Anthropomorphic Dreams Publishing

Escape Pod’s story βoyfriend is another story featuring artificial lifeforms as characters, this time in the form of virtual dating partner apps for your smart phones. It’s an interesting concept that’s wonderfully drawn and fleshed out with some good character drama. This should strike chords with anyone who remembers being a teenager and/or being one of the quirky ones.

One of the recent stories on PodCastle brings a new twist on a classic fairy tale. Kissing Frogs updates Grimm’s story, not only with a modern setting, but new themes of both romance and self image.

EscapePod the science-fiction podcast with robotic characters. Synthetic characters have always been a favorite of mine as they allow for wonderful uses of anthropomorphism and examining of the human condition.

On the Eyeball Floor has workers at a cyborg factory not only peering into but hovering over the abyss of the uncanny valley.

Harry the Crow does a wonderful job of mixing older cultures and myths with the modern world, holding onto old traditions while dealing with new technology.

Tideline has a leftover war machine trying to make a memorial to the soldiers who died in the battle, while befriending and protecting an orphaned boy.

Edward Bear and the Very Long Walk sets the task of grave importance on a small robotic bear from the ship’s nursery. Edward must take an arduous journey to save the people and the children he was built to love and care for.

These stories are all marked mature for various levels of violence and/or themes of death, but they also contain strong and moving drama and are well worth a listen.

Being a fiction podcast, PodCastle has run a few stories about dragons.

Fear of Dragons and Dragon Hunt both play on classic fantasy themes, but twist them in new directions. The stories are compelling dramas and feature sympathetic monsters. They are both rated for a general audience.

Illuminated Dragon is both a fable of political resistance but also an allegory on creativity. It is rated slightly mature for some violence.

And Run of the Fiery Horse is an intriguing tale of Eastern mythology and making a deal with a demon. It is rated slightly mature as well, for sensuality and implied violence.

PodCastle the fantasy fiction podcast has run two stories by author Eugie Foster with both anthropomorphic animals and an Eastern setting.

Daughter of Botu features rabbits and shape-changing and the story of trying to leave one world and live in another. It’s rated mature for for frank descriptions of adult events.

The Tanuki Kettle is sweet story with a mischevious tanuki and is completely G-rated.