Quasar

Keep up with new short speculative fiction. About

Historical USA

121 free-to-read stories tagged “Historical USA”

On the Fox Roads

Nghi Vo Tor.com 2023 Novelette Historical Fantasy 10,129 words

While learning the ropes from a crafty Jazz Age bank robber, a young stowaway discovers their authentic self, a hidden gift, and that there are no straight lines when you run the fox roads…

Historical FantasyTrans IdentityMidwest USA

Content warnings 3

deathracismviolence

A Stranger Knocks

Tananarive Due Uncanny 2024 Novelette Horror 7,617 words

"1926 Washington, D.C. Shaw District “There’s a man on the front stoop.” The words spilled from her in a much more mundane way than Judy had expected, considering how her neck was fluttering with her excited pulse. Alvin looked up from the new Langston...

Historical FantasyArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

abusedeathviolence

The Sycamore and the Sybil

Alix E. Harrow Uncanny 2020 ShortStory Fantasy 4,515 words

Long ago, Sylvie turned herself into a tree to avoid rape, but she wonders if there might not be a better way.

Folk HorrorBodily AutonomyHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

sexual-violencesuicideviolence

The Millay Illusion

Sarah Pinsker Uncanny 2025 Novelette Fantasy 9,210 words

"For the whole of the year that I now look back on as the best of my life, Susanna Miller’s act began twenty-three minutes after mine ended. I went first, to warm up the crowd, followed by the dog trainer, the hypnotist, Susanna, the twin acrobats, the...

Historical FantasyMentorshipNew York City

Content warnings 2

mental-illnessmisogyny

Let All the Children Boogie

Sam J. Miller Tor.com 2021 ShortStory Science Fiction 6,999 words

As the Cold War stalls and the threat of nuclear warfare dominates the news, small-town misfits Laurie and Fell bond over a shared love of music and the mystery of the erratic radio messages that hint at the existence of a future worth reaching out for.

SlipstreamFriendshipHistorical USA

Blood Is Another Word for Hunger

Rivers Solomon Tor.com 2019 ShortStory Folk Tale 6,968 words

When her master dies in the American Civil War, a teen-age slave girl murders the rest of his family to gain her freedom, but she unwittingly opens a door to the spirit world, and she has to deal with the thing that comes through.

Historical FantasySlaveryHistorical USA

Content warnings 5

body-horrordeathgoreslaveryviolence

Stitched to Skin like Family Is

Nghi Vo Uncanny 2024 ShortStory Fantasy 4,517 words

"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...

Historical FantasyRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

death-of-a-loved-oneracismviolence

Men, Women, and Chainsaws

Stephen Graham Jones Tor.com 2022 Novelette Horror 7,878 words

It’s been two years since Jenna’s ex-boyfriend left her alone in East Texas heartbroken. Now he’s back in town and she wants to payback. One night, she stumbles upon a bloodthirsty Camaro that may be the key to carrying out her revenge.

Folk HorrorRevengeHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid

C.L. Polk Tor.com 2020 ShortStory Modern Fantasy 5,551 words ♪ audio

Her mom has grown rich by telling people’s fortunes, but all Theresa Anne wants is for her girlfriend to be safe. And to be brave enough to actually talk to this “girlfriend.”

Contemporary FantasyMotherhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

death

Field Biology of the Wee Fairies

Naomi Kritzer Apex 2018 ShortStory Modern Fantasy 4,700 words ♪ audio

When other girls catch fairies, they wish for beauty, but Amelia just wants to do well on her science project.

Social SatireFriendshipHistorical USA

Homewrecker

E. Catherine Tobler Apex 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 4,470 words

"Episode 60 Transcription by @jbutler22 0:01 Murray: Hey there, I’m Dean Murray and this is a special episode of Homewrecker. We’re on the road this week, heading up to historic [garbled] where we’ll venture [garbled] outside the city to see the colonial...

Folk HorrorTraumaRestrained

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence

The Dark House

A.C. Wise Tor.com 2023 ShortStory Horror 6,583 words

A photographer’s obsession with an unsettled subject exposes two friends to a darkness that won’t be contained by frames…

Folk HorrorTraumaHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

child-deathsuicideviolence

The Rain Remembers What the Sky Forgets

Fran Wilde Uncanny 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 6,710 words

"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...

Fairy Tale RetellingPolitical ResistanceHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

Blackjack

Veronica Schanoes Reactor 2024 Novelette Dark Fantasy 12,307 words

A woman visiting Las Vegas for a fun weekend encounters her ne’er-do-well ex-husband, who begs her for a favor that gambles with life and death…

Historical FantasyRevengeNew York City

Content warnings 3

deathdeath-of-a-loved-onesuicide

Spread the Word

Delilah S. Dawson Apex 2024 ShortStory Horror 7,198 words

"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...

Folk HorrorAbuseHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

abusechild-abuseviolence

The Migration Suite: A Study in C Sharp Minor

Maurice Broaddus Uncanny 2019 ShortStory SF Epic 5,654 words

We follow this history of black people from prehistoric Ghana all the way to a lunar colony.

SlipstreamDiasporaWest Africa

Content warnings 5

abuseracismslaveryviolencewar

Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good

LaShawn M. Wanak FIYAH 2018 Novelette 14,843 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Historical FantasyRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 4

deathracismsexual-violenceviolence

Nine-Tenths of the Law

Molly Tanzer Lightspeed 2017 ShortStory SF 6,220 words

Donna’s cold and distant husband has an industrial accident the day she planned to leave him, so she stays to nurse him back to health. After that, he’s different—in ways she likes.

SlipstreamFriendshipMidwest USA

Content warnings 2

abusechild-abuse

Barefoot and Midnight

Sheree Renée Thomas Apex 2021 ShortStory Horror 2,044 words

"You ready?” asked the first man, his face pockmarked, lips leering, eyes sullen. “Light’em up,” replied the second. The third nodded his head and produced the gasoline. They knew the children slept inside. No one had to tell them. The Freedmen’s School in...

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

child-deathracismviolence

Claudette Dulac and the Devil of the North

Genevieve Sinha BCS 2020 ShortStory Steampunk 5,583 words

When the Demon of the North takes her father, young Claudette teams up with a university professor to hunt it down and kill it.

Science FantasyFatherhoodAdventurous

Slipping the Leash

Dan Micklethwaite PodCastle 2020 ShortStory 1,698 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Historical FantasyGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

body-horrorwar

A Time to Reap

Elizabeth Bear Uncanny 2019 Novella Time Travel 25,026 words

In 2028, Kitty has a role in a play about a mass murder committed in 1978, but when she visits the setting of the crime, she’ll pulled into the past right before the crimes take place.

Near FutureMentorshipHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

abusedeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence

Canst Thou Draw Out the Leviathan

Christopher Caldwell Uncanny 2019 ShortStory Historical Fantasy 5,655 words

The carpenter on a Nantucket whaler hears a dreadful warning from an African god his ancestors once called upon when they were taken into slavery. But will anyone listen to him?

Folk HorrorRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

deathracism

Gundark Island, or, Tars Tarkas Needs Your Help

Matthew Corradi Lightspeed 2019 ShortStory SF Adventure 7,191 words

At age 9, the narrator and his best friend discover a dangerous alien on an island near their homes, and they spend the summer fighting it with their friends. But is it real or just their imaginations?

First ContactMentorshipHistorical USA

Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart

Sam J. Miller Clarkesworld 2019 ShortStory King Kong Pastiche 3,792 words

On the eve of World War II, five years after King Kong’s death, a young New York taxi driver meets Ann Darrow and learns they have something in common.

SlipstreamQueer IdentityNew York City

Content warnings 1

racism

Bride Before You

Stephanie Malia Morris Nightmare 2018 ShortStory 3,750 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Folk HorrorMotherhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathviolence

Dandelion

Elly Bangs Clarkesworld 2018 ShortStory Near-Future SF 5,977 words

A woman found an alien space probe in the dry valleys of Antarctica, and three generations of her family try to decide what it really means.

First ContactMentorshipHistorical USA

The Ghoul Goes West

Dale Bailey Tor.com 2018 Novelette Uncanny Horror 13,285 words

Ben Clarke travels to Hollywood to settle his late brother’s affairs. He learns a variety of things about his brother, but the biggest surprise is what he finds in the bedroom.

Contemporary FantasyMemoryHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathsubstance-usesuicide

The Thule Stowaway

Maria Dahvana Headley Uncanny 2017 Novelette Fantasy Horror 11,412 words

Edgar Allan Poe’s writing has brought a creature into this world and it inhabits a young woman who wants to be rid of it. It has its own agenda.

Historical FantasyBodily AutonomyHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathdeath-of-a-loved-onesuicide

Angel, Monster, Man

Sam J. Miller Nightmare 2016 Novelette 11,367 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Psychological HorrorQueer IdentityNew York City

Content warnings 8

abusedeathgoreillness-and-pandemicsexual-contentsubstance-usesuicideviolence

Yearning

Maya Beck Strange Horizons 2021 ShortStory Fantasy 2,928 words

"I called it "yearning" at first, but by the time word had spread to all twenty-two of us croppers, a divide had resulted: half called it firesouling, and half called it firesailing."

AfrofuturismDiasporaHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

sexual-violenceviolence

February Moon

Josh Rountree BCS 2020 ShortStory Horror 5,037 words ♪ audio

In 19th-Century Texas, a German immigrant mother defends her farm and family (in the absence of her husband and eldest son) against a vicious wolf as well as some of the local townspeople.

Historical FantasyMotherhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathdeath-of-a-loved-onegore

Speak Easy, Suicide Selkies

E. Catherine Tobler BCS 2018 Novelette Historical Fantasy 7,599 words

They say that when women throw themselves into the sea, they turn into seals. Teen-age Louise, dying of tuberculosis, finds a magical seal skin that turns her into a new person. Then the owner shows up.

Folk HorrorTrans IdentityHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

abusesuicideviolence

The Horror of Party Beach

Dale Bailey Lightspeed 2018 Novelette SF-Movie Horror 9,434 words

Summer of 1955, the last summer of high school. Mike remembers his girlfriend and how wonderful it was being in love. And he remembers the awful things that happened at the end.

Folk HorrorGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathdeath-of-a-loved-one

Acres of Perhaps

Will Ludwigsen Asimov's 2015 Novelette 13,300 words

In his old age, a TV writer reflects on a show he worked on fifty years ago--the only work he's really proud of--and the almost supernatural way it came to an end.

Southern GothicArt And CreationNostalgic

Content warnings 2

abusesubstance-use

The Thyme Fiend

Jeffrey Ford Tor.com 2015 Novelette 13,911 words

In 1915 Ohio, 14-year-old Emmett's night terrors get worse after he finds a dead body in an abandoned well.

Folk HorrorGuiltMidwest USA

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Red Leaves

S.E. Porter Reactor 2025 ShortStory Dark Fantasy 4,540 words

The spirit of a recently deceased young boy helps a group of ghosts seek revenge on a corrupt and abusive town minister.

Historical FantasyRevengeHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

child-deathdeathviolence

Till Earth and Heaven Ring

K.S. Walker Strange Horizons 2025 ShortStory Fantasy 5,746 words

"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...

Southern GothicTrans IdentityHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

racismslavery

Yesterday

A.M. Barrie Strange Horizons 2025 Novelette Fantasy 9,606 words

"Yesterday, I didn’t care much about much. Back then, there hadn’t been any cars in the parking lot. We didn’t see any muddy footprints stamped into the dirt. Not even the hoofprint exclamations of deer. The weather was partly to blame, but really people...

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathracismviolence

Discreet Services Offered for Women Ridden by Hags

Stephanie Malia Morris BCS 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 6,566 words

"My sister Angélique found me on a warm spring night. She was not looking for me but for a doctor who could treat women ridden by hags. (Such creatures were properly called soucouyants, but the printers took such liberties with the spelling in my weekly...

Folk HorrorSisterhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

body-horrordeath

Hood Alchemy

Nicole D. Sconiers Lightspeed 2022 ShortStory Fantasy 1,504 words

"You remember when those rappers robbed a bank and killed a cop, that summer the girls from Wing turned green? I didn’t think it was connected then—the robbery, the gold, and the hordes of teens who were rotting from the inside. But I know better now."

Contemporary FantasyRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathviolence

A Better Way of Saying

Sarah Pinsker Tor.com 2021 ShortStory Historical Fantasy 6,073 words

The year is 1915, and a young man hired to shout the words on title cards for silent films experiences the magic of movies. This spurs him to edit some of the worst dialog, leading him in a weird direction that utterly changes his life.

Historical FantasyDiasporaNew York City

COTTONMOUTH

Joelle Wellington Apex 2021 ShortStory Horror 4,963 words

"He finds her in his grandpa’s attic, in the Big House. The hatch has been locked up tight since the day Grant Dixon was born—twenty-two years of locked up tight—and long before. He used to ask about it, between the stories his Grandpa Dixon liked to tell. "

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

abuseslaveryviolence

Skin Deep

Alan Brennert Tor.com 2021 Novelette Superhero 13,473 words

Trina Nelson is a pretty, popular sixteen-year-old high school student whose idyllic life took a turn for the tragic because of the Wild Cards virus. Now, she wants nothing more than to live out her days in the shadowy anonymity of the Jokertown on the...

Speculative FictionRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

I Frequently Hear Music in the Very Heart of Noise

Sarah Pinsker Uncanny 2018 ShortStory Non-fiction 5,344 words

An account of various famous artists, writers, and musicians who lived in Manhatttan in the 1930s.

MetafictionalArt And CreationNew York City

Her Sacred Spirit Soars

S. Qiouyi Lu Strange Horizons 2016 ShortStory Alternate History 5,428 words

In 1949, researchers attempt to harness "oriental lovebird energy" to cure human comas.

Historical FantasyDiasporaHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

death-of-a-loved-oneracismsuicide

Three Songs to Fill Up the Shadow

Spencer Ellsworth BCS 2022 Novelette Fantasy 12,193 words

"The ferryman’d had a poor, cold day, is how it starts. There’s other ways to start this one, but this time, we’ll start with the ferryman. It was shadows-eve, the coldest, longest night of the year, when the blackbird breathes all over the world. He’d...

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

child-deathracismviolence

Hide Me in the Shadow of Your Wings

Christopher Caldwell Strange Horizons 2018 ShortStory Historical Fantasy 4,694 words

In early 19th-Century New Orleans, a teenage boy learns he can fly, but doesn’t understand why he must keep it a secret.

Historical FantasyColonialismCaribbean

Content warnings 3

sexual-contentslaveryviolence

Islands off the Coast of Capitola, 1978

David Herter Tor.com 2015 Novelette 13,298 words

You are a lonely ten-year-old boy living in an old house with your mom when a man claiming to be your uncle arrives and strange things start to happen.

Psychological HorrorGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

abusesubstance-use

An Oral History of the Schooner Key Invasion

Alex Irvine Lightspeed 2026

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...

Southern GothicGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrorgoreviolence

Escape Pod 1038: Meet the Mets

Escape Pod 2026 ♪ audio

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...

First ContactTrans IdentityNew York City

Content warnings 2

transphobiaviolence

House of Honeyed Soil

editor GigaNotoSaurus 2026 Novelette 10,130 words

Amelia’s favorite time of day is before dawn, when all the beauty is hidden by shadow. She rises from her bed every morning, shivering in the hushed air, and gets dressed in the dark. Sometimes she has to redo the buttons, but she doesn’t turn on the light...

Folk HorrorGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrorgoreviolence

PodCastle 925: The Immortal Rabbit

PodCastle 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Fairy Tale RetellingTrans IdentityHistorical China

Content warnings 3

death-of-a-loved-onehomophobiaviolence

PseudoPod 1010: A Rose For Emily

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

“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...

Southern GothicClass InequalityHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

mental-illnessmisogynyracism

PseudoPod 1014: Faith, Hope and Charity

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

‘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:...

Psychological HorrorRacismAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

deathracismviolence

PseudoPod 1016: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVI (76): Illume the Kingdom of the Drowned

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

“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...

Folk HorrorQueer IdentityHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

goresexual-contentviolence

PseudoPod 1033: Devil is Fine

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

“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...

Weird WesternFaithAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

animal-harmbody-horrorviolence

PseudoPod 1044: The Yellow Wall Paper

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

“The Yellow Wall Paper” was first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. C/W:emotional abuse/control, medical gaslighting It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer. A colonial...

Psychological HorrorArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

abusemental-illness

PseudoPod 1045: Turquoise Waters

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

“Turquoise Waters” was first published in Women of the Weird West, edited by KC Grifant, in 2026 C/W: guns, misogyny, strong violence Author’s note: “I lived in New Mexico for six years where I taught Navajo, Zuni, and Hobi students in the Four Corners...

Historical FantasyRacismAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

goremisogynyviolence

Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley [Part 1]

Ashok K. Banker Lightspeed 2026

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...

BiopunkRacismAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

child-abuseracismviolence

Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley [Part 2]

Ashok K. Banker Lightspeed 2026

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....

BiopunkRacismAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

body-horrorgoreviolence

The Knacker Man

Scott Dalrymple Lightspeed 2026

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...

Historical FantasyConsciousnessHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

deathwar

Escape Pod 1010: Grifting the Zaxonite

Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

First ContactColonialismAmerican Southwest

Escape Pod 987: In the Palace of Science (Part 1 of 2)

Chris Campbell Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Science FantasyRacismRestrained

Content warnings 2

racismwar

Escape Pod 988: In the Palace of Science (Part 2 of 2)

Chris Campbell Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Science FantasyRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathsubstance-useviolence

PodCastle 906: DOUBLE EPISODE: The House, The Witch, and Sugarcane Stalks and To Pluck a Twisted String

PodCastle 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Fairy Tale RetellingArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

slavery

PodCastle 909: Resurrection Rum

PodCastle 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathracismviolence

PseudoPod 1005: Do It

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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...

Social SatireClass InequalitySardonic

Content warnings 3

deathsuicideviolence

PseudoPod 969: Spunk

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Southern GothicRevengeHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

PseudoPod 974: The Half-Pint Flask

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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...

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

racism

PseudoPod 975: James Courtney Goes Home

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

racism

PseudoPod 979: Two Esoteric Texts: Old Things are Meant to Be Found and Shared and The Secret in the Tomb

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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...

Cosmic HorrorRevengeNew York City

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathgore

PseudoPod 980-B: Jesus Christ in Georgia

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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....

Southern GothicRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathracismviolence

PseudoPod 980: Nesters

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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...

First ContactColonialismMidwest USA

Content warnings 3

animal-harmbody-horrordeath

PseudoPod 981: The Shambler from the Stars

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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....

MetafictionalArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

PseudoPod 982: The Haunter of the Dark

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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 —...

Folk HorrorArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathracism

PseudoPod 983: Grave Worms

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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...

Historical FantasyArt And CreationNew York City

Content warnings 2

mental-illnesssexual-content

PseudoPod 994: The Bride

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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,...

Southern GothicBodily AutonomyHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

abusesexual-contentsexual-violence

PseudoPod 996: The Suitable Surroundings and The Resurrection of Chilton Hills

Pseudopod 2025 ♪ audio

“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 ?...

MetafictionalArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

suicide

Escape Pod 937: Punk Voyager (Flashback Friday)

Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Author : Shaenon K. Garrity Narrator : Nathaniel Lee Hosts : Valerie Valdes and Norm Sherman Audio Producers : Summer Brooks and Mat Weller Escape Pod 937: Punk Voyager (Flashback Friday) is an Escape Pod original. A copious amount of harsh language. Punk...

First ContactCorporate PowerAmerican Southwest

PseudoPod 916: Flash on the Borderlands LXX: Through a Glass Darkly

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

PseudoPod 916: Flash on the Borderlands LXX: Through a Glass Darkly is a PseudoPod original. “Three Awakenings: Hello, World” is a PseudoPod original “Mirrors at Night” is a PseudoPod original “A Persistent Woman” was originally published in the 1927...

Folk HorrorArtificial IntelligenceHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

abuse

PseudoPod 921: Chickamauga

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

‘Chickamauga’ first published in the San Francisco Examiner, January 20, 1889 One sunny autumn afternoon a child strayed away from its rude home in a small field and entered a forest unobserved. It was happy in a new sense of freedom from control, happy in...

Southern GothicTraumaHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathgorewar

PseudoPod 925: Black Bargain and What Every Young Ghoul Should Know

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

“Black Bargain” was originally published in Weird Tales, May 1942 “What Every Young Ghoul Should Know” was originally published in Amateur Correspondent, September-October 1937 What Every Young Ghoul Should Know” is a little piece of ephemera from an...

MetafictionalArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

PseudoPod 927: Three Nights With the Angel of Death

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

“Three Nights With the Angel of Death” was originally published in the anthology ALONG HARROWED TRAILS from Timber Ghost Press in July 2023 The Quick and the Dead Arizona, 1884—Day One The people of Vulture City are calling him the Angel of Death. But that...

Historical FantasyGuiltAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

PseudoPod 933: The Hollow Temple part one

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

“The Hollow Temple” was first published in Black Mask, December 1928. This is the second of four novelettes that were fixed up into the novel The Dain Curse. I Eric Collison came into my office. There was too much pink in his eyes and not any in his skin....

Detective NoirTraumaHistorical USA

PseudoPod 934: The Hollow Temple part two

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

“The Hollow Temple” was first published in Black Mask, December 1928. This is the second of four novelettes that were fixed up into the novel The Dain Curse. IV I spent most of the day fidgeting in and out of my room. The general vagueness of my job in...

Detective NoirGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

PseudoPod 935: The Hollow Temple part three

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

“The Hollow Temple” was first published in Black Mask, December 1928. This is the second of four novelettes that were fixed up into the novel The Dain Curse. The Thin Man (Novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Man The Thin Man (Movie)...

Detective NoirGuiltHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

PseudoPod 937: The Yearning of the All-Devouring Earth

Pseudopod 2024 ♪ audio

PseudoPod 937: The Yearning of the All-Devouring Earth is a PseudoPod original. It’s always when we find a moment of peace that the universe remembers we exist—or maybe it’s less that the universe remembers, and more that it feels bored in our general...

Southern GothicBodily AutonomyHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathsubstance-use

PodCastle 773: Housing Problem

PodCastle 2023 ♪ audio

Authors : C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner Narrator : John Bell Host : Alex Hofelich Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Originally published by Charm, October 1944 Rated PG Housing Problem by C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner Jacqueline said it was a canary, but I...

Historical FantasyFriendshipEarnest

PodCastle 797: A Jar of Malice

PodCastle 2023 ♪ audio

Author : Gregory Marlow Narrator : Scott Campbell Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums PodCastle 797: A Jar of Malice is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for cruelty and references to homophobia Rated PG-13 A Jar of Malice...

Contemporary FantasyQueer IdentityHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

animal-harmbody-horrorhomophobia

PodCastle 808: ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: The Settlement

PodCastle 2023 ♪ audio

Author : WC Dunlap Narrator : Kimberly Taylor Hosts : Matt Dovey and Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali Audio Producers : Eric Valdes and Pria Wood Discuss on Forums PodCastle 808: ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: The Settlement is a PodCastle original. Content warnings for...

Historical FantasyColonialismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

cannibalismsexual-violenceslavery

PodCastle 810: And in Rain, Blank Pages

PodCastle 2023 ♪ audio

Author : Lora Gray Narrator : Jo Moran Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Devin Martin Discuss on Forums Previously published by Fantasy & Science Fiction Content warnings for a surgical procedure, homophobia (including slurs), assault, sexual assault, and...

Psychological HorrorArt And CreationNew York City

Content warnings 3

abusehomophobiasexual-violence

PseudoPod 849: Two Black Bottles

Pseudopod 2023 ♪ audio

“Two Black Bottles” originally appeared in Weird Tales, August 1927 Not all of the few remaining inhabitants of Daalbergen, that dismal little village in the Ramapo Mountains, believe that my uncle, old Dominie Vanderhoof, is really dead. Some of them...

Cosmic HorrorFaithHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

body-horrordeath

PseudoPod 850: A Short Trip Home

Pseudopod 2023 ♪ audio

“A Short Trip Home” was published in 1927 and is in the public domain F. SCOTT FITZGERALD – “The Diamond As Big As The Ritz” (1922) BLACKWATER 2: MORE TALES OF THE FANTASTIC by Alberto Manguel Stefan Grabinski KRAFTWERK – Trans-Europe Express (1977) Pierre...

Psychological HorrorMortalityNostalgic

Content warnings 1

violence

PseudoPod 884: Report on the Flanking Action

Pseudopod 2023 ♪ audio

“Report on the Flanking Action” was originally published in the braided collection, Tales of the Callamo Mountains. CW: racial slurs M.R. James Shadows at the Door Mark Nixon The Thing Search & Rescue A Podcast to the Curious From the action report of...

Weird WesternRacismAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

body-horrorracismviolence

PseudoPod 893: The Stringer of Wiltsburg Farm

Pseudopod 2023 ♪ audio

“The Stringer of Wiltsburg Farm” was originally published in Vastarien and was reprinted in the 2023 collection Who Lost, I Found Dark Harvest novel Dark Harvest Daddy called tobacco a quick and dirty crop. Quick because it was one hundred days from...

Southern GothicRacismAmerican South

Content warnings 3

deathmisogynyviolence

Escape Pod 858: Pen Pal (Part 1 of 2)

Grant Canterbury Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Pen Pal By Grant Canterbury December Third, 1996 Meliari Thulissia General Delivery Tharsis Station Dear Meliari, Hello!! My name is Mary and I am nine years old. I got your name for a pen pal and they said you were the first pen pal on Mars. This is the...

Alternate HistoryFriendshipEarnest

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Escape Pod 859: Pen Pal (Part 2 of 2)

Grant Canterbury Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

(Continued from Part 1) Pen Pal By Grant Canterbury August 8, 2005 Meliari Thulissia General Delivery Tharsis Station Dear Thu, Well I officially graduated from high school! And I have been itching to get out into the world for a long time but right now...

Alternate HistoryFriendshipHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathdeath-of-a-loved-onewar

PodCastle 747: Colors of the Immortal Palette – Part 2

PodCastle 2022 ♪ audio

Author : Caroline M. Yoachim Narrator : Miyuki Jane Pinckard Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producers : Devin Martin and Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Uncanny Magazine Rated R “The Traveler’s Guide to the Goblin Fells is an expansion book...

Historical FantasyArt And CreationHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

PodCastle 748: Colors of the Immortal Palette – Part 3

PodCastle 2022 ♪ audio

Author : Caroline M. Yoachim Narrator : Miyuki Jane Pinckard Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producers : Devin Martin and Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Uncanny Magazine Rated R “The Traveler’s Guide to the Goblin Fells is an expansion book...

SlipstreamRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

death-of-a-loved-oneracismwar

PodCastle 764: The Science and Artistry of Snake Oil Salesmanship – Part 1

PodCastle 2022 ♪ audio

Author : Timothy Mudie Narrator : Jairus Durnett Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies Rated PG-13 The soundtrack featured in this story was composed by our audio engineer Eric...

Historical FantasyCorporate PowerAmerican Southwest

PodCastle 765: The Science and Artistry of Snake Oil Salesmanship – Part 2

PodCastle 2022 ♪ audio

Author : Timothy Mudie Narrator : Jairus Durnett Host : Matt Dovey Audio Producer : Eric Valdes Discuss on Forums Previously published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies Rated PG-13 The soundtrack featured in this story was composed by our audio engineer Eric...

Historical FantasyRevengeAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 1

violence

PseudoPod 799: February Moon

Pseudopod 2022 ♪ audio

“February Moon” originally appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies in May, 2020, and was the first in a series of monster stories I’m writing that take place in old Texas. Something killed our rooster and three of our brown hens during the night. Thin ice...

Folk HorrorFamilyAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

PseudoPod 822: The Experiment of Erich Weigert

Pseudopod 2022 ♪ audio

“The Experiment of Erich Weigert” was originally published in Weird Tales in 1926 The moment I gazed out over the audience I saw him. He was seated far back under the balcony that overhung the little auditorium, but even in the heavy shadow I could see his...

Psychological HorrorMortalityHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathgore

Escape Pod 772: A Wild Patience (Part 1 of 3)

Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Gwynne Garfinkle Narrator : Alethea Kontis Host : S.B. Divya Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Discuss on Forums This story first appeared in GigaNotoSaurus (March 2020) Contains cursing and discussions of sex. A Wild Patience (Part 1 of 3) by Gwynne...

AI FictionAI PersonhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

misogynysexual-content

Escape Pod 773: A Wild Patience (Part 2 of 3)

Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Gwynne Garfinkle Narrator : Alethea Kontis Host : S.B. Divya Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Discuss on Forums This story first appeared in GigaNotoSaurus (March 2020) A Wild Patience (Part 2 of 3) by Gwynne Garfinkle The next day, school was in an...

AI FictionAI PersonhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

abusemisogyny

Escape Pod 774: A Wild Patience (Part 3 of 3)

Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Gwynne Garfinkle Narrator : Alethea Kontis Host : S.B. Divya Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Discuss on Forums This story first appeared in GigaNotoSaurus (March 2020) Contains cursing and discussions of sex. A Wild Patience (Part 3 of 3) by Gwynne...

AI FictionAI PersonhoodHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

abuseviolence

PodCastle 662: La Camaraderie du Cirque

PodCastle 2021 ♪ audio

Author : dave ring Narrator : Dominick Rabrun Host : Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Peter Adrian Behravesh Discuss on Forums Originally published by Shift: A Journal of Literary Oddities. Rated R. La Camaraderie du Cirque By dave ring Gather round, and...

Magical RealismRevengeHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrorsexual-contentviolence

PodCastle 675: Blush Response

PodCastle 2021 ♪ audio

Author : E. Catherine Tobler Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Peter Adrian Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published in No Shit, There I Was (2017), an anthology edited by Alex Acks Rated PG-13. Blush Response by E....

Historical FantasyQueer IdentityHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

sexual-contentviolence

PodCastle 677: Our Roots Devour

PodCastle 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Lora Gray Narrator : Alethea Kontis Host : Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Peter Adrian Behravesh Discuss on Forums Previously published by Apparition Literary Magazine. Violence, including child abuse. Rated PG-13 for violence, including child...

Southern GothicTraumaHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

child-abusegoreviolence

PodCastle 694: Excavate

PodCastle 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Melody Gordon Narrator : Cherrae L. Stuart Host : Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Peter Adrian Behravesh Discuss on Forums FIYAH Literary Magazine Content warning for racism, oppression, and intergenerational trauma. Rated PG-13 Excavate by...

Science FantasySlaveryHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

racismsexual-violenceslavery

PseudoPod 746: Rattlesnake Song

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“Rattlesnake Song” originally appeared in July 2019 in the the anthology Triangulation: Dark Skies. The Last Picture Show came to the movie house on the square in the fall of nineteen seventy-one. We snuck in with warm cans of Pearl and sat on the back row...

Southern GothicFaithAmerican Southwest

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathsuicide

PseudoPod 761: The Black Stone Statue

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“The Black Stone Statue” was first published in Weird Tales, December 1937 We can’t help but wonder what Counselman would think of Annihilation. Directors, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass. Gentlemen: Today I have just received aboard the S. S. Madrigal...

Cosmic HorrorAmbitionHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathsuicideviolence

PseudoPod 762: The Thought Monster

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“The Thought Monster” originally appeared in Weird Tales in March 1930 Fiend Without A Face resources: Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTLRyLnqCH4 Wikipedia Page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiend_Without_a_Face Fiend without a Face and it’s...

Cosmic HorrorHubrisHistorical USA

Content warnings 1

death

PseudoPod 763: Charged

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“Charged” was first published in Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Tor Books, 2011) The reader, Joe Williams, would like to dedicate the reading to their Father who recently passed away: “Allan Williams was Joe’s hero. Never short of experiences to share or...

Historical FantasyAmbitionHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

child-abusedeath-of-a-loved-oneviolence

PseudoPod 767: Death Has Red Hair

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“Death Has Red Hair” was originally published in Weird Tales in September of 1942. This story is surprising in being an early entry that is unabashedly feminist with multiple shades of “street harassment” on display. We three men were hugging the open fire...

Mythic FictionJusticeHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

deathmisogynyviolence

PseudoPod 773: The Floor Above

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“The Floor Above” was originally published in the May 1923 issue of Weird Tales SEPTEMBER 17, 1922. — I sat down to breakfast this morning with a good appetite. The heat seemed over, and a cool wind blew in from my garden, where chrysanthemums were already...

Cosmic HorrorMortalityHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

body-horrordeath

PseudoPod 774: Vanity, Vanity

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

PseudoPod 774: Vanity, Vanity is a PseudoPod original. The author had this to share about this piece: “Gothic rural horror and the amorphous disposition of evil have long preoccupied me. Moral and spiritual diffidence have weighed on my mind more recently....

Southern GothicFaithAmerican South

Content warnings 3

animal-harmchild-abuseviolence

PseudoPod 775: Miss Mack

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“Miss Mack” was first published in the 1986 anthology Halloween Horrors When Miss Mack showed up in Babylon in the late summer of 1957, nobody knew what to think of her. She had come from a little town called Pine Cone, and had a brother back there who did...

Southern GothicFriendshipAmerican South

PseudoPod 776: Papa’s Wrench and the Wind Chime

Pseudopod 2021 ♪ audio

“Papa’s Wrench and the Wind Chime” was originally published by Mocha Memoirs Press in The Grotesquerie (2014) and reprinted in her collection, Cold Comforts (Crossroad Press, 2019). The patch of fog on the window, expanding and fading with each breath, was...

Folk HorrorFamilyMidwest USA

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

WITCHING HOUR

PodCastle 2021 ♪ audio

Authors : Summer Fletcher, Ash Beker and Alasdair Stuart Narrators : Imogen Harris, Marty Perrett, Wilson Fowlie, Peter Adrian Behravesh, Kaitlyn Zivanovich, Mur Lafferty, M. M. Schill, Alex Hofelich, Shawn Garrett, Scott Campbell, Kat Day, Graeme Dunlop...

MetafictionalRacismHistorical USA

Content warnings 3

body-horrorracismviolence