side Down originally appeared in Writers of the Future (volume 40) – May 2024. Butter Side Down (Part 2 of...
violence
Author : David DeGraff Narrator : Brian Lieberman Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race” originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon...
death
Author : Laura Pearlman Narrator : Laura Pearlman Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Summer Brooks This story was originally published in Mothership Zeta, May 2016, and republished in Escape Pod 650: Some Things I Probably Should...
cannibalismdeathviolence
Author : Diana Wynne Jones Narrator : Emma Newman Hosts : Mur Lafferty and Alasdair Stuart Audio Producers : Adam Pracht and Mat Weller Samantha’s Diary originally appeared in Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio and on Escape...
Once Abandoned By A.P. Hawkins Sappel whistled as he walked to the construction site, the sound echoing off nearby buildings in a muffled way. It was early spring, and the city was bursting with the vibrant green of new growth. Wild edibles sprouted from...
Don Ysidro (Excerpt) By Bruce Holland Rogers On that last morning, anyone who came to visit me could see that I was dying. I knew it myself. As if I had cotton in my ears, I heard the voice of don Leandro saying to my wife, “Dona Susana, I think it is time...
Author : Deborah L. Davitt Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Reflected in Mirrored Skies” was published by Compelling Science Fiction (Special Kickstarter Companion issue Nov. 6, 2018) Reflected in Mirrored Skies...
death
Author : Deborah L. Davitt Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Reflected in Mirrored Skies” was published by Compelling Science Fiction (Special Kickstarter Companion issue Nov. 6, 2018) Mentions of sexual assault...
deathsexual-violenceviolence
Oak Hill Lane By Alasdair Stuart The day the world ended, Scotch picked a fight. Not that there was much choice. Two fellow Canary Detailers, heads full of redtop bigotry and guts full of Tesco beer, had jumped Scotch’s work partner Billy the previous week...
homophobiaviolence
Author : Merc Fenn Wolfmoor Narrator : Joe Moran Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Steadyboi After the Apocalypse” first appeared in the collection Friends For Robots: Stories by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (Robot Dinosaur Press, 2022) Steadyboi...
illness-and-pandemic
Peace by Piece By Erin Cairns Frank thought all the battle-drones had been deactivated. Certainly, none of them had ever looked around with curious little twitches of their front-facing cameras before. This one whirred and clicked like an anxious bird,...
Author : Dale Smith Narrator : Louise Ratcliffe Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Joy” was previously published in Interzone Digital (June 2023) Joy by Dale Smith Joy knelt on the promenade, shifting the rifle into her shoulder to get a...
Twilight By Lilly Harper Like the tide going out, the dream slipped between her toes and carried with it the smell of petrichor and the sound of birdsong. Even without knowing she was dreaming, she had known she was waking up; the subliminal chatter of her...
Author : Holly Schofield Narrator : Kae Mills Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Robot Whisperer” first appeared in Fighting for the Future cyberpunk-solarpunk anthology in 2023 The Robot Whisperer by Holly Schofield Emilia heard the...
Imperial By Jonathon Sullivan (Excerpt) Dennis blinked through his dripping eyelashes at the irresistible abomination seated on the blue-green grass two meters in front of him. The Pig smiled her bio-engineered leopard-smile at him and kept her right hand...
Author : Ryan Cole Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 985: The Interdimensional Rift at the Lucky Sunrise Bingo Palace is an Escape Pod original. The Interdimensional Rift at the Lucky Sunrise Bingo...
death-of-a-loved-onehomophobia
Author : Hiron Ennes Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 986: Lyra, From Many Angles is an Escape Pod original. Lyra, From Many Angles by Hiron Ennes When they came, it was in a craft the size of a golf...
In the Palace of Science (Part 1 of 2) By Chris Campbell Track One– If you’ve found this recording, two things can be said for certain. The first is that I have passed my greatest test as a man and, in doing so, have passed from this world. The second is...
racismwar
In the Palace of Science (Part 2 of 2) By Chris Campbell (...Continued from Part 1) B-Side Track Five– The automaton was unfinished, but even in a transitory state, it was a thing of marvel. In form, it was like a man. With two legs meant for bipedal...
deathsubstance-useviolence
Holding Patterns By Jennifer Hudak I dream about the trees sometimes. I think we all do, even though none of my generation were alive when the forest was actually growing. We don’t dream about them the way they are now—stunted and dormant—but the way they...
Author : Serah Eley Narrator : Paul S. Jenkins Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Malcontent” was originally published in Escape Pod 50 (April 2006) The Malcontent by Serah Eley Finally Nicholas summoned his overseers and all other...
Author : P. A. Cornell Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 991: After the Rain is an Escape Pod original. After the Rain by P. A. Cornell I love a heavy summer storm. I love it when the rain falls so...
Nerves Into Circuits By Lyra Meurer Metal arms descend to press skin-soft conductor strips over my shoulders. The Neurasuit has been in warming mode for a few minutes–my overwrought senses accept the lines of heat like a gift. Despite my anxiety for the...
body-horrorsuicideviolence
Author : T. Kingfisher Narrator : Kevin M. Hayes Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 993: That Thing With Bob and the Crop Circles is an Escape Pod original. That Thing With Bob and the Crop Circles by T. Kingfisher So last...
This, My Body By Jeremiah Tolbert I am the lover. I am the chef. I am the preterite priest. I am the secret, unknowable ingredient. You may taste me a thousand times, but never hold my essence on your tongue or capture it in your memory. I am the flavor of...
Author : Alexis Ames Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Sanctuary” first appeared in Kyanite Press, Winter 2020 Sanctuary (Part 1) by Alexis Ames 1. The king of the galaxy died the day before the biggest holiday of...
violence
Author : Alexis Ames Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Sanctuary” first appeared in Kyanite Press, Winter 2020 Don’t miss “Sanctuary, Part 1” Sanctuary (Part 2) by Alexis Ames 3. Eilan slept for thirteen...
The Carina Nebula By Kelsey Hutton I heard the soft shit shit shit just when I’d almost floated past the blue hatch door that led into some kind of storage room. I had to laugh. I mean, how many times have I said that? Plus the voice sounded older, a...
Eros, Philia, Agape (Excerpt) By Rachel Swirsky The objects belonged to them both, but Adriana waved her hand bitterly when Lucian began packing. “Take whatever you want,” she said, snapping her book shut. She waited by the door, watching Lucian with sad...
child-abuse
“Novel of the White Powder” first appeared in The Three Impostors in 1895. C/W: drug abuse, delusions The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War by Arthur Machen The Angel of Mons Jess Nevins on The Novel of The White Powder White Lines by...
PseudoPod 1001: A Coven of Cats Under the Light of the Moon and The Halloween Parade is a PseudoPod original. C/W: implied animal harm (Coven) On this night, we escaped from our homes—we darted through the open doors, we leaped over the privacy fences, we...
“The Squatters” originally appeared in the 2025 Anthology, Silk and Sinew C/W for mass graves, genocide The government begins excavating the bones in late February to coincide with the events planned to commemorate the massacre. It is meant to gesture that...
“House Traveler” originally appeared in Bourbon Penn #34, Dec. 2024 and is reprinted in Thomas Ha’s debut collection, “Uncertain Sons and Other Stories” C/W: alludes to alcoholism The five of us were gathered on the floor of one of the last houses, trying...
“Madame Painte: For Sale” was first published in Behold! Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders, edited by Doug Murano (Crystal Lake 2017), and then in the Word Horde collection ‘Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions’, in August 2025. C/W: 2nd...
“Do It” was first published in the anthology ‘120 Murders: Dark Fiction Inspired by the Alternative Era’ C/W: gun violence, knife violence Note from author: The pizza joint in the story is based on a locally (local to me) famous spot in Boston’s South...
PseudoPod 1006: Give A Dog A Bone is a PseudoPod original. From author: “Give A Dog A Bone” is the third story in the series of tales following the exploits of a married couple of werewolves whose relationship is under some unusual stresses. Both of the...
“The Children of the Event” was first published in the collection ‘Portraits of Decay’ by Carson Winter, published by Salt Heart Press in June 2025. To support us during our year-end campaign, go to escapeartists.net/support-ea Notes from the author: As...
“Cyanide Constellations” was published in the collection Cyanide Constellations and Other Stories by Sara Tantlinger in October 2025. C/W: Suicide, 2nd person PoV To support us during our year-end campaign, go to https://escapeartists.net/support-ea...
‘Christmas Eve at Beach House’ was first published in Routledge’s Christmas Annual, 1870. C/W murder, intimate partner violence To support us during our year-end campaign, go to https://escapeartists.net/support-ea The Oldhammer Fiction Podcast Eliza Lynn...
“The Old Lady” first appeared in the 1929 collection of ghost stories, Randall’s Round Penda’s Fen Void Merch Hot Singles In Your Area Adela Young must have come up to Oxford at the same time as myself; but no one, in a way, knew that she had. She was one...
“Dead Mabelle” first appeared in the 1929 collection Joining Charles and Other Stories CW: Allusions to suicide The sudden and horrible end of Mabelle Pacey gave her a publicity with the European press worth millions to J. and Z. Gohigh of Gohigh Films...
“The Shout” was first published in a limited edition chapbook, The Woburn Books #16, 1929. Jamie Oliver’s controversial children’s book has shone a spotlight on the importance of sensitivity readers Jamie Oliver pulls ‘offensive’ children’s book from sale...
“Powers Of Darkness” was first published in Collier’s, March 30, 1929. CW: Use of racial slurs as well as sexism and misogyny Beau Geste, Russel’s best known work was adapting this for the screen. Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness Nickerson, R.M., failed in...
“Mummy” first appeared in Weird Tales, November 1929 The Old Lady The Shout Power of Darkness Them Jones Boys Nathan Drake Lara Croft I have always prided myself on being a practical man; prosaic, if you will. In the old days the boys used to call me the...
PseudoPod 961: Body Heat is a PseudoPod original. C/W: death of a family member, cancer From the author: ‘Body Heat’ was inspired by a reoccurring dream during a 3-week solo expedition in the mountains. Void Merch Hot Singles In Your Area The river is...
“Hemorrhage” was originally published in the Book of Queer Saints Volume 2 CW: self-harm, drug abuse, addiction, physical abuse and coercive control It’s a dumb fight to pick, but I only learn that later. By the time they drag me out the back door of the...
“The Darkness Carried by the Beasts” was originally published in The Sunday Morning Transport in 2023. CW: cancer, death of a family member From the author: This story came to me, at first, with the image of a man and his dog in the woods, somewhere in...
PseudoPod 965: The Ecstasy of the Saints is a PseudoPod original. CW: body horror; self-harm From the author: I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school through the seventh grade. That meant I spent three days a week in church, plus Sunday mass with...
“Fat Betty” originally appeared in Shock Totem Issue 8 in 2014 From the author: “The story is meant to be set in a slightly dystopian near-future.” Fat Betty Listed Monuments The Watchers Ghost Stories The Woman in Black They say it’s God’s own country,...
PseudoPod 967: Two’s Company, Three Might Be A Sign of Demonic Possession is a PseudoPod original. CW: Intimate partner death; Second person point of view Also narrated by Pine Gonzalez: A Relationship in Four Haircuts, by Ai Jiang Tales from the Fringes...
PseudoPod 968: The Vibrations, Louder is a PseudoPod original. Insanity? Sure, why not. My lawyer advised me to plead insanity, and maybe it will help me. At least I’ll be able to talk to somebody qualified. The state of mental health care is deplorable in...
First published in Opportunity in 1925. When Hurston arrived in New York City in 1925, the Harlem Renaissance was at its zenith, and she soon became one of the writers at its center. Shortly before she entered Barnard, Hurston’s short story “Spunk” was...
PseudoPod 970: At the God Show is a PseudoPod original. 6:15 A.M. “It’ll be Pternoch the Fisher,” Sheila overheard one pilgrim say to another. “Why did we bother coming?” “May the Green Damsel stitch your mouth shut until your blasphemies cease,” said the...
“Tree of the Forest Seven Bells Turns the World Round Midnight” originally appeared in Sleeping Under the Tree of Life and was reprinted in Sycorax’s Daughters Hounds of Tindalos Strange Things Happen at the 1-2 Point Sarah Conner Chronicles Sarah Conner...
This story originally appeared in Splatterlands in 2013 under the title “The Artist” ART: The quality or expression or performance of that which is pleasing to the senses; that which is raised to more than ordinary importance. ARTIST: One who produces art....
PseudoPod 973: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIII: Perpetuation is a PseudoPod original. Shallow Fangs: C/W for second-person PoV “The First Mrs. Edward Rochester Would Like a Word”- From the author: “Many readers want better for the attic wife from Jane...
“The Half-Pint Flask” was first published in The Bookman, May 1927 Racism https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/what-is-gullah-geechee-food-and-how-do-you-make-it...
PseudoPod 975: James Courtney Goes Home is a PseudoPod original. Get Out The personal effects of the late Mr. James Courtney found their way to me some months after his passing, once the stipulations of his will had been addressed and the remainder of his...
PseudoPod 976: Every Last Gossamer Strand is a PseudoPod original. CW: narcissism, family abuse and especially spiders. C.J. Dotson’s upcoming novel, The Cut Jess Lewis’s website Brene Brown: When Narcissists Get Older Fleetwood Mac, The Chain The high...
“The Fruits Of” originally appeared in the online Spring 2024 edition of Club Chicxulub CW: dementia, death of a family member and suicidal ideation. They’d long since passed the point where road gave way to trail gave way to forest. Bright green ferns now...
PseudoPod 978: Where the Brass Band Plays is a PseudoPod original. CW: environmental horror, parent loss; grief, reality vs. illusion, nostalgia, willful blindness From the author: “This story grew out of the feeling that we live in an increasingly...
“Old Things are Meant to Be Found and Shared” first appeared as “Of Lovecraft and ‘He’” in The Book of Starry Wisdom. “The Secret in the Tomb” originally appeared in the May 1935 issue of Weird Tales. From Leanna Renee Hieber: “Much like the introduction...
“Jesus Christ in Georgia” was printed in The Crisis in the 1911 Christmas issue. It later appeared as “Jesus Christ in Texas” in Darkwater: Voices from the Veil. Use of the n-word 2010 interview with author Edward J. Blum about his 2008 book, W. E. B....
“Nesters” originally appeared in the anthology Lovecraft’s Children CW: Animal death They killed the last calf that morning. Ma wanted to hold off, give the poor thing a chance, but Pa said it were cruel to let a body live like that. He cracked the hammer...
“The Shambler from the Stars” first appeared in Weird Tales, September 1935 I have nobody but myself to blame for the whole affair. It was my own blundering that precipitated that unforeseen horror upon us both; my own stupidity that caused our downfall....
“The Haunter of the Dark” first appeared in Weird Tales, December 1936 CW: xenophobia H.P. Lovecraft The Horror of the Heights Federal Hill, Providence Voluminous: The Letters of HP Lovecraft Episode 82 Lovecraftian horror — and the racism at its core —...
“Grave Worms” originally appeared in Cassilda’s Song: Tales Inspired by Robert W. Chambers’ King in Yellow Mythos an anthology edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. The grey flannel suit might have looked masculine on the rack, or on another woman, but the close...
“Think of Me” was first published in the anthology DARK RAINBOW: QUEER EROTIC HORROR (Riverdale Ave., 2018) CW: explicit sex, self-harm, transphobia, body horror, S&M kink Strange Darling Sasha and Taylor are fucking and Sasha is thinking about me. She...
“The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs” originally appeared in Bourbon Penn, and will appear in Ellen Datlow’s Year’s Best Horror #16 C/W: death by drowning In the predawn dark, Annie found herself in a bed, holding onto another hand beneath the cool...
PseudoPod 987: Reflections on Bloody Mary is a PseudoPod original. CW: domestic abuse, coercive control, alcoholism The Pixel Project, https://www.thepixelproject.net, has a list of shelters worldwide “Maaa-reee,” my husband taunts. “Oh, Maaa-reee. Come...
PseudoPod 988: Anthropology 201 is a PseudoPod original. C/W: references to mental illness, second-person PoV College is a crucible. You go in a dumb kid, and with luck, you leave a less dumb adult, ready to take your place in the world. It took me a...
“Dimorphism” first appeared in SEASONS OF SEVERANCE, an anthology-collection hybrid published by Cemetery Gates Media in 2023. “Dimorphism” was later mentioned as a standout in the Summation section of The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 16. The short story...
PseudoPod 990: Hearts and Half-Measures is a PseudoPod original. C/W: · Transphobia · Body horror · Murder · Gore · Grief · Death of a parent · Cannibalism From the author: The Manananggal (“self-segmenter” – the creature in this story) is a Filipino...
PseudoPod 991: The Hermit Crab God is a PseudoPod original. C/W: harm to animals, mental illness Notes from the author: I recently spoke with a nature photographer who was very passionate about hermit crabs, and he made me want to not give up. I suppose...
PseudoPod 992: Chattering Spines is a PseudoPod original. C/W immolation, guns, animal harm From the author: Oh Spines. I wrote this while at a writing conference called Superstars Writing Seminars back in February of 2022 after attending a session run by...
“Home, Laced in Web” was previously published by The Dodge on July 15, 2024 C/W: mutation, body horror, spiders I follow behind Butcher. A lot of nights spent imagining what I’d say to him. But there’s not been much talk on the road. Pretty used to silence...
“The Bride” was originally published in Black Static in 2020 C/W necrophilia, sexual assault, physical assault, control As you drive south, the heat rushes up to greet you like your name is in the guestbook and it has your room prepared. A wet, eager heat,...
“Data Ghost” originally appeared in Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology When the station stats popped up on the screen, the Interface said, Anomalous. Deni batted at their ear and muttered, “No, no, quit it.” In the second cockpit seat, Winnie...
“The Suitable Surroundings” was first published in the San Francisco Examiner, July 14, 1889 “The Resurrection of Chilton Hills” first appeared in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in October 1929. C/W: suicide (The Suitable Surroundings) Ben Phillips’s music ?...
“The Wind Beneath” originally appeared in Cosmic Horror Monthly “They Still Haven’t Found Stevie” has previously been featured on the No Sleep Podcast “Precious Darlings” originally appeared in Bag of Bones: This is Too Tense C/W: pandemic, mass death;...
PseudoPod 998: The Story-Stealer’s Night is a PseudoPod original. C/Ws from author: Body horror, creature horror, brief suicidal ideation, cancer, child abuse, child death and parent death Story-teller, Story-screamer Tell your tales into this night. The...
‘Barghest’ was first published Modern Folklore: A Comma Press Course Anthology, in August 2025 C/W: bullying From the author: “The idea for Barghest came from reading legends surrounding the existence of mythical ‘black dogs.’ These were supernatural,...
PseudoPod 984: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIV: Thy Shields Between Them and the Light is a PseudoPod original. “My Heart in a Snow Globe” – C/W: child death “Exposed, Every Inch Visible” – C/W: body horror “We Told You of the One Who Lives in the Mound” –...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Children don’t generally assume their father will abandon them to die in the snow. But under certain circumstances, they might get an inkling. If their mother had died the year before, and their father brought home a woman with a sweet voice and cruel...
cannibalismchild-deathsexual-content
"We used to cage them in the tide pools, when they were still small enough to capture in our little hands. Pull them out and snap photos that we could pretend to sell to magazines just like Papa. Them, gasping for breath, unable to see, fins fluttering. We...
abusebody-horrordeathviolence
"Now that I’ve failed as a woman, my punishment is to become a garden. I receive the verdict on a Sunday evening. They’re supposed to give you advance notice so you can put your affairs in order, but the letter is postmarked from more than a month ago—I’ve...
body-horrorpregnancy-loss
"The campsite looks like it wants to eat them. A fire pit yawns in the middle, an ashy-grey mouth ringed by rocks like rotting teeth. The trees crowd in, sizing them up, knifing the daylight. One gulp of that smoke-and-pine air, and Henry shudders head to...
child-deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
"I was kinda worried about being the new kid, but apparently new kids are cool here. This guy named Scott Marsh who seems pretty popular and has a good jump shot was really nice to me, so the other guys were nice to me, too. I think maybe because me and...
abusechild-abuseviolence
"I express greetings and most joyful salutations! I do not mean to interrupt you if you wish to be without company. It is only that I noticed you have been drifting alone for six flares of star-home-past-great-star-birthplace, and that is many flares! Your...
"I think of you most when the sun sets on Atlas. The skies are so bright there you can feel the colors on your skin. I find myself repeating this to my granddaughter, Lila. The night she was born, I took her onto the terrace to watch the daylight roll back...
death-of-a-loved-one
"The first night it was a kitchen chair set neatly on top of the polished walnut table, which the father had ordered from a luxury furniture dealer around the same time the nanny came to live with the family in the new gated tract home development, where...
"Pusetso’s research assistant lay in pieces on the floor with his head between his chest, back open, cracked solar panels splayed on the office table. A mess of tangled multicolored wires dangled from the bottom of his torso—rainbow innards. His legs, the...
An engineer who frequently travels for her job, suddenly finds herself in airports other than the one she arrived in…
A comatose patient undergoes an experimental procedure that uses favorite childhood stories to pull the patient back into consciousness—but the experiment doesn’t go quite as planned…
deathviolence
"No signs protect the backyards in this part of town from the Marl Pits Forest. There’s no treeline either. Of course there isn’t. But even in the dark, you can’t really miss where the forest starts—not if you’ve lived a childhood in the wilderness here...
child-abusedeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
"Not all the ghosts of Chornobyl died in 1986. Some died years—decades—later, bodies ravaged by mutated cells. They were a hundred kilometers away, not realizing their favorite mug was doused with irradiated atoms from the destroyed reactor. I died in...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onewar
"My son can’t think of the word “spoon.” It’s there, at the tip of his tongue. The waitress looks at him with a patient smile. She can see he’s fidgeting and getting hot. A boy his age would typically know how to ask. “Could I please have another... ” But...
"Alice wants to hold a funeral for me, which is disconcerting because I’m not dead. But humans, like all aliens—and certainly all single-forms—have their own idiosyncrasies. I’m used to the idiosyncrasies, of course: I’ve lived on Earth—in my tertiary...
death
"I met my grandfather today. He wore his usual white cotton garb: kurta buttoned up to his neck, dhoti loosely twined about his legs. The clothes were a tad frayed at the edges, and the occasional hint of brown skin when he moved betrayed a hole here and...
In celebration of the 50th World Fantasy Convention’s Toastmaster, Michael Swanwick, Reactor presents a new Mongolian Wizard story about a battle to save Paris from an unexpected new enemy.
goreviolencewar
In the small city of Mehranpur, the Nawab suspects there may be a connection between the slow wasting of a beloved tree and the fate of the city itself.
"Don’t start with the birth certificate. No, take an obituary-out approach. Pick an age, a date, what to do in lieu of flowers. Yes, she must die. I know how hard it is to kill her, but the spell won’t work without it, for every story ends in death. We set...
"There are seven hundred aliens hidden in Miko’s backpack, and the Galactic Security Agent currently studying her passport (hopefully) has no clue. The agent is an alien themselves, some tentacular species with assistive devices hooked into its uniform to...
"It is two days since our original projected mission end date. We are running out of oxygen and we are trapped in the throat of a god. Technology and a prudent safety review panel have kept casualties on deep dives low, but abyssal layer dives have always...
death
"# Unit COFFEE_VENDOR.06 # Notification of new update 09:00 A.M. [Installing update_Exp.42] Process: 100% complete Self-execute (update_Exp.42); # Time of new interaction: 10:24 A.M. input: options = cappuccino; sugar = 3; if (input == (options =...
"They even took the violins. Every last one of them: Amadeus, Josephine, Mulberry, Nestor. They came into the house through the front door, guests without a host, a peculiar band of invited thieves. Plugged into my power station as a seemingly...
death-of-a-loved-one
"The sun sets again over Chang’an. The remaining light of dusk shines through thick clouds like melted gold, flowing down over the glazed tiles of the palace roofs. The first drumbeat of the evening rings out from the Cheng Tian Gate, followed by a series...
death
"Six hours left. “What do you want to eat sweetheart?” She looks at me expectantly, holding out her phone to show me the menu. “It is your special day. I’ll get you anything you want.” I smile, shake my hands. “Eomma, it’s fine. You don’t have to do this.”...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onewar
"Well, at least we’ll finally be able to get some hours.” “Ruthless.” “I’m serious. Maybe they’ll finally be forced to make one of us full time.” “It’ll never happen. They’ll just hire another part-timer.” The two workers were in the break room. In the...
"Lately I’ve been losing track of which voice belongs to me and which voice belongs to the implant. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Groaning, I blink rapidly three times to snooze the voice—my voice?—and reach my arm over to see if the boy I met last...
"Half the girls in my grade probably fantasized about Jake Grenor suddenly taking an interest in them. But I was in the other half: the girls who knew it was too impossible to bother thinking about. It took some effort not to daydream about Jake,...
"Even with my Airpods in, I heard the kids yelling as they ran up from the dock. I bumped up the volume on my laptop and kept updating Arjun about my meeting with the FloriHealth team. I was happy my kids were feeling rambunctious on our Florida trip, but...
"Joey curled up tightly in her favorite chair to reread the message from the auditor, Peck cooing in her lap. The prismatic wings of the Pocket Model gleamed, tin peeking out from where aging feathers had fallen. “Peck, we’re in for it, aren’t we?” Her...
"She left her heart in Paris, a kidney in Berlin. In Barcelona, blinking in the sunlight, she felt tiny new ears grow down one side of her face. The sound multiplied. Vale vale vale! Rapid-fire Spanish, Catalan, Asteroid Pidgin, a robotnik beggar shaking...
"Phil and Dierdre met on the street in that part of town known as The Crumble. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Her hair was bleached, her lipstick too red, and her youth hidden behind crow’s feet and wrinkles. Still, he recognized her...
"Ambition!” Trevor emphasized, rapping knuckles hard on the wood table. “That is what makes the great men!” He took a satisfied swallow from his mug. Across from him, Barnaby put down the daily he’d been reading and sipped from his own beer. Pulling out a...
deathracismviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Flyer 247-3 hasn’t flown in five days. In these five days, she has become accustomed to the hum and whine of the air filtration system cranked to its highest setting. She has become accustomed to her cell, four paces long, four paces wide. Its lack of...
"For anyone who’s used the Skip system to travel more than once or twice, delays are simply part of the process. The one following my transit to Olympus lasts longer than most. I pass the time by looking for a way to bend the causative incident behind the...
"It wasn’t a glamorous entrée into the world of the rich. Ernestine jimmied a service door and climbed forty flights of dingy, bare metal stairs to avoid the sensors in the hotel elevators. Maids and mechanics locked eyes, disapprovingly, then decided she...
"You’re asleep in dreams of your father holding your head underwater, so the call from Magnolia Assisted Living goes to voicemail. “I didn’t raise a son of mine to count on his fingers,” your father says in the dream—because ah, yes, it’s all of your worst...
abusechild-abuse
"AT NIGHT NIOBE CAN HEAR them singing, the ghostly kinfolk inhabiting the sea. Their voices rise from the deep and swell like a chorus of baby whales threading the tremulous wind. Their eerie song makes her tremble. Her heart flutters. Her skin tingles....
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Loire Valley, 1520 Estienne’s shadow fell over me, and I could not, of a sudden, recall the stitch I was making. He had invited himself onto the ladies’ porch without announcement. Odette’s voice faltered. “Take—” She was reading from the Queen of...
"After we kill our father but before we leave the island, we argue. Cal doesn’t want to go; he’s afraid of the water. Even after the rest of us outvote him two to one, he refuses to move, crouching on the ground, pressing the ruined side of his face into...
abusedeathviolence
"Your payment first. The Badchen Yankel is too aged, too well-traveled, and too experienced to extend credit to an audience. Now pinch your lips and listen. It was the year of their lord 1618, and we’re two days outside Grodne when we run into the demons....
"We were waiting for the sunset, sitting on the porch of the bleak stone house that was filled up with our longing. The sky was empty. The air, when I sniffed, was cold and bleak. There were no clouds, and we knew it might be a night when we’d see what we...
death-of-a-loved-onesuicidewar
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"A syringe with a magnetite needle that would frighten even the boldest of souls. A torture device. But for my sister Kata, it would be a piece of the divine that shouldn’t be on the Aldarish Society Museum for Byrnyan Culture. That pretty much sums up how...
"Driver, gharivala, beta, bhai-jaan, baba. All the words used to address me; so rarely do I remember being addressed by my name. Not to complain. I don’t think people ever meant to be disrespectful. But having someone to respectfully, lovingly,...
"Elodie finds a pair of old opera glasses in the empty husk of an abandoned silo. The gleam of the metal catches her flashlight beam and throws it back, and Elodie squats and fishes out the glasses with tentative fingers. The silo is huge and dark around...
"Joy catches my eye, shuffles my direction. Her face lights the dining room. Her curly gray hair is the sun’s corona, and she seems to float above her walker, needless of her stiff little legs. In seeming slow motion she arrives at the seat across from me....
death-of-a-loved-onesuicide
"You’re not meant to fix what happens in the time loops. Doctor’s orders, and that comes even before they give you the survey and the spiel and the confidentiality speech. The psych fiddles with his tablet in his cozy, yellow-couch office, and talks to you...
death-of-a-loved-onesuicide
"The man in the navy Cosmo Corp suit calls it Self-Reconciliation Therapy, this place they’ve dumped you, where the walls are made of mirrors. But they aren’t mirrors, are they? Sure, you raise a hand, and the woman in the not-mirror waves. God, her...
child-abuseself-harmsexual-content
"Deng Baolin is my paternal aunt, my father’s little sister. Dad says Auntie was beautiful when she was young, with a bright-eyed gaze, pure yet alluring, and a slender, curving waist. When happy, her face was like springtime. When sorrowful, she was like...
"In the belly of the ship, the Machinist toiled. Beyond the walls of her workshop, ships of dark metal pursued her across the Atlantic, their hulls unaffected by the gnashing teeth of thunderstorms. Lightning flashed horizontally across the bay. Those dark...
deathviolence
"He is King Lear in the window’s sunshine. There is pastina boiling on the stove in a kitchen as familiar as his soul. Mad monologues push against his fogged oxygen mask, vibrating with his tremoring lips, his ragged breathing, the impossible weight of the...
body-horror
"The sketch showed a young woman, her face a perfect oval, holding our base in her cupped hands. Behind her head, Saturn hung golden within its halo of rings. That was the first sign that religion had come with us to Enceladus. I had risen early in the...
death
"Morag took her walking stick and set out on the Portmeirion Road. Portmeirion was behind her and she was walking back towards Pen-y-Groes, so she supposed she should call it the Pen-y-Groes Road. But Portmeirion, with all its beautiful, seductive,...
"Can someone get the doors? Thanks. Please remember we’re on an honor system for chairs—if you’ve eaten today, please leave them for someone who hasn’t. We don’t need another fainting incident. First of all, if you’re looking for a technical look at...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"THE HARPY HAD GIVEN HIM its egg, and so he cracked it, expecting nothing but goodness: the spilling of sunrise-gold yolk and crystalline white into the mealtime broth to help his fathers. He, Anaximander, was a good son, sixteen years old, on the...
"Have a seat, kiddo.” I’ve known Captain Mallory since I joined the force—twelve years and counting—and any time he used that nickname nothing easy followed. He closed his office door and angled his laptop toward me. “It’s about that ... incident ... with...
"Tyson sat on the dock’s end, toes dangling in the water. A bluegill or perch swam up from the bottom to inspect him, then wiggled back out of sight. His toes must have looked like fat pink worms. The dock reached thirty feet into Sun Cove Lake, but he...
"2090 It’s true, my young friends. I was there as, one by one, the first stars began winking out. And again, the horrible night when one of the brightest of them all blazed brighter still—before disappearing forever. Serious? Yes, I’m serious. Moreover, if...
"So, hear nah. This is how it happen. Was years after Malcolm pass through and wash away a lot ah we little islands coasts, and mash up so much ah Florida and Texas and them places, and people say they ain’t waiting for no next storm like that one, and...
death-of-a-loved-one
"I was no friend to the god of high places, of peaks and spires and rope bridges over narrow canyons, and I had no reason to expect that he was a friend of mine. But my mother kept asking, what could it hurt to ask for his favor. What could it hurt to try....
"Here at 123aiLOVEu, we take all the guesswork out of dating. With personalized chatbots trained on social media and chat histories, we put you in conversation with hundreds of potential matches... and you never have to say a thing! Sandra was watching the...
"This is the eighth floor of the Al-Ahli Memorial Library, my favorite place in the building. When the elevator door opens, it’s like walking into a quiet circle of glass. So, as we walk, I’m going to whisper. People are reading, writing, drawing—it’s such...
child-deathdeathwar
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"ADAMANTIA DAWN SEALED the last airlock behind her and sprayed the squeeze-bulb of piss on the old security station. It washed off dust and grit and frosted-over fingerprints of monsters in uniform. Seeing as how Shining City’s final resting place would be...
"Andrew was convinced the writer had been trans. By this point his friends were tired of hearing about it, but he had no one else to tell besides the internet, and he was too smart for that. That would be asking for it. Samantha Finnes was a minor...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Suze tried to tell herself that the busted valve was not a critical piece of equipment. Lying in the narrow space, she stared up at the complex array of pipes and conduits. The stink of oil and stagnant water surrounded her. Lay in her nostrils. She...
"He left a note. Otherwise, we would simply have paid out, and I would never have heard of Jack Thompson. Dear Gladys, Today was as perfect as it’s going to get, and this moment capped it. I’m sorry you weren’t here to see it—but today’s sunset is one of...
"Maestro Sezan Mistro was sweating, despite the temperature in the hall, as he stepped onto the podium for the sound check. There was a lot riding on this concert. Armandi Tylo, in uneasy partnership with the Federated Governments of Earth, had spent a...
"Susan Rose stands alone, save for me and a photographer, on the currently sun-facing side of Mars. She has a paintbrush in her right hand and a heated, vacuum-sealed bag of water in her left. The 60x90cm canvas in front of her is tied down to an aluminum...
"Lovey’s tried almost everything for the panic attacks. Everything but getting Bestie’s memory implanted, and she’s not sure she can deal. Even looking at the framed photo is ordinarily too much. Lovey brings it out for five minutes on Bestie’s death...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"I watch the King sleep beside me and worry over the rapid movements behind her eyelids. The air in the bedroom smells faintly of something burning. My mouth is dry—I wet my lips and hold my breath so as not to disturb my King’s sleep. I can hardly see the...
death
"On the high plains of Kansas in a tiny town worn down by drought, I stop at a roadside diner. When I ask for water, the waitress pours me a glass of ice water, presenting it with obvious pride. “We have our own well,” she says. “And the wind turbine on...
death-of-a-loved-one
"Scarlett’s eyes had to be perfect. Jon was the artist who’d made her, so it bothered him to think that so much of Scarlett would be crafted by other people. Scarlett’s limbs were carved from silicon polymer and coated in a soft synthetic skin from the...
body-horrorsexual-contentviolence
"Nate doesn’t often receive wedding invitations. This year, he gets seven. To be fair, the first one is work, so he doesn’t even get to pick his outfit. But an olive-scented breeze squirrels joyfully through his hair; waiters bring out little triangles of...
death
"If a robot stands alone in a field, staring into the forlorn distance as it obeys the last order it was given by a human, that order being, “Don’t move until we come back for you,” which it can remember uttered with a cruel sneer by a man who has taken a...
abuse
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Kharatet moistens his sightless eyes with his tongue as he draws his finger across the limestone tablet glyphs. His audience today is a clutch of toddling nymphs, motionless save for their short tails rippling the shallow water impatiently. It’s a good...
cannibalismdeathgore
"Posit a man. He could be any man. She could be a woman. They could be any human being anywhere on the spectrum. The story would play out the same. This is, however, entirely the creation of a writer who has written plenty of formidable women, and so he...
"Finneus Lark finds the man nestled inside of the abdominal cavity of a doe, his skin so pale that his veins are like spiderwebs. Slick with visceral fluid, leaves and petals cling to the man’s bird-boned wrists. His face, haloed by damp curls and crowned...
"The last picture that Karu has of her father alive is on the day of her graduation. She has this big smile that by the placing of her dimples makes it obvious that she is his daughter. He stands next to her holding her waist in the space between his...
death-of-a-loved-one
"Deep in the abyss of the Unholy Bazaar, in a shop that reeked of death and god-blood, Sparrow lay screaming in a web of rope and unbreakable silk. Around her, the Aunties bustled: sawing and rinsing and hammering; cursing, grunting, and muttering; welding...
body-horrorgoreviolence
"I am running out of Words. I stumble down the temple steps, clutching my wounded side. I had been too slow to use my fourth Word and the prison guard’s spear had drawn blood before he choked to death under the weight of my suffocation spell."
abusedeathviolence
"It’s my twelfth birthday and we’re all waiting for Wormwood and everyone is here and I mean everyone. Me and Mom and Dad and Big Pa which is my grandpa who was the strong man at one of the last traveling carnivals in America, and Bigfoot of course, and a...
"One hundred and eighty days. Today was it—the longest Annie had ever managed to stay at one job. The last time she had texted Charlie, it was to tell her “Charlie” was the name of a bomb and “Annie” was the name of another—this hadn’t gone as well as she...
illness-and-pandemicsubstance-use
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"She should go back inside the watchpod. Maree and Blaise didn’t have to be dead. The air hadn’t been gone that long. And even if their current bodies were hopeless, damaged beyond repair, probably the back-up system was uncorrupted. Probably its uploads...
body-horrorgoresexual-content
"Dead gods,” says Aunte Gull as she heaves the shimmering nets, “are almost as useless as live ones.” We work together, numb to the sea cold. We haul our catch back to shore, and I save my breath for work, knowing my aunte’s way of speaking. She is...
deathdeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Half-painted in the angled mirror, I ignore my mother’s calls and sweep blush onto my temples. The face of Luz Divinity takes shape beneath my brush. My mother tries again as I tug a wig onto my shaved head, the unit sleek and long, and again as I zip a...
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
body-horror
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Black Quadrangle, Mesolithic era Unknown Charcoal on sandstone This work, created c. 15,000 BC (17,000 AS), precedes earliest surviving written texts. It was rediscovered alongside human remains and burnt carbon deposits, suggesting a role in a burial,...
"When I leave home at seventeen, my mother tells me three things. Not to care too much. To keep my gift a secret. And to get used to being alone. “You’ll see what it’s like,” she says. “Out there in the real world.” None of this is good advice."
"I spent my first summer as an orphan watching cicadas fuck, scream, and molt. Wasn’t long before I plucked one of the cicada skins from the dry village soil. I brushed it clean against my secondhand clothes I was already beginning to outgrow. Dappled by...
body-horrorgoresexual-content
"The alert comes screaming in on Jana’s implant, bright light lancing through the fog of REM sleep: [New glyph. Intersection of 148th and Cliffton.] When her eyes snap open, it’s there, the only thing fully in focus. A blurry image of the yet-untitled...
"You don’t go gettin’ police robots to chase you through the Westside because you want to have fun. But the excitement that Tariq felt at the thought of this challenge … He’d outrun actual cops. He’d outrun the wheeled robots they called “The Chris Browns”...
"The Lightning Road cuts far across the Cosmos, a streak of dazzling gold amidst the star-studded void. Paved in otherworldly stone, the road climbs over sleeping giants, past ringed planets and frozen worlds, connecting one unknown to the next. Xiaofei...
war
"A whale soars over Brooklyn. Clouds spread in streaks over the pale blue sky like cold butter. And the whale cleaves right through. Dar spots it from his perch on the rooftop, smoking a contraband cigarette. At first, it looks like the whale is just...
body-horrorgore
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
body-horrorchild-deathdeathviolence
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
A photographer’s obsession with an unsettled subject exposes two friends to a darkness that won’t be contained by frames…
child-deathsuicideviolence
An AI car is caught between its ruthless employer and the people she hurt…
death
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.
"Thuận Lộc stared at the cup. It was dark, and mottled with the characteristic patterning of silver-eye fungus. The tea inside was trembling—the faint vibrations from the Mausoleum, the dead ships’ atrophied motors that would never again allow them to...
child-abuseviolence
A post-human civilization of synthetic beings, fixated on the concept of children, grapples with the meaning of life…after life ceases to exist.
body-horrordeath
"The tenth time Jakey broke the rules, he put a sandwich in the mailbox where the window boy could get it. Mom had taken her sleep-quick pills and gone to bed after dinner, on account of her headaches. And Dad was dozing in front of the TV, chin on his...
abusebody-horrorchild-abusedeathviolence
There is a woman, and she is a man’s wife. Please give her name. Call her whatever you’d like.
abusebody-horrorviolence
"The following documents have been uncovered by the Bromley Independent with regards to recent events at the local cemetery: the unofficial statements of Mr. Cyril Harris, city councilman; the recently discovered journals of Miss Celia Smith; letters from...
death-of-a-loved-one
"June was the first of my friends to get into it. This isn’t surprising—she was playing Wordle for weeks before Margo or I discovered it. When we met up for our weekly lunch, she kept checking her phone and I assumed it was some new game. Then she put it...
substance-use
"There’s nothing quieter than the sound of dreams not coming true. The moment when reality sinks in and Gwen realizes she’s never going to have the one thing she’s been yearning for since high school—the thing she made so much space in her life to...
"I was finishing the last of my nightly coffee when the nineteen-seventies twins approached my table and asked me to bear witness to their disappearance. This was not an unusual request at Cafe Liminalité, being the locale of patrons that dreamed too much...
death
Commander Niaja vrau Erezeng is up against an enemy that doesn’t just destroy all the beings, ships, and planets in its path, but also consumes their greatest arts, scratching them from existence everywhere…
deathwar
A man is offered the opportunity to partake in an exclusive, subscription-based eating club for those who wish to dine on human flesh. But he may have bitten off a little more than he can chew.
cannibalismgoreviolence
There are worse things than a local gangster’s cronies lurking in New Jersey’s wetlands…
deathsubstance-useviolence
A weary resilience worker should know better than anyone: no one is safe when the world is always ending…
death
When the waters rose, the people who stayed on the River learned they weathered the storms best together, but what happens when one of their own becomes curious about the Land?
A Russian émigré poet living in Paris is visited by a mysterious bear with an agenda…
Prosperity City’s corrupt mayor never guessed his greatest opponent would be a fire-breathing dragon and her unconventional platform…
violence
A deluxe riverboat welcomes the galaxy's wealthiest tourists to the drought-ridden Amazon — but no one's seen her mysterious captain. "The Maiden Voyage of the Piranha Belle" is a flash exploration of colonization and survival. Content warnings:...
deathgoreviolence
"You ever love the pretty right off someone? When I was a kid, had me a BMX, bright red like a candy apple. I rode it all summer long, cresting hills trying to catch the perfect gleam in the sunlight."
While all her friends’ fish are changing into mermaids, is 12-year-old Anissa’s fish becoming something else?
death-of-a-loved-one
"On the island of Manhattan, there’s a building out of time. I can’t tell you where it is, exactly. It has an address, of course, as all buildings do, but that wouldn’t mean anything to you. What I can tell you is that the building is called The Oakmont."
"The country was at just over ten thousand deaths the morning that the door appeared. On Kosmo’s phone NPR was interviewing a doctor with a nasal voice about the need for social distancing, while Kosmo himself collected empty cans from around his home office."
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
"The little girl was blonde and had very blue eyes. She stood on the steps to the house and stared at Mara without expression. “It lives in the closet,” the little girl said. “Klara…” her father said. He looked apologetically at Mara. “Please,” he said....
"Darius sells three pocket robots on the first Tuesday of October, and another three on Wednesday. At this rate he’ll be able to pay for his legs by Christmas. He does lose one robot to theft: someone figures out how to jimmy open the door of the display...
Feng, once indentured to the university in return for her studies, accompanies the Professor who bought her debt to the mountains. There, they expect to find a rare and tragic treasure: a dead dragon. This is Part 2 of "Dragonsworn" by L. Chan, the first...
In the near future, the corpse inside the abandoned deep-sea submersible Blue Cube becomes another landmark of the Challenger Deep. Content warning: Mentions of death Copyright khōréō magazine 2024. Story by Prema Arasu, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio...
A ghost of the dead daughter visits the musician every night. Together, they compose their masterpiece of grief. Content warning: Death of a child Copyright khōréō magazine 2024. Story by Sofia Ezdina, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read by Olga...
An unnamed narrator takes an unusual journey home. "Homeland in Verse" by Naomi Day explores loss both, individual and diasporic, and what it means to arrive home when home is a concept you've forgotten. Content warning: Intensive body modification...
Countryboy T loses their home after the deaths of their parents. Luckily, the cats have been in charge all along. Content warnings: Institutionalization, sanism, ableism, family death, animal death Copyright khōréō magazine 2024. Story by [sarah] Cavar,...
The unsettling arrival of war and how hope in tales pass from generation to generation. Content warnings: War, orphans, implied trauma due to armed conflict, death Copyright khōréō magazine 2024. Story by Tania Chen, edited by Aleksandra Hill. Audio...
Come one, come all! Witness the fall of a despot alongside the glorious rebirth of one heavenly beast in "RAIN FIRE CLOUD" by Caroline Hung. Copyright khōréō magazine 2024. Story by Caroline Hung , edited by Zhui Ning Chang. Audio edition read by Sam Yeow,...