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Cast of Wonders 31: Inksucker

“Inksucker” was originally published in the Worlds Next Door anthology and was shortlisted for the prestigious Aurealis Award.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:01 — 12.9MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Inksucker by Aidan Doyle. Aidan is an Australian writer and computer programmer who loves travelling and has visited more than 70 countries. His experiences include teaching English in Japan, interviewing ninjas in Bolivia and going ten-pin bowling in North Korea. The majority of Inksucker was written during a 51-hour ferry ride from Osaka to Shanghai; it was originally published in the Worlds Next Door anthology and was shortlisted for the prestigious Aurealis Award. Aidan is currently working on a zombie novel set in Japan. You can find out more about him online.

Your narrator is Danielle Daly, who last read for us in Episode 27, My Boogie Man.

Due to our website crash in April 2014, we are in the process of reconstructing our back catalog. Please enjoy listening to the episode – we’ll have the show notes up as soon as we can!

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

Inksucker

by Aidan Doyle

If you’re a monster, stop reading this right now!

I’ve hidden lots of traps in these words. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

My name is Zoe and I’m 14 years old. I know how dangerous words can be. My family owns the best bookshop in all of Melbourne. There are thousands and thousands of books and the shelves stretch as far as you can see. The further you walk from the shop’s entrance, the older the books get. If you keep walking in a straight line for more than a few hours you can find books thousands of years old.
(Continue Reading…)

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Cast of Wonders 30: Karlsson

Cast of Wonders 30: Karlsson is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:49 — 13.7MB)

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Show Notes

Anatoly told us, “In the original Swedish book by Astrid Lindgren, Karlsson is a more selfish, more obnoxious version of Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat, a negative character. The translation into Russian was wildly successful; without changing the literal meaning of a single sentence, it changed Karlsson into a hero. The cartoon provided an iconic image for Karlsson, and added several of the greatest voice talents of the last century. Karlsson became symbolic of the so-called ‘internal emigres’ – members of various suppressed counterculture movements.”

Here is a link to Part 1 of the original Karlsson cartoon. And here is one to the sequel that introduces Frekken Bock.

Karlsson

by Anatoly Belilovsky

“Where is Charlie?” I asked.

Lynne didn’t look up from her laptop. “Watching his stupid cartoons, I think,” she said.

“I’m going to work,” I said. “Night shift.”

“Bye,” she said.

She used to say, ‘Be careful.’
(Continue Reading…)

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Cast of Wonders 19: Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy (Part 2)

Cast of Wonders 19: Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy (Part 2) is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:34 — 10.7MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Part 2 of Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy by Willow Fagan.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

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Cast of Wonders 18: Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy (Part 1)

Cast of Wonders 18: Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy (Part 1) is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:48 — 14.6MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Part 1 of Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy by Willow Fagan. Willow lives in Portland, Oregon. They’re genderqueer, which for them means that they feel more like a pirate princess than like a man or a woman. Their fiction has appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Behind the Wainscot, and The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2011. To read more about their writing and adventures, go to their blog.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

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Cast of Wonders 17: Saved (Part 2)

Cast of Wonders 17: Saved (Part 2) is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:40 — 14.4MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Part 2 of Saved by Arin Greenwood, read by Alasdair Stuart.

We gave Arin’s bio last episode but, at that time, I implied Arin is a boy. And here, I again display my fabulous research skills! Arin is a girl! My very humble apologies to Arin for getting it wrong. So it’s worth saying again, with the correct gender:

Arin Greenwood is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Washington, studying chemical engineering with a focus in nanotechnology. Apart from writing and reading, she is a dedicated musician, and a member of the Husky Marching Band at the UW. She attended the prestigious Alpha Young Writer’s Workshop in Pittsburgh for two consecutive summers, which features lectures taught by professional fantasy and science fiction authors, and the opportunity to meet writers of all ages.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

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Cast of Wonders 16: Saved (Part 1)

Cast of Wonders 16: Saved (Part 1) is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:08 — 16.7MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Part 1 of Saved by Arin Greenwood. Arin is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Washington, studying chemical engineering with a focus in nanotechnology. Apart from writing and reading, he is a dedicated musician, and a member of the Husky Marching Band at the UW. He attended the prestigious Alpha Young Writer’s Workshop in Pittsburgh for two consecutive summers, which features lectures taught by professional fantasy and science fiction authors, and the opportunity to meet writers of all ages.

Your narrator today is the ever-impressive Alasdair Stuart, the writer and journalist from a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

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Cast of Wonders 14: Bad Kitty

Cast of Wonders 14: Bad Kitty is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:57 — 14.7MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Bad Kitty by Jason Dextraduer. He lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. If, like me, you know little about the US, Virginia Beach is the largest city in the state of Virginia; Virginia is on the West Coast. He works as a courier to pay the bills, and writes to keep the stories in his head from driving him crazy. Should he happen to have free time, he likes to spend it with friends, or outdoors letting the wind blow through him, or with a good story. Some of his other stories have appeared in The Hogglepot Online Fantasy Journal, The Absent Willow Review, and 5923 Quarterly.

Your narrators this week are the “Girl Friday Extraordinaire” Marguerite Kenner, who is becoming a welcome regular ‘round these here parts, and The Dark King of podcasting, Alasdair Stuart. Alasdair is a writer and journalist from a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea protected, the legends say, by a wizard who rolled wheels of fire down the central hill to dissuade invaders. Also it rained a lot, and he’s pretty sure that helped too.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

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Cast of Wonders 9: Alienation (Part 2)

Cast of Wonders 9: Alienation (Part 2) is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:54 — 22.9MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Part 2 of Alienation by Katherine Sparrow.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.

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Cast of Wonders 8: Alienation (Part 1)

Cast of Wonders 8: Alienation (Part 1) is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:13 — 25.0MB)

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Show Notes

Today we present Part 1 of Alienation by Katherine Sparrow. Katherine lives with her partner in Santa Cruz which she says “is a bit too sunny and mellow for her over-caffeinated Seattle soul.” She’s a graduate of the Clarion West Writer’s Workshop, where she learned many excellent things. She has been selling short stories here and there and is currently writing a book about teenagers and the monsters who love them. Katherine especially likes writing books, because that’s where you get to do big things. Her work has been published in Escape Pod, PodCastle, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and many others. You can find out much more about Katherine on her website.

Theme music is “Appeal To Heavens” by Alexye Nov, available at MusicAlley.com.