Halloween Countdown 2018, Day 21

It was my honor to be invited by two terrific podcasts to narrate two wonderfully spooky stories this year, one classic and one contemporary, both written by amazing women. I love these chilling tales, so I’d like to invite you to check them out!

Contemporary

The contemporary story I narrated is “Dead Canyons” by Ann K. Schwader for Tales to Terrify, Episode 312.

Here’s a teaser:

Darkness. Lifeless, thirsting darkness. Layer upon layer of alien history bled out, worn down to a depth unmatched in the solar system. An open wound in a dying world.

And at the bottom, scrabbling like a beetle in the shadow of a boot, one small machine intelligence twists its wheels toward retreat –

“Are we disturbing you, Susan?” Dr. Susan Barnard flinches in her seat. Flash dream. Another damn flash dream, in the middle of a meeting – and in front of the mission director, always a plus. Inez’s crow-bright eyes are merciless.

“Sorry. Haven’t gotten a lot of sleep lately.”Truer to say she’s been avoiding sleep, but Inez probably doesn’t want that truth. Or the explanation behind it. Or, indeed, her presence on the Clementine II team.

Listen to the complete episode here.

Classic

The classic story I narrated was “Beyond the Dead Reef” by James Tiptree, Jr. for PseudoPod, Episode 603.

Here’s a teaser:

My informant was, of course, spectacularly unreliable.

The only character reference I have for him comes from the intangible nuances of a small restaurant-owner’s remarks, and the only confirmation of his tale lies in the fact that an illiterate fishing-guide appears to believe it. If I were to recount all the reasons why no sane mind should take it seriously, we could never begin. So I will only report the fact that today I found myself shuddering with terror when a perfectly innocent sheet of seaworn plastic came slithering over my snorkeling-reef, as dozens have done for years—and get on with the story.

Listen to the complete episode here.