http://escapepod.org The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine. Each week Escape Pod delivers science fiction short stories from today's best authors. Listen today, and hear the new sound of science fiction! Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:30:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=2155 2005-2011 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0 editor@escapepod.org (Mur Lafferty) editor@escapepod.org (Mur Lafferty) science fiction 1440 science fiction, sf, stories, audiobooks, storytelling, fiction, short fiction, short story The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine. Each week Escape Pod delivers science fiction short stories from todayapos;s best authors. Listen today, and hear the new sound of science fiction! Mur Lafferty Mur Lafferty editor@escapepod.org No no http://escapepod.org/wp-content/images/pod-org-icon300.jpg http://escapepod.org 144 144 http://escapepod.org/2011/08/11/ep305-midnight-blue/ http://escapepod.org/2011/08/11/ep305-midnight-blue/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:43:16 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://escapepod.org/?p=2586 http://escapepod.org/2011/08/11/ep305-midnight-blue/feed/ 0 52:20 By Will McIntosh Read by Paul Haring First appeared in Asimov's Discuss on our forums. All stories by Will McIntosh All stories read by Paul Haring Rated appropriate for everyone! Midnight Blue by ... By Will McIntosh Read by Paul Haring First appeared in Asimov's Discuss on our forums. All stories by Will McIntosh All stories read by Paul Haring Rated appropriate for everyone! Midnight Blue by Will McIntosh Hersquo;d never seen a burgundy before.nbsp; Kim held it in her lap, tapped it with her finger.nbsp; She was probably tapping it to bring attention to it, and Jeff didnrsquo;t want to give her the satisfaction of asking to see it, but he really wanted to see it.nbsp; Burgundy (Kim had insisted on calling it burgundy red when she showed it at show and tell) was a rare one.nbsp; Not as rare as a hot pink Flyer or a viridian Better Looking, but still rare. A bus roared up, spitting black smoke.nbsp; It was the seven bus--the Linden Court bus, not his.nbsp; Kids rushed to line up in front of the big yellow doors as the bus hissed to a stop.nbsp; A second-grader squealed, shoved a bigger kid with her Partridge Family lunch box because hersquo;d stepped on her foot.nbsp; All the younger kids seemed to have Partridge Family lunch boxes this year. ldquo;What did you say it did when yoursquo;ve got all three pieces of the charm together?rdquo; nbsp;Jeff asked Kim.nbsp; He said it casually, like he was just making conversation until his bus came. ldquo;It relaxes time,rdquo; Kim said.nbsp; ldquo;When yoursquo;re bored you can make time pass quickly, and when yoursquo;re having fun you can make time stretch out.rdquo; Jeff nodded, tried to look just interested enough to be polite, but no more.nbsp; What must that be like, to make the hour at church fly by?nbsp; Or make the school day (except for lunch and recess) pass in an eyeblink? nbsp;Jeff wondered how fast or slow you could move things along.nbsp; Could you make it seem like you were eating an ice cream sandwich for six hours?nbsp; That would be sparkling fine. ldquo;Want to see it?rdquo; Kim asked. ldquo;Okay,rdquo; Jeff said, holding out his hands too eagerly before he remembered himself.nbsp; Kim handed it to him, looking pleased with herself, the dimples on her round face getting a little deeper. It was smooth as marble, perfectly round, big as a grapefruit and heavy as a bowling ball.nbsp; It made Jeffrsquo;s heart hammer to hold it.nbsp; The rich red, which hinted at purple while still being certainly red, was so beautiful it seemed impossible, so vivid it made his blue shirt seem like a Polaroid photo left in the sun too long. ldquo;Imagine finding this in the wild?nbsp; Pushing over a dead tree and seeing it sitting there under the root?rdquo; Jeff said. ldquo;Yeah, right,rdquo; Kim said.nbsp; ldquo;Not likely.rdquo;nbsp; She shook her long brown hair back over her shoulder.nbsp; She did that all day long in class.nbsp; She thought she was so gorgeous. A few of the other kids circled around to take a look.nbsp; Jeff spun it around until he found the hole where it would be fitted to one side of the staff, when someone got the whole charm together. ldquo;Will your father try to get the other two pieces, do you think?rdquo; Ricky Adamo asked, reaching to pet it once, probably just so he could say hersquo;d touched one. ldquo;Hersquo;s only keeping this as an investment,rdquo; Kim said, holding out her hands to take it back from Jeff, who passed it over, his fingers suddenly feeling much too light.nbsp; ldquo;My fatherrsquo;s going to buy me a whole chartreuse to absorb when Irsquo;m 18.nbsp; Irsquo;m going to be a doctor.rdquo; ldquo;He is not,rdquo; Jeff said.nbsp; ldquo;Most of the chartreuse ones thatrsquo;ve been found have already been absorbed.nbsp; The ones that havenrsquo;t, your father would have to give your whole house and everything in it just to get one sphere.rdquo; ldquo;What would you know about it?rdquo; Kim said, glaring.nbsp; ldquo;You donrsquo;t even know what it feels like to absorb one!nbsp; Yoursquo;ve probably never even owned a sphere, let alone absorbed a whole charm... Best-Of,,OK,for,Kids,,Podcasts Will McIntosh no No http://escapepod.org/2011/07/21/ep302-flash-extravaganza/ http://escapepod.org/2011/07/21/ep302-flash-extravaganza/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:03:23 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://escapepod.org/?p=2457 http://escapepod.org/2011/07/21/ep302-flash-extravaganza/feed/ 0 35:59 Winners of our 2010 Flash Contest! London Iron by William R. Halliar (narrator Andrew Richardson) Wheels of Blue Stilton by Nicholas J. Carter (narrator Christian Brady) Light and ... Winners of our 2010 Flash Contest! London Iron by William R. Halliar (narrator Andrew Richardson) Wheels of Blue Stilton by Nicholas J. Carter (narrator Christian Brady) Light and Lies by Gideon Fostick (narrator- Mur Lafferty) All Escape Pod Originals! And we end with a grand "It's Storytime" montage put together by Marshal Latham! Discuss on our forums. 10,and,Up,,Best-Of,,Flash,,Podcasts Mur Lafferty no No http://escapepod.org/2009/04/10/ep194-exhalation/ http://escapepod.org/2009/04/10/ep194-exhalation/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:00:49 +0000 SFEley http://escapepod.org/?p=362 http://escapepod.org/2009/04/10/ep194-exhalation/feed/ 51 51:24 2009 Hugo Nominee! By Ted Chiang. Read by Ray Sizemore (of X-Ray Visions). First appeared in Eclipse 2, ed. Jonathan Strahan. Narration first appeared at and produced by Starship ... 2009 Hugo Nominee! By Ted Chiang. Read by Ray Sizemore (of X-Ray Visions). First appeared in Eclipse 2, ed. Jonathan Strahan. Narration first appeared at and produced by Starship Sofa. Special thanks to Tony Smith and Ray Sizemore for their kind permission to resyndicate this award nominee. Audible.com Promotion! Get your free audiobook at: http://audiblepodcast.com/escapepod But in the normal course of life, our need for air is far from our thoughts, and indeed many would say that satisfying that need is the least important part of going to the filling stations. For the filling stations are the primary venue for social conversation, the places from which we draw emotional sustenance as well as physical. We all keep spare sets of full lungs in our homes, but when one is alone, the act of opening onersquo;s chest and replacing onersquo;s lungs can seem little better than a chore. In the company of others, however, it becomes a communal activity, a shared pleasure. Rated PG. Contains entropy, eschatology, and empirical evisceration. 10,and,Up,,Best-Of,,Hugo,Awards,,OK,for,Kids,,Podcasts Mur Lafferty no No http://escapepod.org/2006/09/28/ep073-barnaby-in-exile/ http://escapepod.org/2006/09/28/ep073-barnaby-in-exile/#comments Thu, 28 Sep 2006 05:07:21 +0000 SFEley http://escapepod.org/?p=160 http://escapepod.org/2006/09/28/ep073-barnaby-in-exile/feed/ 38 00:01:01 By Mike Resnick. Read by Paul Fischer (of The Balticon Podcast) Discuss on our forums. All stories by Mike Resnick. All stories read by Paul Fischer. "Very good, Barnaby," she ... By Mike Resnick. Read by Paul Fischer (of The Balticon Podcast) Discuss on our forums. All stories by Mike Resnick. All stories read by Paul Fischer. "Very good, Barnaby," she says. "And what is this?" "Kitten," I say. We go through the whole book. "Where is Barnaby?" I ask. "Barnaby is an ape," she says. "There is no picture of an ape in the book." I wonder if there are any other Barnabys in the world, and if they are lonely too. Rated G. Contains nothing age-inappropriate. However, some listeners may find it excessively sad. Today's Sponsor: Referenced sites: 2006 Podcast Portable Media Expo Best-Of,,For,Kids,,OK,for,Kids,,Podcasts Mur Lafferty no No http://escapepod.org/2005/06/23/ep007-the-trouble-with-death-traps/ http://escapepod.org/2005/06/23/ep007-the-trouble-with-death-traps/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 SFEley http://escapepod.org/?p=30 http://escapepod.org/2005/06/23/ep007-the-trouble-with-death-traps/feed/ 12 00:01:01 By Marjorie James. Read by Stephen Eley. All stories by Marjorie James. All stories read by Stephen Eley. A razor-sharp blade shot out of the wall and whipped in ... By Marjorie James. Read by Stephen Eley. All stories by Marjorie James. All stories read by Stephen Eley. A razor-sharp blade shot out of the wall and whipped in front of the teen's face. Xnab hauled him back and spun him around. "First thing you have to learn in this business: never kick anything. Got that?" "Yes sir. Sorry sir." "Good." "Sir?" "Yes?" "What's the second thing?" Rated PG. Contains no sexual content or strong language. Does contain whirling blades of death. 10,and,Up,,Best-Of,,OK,for,Kids,,Podcasts Mur Lafferty no No