Codex Library - Online Publications

Online Fiction

Aberrant Dreams

"Follow The Monkey" by Tom Pendergrass (February 2007)

Desperate convicts escape a corporate prison on Mars

Abyss & Apex

"Night of the Manticore" by Tony Pi (January 2010)

"Xenosomnambulism" by Lawrence M. Schoen (May 2008)

Peter lost his grip on the dream, and just that quickly aliens surrounded him. He knew was dreaming, all his life he'd had a knack for dreams, not just to always tell that he was in a dream, but to control and shape his dreams as well. But for months now, and more and more frequently, he'd been losing that control, and always with the same results.

"At Blue Crane Falls" by Brian Dolton (January 2008)

"Metamorphoses in Amber" by Tony Pi (October 2007)

"Weepers and Ragers" by Aliette de Bodard (May 2007)

Sylvia shakes off the last of her nightmare, and goes to prepare herself. The Reformer is coming again today, as he does every month. He wants to make sure she is still re–adapting to the world of flesh.

She does not know how many more times she can lie to him.

"Ten New Metaphors for Cyberspace" by Cat Rambo (January 2007)

New ways to envision virtual reality...

"The Man Who Was Never Afraid" by Brian Dolton (October 2006)

"Zeno's Last Paradox" by Tony Pi (October 2005)

"Waiting for the Big Freeze" by Ian Creasey (January 2003)

"Angry Rose's Lament" by Cat Rambo

Paul Rutter is a recovering drug addict whose company's only hope is a contract with the Solins. But will he be able to do what they ask in order to get it?

"Just Like Meteors" by Luc Reid

"Catch" by Luc Reid

Alien Skin

"Kfzhrbfl" by Rick Novy (April 2007)

Flash fiction parody of novice writers using unpronoucable names for aliens.

"Troll Bait" by Barbara A. Barnett (February 2007)

"The Problem with Petunias" by Rick Novy (July 2004)

One Andrew Bleighstone discovers tiny aliens in his garden.

Another Realm

"The Cosmology" by Rick Novy (November 2007)

"No Forwarding Address" by David Walton (January 2005)

"Deep Red" by Floris M. Kleijne (August 2004)

Relocated to the safety of a new home far away, Tom is still haunted by his least favorite axe-toting nightmare. But is it only a dream...?

Aoife's Kiss

"Prophecy's Birth" by Barbara A. Barnett (December 2007)

"Skipping School" by Guy Stewart (June 2007)

"The Heart of the Matter" by Elise Catherine Tobler

Apex Magazine

"A Poor Man's Roses" by Alethea Kontis (October 2009)

"In Memory" by Eric James Stone (January 2009)

A mathematician whose brain has been uploaded into a computer finds his memory is not as perfect as he believed.

"Foiled" by Alethea Kontis (October 2007)

Absolute power is a little bit scary...but he totally deserved it. (audio podcast, read by the author)

Apex Online

"Schrödinger's Pussy" by Terra LeMay (July 2010)

"Behold: Skowt!" by Jason Heller (November 2008)

"A Splash of Color" by William T. Vandemark (November 2008)

"The Man Who Murdered Himself" by Nancy Fulda

Atomjack

"Julie, Spirit of Laws" by Jason Heller (April 2009)

"Hole in the Wall" by Rick Novy (May 2006)

One day, I found something strange in my office wall.

Behind the Wainscot

"Some Notes on the Eisenberg Estate" by Willow Fagan (October 2008)

"The Magician" by Cat Rambo

Part of the Behind the Wainscot Tarot issue, this short piece explores the Magician card.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

"The Land of Empty Shells" by Caroline M. Yoachim (July 2009)

Excerpt: "The rest of the birthing was hard work, but painless. Dziko and Terra sprinkled water over the clay to soften it and kneaded the flesh together until there was no way to separate his riverbed brown from her sunset orange. Then they divided the babyflesh into two equal pieces, soon to be their children."

"The Sacrifice Pit" by Brian Dolton (May 2009)

"Silk and Shadow" by Tony Pi (February 2009)

#11

"Beneath the Mask" by Aliette de Bodard (January 2009)

Brain Harvest

"Mount Rainier Considers Its Mental Health"
by Spencer Ellsworth (December 2009)

"Shatter Shatter" by Sean Markey (August 2009)

"Phases of Alkahest" by William T. Vandemark (June 2009)

"The Occupation of the Architect" by Jason Heller (May 2009)

"This Dog's Life" by William T. Vandemark (May 2009)

Cafe Irreal

"The Accordion" by Cat Rambo (July 2005)

Chiaroscuro

"Grandmother's Road Trip" by Cat Rambo (October 2005)

Second place winner, 2005 Chiaroscuro Short Story contest. No longer available online.

Clarkesworld

"A Sweet Calling" by Tony Pi (May 2010)

"Clockwork Chickadee" by Mary Robinette Kowal (June 2008)

"I'll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore Said" by Cat Rambo (July 2007)

Just another girl and her manticore story.

"The Human Moments" by Alexander Lumans (February 2007)

"The Worm Within" (October 8)

In a world of clockwork robots, the last human struggles not to go mad...or are they already?

Cosmos

"Fuel" by Matthew S. Rotundo (April 2009)

In a future of biological enhancements and athlete worship, the race is indeed to the swift . . . but what if you choose not to run?

Coyote Wild

"The Girl-Prince" by Merrie Haskell (August 2008)

"Sea Child" by Aliette de Bodard

Darker Matter

"Final Report" by Barbara A. Barnett (June 2007)

"Chaos Theory" by Rick Novy (June 2007)

A quick study in chaos theory and the effects of changing initial conditions.

Darwin's Evolutions

"The Last Arrow Of Liang Xi" by Brian Dolton (April 2009)

A consideration of what it takes to become immortal, or to become a legend, or both.

Diamonds in the Sky, an Astronomical Anthology

"Jaiden's Weaver" by Mary Robinette Kowal (January 2009)

So many things about life on Earth depend on the cycles of the sky, from the moon and tides to seasons and more. Well, what if the sky were different? How would humans adapt to life on a world with rings?

Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine

"The Edge of the Map" by Ian Creasey (July 2009)

SF short story, 39 minutes plus outro

Escape Pod

"The Hastillan Weed" by Ian Creasey (August 2009)

SF short story; episode length: 41 minutes

"This Is How It Feels" by Ian Creasey (March 2009)

SF short story, 38 minutes (inc. intro/outro)

"Chrysalis" by Mary Robinette Kowal (January 2009)

People ask me if I ever get involved with the subjects of my documentaries. I have a difficult time imagining that they would ask my male colleagues the same question, but they seem to expect women to be more emotional. In response, I tend to grit my teeth and answer very patiently with another question. How could I do my job if I were part of the story? Only by maintaining a sacred distance could I have any hope of understanding someone’s life. A documentarian records, but does not participate.

"One Million Years B.F.E.: Diary of an Anthropologist in Exile"
by Merrie Haskell (February 2006)

Every Day Fiction

"Beyond the Gate" by C.L. Holland (March 2009)

"A Chime of Reds" by C.L. Holland (February 2009)

In which a young man discovers that different isn't necessarily bad.

"Monkey Love" by Barbara A. Barnett (January 2009)

"The Marsh Lights" by C.L. Holland (December 2008)

In which a child learns a piece of family history.

"Getting To Know You" by Brian Dolton (November 2008)

In space, nobody can hear you scream... except, that is, the psychovore that's just eaten you.

"Weaving Fancies For The Children" by Brian Dolton (October 2008)

A tale in which a tale is told (this is the companion story ot,and inspiration for, "The Man Who Was Never Afraid").

"How The Rainbow Came To Be" by Brian Dolton (September 2008)

In which we learn how the rainbow came to be

"If We Were Briar Roses" by Brian Dolton (July 2008)

In which a lover laments that he is not a poet

"The Gray World" by Brian Dolton (June 2008)

In which Yi Qin visits an old friend

Expanded Horizons

"The People Fever" by Jason Heller (December 2008)

Fantasy Magazine

"Scatter and Return, the Eyes of the Princess"
by Willow Fagan (November 2008)

"In This City" by Brian Dolton (September 2008)

"Sorrowbird" by Sean Markey (June 2008)

"Cockatrice Girl Meets Statue Boy" by Willow Fagan (February 2008)

"Time to Say Goodnight" by Caroline M. Yoachim (December 2007)

Farragos Wainscot

"Seven Men (in Various States of Fabrication)"
by Jason Heller (April 2009)

"The Fisherman's Child" by Cat Rambo

Deep in the swamp, a fisherman tries to catch the ultimate prize while his child tries to do the same.

Flash Fiction Online

"There Are No Great Truths Here" by D T Friedman (August 2009)

"Lucky Clover" by Barbara A. Barnett (March 2008)

Flash me magazine

"The Department of Villainous Affairs" by Barbara A. Barnett (October 2006)

"Doom Bunny" by Barbara A. Barnett (July 2006)

Flashquake

"Part 42: In Which She is Devoured by Tigers"
by Elle Van Hensbergen (December 2008)

"Soul Delivery" by Barbara A. Barnett (March 2008)

"Shotgun" by Merrie Haskell

Fortean Bureau

"Reparations" by Merrie Haskell (June 2004)

Time travelers in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

"There Once was a Girl from Nantucket (A Fortean Love Story)"
by Ken Scholes

From the Asylum

"Tastes Like Dolphin" by Barbara A. Barnett (January 2007)

Futurismic

"Dry Frugal with Death Rays" by Alex Wilson (August 2008)

"A dark satire of office politics, corporate bureaucracy, thwarted ambition and revenge gone awry."

"The Towers of St. Michael's" by David Walton (April 2007)

"Diamond Dust" by David Walton (November 2005)

Haruah

"For a Daughter" by Aliette de Bodard (May 2006)

Helix

"The Last Man's First Year on Earth" by David W. Goldman (January 2008)

Some sex, lots of drugs, and a bit of rock & roll on a future Earth where some things have changed.

Hub

"To Someone Who Needs Prayer" by Barbara A. Barnett (August 2008)

Lenox Avenue

"Sharksheep Suit" by Vylar Kaftan (January 2005)

A sharksheep farmer makes a suit so he can vote.

"The Problem of Friction" by David Walton

"The Epistemology of Bread" by Lawrence M. Schoen

"Chance Meeting With a Baby on a Train" by Luc Reid

Les Bonnes Fees

"Rampion in the Belltower" by Merrie Haskell (June 2008)

Lorelei Signal

"Jarra" by Barbara A. Barnett (July 2008)

"Second Moon" by Barbara A. Barnett (April 2007)

Nanobison

"Bird Sign" by Barbara A. Barnett (April 2006)

Neometropolis

"The Problem with Immortality" by Rick Novy (June 2006)

What happens when an immortal being reaches the end of time?

"Nightshift in the Automart, the Goddess Dancing"
by Andy Gudgel

PodCastle

"Accounting for Dragons" by Eric James Stone (October 2009)

Most dragons rarely think about accounting. But you’ve worked hard to acquire that hoard of gold and jewels–shouldn’t you be keeping track of what happens to it? Just sitting on it isn’t good enough any more. That’s why you need accounting. Here are some tips...

"Bright Waters" by John Brown (April 2009)

A fearsome Dutch trapper, a spunky Irish woman stolen as a girl in an Abenaki raid, and a small Iroquois tattoo . . . (audio version)

"Dead Languages" by Merrie Haskell (October 2008)

Popcorn Popping

"Loophole" by Eric James Stone (May 2006)

A humorous story in which a Mormon man finds out his wife is a demon.

Pseudopod

"Memories of the Knacker's Yard" by Ian Creasey (December 2007)

"The Sounds That Come After Screaming" by Ian Creasey (April 2007)

Quantum Kiss

"The Roman and the Regency" by Merrie Haskell (October 2008)

Time traveling Romans in Regency England!

"The Wedding Dress Tea Parties of 2443" by merriehaskell (October 2008)

Raven Electrick

"Through the Cooking Glass" by Vylar Kaftan (March 2006)

Gingerbread people come to life in Mrs. Wallace's oven.

SciFi Dimensions

"Ascension Salad" by William Ledbetter (August 2005)

SciFiction

"Gauging Moonlight" by Catherine Tobler

"Vanishing Act" by E. Catherine Tobler

Sharable.net

"Playing Against Type" by Mary Robinette Kowal (July 2010)

"Harold pressed his hand against his knee to stop it from jiggling. It gave him a chance to wipe the sweat off his palm, too. Never show fear in front of actors. 'I thought we had the camera until Friday.'"

SpaceWesterns.com

"Texas Fold'em" by Lawrence M. Schoen (February 2008)

Like sensible folk, Left-John Mocker stayed out of Texas. Mostly. He made an exception for Smokin’ Sam’s card house in Amarillo. The Mocker played cards for a living, and Smokin’ Sam’s held his luck. Or so he had come to believe.

Strange Horizons

"The Spider In You" by Sean Markey (March 2009)

"Sometimes We Arrive Home" by K. Bird Lincoln (February 2009)

"No Love For the Middleman" by Tony Frazier (May 2008)

Ron from Customer Service tries to stop twin Japanese super-heroines from wreaking havoc at his place of work. Placed second in the 2007 Codexian Idol.

""The Leaving Sweater"" by Ruth Nestvold (June 2007)

"Magnificent Pigs" by Cat Rambo (November 2006)

Short story. A tattoo artist/pig farmer struggles with his younger sister's impending death.

"Body, Remember" by E. Catherine Tobler (November 2006)

"Silent Blade" by Leah Cypess (July 2006)

"13-year-old Danis wakes up to a sound she had been waiting for and dreading for five years, the sound of her older brother returning home. Only her brother is now a member of the Silent Blade, a cabal of assassins, and his final test is to slay his own family. Can he do it? And if he can, how can she stop him?" (Tangent Online)

"Portrait of Ari" by Mary Robinette Kowal (January 2006)

“For all its brevity and apparent simplicity, this story packs a strong emotional punch. Beautifully, quietly done.”
–Lois Tilton, Internet Review of Science Fiction

""Happily Ever Awhile"" by Ruth Nestvold (June 2005)

"She Called Me Baby" by Vylar Kaftan (May 2005)

The cloned daughter of a celebrity confronts her estranged mother.

"Huntswoman" by Merrie Haskell (January 2005)

"No matter what anyone else tells you," the queen said, capturing the huntswoman's eyes with her own, "remember that you will be best rewarded by me. Just bring me the princess's heart, and her hands."

""Princes and Priscilla"" by Ruth Nestvold (April 2002)

"Foam on the Water" by Cat Rambo

Subterranean Magazine

"Waiting for Rain" by Mary Robinette Kowal (October 2008)

Sword Review

"The Poet" by Barbara A. Barnett (June 2007)

"Citadel of Cobras" by Aliette de Bodard (May 2006)

The Story Station

"The Monster & Mrs. Blake" by Alethea Kontis (November 2009)

Jeremy Blake is far too old to have a monster under his bed, and his mother seems to know far too much about how to get rid of it.

The Town Drunk

"Self-Made Man" by Nora Fleischer (August 2009)

The Writers Eye

"Ghost Dancer" by Alethea Kontis (November 2008)

Life is fleeting. Love is not. (flash fiction)

Vestal Review

"Buddha's Happy Family Jewels" by Vylar Kaftan (October 2005)

Two former lovers argue over lunch.

Would That It Were

"Button by Button" by E. Catherine Tobler

"Pocket Full of Rocks" by E. Catherine Tobler

"Meeting Mr. Melmoth" by E. Catherine Tobler

Online Non-fiction

Apex Magazine

"The Monster in the Closet" by Alethea Kontis (February 2009)

Only one closet met the qualifications for a Pesky Sister Penitentiary: the walk-in at the top of the stairs that rivals my current double-wide cubicle office for square footage.

Apex Online

"I Bet You Think This Essay's About You" by Alethea Kontis (November 2008)

It's all about you. Really.

"Almost Back" by Alethea Kontis (July 2008)

Welcome back, world.

"An Interview with Nancy Fulda" by Alethea Kontis (January 2006)

Apex Contest Champion; Featured Writer

Clarkesworld

"White Girl" by Alethea Kontis (September 2008)

When you work in the publishing industry, becoming a New York Times bestseller is not all it's cracked up to be.