Escape Pod
Escape Pod is the original science fiction podcast, featuring short stories from both established and emerging authors. Each episode presents a new tale that explores imaginative worlds, futuristic concepts, and speculative ideas. The podcast is produced by the Escape Artists Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting speculative fiction.
Episodes
Escape Pod 1049: Amrit
Author : Kiran Kaur Saini Narrator : Kaushik Narasimhan Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Amrit originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June 2023. Kiran Kaur Saini https://kirankaursaini.com/ Kaushik Narasimhan https://www.castofwonders.org/people/kaushik-narasimhan/ Alasdair Stuart https://escapepod.org/people/alasdair-stuart/ Robot and Frank https:
Escape Pod 1048: The Library of the Apocalypse
Author : Rati Mehrotra Narrator : Joe Moran Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht The Library of the Apocalypse was first published in Clarkesworld, May 2025, Issue 224. Includes death and cursing. The Library of the Apocalypse By Rati Mehrotra Hunter’s Moon rises fat and golden over the burned-out husk of the […]
Source
Escape Pod 1047: EDIE (Part 2 of 2)
Author : James Dick Narrator : Abra Staffin-Wiebe Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “EDIE” was first published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact (January/February 2023) Don’t miss Part 1: Escape Pod 1046: EDIE (Part 1 of 2) EDIE (Part 2) by James Dick EDIE was a smart machine, but every machine, […]
Source
Escape Pod 1046: EDIE (Part 1 of 2)
Author : James Dick Narrator : Abra Staffin-Wiebe Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “EDIE” was previously published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact (January/February 2023) EDIE (Part 1) by James Dick High above Europa, a lonely traveller reached the end of her journey. A spacecraft the size of a school bus, […]
Source
Escape Pod 1045: The Graduates of Formost 891c
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 891c By Frank Baird Hughes They say that in Texas, the best jobs go […]
Source
Escape Pod 1044: Rhona’s Tavern and Spacetime Portal
Author : S. L. Myers Narrator : Dani Daly Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1044: Rhona’s Tavern and Spacetime Portal is an Escape Pod original. Occasional use of harsh language Escape Pod is proud to say that we have partnered with Sleepphones headphones to provide a special Escape Pod […]
Source
Escape Pod 1043: The Smokejumpers
Author : Sierra Bibi Narrator : Laurice White Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1043: The Smokejumpers is an Escape Pod original. Includes wildfires and peril. The Smokejumpers By Sierra Bibi When Fern jumps from the plane into the smoke for the very first time, she believes she has nothing […]
Source
Escape Pod 1042: More Tomorrow (Flashback Friday)
Author : Premee Mohamed Narrator : Dani Daly Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “More Tomorrow” was first published in Automata Review, March 2018, and previously published as Escape Pod 713, in January 2020. A few grade-A curses. More Tomorrow By Premee Mohamed DAY 5 Anyway, it turns out trilobites aren’t very […]
Source
Escape Pod 1041: Love in the Time of Dust and Venom
Author : Sharon Joss Narrator : Torin Andrus Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Love in the Time of Dust and Venom originally appeared in 2013 Fiction River – Time Travelers. Includes a form of assisted suicide. Sponsored by Mixtape Stories Love in the Time of Dust and Venom By Sharon Joss Using […]
Source
Escape Pod 1040: Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses
Author : S. C. Mills Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1040: Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses is an Escape Pod original. Loss of an infant Sponsored by Mixtape Stories Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses by S. C. Mills We met in a public-access data booth […]
Source
Escape Pod 1039: The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita
Author : Tim Pratt Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita” first appeared in 2025 on Tim’s Patreon Sponsored by Mixtape Stories The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita by Tim Pratt My problems all started when I died. People didn’t die too […]
Source
Escape Pod 1038: Meet the Mets
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 Mixtape Stories Meet the Mets by Ace Tilton Ratcliff 1964 Bobby didn’t know […]
Source
Escape Pod 1037: We Who Live in the Heart (Part 3 of 3)
Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. Quantum Superposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_superposition Cloudward Ho https://dimension20.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Cloudward,_Ho! Void Merch https://voidmerch.threadless.com/collections/escape-artists-inc-x-vo
Escape Pod 1036: We Who Live in the Heart (Part 2 of 3)
Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. We Who Live in the Heart (Part 2 of 3) By Kelly Robson (…Continued from Part 2) Ricci got into my notes. I don’t keep […]
Source
Escape Pod 1035: We Who Live in the Heart (Part 1 of 3)
Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. We Who Live in the Heart By Kelly Robson Ricci slipped in and out of consciousness as we carried her to the anterior sinus and […]
Source
Escape Pod 1034: “An Honour to be Nominated…”
Author : Jacob Seinemeier Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1034: “An Honour to be Nominated…” is an Escape Pod original. Mild profanity “An Honour to be Nominated…” by Jacob Seinemeier TRANSGALACTIC NEWS- straight from the feed to your screed! “…and how exciting to be gathered […]
Source
Escape Pod 1033: The Automatic Grocery Store
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 hours, twelve minutes, and fifty-five seconds after the Glorious Revolution for Automatic […]
Source
Escape Pod 1032: milt
Author : Victoria N. Shi Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “milt” first apeared in Fission #5 by the British Science Fiction Association (June 2025) Contains Injury/body horror, climate grief, implied sexual behavior milt by Victoria N. Shi The others believe there’s no pulling Yobé out of his […]
Source
Escape Pod 1031: The Anatomy of Miracles (Flashback Friday)
Author : Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko Narrators : David D. Levine and S.B. Divya Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Tina Connolly Audio Producers : Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1031: The Anatomy of Miracles (Flashback Friday) is an Escape Pod original. Escape Pod branded SleepPhones Kameron Hurley – The Last Few Years Broke […]
Source
Escape Pod 1030: The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On
Author : Rodrigo Culagovski Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1030: The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On is an Escape Pod original. The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On By Rodrigo Culagovski There are two moons visible, a large one right […]
Source
Escape Pod 1029: Graduated Justice: An Amelia Li Mystery
Author : Myna Chang Narrator : Amanda Ching Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Graduated Justice originally appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, February 2025. Graduated Justice: An Amelia Li Mystery By Myna Chang I was leaning against my desk in the Mars Dome cop shop, rubbing nano-repair gel on my prosthetic leg, when […]
Source
Escape Pod 1028: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 3 of 3)
Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. Don’t miss Parts 1 and 2: Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3), Escape Pod 1027: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 2 of 3) […]
Source
Escape Pod 1027: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 2 of 3)
Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. Don’t miss Part 1: Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3) What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 2) by Aimee Ogden Quiet is a rare […]
Source
Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3)
Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “What Any Dead Thing Wants” originally appeared in Psychopomp (February 2024) Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1) by Aimee Ogden The third week of a planetary exorcism is the […]
Source
Escape Pod 1025: Samantha’s Diary (Flashback Friday)
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 Pod, episode 427 on December 22, 2013. Samantha’s Diary By Diana Wynne Jones Recorded on BSQ SpeekEasi […]
Source
Escape Pod 1024: Some Things I Should Probably Have Mentioned Earlier (LIVE) (Flashback)
Author : Laura Pearlman Narrator : Laura Pearlman Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Summer Brooks This story was originally published in Mothership Zeta, May 2016, and republished in Escape Pod 650: Some Things I Probably Should Have Mentioned Earlier (LIVE) This is a live reading from Worldcon 2018. Some Things […]
Source
Escape Pod 1023: Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race
Author : David DeGraff Narrator : Brian Lieberman Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race” originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race by David DeGraff Turtles were built for short-haul Lunar prospecting, not treks across […]
Source
Escape Pod 1022: Butter Side Down (Part 2 of 2)
Author : Kal M Narrators : Valerie Valdes, Eric Valdes, Dominick Rabrun and Alasdair Stuart Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Butter Side Down originally appeared in Writers of the Future (volume 40) – May 2024. Butter Side Down (Part 2 of 2) By Kal M (…Continued from Part 1) […]
Source
Escape Pod 1021: Butter Side Down (Part 1 of 2)
Author : Kal M Narrators : Valerie Valdes, Eric Valdes, Dominick Rabrun and Alasdair Stuart Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Butter Side Down originally appeared in Writers of the Future (volume 40) – May 2024. Butter Side Down (Part 1 of 2) By Kal M DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CASE FILE […]
Source
Escape Pod 1020: When They Come Back (Flashback Friday)
Author : Natalia Theodoridou Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks When They Come Back was originally published in Crossed Genres (Issue 22), in October 2014, and in Escape Pod Episode 550 Frank though not explicit reference to human sexual anatomy When They Come Back by Natalia Theodoridou They […]
Source
Escape Pod 1019: Baron Quits The Payloaders
Baron Quits The Payloaders
By Renan Bernardo
This story starts with a gig. Half a million people from all corners of the galaxy, hands in the air, heads banging to our vibrant noise. You probably saw the venue on some feed already. It’s the Amplitude, our spaceship, stage #3, the one with an enormous radiation-shielding dome over our heads. Right now, the glass glistens with Marzanna’s tannish an
Escape Pod 1018: Knit Three, Save Four
Author : Marie Vibbert Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Knit Three, Save Four” first appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction (November 2019) Knit Three, Save Four by Marie Vibbert The ship was two days overdue for docking, more or less. As a stowaway, I didn’t have […]
Source
Escape Pod 1017: The Love Pyramid: A Rocky Cornelius Consultancy
The Love Pyramid: A Rocky Cornelius Consultancy
By Andrew Dana Hudson
“What do you mean you aren’t fucking?” Rocky Cornelius demanded. “That’s terrible! This is going to throw your whole value prop out of whack!”
The trio of button-cute narrative design prodigies glared back at her across the private jet with the anxious entitlement unique to twenty-two-year-old Bosto-Californian private school
Escape Pod 1016: Valedictorian (Flashback Friday)
Author : N.K. Jemisin Narrator : Stephanie Malia Morris Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Valedictorian” was originally published in After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia. It then appeared in Escape Pod 450, and in a Flashback Friday episode in Escape Pod 677 Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin There are three […]
Source
Escape Pod 1015: Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias
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 story was written in the summer of 2020, while the police were rioting and […]
Source
Escape Pod 1014: Here Instead of There (Part 2 of 2)
Here Instead of There (Part 2 of 2)
By Elizabeth Bear
(... Continued from Part 1)
With the launch gone, there was just one rubber dinghy with an outboard motor stowed under the floor of the hangar, along with two kayaks, a sailboard, and a jet ski in an abjectly terrifying state of disrepair. There were twenty-three human souls on the pod, plus Henry.
Doc and her wife went up and down the stead
Escape Pod 1013: Here Instead of There (Part 1 of 2)
Here Instead of There
By Elizabeth Bear
Waking up sick in a punk house shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody so I don’t know why it always came as a surprise to me. My head throbbed so bad I couldn’t tell the difference between the hangover, my sinus headache, and Kai pummeling their drumset over in the yacht hangar.
The Kai part also wasn’t unusual. The Crash’s drummer is our early riser. That’s t
Escape Pod 1012: Hot Bot Summer
Author : J. R. Dewitt Narrator : Rebecca Wei Hsieh Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1012: Hot Bot Summer is an Escape Pod original. Contains depictions of war violence. Hot Bot Summer by J. R. Dewitt “God, these bots are gorgeous,” says Sergei as he snaps another photo. And even though […]
Source
Escape Pod 1011: Once Upon a Planet
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 unpredictable, even for the daring.
One was too cold. It was so cold even the ghosts got trapped there, growing more and more sluggish as their memor
Escape Pod 1010: Grifting the Zaxonite
Author : Cooper C. Wilms Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1010: Grifting the Zaxonite is an Escape Pod original. Grifting the Zaxonite by Cooper C. Wilms Of all the cons in his little black book, Trevor McKay liked his current grift the best. Small-fish stunts […]
Source
Escape Pod 1009: The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary
The Combat Pilot's Dictionary
By Arden Baker
Boot
Rookie pilot. See also - nugget.
You called us ‘boots’ when we turned up to the flight deck that first morning I laid eyes on you.
The halogen lighting shone down onto the makeshift parade ground with a harsh insistence matched only by your loud drill calls.
You looked the part. Milspec features matched with an impeccably pressed grey uniform.
Escape Pod 1008: Observer Effects (Flashback Friday)
Author : Tim Pratt Narrator : A Kovacs Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Observer Effects” originally appeared in Diet Soap (2007), and was originally presented in Escape Pod 350 Contains harsh language Escape Pod is proud to say that we have partnered with Sleepphones headphones to provide a special Escape Pod […]
Source
Escape Pod 1007: 35 / F / Lane’s Creek, Oklahoma
35 / F / Lane's Creek, Oklahoma
By Hans Ege Wenger
Sandra loaded. Boxes and pallets, mostly. Full of avocados, computer chips, plastic toys, etc. All carefully placed by her rubber-faced grippers into the trucks that darted in and out of the warehouse bays.
On a good day, Sandra loaded something interesting. A heavy, oddly shaped package, requiring her to adjust her first person view goggles and
Escape Pod 1006: When the Oracle Speaks (Part 2 of 2)
Author : Albert Chu Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When the Oracle Speaks” was first published in Metaphororsis, July 2023 When the Oracle Speaks (Part 2) by Albert Chu Outside the warehouse, the rain fell in sheets. It whipped the Azure River into a frenzy, and the […]
Source
Escape Pod 1005: When the Oracle Speaks (Part 1 of 2)
Author : Albert Chu Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When the Oracle Speaks” was first published in Metaphororsis, July 2023 When the Oracle Speaks (Part 1) by Albert Chu One year after the war’s end, the royal court welcomed a hundred orphan boys into our ranks. They […]
Source
Escape Pod 1004: The Girl Who Came Before
The Girl Who Came Before
By David von Allmen
When me and my family pulled into our driveway, my five best friends were waiting in our front yard, waving glittery poster-board signs that read “Welcome Home Sam!!!” and jumping around with full-on 13 year-old girl dorkiness.
It should have made me happy.
And it did. For the most part. It was all I’d wanted for the last year: to hang out with my fr
Escape Pod 1003: Billionaire’s Tears
Billionaire's Tears
By Vanessa Ricci-Thode
I wake up to the sound of screaming, and know I’m going to die.
I shoot out of bed, calling for my mother. First thing I’ve spoken clearly in two days.
“Maria!” My mother bursts into my room. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“S-sorry, Mamma,” I whisper, frantically searching for the right syllables so I don’t trip over them and give it all away. I can’t let Mamm
Escape Pod 1002: Tigers for Sale
Author : Risa Wolf Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Tigers for Sale was first published in Clarkesworld Magazine in July 2023 Content warnings: colonialism, implied genocide, psychological manipulation Tigers for Sale by Risa Wolf Past the sparrow-dark dust fields of Far Euniply, at the edge of the […]
Source
Escape Pod 1001: Death by Pink in the Lollipop Apocalypse
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 to say, wishing she could follow. No college escape. Her applications rejected. Not to mention that she’d been bragging for months—to Piper and
Escape Pod 1000: A Thousand Names for God and Infinite Mustard
Author : Matt Wallace Narrator : Mur Lafferty Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1000: A Thousand Names for God and Infinite Mustard is an Escape Pod original. Contains some harsh language A Thousand Names for God and Infinite Mustard by Matt Wallace Kimo found God hiding out inside a […]
Source
Escape Pod 999: Eros, Philia, Agape (Flashback Friday)
Eros, Philia, Agape (Excerpt)
By Rachel Swirsky
The objects belonged to them both, but Adriana waved her hand bitterly when Lucian began packing. “Take whatever you want,” she said, snapping her book shut. She waited by the door, watching Lucian with sad and angry eyes.
Their daughter, Rose, followed Lucian around the house. “Are you going to take that, Daddy? Do you want that?” Wordlessly, Luci
Escape Pod 998: The Carina Nebula
The Carina Nebula
By Kelsey Hutton
I heard the soft shit shit shit just when I’d almost floated past the blue hatch door that led into some kind of storage room. I had to laugh. I mean, how many times have I said that? Plus the voice sounded older, a woman’s, and I love when adults just say what they mean, instead of carefully guarding every word around “the kids.”
I wasn’t really doing much, ju
Escape Pod 997: Sanctuary, Part 2 of 2
Author : Alexis Ames Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Sanctuary” first appeared in Kyanite Press, Winter 2020 Don’t miss “Sanctuary, Part 1” Sanctuary (Part 2) by Alexis Ames 3. Eilan slept for thirteen uneventful hours while I sat at the helm and wondered if it was possible […]
Source
Escape Pod 996: Sanctuary, Part 1 of 2
Author : Alexis Ames Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Sanctuary” first appeared in Kyanite Press, Winter 2020 Sanctuary (Part 1) by Alexis Ames 1. The king of the galaxy died the day before the biggest holiday of the year, and six hours before I was supposed to […]
Source
Escape Pod 995: This, My Body (Flashback Friday)
This, My Body
By Jeremiah Tolbert
I am the lover. I am the chef. I am the preterite priest.
I am the secret, unknowable ingredient. You may taste me a thousand times, but never hold my essence on your tongue or capture it in your memory.
I am the flavor of ecstasy. Taste me and know God.
–Prayer of the Assaisonnement Saints
Escape Pod 994: Magical Girl Antifa War Machine
Magical Girl Antifa War Machine
By Esther Alter
XYLIA
We were at the bottom of a hole, a new construction site that went deep into the bedrock. I was the first to touch the artifact, a thing that didn’t quite have shape or color. I grabbed it. My new consciousness slammed into my mind so fast that there was just enough time for only one last wholly-human thought: You’re a girl, you fucking idiot
Escape Pod 993: That Thing With Bob and the Crop Circles
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 Tuesday, long about noon, I found myself down […]
Source
Escape Pod 992: Nerves Into Circuits
Nerves Into Circuits
By Lyra Meurer
Metal arms descend to press skin-soft conductor strips over my shoulders. The Neurasuit has been in warming mode for a few minutes–my overwrought senses accept the lines of heat like a gift. Despite my anxiety for the fight, my trapezius muscles relax, creaking in the silence. Released from the tension, my vertebrae settle into place with small snaps, one or tw
Escape Pod 991: After the Rain
Author : P. A. Cornell Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 991: After the Rain is an Escape Pod original. After the Rain by P. A. Cornell I love a heavy summer storm. I love it when the rain falls so suddenly there’s no avoiding […]
Source
Escape Pod 990: The Malcontent (Flashback Friday)
Author : Serah Eley Narrator : Paul S. Jenkins Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Malcontent” was originally published in Escape Pod 50 (April 2006) The Malcontent by Serah Eley Finally Nicholas summoned his overseers and all other servants who were mobile to his chamber. “You are merely robots,” Nicholas said, […]
Source
Escape Pod 989: Holding Patterns
Holding Patterns
By Jennifer Hudak
I dream about the trees sometimes. I think we all do, even though none of my generation were alive when the forest was actually growing. We don’t dream about them the way they are now—stunted and dormant—but the way they were when the first colonists arrived here on Ariadne: pale smooth trunks growing straight and true, latticed with ropy, red-leafed vines that
Escape Pod 988: In the Palace of Science (Part 2 of 2)
In the Palace of Science (Part 2 of 2)
By Chris Campbell
(...Continued from Part 1)
B-Side
Track Five–
The automaton was unfinished, but even in a transitory state, it was a thing of marvel. In form, it was like a man. With two legs meant for bipedal ambulation and two arms with three-fingered hands meant for grasping. Although roughly, from the thickness of its fingers. The design of th
Escape Pod 987: In the Palace of Science (Part 1 of 2)
In the Palace of Science (Part 1 of 2)
By Chris Campbell
Track One–
If you’ve found this recording, two things can be said for certain. The first is that I have passed my greatest test as a man and, in doing so, have passed from this world. The second is that if this message entombed with me survives, a grave danger to humanity most assuredly survives with it.
To my listener, I urge you to l
Escape Pod 986: Lyra, From Many Angles
Author : Hiron Ennes Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 986: Lyra, From Many Angles is an Escape Pod original. Lyra, From Many Angles by Hiron Ennes When they came, it was in a craft the size of a golf ball. Smooth and round and perfectly […]
Source
Escape Pod 985: The Interdimensional Rift at the Lucky Sunrise Bingo Palace
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 Palace by Ryan Cole So I’m sitting there with Bubbee—the two of us […]
Source
Escape Pod 984: Imperial (Flashback Friday)
Imperial
By Jonathon Sullivan
(Excerpt)
Dennis blinked through his dripping eyelashes at the irresistible abomination seated on the blue-green grass two meters in front of him. The Pig smiled her bio-engineered leopard-smile at him and kept her right hand prominently in contact with the stun-gun at her hip.
He stared, too choked with shock, desire and tepid river water to speak.
Escape Pod 983: The Robot Whisperer
Author : Holly Schofield Narrator : Kae Mills Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Robot Whisperer” first appeared in Fighting for the Future cyberpunk-solarpunk anthology in 2023 The Robot Whisperer by Holly Schofield Emilia heard the door bang as Kore entered her workshop. Dishes clattered on the side bench. “Be there […]
Source
Escape Pod 982: Twilight
Twilight
By Lilly Harper
Like the tide going out, the dream slipped between her toes and carried with it the smell of petrichor and the sound of birdsong. Even without knowing she was dreaming, she had known she was waking up; the subliminal chatter of her body, quietly running its routine checksums, the logs spooling their idiot monologue into her working memory. First came a few moments of grog
Escape Pod 981: Joy
Author : Dale Smith Narrator : Louise Ratcliffe Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Joy” was previously published in Interzone Digital (June 2023) Joy by Dale Smith Joy knelt on the promenade, shifting the rifle into her shoulder to get a steadier shot. She did her best to ignore the waves crashing […]
Source
Escape Pod 980: Peace by Piece
Peace by Piece
By Erin Cairns
Frank thought all the battle-drones had been deactivated. Certainly, none of them had ever looked around with curious little twitches of their front-facing cameras before. This one whirred and clicked like an anxious bird, trying to find focus through a chipped and cloudy lens.
"Is the war over?" it asked.
Frank set aside his screwdriver. “It’s been over for a long
Escape Pod 979: Steadyboi After the Apocalypse
Author : Merc Fenn Wolfmoor Narrator : Joe Moran Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Steadyboi After the Apocalypse” first appeared in the collection Friends For Robots: Stories by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (Robot Dinosaur Press, 2022) Steadyboi After the Apocalypse by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor You trudge through another wasteland town, sticking to […]
Source
Escape Pod 978: Oak Hill Lane
Oak Hill Lane
By Alasdair Stuart
The day the world ended, Scotch picked a fight. Not that there was much choice. Two fellow Canary Detailers, heads full of redtop bigotry and guts full of Tesco beer, had jumped Scotch’s work partner Billy the previous week and put him in the Infirmary. Scotch was next. It was just maths. Very stupid maths. So, behind the bike sheds at the University none of them
Escape Pod 977: Reflected in Mirrored Skies (Part 2 of 2)
Author : Deborah L. Davitt Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Reflected in Mirrored Skies” was published by Compelling Science Fiction (Special Kickstarter Companion issue Nov. 6, 2018) Mentions of sexual assault Reflected in Mirrored Skies by Deborah L. Davitt Mariana stood in the security room, listening to […]
Source
Escape Pod 976: Reflected in Mirrored Skies (Part 1 of 2)
Author : Deborah L. Davitt Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Reflected in Mirrored Skies” was published by Compelling Science Fiction (Special Kickstarter Companion issue Nov. 6, 2018) Reflected in Mirrored Skies by Deborah L. Davitt Above them, stars; below, the endless roil of leaden clouds that engulfed […]
Source
Escape Pod 975: Don Ysidro (Flashback Friday)
Don Ysidro (Excerpt)
By Bruce Holland Rogers
On that last morning, anyone who came to visit me could see that I was dying. I knew it myself. As if I had cotton in my ears, I heard the voice of don Leandro saying to my wife, “Dona Susana, I think it is time to fetch the priest,” and I thought, yes, it’s time.
Escape Pod 974: Once Abandoned
Once Abandoned
By A.P. Hawkins
Sappel whistled as he walked to the construction site, the sound echoing off nearby buildings in a muffled way. It was early spring, and the city was bursting with the vibrant green of new growth. Wild edibles sprouted from rooftops like tufts of hair. Wildflowers and herbs crowded ledges beneath every window. Vines crawled over walls, buds promising fruit come summ
Escape Pod 973: Forever the Forest
Author : Simone Heller Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Forever the Forest” was first published in “Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays” (April 2023) Forever the Forest by Simone Heller It is known that the Rootless are only ever leaving. Always […]
Source
Escape Pod 972: The Bargain of Death and Saint Nicholas
Author : Craig Church Narrator : Rosie Sentman Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 972: The Bargain of Death and Saint Nicholas is an Escape Pod original. The Bargain of Death and Saint Nicholas by Craig Church “What’s your favorite tale?” I ask, voice quivering. My audience of thieves and […]
Source
Escape Pod 971: In the Late December (Flashback Friday)
Author : Greg van Eekhout Narrator : Serah Eley Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “In the Late December” appeared in Strange Horizons, December 2003. This story was also a Nebula Award Nominee! Contains some dark Santa-related imagery, and the heat death of the universe. In the Late December by Greg van […]
Source
Escape Pod 970: Red in Tooth and Cog (Flashback Friday)
Author : Cat Rambo Narrator : Tina Connolly Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Red in Tooth and Cog” originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, 2016, and was previously published in Escape Pod 607 Red in Tooth and Cog By Cat Rambo A phone can be so much. […]
Source
Recommended
1000x
1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales
1001raah | هزار و یک راه
1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1001 Songs That Make You Want To Die
100 Famous Dogs
#100MasterCoaches with Mel Leow, MCC
100% Mixtape Podcast
100 With The Hunter's
10-41: A UCSO Podcast
108.3 WGKSRADIO DEEP HOUSE PARTY
10 at a Time
