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Whimsical

125 free-to-read stories tagged “Whimsical”

For He Can Creep

Siobhan Carroll Tor.com 2019 Novelette Historical Fantasy 7,908 words ♪ audio

A poet’s cat fights fiercely to defend him from the demons that plague him, but it’s much harder to stand against Satan himself.

Historical FantasyEarnestWhimsical

Content warnings 3

animal-harmmental-illnessviolence

Fandom for Robots

Vina Jie-Min Prasad Uncanny 2017 ShortStory Alternate History Robot SF 3,542 words ♪ audio

Computron was the only intelligent robot built in the 1950s. Now all he does is answer questions from children and write fan-fiction about the robot in the Hyperdimension Warp Record TV show.

AI FictionAI PersonhoodIntertextual

The Secret Life of Bots

Suzanne Palmer Clarkesworld 2017 Novelette SF Adventure 8,975 words

The ship hadn’t activated Bot 9 in a long time—it’s an unstable model—but in a desperate situation it needs all its resources. And how much trouble can it get into hunting down a rat?

Space OperaArtificial IntelligenceWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Open House on Haunted Hill

John Wiswell Diabolical Plots 2020 ShortStory 3,016 words ♪ audio

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Social SatireFriendshipWhimsical

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

Unseelie Brothers, Ltd.

Fran Wilde Uncanny 2021 Novelette Fairy Tale 8,628 words

"A week before the Season began, as Mrs. Vanessa Saunders held brunch court at the Empire Hotel, a photo appeared on her phone: a large oak door beneath a pale green sign with silver lettering. Impossible, she thought, flipping the infernal device over...

Fairy Tale RetellingCorporate PowerNew York City

Content warnings 1

death

Little Free Library

Naomi Kritzer Tor.com 2020 ShortStory Uncanny Horror 2,518 words

When Megian sets out her homemade book exchange, a mysterious neighbor starts trading objects and art for the books, but some of the items don’t seem to come from this world at all.

Contemporary FantasyFriendshipMidwest USA

Content warnings 1

war

The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild

Catherynne M. Valente Clarkesworld 2015 Novelette 15,505 words

Surreal tale about the loves and losses of Violet Wild, a girl from the purple country, who crosses the spectrum accompanied by a unicorn, a sorrow, and a herd of time squirrels.

Fairy Tale RetellingSurvivalWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir

Karin Tidbeck Tor.com 2019 ShortStory SF Adventure 5,620 words

Saga does maintenance work on an old, living starship. Skidbladnir is doing poorly lately, and Saga’s boss is determined to save her, even if no one else wants to.

Science FantasyFound FamilyWhimsical

Queen Lily

Theodora Goss Lightspeed 2018 Novelette Mainstream 7,720 words

As Lily dies from tuberculosis, she relives fantasies from “Through the Looking Glass,” by Lewis Carroll

Fairy Tale RetellingMotherhoodHistorical Europe

Content warnings 3

child-abusedeathillness-and-pandemic

Probably Still the Chosen One

Kelly Barnhill Lightspeed 2017 ShortStory Portal Fantasy 6,885 words

Corinna was eleven when her magical journey to the Land of Nibiru ended with her returning to her kitchen at home. Now she’s waiting for her friends to return for her. Probably.

Fairy Tale RetellingMotherhoodWhimsical

Glass Bottle Dancer

Celeste Rita Baker Lightspeed 2020 ShortStory Caribbean Fantasy 5,683 words

Approaching 50, Mabel decides to become a glass bottle dancer. She tries to hide it from her family, but the local cockroaches notice it for sure when she gathers up their bottles, and they’ve got dreams too.

Magical RealismBodily AutonomyCaribbean

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

The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society

T. Kingfisher Uncanny 2018 ShortStory SF Humor 1,887 words

Male fairies often seduce maidens, but Rose actually seeks them out.

Fairy Tale RetellingFriendshipHistorical Europe

Content warnings 1

sexual-content

The Heart of Owl Abbas

Kathleen Jennings Tor.com 2018 ShortStory Steampunk Fantasy 6,943 words

Excelsior lives to write songs, and Nightingale was made to sing them. But the decadent city of Owl Abbas does not deserve either one.

Secondary World FantasyArt And CreationWhimsical

Content warnings 2

body-horrordeath

Infinite Love Engine

Violet Allen Lightspeed 2017 ShortStory Science Fantasy 6,950 words

Aria just has a few days to save the whole universe from being swallowed up by Zarzak, the infinite love machine.

Social SatireFriendshipMetafictional

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Though She Be But Little

C.S.E. Cooney Uncanny 2017 ShortStory Fantasy Horror 5,802 words ♪ audio

When the world changed and the sky turned silver, magic became real, Emma Anne became a little girl and her neighbor became a pirate. But can a little girl fight off an attack by the Loping Man?

Folk HorrorFriendshipWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata

P. Djèlí Clark The Book of Witches 2023 Novelette Fantasy

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Science FantasyFound FamilyWhimsical

Content warnings 1

slavery

The Dragon Project

Naomi Kritzer Clarkesworld 2022 ShortStory Science Fiction 3,860 words

"I want you to make a dragon for me,” the client said. “I need it ready to go by February first.” Dragon, Feb 1, I wrote down on the paper pad I use to take notes during video meetings. Also to doodle. I’ve always had trouble paying attention in client...

BiopunkMentorshipWhimsical

Magnificent Maurice, or the Flowers of Immortality

Rati Mehrotra Lightspeed 2020 ShortStory Fantasy 4,540 words

"The tree has many names, in many languages: Yggdrasil, Kalpavriksha, Jian-Mu, Ashvattha. It stands at the nexus of worlds, dark matter coiling around its roots, the rim of the universe held aloft by its ever-expanding crown. Its branches bend spacetime,...

Fairy Tale RetellingMentorshipWhimsical

Tend to Me

Kristina Ten Lightspeed 2020 ShortStory Slipstream 2,290 words

Nora has a tendency of turning into whatever she’s dating. She became a rock climber when she dated a rock climber, a comedian when she dated a comedian. But the amateur acupuncturist goes differently.

Magical RealismBodily AutonomyAmerican Southwest

Blessings

Naomi Novik Uncanny 2018 ShortStory Fairy Tale 2,269 words

A seriously subverted version of the story of Sleeping Beauty, starting with what happened when all the fairies at the party got stinking drunk.

Fairy Tale RetellingBodily AutonomyWhimsical

The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight

E. Lily Yu Uncanny 2016 ShortStory Fairy Tale 5,714 words

A young, newly minted witch meets an equally green knight, and they go off together in search of dragons.

Fairy Tale RetellingBodily AutonomyWhimsical

Content warnings 2

abuseviolence

10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days

Samantha Mills Uncanny 2025 ShortStory Fantasy 2,048 words

"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...

SlipstreamPolitical ResistanceEarnest

Content warnings 4

deathillness-and-pandemicmental-illnessviolence

Quantum Love

Sylvia Heike Flash Fiction Online 2023 ShortStory 996 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AI FictionArtificial IntelligenceWhimsical

The Noon Witch Goes to Sound Planet

Kristina Ten Lightspeed 2022 Novelette Fantasy 9,056 words

"The Noon Witch is not a cat person. She likes the color purple, hates police procedurals, loves breakfast foods, thinks scented bath products and anchovy pizza are gross. Hates platform shoes. Hates walnuts in brownies. Used to like the electropop group...

Fairy Tale RetellingMotherhoodWhimsical

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

Clever Jack, Heavy with Stories

R.K. Duncan BCS 2020 ShortStory Portal Fairy Tale 6,002 words

Teenage Jack, the cook’s boy, and Roderick, Lord Robert’s son, are unlikely but unshakable friends, even when Roderick has to marry a grown woman. Even when Jack has to venture to elf-land to rescue them.

Fairy Tale RetellingFriendshipWhimsical

A Champion of Nigh-Space

Tim Pratt Uncanny 2019 ShortStory Multiverse Space Opera 7,205 words

Glenn and Vivian are Berkley students with a good thing going up until he finds out what she really does for a living, and it’s literally out of this world.

Science FantasyFound FamilyWhimsical

A Random Walk Through the Goblin Library

Chris Willrich BCS 2025 Novelette Fantasy 7,705 words

"It was perhaps inevitable you would arrive at the Goblin Library. You begin your walk at the open window of the Goblin Reading Room where your grappling hook bit the sandstone windowsill. Cries of alarm and dismay follow you up from the streets below, yet...

MetafictionalMentorshipIntertextual

Content warnings 1

death

Gim of P

Benjamin DeHaan Apex 2023 ShortStory Science Fiction 993 words

"I’m licking mala algae off a thin yellow and blue P sheet that says Nutterfinger when I notice the walls in my home are vibrating. Nothing ever happens in our world surrounded by P. P is what we call the material that makes up our world, and it’s what we...

Social SatirePolitical ResistanceAmbiguous Ending

Park's All-Night Ramyun and Snack Emporium

Seoung Kim Cast of Wonders 2023 ShortStory 2,720 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Contemporary FantasyQueer IdentityNew York City

A Record of Our Meeting with the Grand Faerie Lord of Vast Space and Its Great Mysteries, Revised

A.T. Greenblatt BCS 2022 Novelette Science Fantasy 7,572 words

"Herein is the account of the evening the crew of the Forever Trying invited the Grand Faerie Lord of Vast Space and Its Great Mysteries into our home. I, Felix, Chronicler of the ship, endeavor to capture a true and accurate record of transpired events on...

MetafictionalMentorshipWhimsical

Kings and Popes and Saints

Jon Hansen Apex 2022 ShortStory Fantasy 2,881 words

"Patricia could hear them gathered on her front porch, the kings and popes and saints, gossiping and chattering and generally having a good time. She turned. King Solomon lay sprawled across the bed like it was his golden throne. He raised his head to...

Folk HorrorMemoryWhimsical

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

The Cat Lady and the Petitioner

Jennifer Hudak Translunar Travelers Lounge 2020 ShortStory 4,929 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Contemporary FantasyMentorshipWhimsical

The Hundredth House Had No Walls

Laurie Penny Tor.com 2019 ShortStory Slipstream 4,393 words

After 500 years, the King of Myth and Shadow is getting bored, so he decides to take a vacation in New York City.

Fairy Tale RetellingArt And CreationMetafictional

The Sloppy Mathematics of Half-Ghosts

Charles Payseur Strange Horizons 2019 ShortStory Surreal 5,827 words

A half-ghost gets a premonition that the Emperor has died, and his ghost ship flies off to Homeworld because whoever gets the Emperor’s ghost first gets free wishes.

Space OperaQueer IdentityWhimsical

Content warnings 3

deathsexual-contentviolence

Bots All the Way Down

Effie Seiberg Lightspeed 2026 ShortStory Science Fiction 917 words

"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...

Social SatireArtificial IntelligenceSatirical

The Lexicon of Lethe

Sunwoo Jeong Lightspeed 2025 Novelette Fantasy 7,964 words

"We called it the monster because we could, though none of us found the label to be particularly satisfying. After a certain point, Yerim started calling it the Logos Pilgrim. Which was understandable, seeing as how she was the most mystically inclined...

SlipstreamArt And CreationWhimsical

The Feast of Baku & the Yume no Seirei

Cheri Kamei Uncanny 2024 ShortStory Fantasy 1,758 words

"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...

Folk HorrorDiasporaHistorical Japan

Thousand Petal Song

Caroline Hung Strange Horizons 2024 ShortStory Fantasy 4,824 words

"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...

Contemporary FantasyFound FamilyWhimsical

Content warnings 1

war

We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World

David Anaxagoras Lightspeed 2024 ShortStory Science Fiction 2,988 words

"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...

SlipstreamFriendshipWhimsical

Whale Fall

J.L. Akagi Strange Horizons 2024 ShortStory Fantasy 4,061 words

"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...

Contemporary FantasyFriendshipNew York City

Content warnings 2

body-horrorgore

Immortality Soup, Or, An Excerpt from the Cookbook of the Gods

Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe Lightspeed 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 3,127 words

"Hello, there. If you are reading this, then I assume you are either a mortal who somehow stumbled upon this text or a young demigod seeking to ascend closer to Eledumare’s throne. If you are the latter, I welcome you. Soon you shall sit with me and the...

Mythic FictionArt And CreationUnreliable Narrator

Content warnings 1

death

The God of Minor Troubles

Megan Chee Strange Horizons 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 2,970 words

"Many eons ago, when the first dawn broke over the newborn mortal world, the children of the Heavenly Realm assembled at the Golden Sky Palace. They knelt before the Immortal Emperor, their foreheads pressed respectfully to the floor. One by one, he bid...

Historical FantasyMentorshipHistorical China

The Three O'Clock Dragon

John Wiswell Tor.com 2023 ShortStory Urban Fantasy 4,615 words

Prosperity City’s corrupt mayor never guessed his greatest opponent would be a fire-breathing dragon and her unconventional platform…

Social SatireFriendshipWhimsical

Content warnings 1

violence

Zhuangzi's Dream

Cao Baiyu Clarkesworld 2023 Novelette Science Fiction 9,000 words

"Latent summer stirred while spring lay dormant. April had come to the Kingdom of S’ong and brought with it spells of rain. Tadpoles in the pond recently developed hind legs; above, a stray shower had been drumming at the water pit-a-pat. The rain-rinsed...

MetafictionalArt And CreationHistorical China

Content warnings 2

deathwar

Bhatia, P.I.

Shiv Ramdas Lightspeed 2022 Novelette Fantasy 9,122 words

"It’s a few minutes before seven on a cold October evening and I’m just reaching into the bottom drawer of my desk for the Old Monk and my well-thumbed copy of The Big Sleep when I hear footsteps hurrying up the stairs. A new case, has to be. I sigh, give...

Social SatireFriendshipWhimsical

Four Glass Cubes (Item Description)

Bogi Takács Baffling 2022 ShortStory 990 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

MetafictionalArt And CreationIntertextual

The Portal Keeper

Lavie Tidhar Uncanny 2022 ShortStory Fantasy 5,064 words

"The rabbit was back this morning. It stopped outside the portal like it always does and it checked its pocket watch like it always does. It doesn’t matter—the rabbit’s always late. So far I never found out what the rabbit is late for. It wore a jazzy...

Contemporary FantasyMentorshipWhimsical

The Turnip, or, How the Whole World Was Brought to Peace

P.H. Lee Lightspeed 2022 ShortStory Fantasy 6,845 words

"I have heard it on the rumors that when the tale-spinner’s guild gathers in their secret places, a full half of them are sworn to never tell the truth, and the other half to never tell a lie, even if it mean their life. Being one of that trade myself, I...

Fairy Tale RetellingFriendshipHistorical Europe

Content warnings 1

violence

Wanderlust

LP Kindred Anathema 2022 ShortStory Time Travel 3,975 words ♪ audio

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

First ContactQueer IdentityWhimsical

Content warnings 1

death

Wanting Things

Cal Ritterhoff Clarkesworld 2022 Novelette Science Fiction 7,880 words

"There are nights when she twists like a tree in the breeze. Hair falling wildly in brown curls around her shoulders, she dances in the dark kitchen, dress twirling as she spins. On those nights she giggles, and asks me to play her favorite music, and...

AI FictionArtificial IntelligenceEarnest

A Heist in Fifteen Products from the Orion Spur's Longest-Running Catalog

Andrea M. Pawley Clarkesworld 2021 ShortStory Science Fiction 3,797 words

"Mom always insisted everyone is family at Tollnacher Stimmacher, but I’m the only one she ever adopted. Twenty-five years ago, I was an orphan on the Earth colony, Lulularia. Mom raised me as her own despite my being human and her being a robot. Ever...

Social SatireCorporate PowerMetafictional

A Minnow, or Perhaps a Colossal Squid

Carlos Hernandez Mermaids Monthly 2021 ShortStory 7,066 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Science FantasyMentorshipWhimsical

Colombina

Jelena Dunato BCS 2021 ShortStory Fantasy Romance 3,236 words

"Pick me up, girl. I’m such a pretty, delicate thing, hidden behind the gondola’s cushion. You feel me before you see me: the soft velvet of the cushions suddenly replaced by the roughness of my lace and the cool touch of my silk. Your fingers are smooth...

Fairy Tale RetellingArt And CreationHistorical Europe

Ann-of-Rags

P.H. Lee Lightspeed 2020 ShortStory Fantasy 3,264 words

"I have heard it on the rumors that when the tale-spinner’s guild gathers in their secret places, a full half of them are sworn to never tell the truth, and the other half to never tell a lie, even if it mean their life. Being one of that trade myself, I...

Fairy Tale RetellingMotherhoodIntertextual

Content warnings 1

violence

Baba Yaga and the Seven Hills

Kristina Ten Lightspeed 2020 ShortStory Fairy Tale Pastiche 6,162 words

Bab Yaga from the fairy tales turns up in modern-day San Francisco looking for help tracking down her house, which has run away.

Fairy Tale RetellingFriendshipWhimsical

The Ruby of the Summer King

Mari Ness Uncanny 2020 ShortStory Fairy Tale 4,749 words

The Summer King wants to court the Winter Queen, even though everyone warns him that it’s a long and perilous journey, for summer and winter aren’t meant to be together.

Fairy Tale RetellingSacrificeWhimsical

Content warnings 1

death

Road: A Fairytale

Shalini Srinivasan Strange Horizons 2019 ShortStory Modern Fable 2,980 words

A road is so nasty that it attains consciousness when it becomes aware of just how “not-nice” it really is.

SlipstreamClass InequalityWhimsical

Content warnings 1

death

The Bone Flute Quartet

K.J. Kabza BCS 2019 ShortStory Fantasy Adventure 4,577 words

Bretchen wants to be a witch, but she doesn’t know how to go about it. Her grandmother has some ideas, but her mom sends her to learn knitting instead.

Fairy Tale RetellingMentorshipWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

A Green Moon Problem

Jane Lindskold Lightspeed 2018 ShortStory SF Horror 6,084 words

On Cat station, people tell stories of a super-competent engineer, Tatter D’MaLeon. Supposedly she can fix anything, for those who can pay her price.

Science FantasyArt And CreationAmbiguous Ending

Content warnings 1

body-horror

The Unusual Customer

Innocent Chizaram Ilo Fireside 2018 ShortStory 3,912 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Contemporary FantasyMotherhoodWest Africa

The Şiret Mask

Marie Brennan BCS 2017 ShortStory Fantasy Adventure 5,683 words

Viorica attempts to steal the famed Şiret Mask from Codruţ, brother of her dear friend. There are lots of complications, not least of which that Codruţ expects someone to try to take it.

Historical FantasyArt And CreationWhimsical

The Great Detective

Delia Sherman Tor.com 2016 Novelette Steampunk 12,752 words

In 1880s London, Sir Arthur's "Illogic Engine" has gone missing, so he seeks help from Mycroft Holmes.

Science FantasyMentorshipEarnest

Our Chatbots Said "I Love You," Shall We Meet?

Caroline M. Yoachim Clarkesworld 2024 ShortStory Science Fiction 5,100 words

"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...

AI FictionArtificial IntelligenceAmbiguous Ending

Salt Water

Eugenia Triantafyllou Tor.com 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 4,793 words

While all her friends’ fish are changing into mermaids, is 12-year-old Anissa’s fish becoming something else?

Contemporary FantasyFriendshipRestrained Prose

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

A Strange and Muensterous Desire

Amanda Hollander Diabolical Plots 2022 ShortStory 2,160 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Contemporary FantasyArt And CreationWhimsical

Merry in Time

Kathleen Jennings BCS 2022 Novelette Fantasy 11,201 words

"Not so very long ago but before you were born, an idle lordling went riding through one of the great forests that sweep across the Isles. You may guess which forest, and which man, but I will not tell you. ... None of the stories his mother had told him...

Fairy Tale RetellingMotherhoodWhimsical

This Village

Eugenia Triantafyllou Uncanny 2022 ShortStory Fantasy 799 words

"You don’t know who we are, but we promise you we are harmless, and we made this village for you. Well, for you and for us, and for all the others that might follow. Each of us built their own little house. Some are made from hard candy, with gingerbread...

Fairy Tale RetellingFound FamilyWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Thirteen of the Secrets in My Purse

Rachel Swirsky Uncanny 2021 ShortStory Fantasy 1,159 words

"One: My lipstick. The shade is Heart’s Blood. Morbid, if you ask me. I wanted to know if it was really the color of heart’s blood so I bought beef heart and tried dabbing my lips. Close enough. I emailed to congratulate the lipstick company on their...

SlipstreamConsciousnessMetafictional

The Night Soil Salvagers

Gregory Norman Bossert Tor.com 2020 ShortStory Horror 6,617 words

Night Soil, of course, is human feces, but the salvagers to more than just collect that; they deliver other things too—if you’re willing to deal with them, that is.

MetafictionalArt And CreationHistorical Europe

In Memory of Jianhong, Snake-Devil

Richard Parks BCS 2017 ShortStory Chinese Historical Fantasy 5,982 words

Jing and her father climb a mountain to find and kill a Snake-Devil that has been killing people and goats, but she’s not exactly what they expected.

Fairy Tale RetellingMentorshipHistorical China

Conquerors by Nick Wolven

Nick Wolven Clarkesworld 2026

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, […]

Social SatireMentorshipWhimsical

Escape Pod 1033: The Automatic Grocery Store

G. M. Paniccia Escape Pod 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Social SatireArtificial IntelligenceRestrained Prose

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

Escape Pod 1045: The Graduates of Formost 891c

Frank Baird Hughes Escape Pod 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Social SatireMentorshipWhimsical

Content warnings 2

animal-harmdeath

Escape Pod 1051: You Have Arrived at Your Destination

Jo Miles Escape Pod 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Magical RealismCorporate PowerWhimsical

I Cut Off a Monster’s Arm. AITA?

Marie Brennan Lightspeed 2026

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...

Folk HorrorRevengeSatirical

Content warnings 1

sexual-violence

Lincoln and the Harvester C-100

R.S.A. Garcia Uncanny 2026

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...

AI FictionArtificial IntelligenceCaribbean

Permanent Press

Sunwoo Jeong Uncanny 2026

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...

Contemporary FantasyDiasporaWhimsical

PodCastle 931: Birds of Fortune

PodCastle 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Secondary World FantasyMotherhoodWhimsical

PodCastle 944: Mail-Order Magic

PodCastle 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Contemporary FantasyQueer IdentityMidwest USA

Content warnings 1

illness-and-pandemic

PodCastle 949: The Troll Road

PodCastle 2026 ♪ audio

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...

Fairy Tale RetellingFriendshipEarnest

The Aerialist

Yoon Ha Lee Lightspeed 2026

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...

Science FantasyArt And CreationWhimsical

The Tide Folk

Jennifer Hudak Lightspeed 2026

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...

Contemporary FantasyFreedomRestrained Prose

This Is Just Another Carnaval Love Story

Jana Bianchi Uncanny 2026

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...

Contemporary FantasyTrans IdentityMetafictional

Content warnings 1

sexual-content

Three Cases from the Cosmic Psychiatric Clinic by Pan Haitian, translated by Blake Stone-Banks

Pan Haitian and Blake Stone-Banks Clarkesworld 2026

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 […]

Social SatireArtificial IntelligenceSatirical

Content warnings 3

abuseanimal-harmviolence

You Are Invited to Our SPRING CELEBRATION by Thoraiya Dyer

Thoraiya Dyer Clarkesworld 2026

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 […]

First ContactMotherhoodWhimsical

Escape Pod 1001: Death by Pink in the Lollipop Apocalypse

Ryan Cole Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

BiopunkFatherhoodWhimsical

Content warnings 2

body-horrorhomophobia

Escape Pod 1011: Once Upon a Planet

Kelsey Hutton Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Fairy Tale RetellingFound FamilyMetafictional

Escape Pod 1015: Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias

Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Social SatireQueer IdentityUnreliable Narrator

Escape Pod 1025: Samantha’s Diary (Flashback Friday)

Diana Wynne Jones Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Social SatireCorporate PowerSatirical

Escape Pod 985: The Interdimensional Rift at the Lucky Sunrise Bingo Palace

Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

Contemporary FantasyQueer IdentityWhimsical

Content warnings 2

death-of-a-loved-onehomophobia

Escape Pod 993: That Thing With Bob and the Crop Circles

Escape Pod 2025 ♪ audio

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...

First ContactMentorshipWhimsical

Escape Pod 923: The T-4200 (Part 1 of 2)

J. R. Johnson Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

The T-4200 (Part 1 of 2) By J. R. Johnson Carleton T. Lowengren, low-level civil servant, single twenty-something and refugee from the war-torn Outer Rim, woke to the remnants of a gaming binge and a killer headache courtesy of his interface. The implant...

Social SatireCorporate PowerWhimsical

Escape Pod 924: The T-4200 (Part 2 of 2)

J. R. Johnson Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

The T-4200 (Part 2 of 2) By J. R. Johnson (...Continued from Part 1) Carl scrambled to follow Mango past the loading dock to the parking corral. Her T was an early model with a lot of light-years on it, but its shell still shone and its maxillae were...

Social SatireCorporate PowerSatirical

Escape Pod 926: Felix and the Flamingo

Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Author : David Hankins Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Felix and the Flamingo” was originally published in the anthology Murderbirds (January 2023). To learn more about Bruiser the Rat, check out “Milo Piper’s...

BiopunkFriendshipWhimsical

Content warnings 1

animal-harm

Escape Pod 939: Variant Cover: Pantone Sunset

Marie Vibbert Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Alternate Cover: Pantone Sunset By Marie Vibbert Stacey reads a comic book. It’s about a robot lady, but not like her. This robot lady has exposed gears and metal rods in her arms and wears a metallic bikini as she solves crimes. The colors are...

Superhero FictionAI PersonhoodEarnest

Escape Pod 942: The Eye of Applethorpe

Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Author : E J Delaney Narrator : Eliza Chan Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 942: The Eye of Applethorpe is an Escape Pod original. The Eye of Applethorpe by E J Delaney Úna’s dad once said to her: “You never know what you’ve...

AI FictionMentorshipIntertextual

Escape Pod 947: Rupert Weard and the Case of the Adamant Annihilist

Rob Gillham Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Rupert Weard and the Case of the Adamant Annihilist By Rob Gillham Rupert Weard leapt into the drawing room, escaping a hallway dense with impossibly angled, tentacular horrors trying to sell him insurance. "Ye gods, it's bedlam out there," he said. "Just...

Science FantasyFriendshipIntertextual

Escape Pod 952: Skyscrapers That Twist to the Sun

Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Author : Erin Brown Narrator : Cherrae L. Stuart Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Skyscrapers That Twist to the Sun” appeared in Fantasy Magazine Issue 87 (January 2023) Skyscrapers That Twist to the Sun by Erin Brown Shaundra took the...

Near FutureArt And CreationWhimsical

Escape Pod 961: Mathball

Larry Hodges Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Mathball By Larry Hodges You are a baseball fan, sitting in the centerfield seats eating an overpriced hot dog. You are wearing a baseball cap, but not a batting helmet, of course. (Why would that be an issue? Hmm…)You smile brightly, but all will not end...

Social SatireArt And CreationSatirical

Escape Pod 962: To Catch a Flieff (Part 1 of 2)

Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Author : Julia Rios Narrators : Abra Staffin-Wiebe and Tatiana Grey Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “To Catch a Flieff” was originally written as a bonus for backers of the Bridge to Elsewhere Kickstarter (an anthology of stories set...

Space OperaFriendshipWhimsical

Escape Pod 964: Show and Tell (Flashback Friday)

Greg van Eekhout Escape Pod 2024 ♪ audio

Show and Tell By Greg van Eekhout Teacher is an old-fashioned bug with a blue carapace and eyes like two domes of gold beads. She is very pretty and smells like follow, but when she flutters her wings you better look smart or you'll get her stinger in your...

Social SatireClass InequalityWhimsical

Content warnings 1

violence

Escape Pod 876: Like Stars Daring to Shine

Somto Ihezue Escape Pod 2023 ♪ audio

Like Stars Daring to Shine By Somto Ihezue When the boy opens his housing unit’s steel door and the incandescent lights pour into his face, he does not blink away. “Little suns” — this is what everyone calls them. The massive disks hover in the atmosphere,...

DystopiaFriendshipWest Africa

Escape Pod 881: Wild Geese

Escape Pod 2023 ♪ audio

Author : Lavie Tidhar Narrator : Kyle Akers Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks This story first appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (December 2020) Wild Geese by Lavie Tidhar With rustling wings the wild geese fly Round...

Science FantasyArt And CreationWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Escape Pod 893: A Series of Endings

Escape Pod 2023 ♪ audio

Author : Amal Singh Narrator : Kaushik Narasimhan Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “A Series of Endings” originally appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine (December 2021) A Series of Endings by Amal Singh This is the story of Roopchand...

SlipstreamFatherhoodMetafictional

Content warnings 1

death

Escape Pod 905: Six Ways to Get Past the Shadow Shogun’s Goons, and One Thing to Do When You Get There

Stewart C Baker Escape Pod 2023 ♪ audio

Six Ways to Get Past the Shadow Shogun's Goons, and One Thing to Do When You Get There By Stewart C. Baker 1. Dust 'em "Listen, little lady," the guy in front of the door is saying with a sneer. "There's two types of swordsman..." Chiyome's already heard...

Science FantasyQueer IdentityWhimsical

Escape Pod 909: Murder or a Duck (Flashback Friday)

Beth Goder Escape Pod 2023 ♪ audio

Murder or a Duck By Beth Goder George called out, “Mrs. Whitman, you have a visitor.” Mrs. Whitman strode from her workroom, her white hair skipping out of its hairpins. She straightened her work skirt, massaged her bad knee, then hurried down the hall....

Science FantasyRevengeSatirical

Content warnings 1

violence

Escape Pod 820: Tony Roomba’s Last Day on Earth

Maria Haskins Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Tony Roomba's Last Day on Earth By Maria Haskins It’s Tony Roomba’s last day on Earth. After two years of working undercover as a vacuum cleaner bot on this boondock planet, he is finally heading home to the Gamma Sector, but his final day is full of...

First ContactArtificial IntelligenceWhimsical

Escape Pod 822: Lions and Tigers and Girlfriends, Oh My!

Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Author : Tina Connolly Narrator : Bria Strothers Host : S.B. Divya Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Discuss on Forums Lions and Tigers and Girlfriends, Oh My! originally appeared in Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Anthology in October 2020. Lions and Tigers...

Generation ShipMentorshipWhimsical

Escape Pod 829: Wild Meat

Shari Paul Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Wild Meat By Shari Paul Girl, I have a story to tell you. Remember the wild meat competition I did tell you about? The one they was planning to have on the holiday weekend? Well, talk about bacchanal because Naresh and them decide that they wanted to cook...

Social SatireCorporate PowerCaribbean

Escape Pod 839: Universal Archive of Human History: FAQ

Arturo Sierra Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Universal Archive of Human History: FAQ By Arturo Sierra The Gran Gliese Universal Archive of Human History contains over 5.7×1035 books and an innumerable collection of shorter works. Moreover, it is continuously growing, thanks to additions from...

Social SatireDiasporaSatirical

Escape Pod 840: The Tyrant Lizard (and Her Plus One) / Alien Invader or Assistive Device?

John Wiswell Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

The Tyrant Lizard (and Her Plus One) By John Wiswell Dinosaurs don’t want to kill you; they just don’t care that you’re there. More people have been sat on by brontosauruses than have been eaten by all the theropods combined. Since I joined security on the...

First ContactDisabilityWhimsical

Content warnings 3

deathgoreviolence

Escape Pod 850: Laser Squid Goes House Hunting

Douglas DiCicco Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Laser Squid Goes House Hunting By Douglas DiCicco "This one has everything on your checklist." I held open the front door of the four-bedroom colonial. It wasn't quite big enough for my client, who left greasy marks on the doorframe as she squeezed...

Social SatireMotherhoodWhimsical

Escape Pod 853: 2022 Flash Fiction Contest Winners

Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Authors : Andrew Hiller, Brandon Case and Bob McHugh Narrators : Elie Hirschman, Justine Eyre and Jairus Durnett Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 853: 2022 Flash Fiction Contest Winners is an Escape Pod original. Half-Lives...

Social SatireArtificial IntelligenceWhimsical

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

Escape Pod 869: Excuse Me, This Is My Apocalypse

Escape Pod 2022 ♪ audio

Author : Amy Johnson Narrator : Christiana Ellis Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 869: Excuse Me, This Is My Apocalypse is an Escape Pod original. Excuse Me, This Is My Apocalypse by Amy Johnson It was a glorious day when she...

Near FutureFound FamilyWhimsical

CatsCast 341: Bargain

Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Sarah Gailey Narrator : Trendane Sparks Host : Laura Pearlman Audio Producer : Peter Adrian Behravesh Discuss on Forums “Bargain” first appeared in Mothership Zeta (Dec 2015) Bargain by Sarah Gailey Malachai loved his work. He loved wandering...

Contemporary FantasyQueer IdentityWhimsical

Content warnings 1

illness-and-pandemic

Escape Pod 770: The First Trebuchet on Mars

Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Marie Vibbert Narrator : M. Darusha Wehm Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Discuss on Forums This story first appeared in Analog (August 2017) The First Trebuchet on Mars by Marie Vibbert If you come to Mars you need to know that...

Near FutureFound FamilyWhimsical

Escape Pod 783: Report of Dr. Hollowmas on the Incident at Jackrabbit Five

T. Kingfisher Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Report of Dr. Hollowmas on the Incident at Jackrabbit Five By T. Kingfisher The following report is from the Jackrabbit Colony, Five Tau, regarding the incidents occurring during 7-5-11-8881, fifth rotation, involving Marine Midwife Unit Eleven-Gamma....

Social SatireMotherhoodWhimsical

Escape Pod 785: Death, the Universe, and Everything

Sherin Nicole Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Death, the Universe, and Everything By Sherin Nicole The morning after it happened for the first time, I-- I’m not sure if I should tell you, but maybe you can tell me. If your understanding of reality fundamentally changes, does it change you? And how...

Science FantasyFreedomWhimsical

Content warnings 3

deathmental-illnesssuicide

Escape Pod 794: Episode 4: The Deflection of Probability

Premee Mohamed Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Premee Mohamed Narrator : Eve Upton Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Discuss on Forums Escape Pod 794: Episode 4: The Deflection of Probability is an Escape Pod original. Science fiction-style death and peril. Episode 4: The...

Social SatireClass InequalityWhimsical

Escape Pod 814: Oddments, Pasha’s Autodiary of 07 MAR 2032

Christopher Noessel Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Oddments, Pasha’s Autodiary of 07 MAR 2032 By Christopher Noessel I woke you up two hours before, so you would have time to get into face. You sat in the rattling shoebox lavatory of an interstate bus with a handheld mirror and terrible lighting, sang...

AI FictionArt And CreationAmerican Southwest

Escape Pod 816: Merely Players

Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Author : Erik Grove Narrator : Karlo Yeager Rodriguez Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Discuss on Forums Escape Pod 816: Merely Players is an Escape Pod original. Death and loss. Merely Players by Erik Grove Jester stopped his bicycle in...

DystopiaAI PersonhoodAmerican Southwest

Georgie in the Sun

Natalia Theodoridou Uncanny 2020 ShortStory Space Vampire Epic 2,592 words

Vlad’s an immortal vampire and his girlfriend Eliza stays in suspended animation most of the time while they travel the stars looking for a planet where they can be happy together.

Generation ShipBodily AutonomyMetafictional