This week I've dabbled it a couple of podcasts that are new to me, and I'm glad I did. One is Lightspeed Magazine, and when you click the link below, you'll have the option of either reading or listening, so that's nice. The other is Variant Frequencies, and though the story is about Christmas, it's still a great read (listen) any time of year. Both of these podcasts are on iTunes in case, like me, you prefer to download them there. Just search the titles of the podcasts in the iTunes store search function and download the episodes. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!
The first one comes from Lightspeed Magazine, and is called The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt. This one deals with an interesting satellite photo from the Russian space program, and what our main character does with this knowledge. What he finds shocks him, and proves why it is classified information. I thought this one was a good ride, and the lead up and reveal are excellent.
The next story, as I said, is a Christmas story from the podcast Variant Frequencies. It is A Real Christmas by Michael A. Stackpole. This is a PI novel which opens with the hero of the story ready to blow his brains out because his life isn't going how he'd like. Luckily a department store Santa Claus comes in to offer him a case. The rest of the story shows how the magic of Christmas can save. This one was a bit gritty, but also had a real whimsy to it that I found enjoyable. I hope you agree.
As always, I'm getting nothing from the podcasts or the authors for talking about these stories. I'm doing so simply because I want to highlight some great short fiction that's out there for free consumption. I hope you enjoy these stories, and until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
