Variant Frequencies » Podcasts

In 2005, I was listening to the audio book of Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy,” narrated by Stephen Fry. I loved Mr. Fry’s narration of the book. I wished that I could nar...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2012/07/29/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-friends/

Ever wonder what I would sound like as a 70s exploitation film director? Well, this is your lucky day! The guys at Redline Theatre have put together one fantastic story. This one is most certainl...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2011/08/18/the-cutting-room-floor-on-redline-theatre/

I’m a guest narrator on Pseudopod 228: Flash On The Borderlands VII. I narrated the story “Hunting” by Kirsty Logan. “There was only one inner door, so the hunter opened it. He held his c...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2011/05/09/hunting/

There is a fun podcast out there called Redline Theatre. I did a guest part in one of the stories. “Good Man in the Badlands” by Justin Warner, is western tale about about a man trying to do ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2011/02/10/good-man-in-the-badlands-on-redline-theatre/

This is a special live recording from Balticon 44. Recorded on May 30, 2010 *** Written by Jonathan C. Gillespie Narrated by Rick Stringer & Michael Spence The Encroacher Copyright 2010 Jonathan ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/06/03/the-encroacher/

This is a special live recording from Balticon 44. Recorded on May 28, 2010. On Sunday May 30, we will be recording our final episode at Balticon 44. *** Written by Matt Wallace Narrated by Rick ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/05/29/a-world-made-of-wax/

We have had five awesome seasons of Variant Frequencies. However, in recent months my work life has gotten to be more challenging than in the past. It is harder to concentrate on the podcast. All...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/04/15/all-good-things%E2%80%A6/

In the far future, the last leader of a reviled messianic religious order explores her faith as she struggles to save the planet from an apocalypse. *** Written and narrated by Matthew Warner Mus...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/04/12/noahs-temple/

We have a special treat for you. A few months back, Kenn Crawford was looking for voices for his new podiobook, “Dead Hunt.” I agreed to do one of those voices. We are sharing with you episo...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/03/12/dead-hunt-by-kenn-crawford/

A wounded man finds himself driven underground, into the purgatory of tunnels that honneycomb the ruined earth. Battling for a life he knows he’s already lost, he is haunted by fever dreams of ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/03/02/survivor-guilt/

Ever since Saint Darwin returned with harvested seeds from an Egyptian bush that wouldn’t burn, golem constables have worked alongside human and ghost inspectors. They patrol England’s cobble...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/02/10/heart-of-clay-a-saint-darwins-spiritual/

Hi everyone. This post was supposed to be a celebration of our fourth anniversary, on our anniversary. Unfortunately for us, Variant Frequencies was off-line for a week and a half, we were unable...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/01/31/our-fourth-anniversary-sort-of/

It’s Christmas Eve. Private detective, Dan Taylor is contemplating his past and his future, or lack of one. Then a potential client comes to his door. *** Written by Michael A. Stackpole Narrat...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2010/01/11/a-real-christmas/

The complete Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness in one episode! *** Written by Matt Wallace Narrated by Philippa Ballantine, Rick Stringer, Jan Dalton, Tom “Devo Spice” Rockwell, Anton Buntic, Be...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/29/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-complete/

A woman with no name and a past filled with mistakes to atone for. If you’re hurt or sick on the wrong side of the river, the Doctor Lady will fix you up. Tender mercies are the hardest commodi...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/24/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-08-doctor-lady/

Any job that involves high-risk and high-speed is right up Truck’s alley, at least for the right price. And it doesn’t get higher in the risk department than piloting a high-tech big rig up m...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/22/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-07-truck/

When you look up on Christmas Eve and see a shape streaking across the night sky above the Failed Cities, it’s not Santa’s sleigh, it’s death incarnate, also known as Ferus… *** Written...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/18/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-06-ferus/

Like Santa Claus, The Nicodemus Consortium has their own sack of gifts to distribute on Christmas Eve. Unlike St. Nick, however, the Consortium is willing to do whatever, and whoever it takes to ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/15/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-05-operative-853/

The yuletide spirit hasn’t made Valeri Klimenko any less reluctant to take a dangerous case. Unfortunately it hasn’t changed his luck when it comes to being thrust into such cases, either… ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/11/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-04-constable-klimenko/

Sterne, the hardboiled wordslinger, doesn’t believe in Christmas stories. He’d certainly never write such a tale. Living thru one, however, well that’s another story altogether… *** Writt...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/08/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-03-sterne/

Your sins don’t forget you during the holidays, and for The Maven, master street mediator, sometimes they haunt you in the form of an urgent call to a life-or-death hostage crisis. They say old...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/04/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-02-the-maven/

It’s the holiday season, even under the acid-washed black snowfall that covers the Failed Cities. For Reverend Ethan Grant, the holidays are about balancing brief moments of joy with long night...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/12/01/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness-01-ethan/

In a seaside town, a young man finds the world around him frozen in time. *** Written by Jack Westlake Narrated by Rick Stringer Promos The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness Glitter Girl http://www....

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/11/13/out-of-time/

Well, we got through the big push for J.C. Hutchin’s book, “7th Son: Descent.” I’m back in control of the site. That Kilroy 2.0 is one tricky hacker. It sounds like Hutch had a great day....

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/10/28/7th-son-descent/

We have a special bonus epi>>> <<< > source terminal location: UNKNOWN > source terminal identity: UNAVAILABLE > source login information: ENCRYPTED > message begins the post you are now reading...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/10/27/bonus-epi-content-override-kilroy2-0-is-here-sode/

J.C. Hutchins is about to rock the publishing world with the print version of 7th Son: Descent. I’ve already told you how much I admire Hutch’s work. Hutch is one of the pioneers in podcast f...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/10/17/7th-son-descent-coming-out-in-print/

Just before Hurricane Katrina slams into his New Orleans home, a father purchases an unusual life insurance policy from a voodoo priestess. *** Written and narrated by Matthew Warner Artwork: Dee...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/10/15/life-insurance/

Variant Frequencies: Season V starts on October 15, 2009. We will be back with a great story by Matthew Warner. In December, we are going to blast your ears twice a week with The Failed Cities: H...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/10/13/variant-frequencies-season-v/

Variant Frequencies won another Parsec Award. “Under The Bed” by Michael Natale won Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form). We are very excited about it. Congratulations Michael, and tha...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/09/06/we-won/

Nothin’ like a good hangin’ to bring folks together. ‘Frontier justice’ is what they called it back in the day. Brutal, maybe, but efficient. Those days are back, but with a twist. Strang...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/07/18/naught-but-ash/

There is a really great review of The Failed Cities Monologues on The Podagogue right now. Check it out, and tell him what you thought of the review! http://podagogue.blogspot.com/2009/07/podcast...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/07/10/the-podagogue-review-of-the-failed-cities-monologues/

When the world is about to be destroyed who finally decides who lives… and who dies. *** Written by Dennis Egan Narrated by Rick Stringer Promos The Leviathan Chronicles http://www.leviathanchr...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/06/15/fuel-pressure/

It’s just a friendly, low stakes game of five card draw. Sure, it’s a weird place for poker, but don’t let that bother you. We don’t bet much because we don’t have much. We’re a littl...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/05/10/penny-ante/

I narrated “Aerophelia” by Tobias Buckell. It was a fun story to do, and StarShipSofa is doing a fantastic job with their stories. Check it out at: http://www.starshipsofa.com.

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/05/07/starshipsofa-aural-delights/

In the three years since Jack Palms went clean: no drugs, no drinking, no life, he’s added fourteen pounds of muscle, read 83 books, and played it as straight as anyone can ask him. Now, when a...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/05/05/jack-wakes-up/

The Parsec Awards are now open for submissions for 2009. As you all know, Variant Frequencies has done well at the Parsec Awards. We don’t know if we can win an unprecedented fourth year in a r...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/04/28/parsec-awards-2009/

If you want to listen to a different type of interview, go to “How To Grow Your Geek” http://www.howtogrowyourgeek.net/. Susie interviewed me about being a geeky parent. It was a fun intervie...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/04/27/how-to-grow-your-geek/

This is a special joint podcast with Seth Harwood’s Crime Wav. *** Written by Ray Banks Narrated by Sean “Dogg” Robertson Promos Seth Harwood’s Crime Wav http://www.crimewave.com Kronos h...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/04/19/the-last-kayfabe/

Mark your calendars! On May 14th, 2009 you will be able to get your hands on a new anthology, “Full Throttle Space Tales #3: Space Grunts,” edited by Dayton Ward. The part that really has us ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/04/11/full-throttle-space-tales-3-space-grunts/

Bad Dreams. Shadows on the wall. Things that go bump in the night. Something lurks in the darkness to whisper things no child should hear. To remind young minds of things no child should remember...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/04/04/under-the-bed/

No matter how crazy the time or the schedules in life get, we make time to remember; and on April 1st, Jack and I are asking that you remember our fallen friend, Joe Murphy. For those of you new ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/04/01/remember-joe-2009/

A few weeks from retirement, a scientist looks back at her wasted life with regret. Now, at the end of her career, she is offered a chance to make a real difference to someone. But she’s been s...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/03/14/prisoners/

Not one of the assorted politically motivated killers in this bar knows they’re about to die. But that’s the thing about suicide bombers: you never see them coming. *** Written D. M. Moehrle ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/02/21/gill-bando/

Well Told Tales has a fun series that they have been running called “I Killed Awesome Man.” I’m a guest voice in episode 5. http://welltoldtales.com/2009/02/05/i-killed-awesomeman-episode-5...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/02/07/well-told-tales-i-killed-awesome-man/

A botched deal. A quietly menacing, unholy, fatherly crime boss. A waking nightmare of small-time criminals, gothic bars, and neon churches. Johnny finds himself immersed in a dark, sinister unde...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/01/24/creature-of-god/

The cover art for Saint Darwin’s Spirituals by D.K. Thompson has been shortlisted for the BSFA Best Art Award. The artwork by Vincent Chong was commissioned by Murky Depths for their fourth iss...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2009/01/22/saint-darwins-spirituals-artwork-shortlisted-for-award/

A trail of shed blood and sacrificed flesh, a pound of it his own, has led Detective Jon “Busboy” Pacson to the doorstep of a newer and even more terrifying secret kept by the carrion undergr...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/12/25/the-end-of-flesh-part-four/

After a shoot-out and a close encounter with a butcher knife Pacs has a new clue, but it will take him into the deepest, darkest heart of the carrion underworld: NecroPhasiac. Will you follow? **...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/12/20/the-end-of-flesh-part-three/

Pacs has been put on the trail of cannibal killers who’ve claimed a high-profile victim: the son of a controversial city councilman. His investigation brings “Busboy” face-to-face with Rosa...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/12/13/the-end-of-flesh-part-two/

Meet New York City Police Detective Jon “Busboy” Pacs. Pacs walks a secret beat that takes him through the dirty underground of what may be Humanity’s last taboo. But even in the starved an...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/12/06/the-end-of-flesh-part-one/

is near! 12.06.2008

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/12/04/the-end/

700 horsepower.  Leather.  Fusion-based drive system.  And good intentions. *** Written by Jonathan C. Gillespie Narration by Chuck Tomasi Artwork by Paul Drummond Promos Technorama http://www...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/11/01/best-in-class/

One of our favorite authors, Jonathan Gillespie, has posted a fun Halloween story on his blog. It is also timely for the elections. Jonathan is an excellent writer, and you will see more from him...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/10/30/get-out-and-bloat/

The worst part about his daughter’s death wasn’t the terror of seeing half a ton of concrete separate from a bridge and smash through their windshield. It wasn’t even the deafening crunch w...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/10/05/under-the-bridge-downtown/

The watchmaker’s shop is filled with timepieces of all kinds, from the majestic grandfather clock to the most delicate pocketwatch: all the time in the world. But it’s not the many clocks ado...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/09/18/all-the-time/

The latest Pseudopod story, “Front Row Seats” by Scott William Carter, features Rick Stringer as the narrator. We thing Variant Frequencies fans will like this story. FRONT ROW SEATS by Scott...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/09/12/rick-on-pseudopod/

Recently, our friends Chuck and Kreg from Technorama went on a behind the scenes tour of The Star Trek Experience. Here is what they had to say on their site, and a link to their show: While Chuc...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/09/11/all-good-things/

For the third year in a row, Variant Frequencies has won a Parsec Award! We won in the new category, “Best Magazine or Anthology Podcast.” We are thrilled and amazed that we have won again. I...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/08/31/best-magazine-or-anthology-podcast/

I don’t know if the world is ready for this one. Our two-time Parsec Award winner, Matt Wallace, (he is a finalist again this year), on both “Playing for Keeps – Stories of the Third Wave�...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/08/25/a-double-dose-of-matt-wallace/

Waiting in line is an unfortunate reality in modern life. When Frank McMurtry finds himself in a mysterious line with an eclectic group of strangers, he doesn’t want to be there…but is it bet...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/08/10/queue/

Every fighter needs a Cut Man in their corner. This is a special simulcast episode with Seth Harwood’s CrimeWAV, the first series of crime story podcasts on the web. Featuring some of your favo...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/07/27/cut-man/

19th century London. A place and a history much like the one we know, and yet changed. As a separist army stands poised for war, two words will determine just how far its course will deviate. Let...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/07/10/the-destruction-of-sennacherib/

Anne and I had a wonderful time talking with Stephen Kilbride, the host of the excellent Tea and Chat podcast. So, you want to know more about how we started Variant Frequencies? Here is your cha...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/07/02/tea-and-chat/

Matt Wallace and Mur Lafferty are guests on Adventures in SciFi Publishing. Shaun Farrell does a great job interviewing both of them. If you are a Matt Wallace or Mur Lafferty fan, then you will ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/06/15/adventures-in-scifi-publishing/

Hypericon is returning to Nashville, Tennessee June 27-29, 2008. Hypericon is a speculative fiction convention celebrating science fiction, horror, fantasy, literature, arts, and media. Variant F...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/06/14/hypericon-4/

Deck Gibson: Far Reach Commander is back on Decoder Ring Theatre. They are running the second of six new episodes, Deck Gibson and Two Days on the Tundra of Terror by Matt Wallace. Here is the de...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/06/14/more-deck-gibson/

Alright, Matt Wallace fans. Just in case you have been living under a rock, Act Two of Latchkeepers is now on Stranger Things. I just watched it. You have to see it. Earl Newton and his crew have...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/06/12/latchkeepers-act-two/

This is just too well done to ignore. One of Matt Wallace’s fans created some historical images for The Next Fix. This stuff is very cool. Go check out Matt’s blog to see them. (Warning, for ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/06/11/the-next-fix-fan-art/

Closing time. Game over. But some people think it’s more than a game. Some people don’t want to go home. They don’t have to, but they can’t stay here. Because you stay too long down here,...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/06/07/grounders/

Ghost inspectors and golems patrol the streets of Whitechapel. Prostitutes turn tricks for the fever-dream flesh lusts of the spiritual. And the statue of Saint Darwin, the scientist who broke th...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/05/10/saint-darwins-spirituals/

Before he got to be big in the San Francisco drug game (JACK WAKES UP), Junius Ponds had to cut his teeth on the small-time capers and crimes of a fourteen-year-old wanna be gangster on the late ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/05/01/young-junius/

Our friends J.C. Hutchins and Seth Harwood put together this audio file specifically for the Variant Frequencies listeners. They are trying to help Scott Sigler make it onto the New York Times Be...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/04/11/help-sigler/

Savage circumstances can make for strange allies. And sometimes, those allies shouldn’t exist. *** Written by Jonathan C. Gillespie Narrated by Rick Stringer, P.G. Holyfield, and Anne Stringer ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/04/08/texs-last-run/

Birth rules the life of a midwife, but she has also seen plenty of death. When she realizes she is immortal, birth and death begin to look the same. She knows that any new baby she helps bring in...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/03/16/birth-and-death/

Only one drug can bring the visceral and the sublime together in a single trip, where the best and the worst of human drives boil down into a tech-noir concoction that’s part street-level heave...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/03/01/the-next-fix-pre-order/

The Human race has been asking itself “How will it all end?” practically since it all began. But even as our illustrious leaders order the buttons to be pressed for the Big One, the computers...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/02/26/murphys-war/

All of her clients know that anything above her neck costs fifty dollars more. But when a flesh-smashing session with one of her regulars takes an unexpected turn, there’s a lot more put on the...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/01/31/hit-me-complete-story/

The anthology from Cutting Block Press, Tattered Souls, is now on Amazon. Tattered Souls includes The End of Flesh by Matt Wallace. The End of Flesh first appeared on Variant Frequencies as Child...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/01/29/tattered-souls-on-amazon/

Still want more of Matt Wallace’s writing? How about more reading by Rick Stringer? Our friends at Sci Phi – The Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy have that and more for you. Issue #1...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/01/07/sci-phi-journal/

Obsession is close kin to determination. For one man, an alien peak seems just another obstacle capable of being conquered with the right set of tools. But any climber will tell you — you don�...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/01/06/spired/

Recently, Anne and Rick had the pleasure of being interviewed by Wander Wolf for his podcast Wander Radio. We were honored to talk with him. This is a rare opportunity to hear Anne talk about her...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/01/04/wander-radio/

My print copy of Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty arrived today. What a great thing to come home from work to. For that one person out there who doesn’t know, Playing for Keeps is Mur’s late...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/01/04/playing-for-keeps/

As a special gift to all our listeners this holiday season, Variant Frequencies is happy to present THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS, an exclusive 10,000-word eChapbook written by Matt Wallace ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/12/16/the-failed-cities-hath-a-darkness/

She has been called whore, harlot, streetwalker, working girl, doxy, courtesan. All are true. She is also immortal. If a girl is going to live forever, she needs to have a way to support herself....

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/12/04/paid-in-full/

For the first time ever, Variant Frequencies welcomes the voice of Matt Wallace to the podcast. Our own two-time Parsec Award winner has a special message and an important announcement for all of...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/11/20/the-next-fix/

Mason’s were the engineers of the ancient world. They built wonders out of stone; cathedrals, bridges, castles, and sometimes, for very powerful, secrets. Michael the mason knows all too well t...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/11/07/the-masons-son/

Home to work. Work to home. Rinse, lather, repeat – for the rest of your life. For Thomas Crane, life had become just that: one monotonous day after another. Until one morning when he realized ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/10/24/the-rut/

On Saturday, October 20th, Matt Wallace was a guest on Writers Talking. We thought you would enjoy hearing what Matt and Mark Leslie had to say about writing horror. Two prolific independent horr...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/10/21/matt-wallace-on-writers-talking/

This is part two of Jailhouse Rock by James P. Hogan. High above the stormy southern hemisphere of Mars, a routine cargo transport has turned into a high-stakes standoff between Skyguard soldiers...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/10/11/jailhouse-rock-part-two/

High above the stormy southern hemisphere of Mars, a routine cargo transport has turned into a high-stakes standoff between Skyguard soldiers and vicious mercenaries turned thieves. *** Written b...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/10/01/jailhouse-rock-part-one/

More news about Matt Wallace’s work! Collaroy, NSW, Australia, October 1st, 2007 — Independent Australian production companies Thinktank Digital and Precision Pictures have announced a joint ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/10/01/devils-kitchen-announcement/

At Dragon*Con 2007 we met two amazing fans of The Failed Cities Monologues. Those of you who go to Dragon*Con know that there are many people who show up there in costume. Well, these two people ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/09/14/feral-twins-super-fans/

Variant Frequencies’ author Matt Wallace just keeps rolling along. He was given permission to share this amazing mock-up Precision Pictures had done to promote Delve – the feat...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/09/14/delve-poster/

Satan has come to St. Jerome’s Catholic School for Girls, and only hitwoman Patricia Sharpe, their least esteemed alumnus, can save the edifice from the Fallen Angel’s influence. But is it th...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/08/22/old-tricks/

On a mission to tame a new world, man will turn against man, and even mother nature herself will have her say. *** Written by Carmelo Rafala Narrated by Rick Stringer With J. Marcus Xavier, John ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/07/31/mother-tongue/

Matt Wallace‘s classic style space adventure Deck Gibson and the Stardust Dancers is now on Decoder Ring Theatre. This is another great production by the talented people who have done the fanta...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/07/14/deck-gibson-far-reach-commander/

July 10th, 2007 — Precision Pictures Pty Ltd. announced today it has acquired the film rights to Parsec Award winning author Matt Wallace‘s acclaimed experimental podcast novel The Failed Cit...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/07/10/precision-pictures-buys-two-stories-by-matt-wallace/

Every twelve hours the light above his door burns bloody and bright. Every twelve hours a new batch rolls off the genetic assembly line, the saplings that will grow into a new human race. And eve...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/06/30/delve/

Fifteen ships left Earth in search of new places for humans to live. When the Esperanza 15 crashes, only one of the crew is left alive. How will she survive when she is the only human on an entir...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/06/02/esperanza/

Innocence is the best containment. The ultimate in reform for those who committed the First True Sin: Rebellion. But is an innocent mortal soul enough to contain the dark essence of a Fallen Ange...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/05/11/firstborn/

OK, everyone, you have to go listen to this great song. It is a mix of Jonathon Coulton’s “First of May” put together by podcasters. WARNING: this is not work safe or child safe. First of M...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/05/01/first-of-may/

Even the dirtiest business can produce something immaculate. *** Written by Matt Wallace Narrated by Nan Worthington DZ Allen’s Muzzle Flash Balticon The Balticon Podcast Variant Frequencies Co...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/04/27/maidenhead/

Impulse: a sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action. Will she resist? *** Written by Anne Stringer Narrated by Dani Cutler http://www.truthseekerscast.com http://www.theaudioaddicts.co...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/04/20/slumber-party/

Sometimes the right story can change your life. And sometimes it’s too late. *** Written by Matt Wallace Narrated by Rich Sigfrit http://www.outcastmultimedia.com/ http://dzallen.blogspot.com/ ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/04/15/notes/

Father Michael Brannigan isn’t your average priest. Since childhood he’s been a medium, a powerful seer of spirits. But in the jungles of Africa, he’s about to experience something unlike a...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/04/02/sacrifice/

We know transhumanism as a philosophical concept, but in one techno-genetic future they’ll come to know it as a plague. And if you think the disease is deadly, wait until you meet the cure… *...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/03/25/the-dead-man-and-the-berserker/

Today is Monday, Bloody Monday, and we’re celebrating with a special episode to tell you, our fans, all about it. I know that many of you are familiar with Scott Sigler, one of the pioneering v...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/03/19/bloody-monday/

For street mediators and their watchers, life and death lives in a shot glass placed over a smashed steel slug. Only one among their ranks can wrap up the story of the Failed Cities. The Maven is...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/03/12/failed-cities-monologues-26/

War remains a constant throughout human history. How we wage war does not. When a man that has battled with Spartans, Celtic barbarians, and Mongol hordes joins today’s techno military, the que...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/03/04/no-world-for-warriors/

A good hustler knows when to get out of town. A good con woman leaves on their own terms. And a femme fatale does it in style . . . **** Written by Matt Wallace Narrated by Stacey Griffith-Living...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/02/22/failed-cities-monologues-25/

What’s the difference between being heroism and self-preservation? Just ask Valeri Klimenko. While the whole city celebrates him as the man who caught notorious serial killer The Conductor, the...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/02/09/failed-cities-monologues-24/

“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” But for a man who lives outside the fringe of society, there’s never been a choice. Time is all he’s got, and he’s serving a life sent...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/02/04/life-sentence/

Fera’s past is written in her own scarred flesh. Tonight, watching her lifeblood run slowly into the gutters of the Failed Cities, hear that history recounted by Fera’s own mind as she battle...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/01/28/failed-cities-monologues-23/

Tonight’s the night. Truck’s sharpening his blade to a razor edge, and a chance meeting with the reluctant Detective Klimenko has provided the set-up for him to carve out the revenge he’s b...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/01/18/failed-cities-monologues-22/

One unusually warm winter morning, she wakes up and finds that something she took for granted — about the entire universe — has radically changed. It is either the end of reality — or the b...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2007/01/05/see/

Tonight, as street preachers poise for war, Rastafarian soldiers pray for battle, and The Stacks prepare for Judgment Day, Sterne is just trying to write the end of his novel before The Feral Twi...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/12/29/failed-cities-monologues-21/

Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes dead wrong. But for the first time in their storied and bloody careers, Ferus is the one making decisions for The Feral Twins. His strength has always been th...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/12/17/failed-cities-monologues-20/

A traveling salesman learns that a story or two can help ease the burdens of a post-apocalyptic world — not to mention push a sale or two. But, of course, some stories don’t always turn out t...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/12/04/a-story-of-kindness/

There’s no chapter in the Steel Gospel on the apocalypse, but that’s exactly what the street preachers are facing tonight: Their own personal end of times. As blood and fire threaten to engul...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/11/26/failed-cities-monologues-19/

You’re not the only one invested in the story of The Failed Cities. The Nicodemus Consortium is very interested in what’s been happening on both sides of the river, and one of their best oper...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/11/12/failed-cities-monologues-18/

I’ve heard that the body becomes lighter at the moment of death. Just a little, but enough to measure. As if the soul could be weighed, its departure verified. I look closely, to see if I can d...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/11/02/the-gift/

What do you do when your life and your livelihood both depend on words and your voice has been locked away inside your own head? For The Maven, the answer to that question lies inward. And the on...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/10/26/failed-cities-monologues-17/

Interlude or prelude. When it’s a romantic encounter with d’Anger you can never be sure which you’re caught up in. Learning about her past, however, you might know which to expect . . . ***...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/10/15/failed-cities-monologues-16/

It’s October, and in the spirit of the month we’re turning our dial to horror with a story written just for All Hallows Eve. This frightening frequency is the tale of two strangers who meet o...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/10/03/satin-widows/

A new detective’s shield, an old suit, and a lethal case no one else wants. It’s not the way Valeri Klimenko, the former constable, wants to start out his night. But they may have all underes...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/09/20/failed-cities-monologues-15/

I wasn’t going to do a bragging post about our Parsec Award, but then I saw this picture. Back row left, that’s Matt Wallace, author of the winning story, Absolution, Insured, and Rick String...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/09/19/parsec-award-winners/

Fera and her brother have murdered, maimed, and massacred on every continent across the globe, but it’s the hard, ugly lessons she learned as a girl that command Fera’s pathology. When her in...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/09/13/failed-cities-monologues-14/

Life on the very edge of the solar system is a bleak nightmare, punctuated only by the blissful euphoria afforded by the drug, trace. Andi is a trace addict. Trace is Andi’s only escape from hi...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/09/07/cell/

Truck lives for the action, for life on the edge of a blade. But when a routine pick-up goes a hundred miles south of wrong, that pace comes to a crashing halt… **** Written by Matt Wallace Nar...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/08/23/failed-cities-monologues-13/

Jump into the story with Sterne. He’s about to live one of his own pulp adventures, but unlike Curly, his fearless juggernaut alter ego, Sterne is going to find out that the real bad guys don�...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/08/13/failed-cities-monologues-12/

Every season it grew stronger. Every season more children vanished. Every season the gardeners dwelling grew, forcing the village to retreat its borders, until at last it could shrink no further�...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/08/08/the-dark-harvest/

Boredom’s a dangerous thing when you’re one of The Feral Twins, and not even arson, kidnapping, and back alley crucifixions can relieve it. Ferus just wants one worthy opponent before the nig...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/07/16/failed-cities-monologues-11/

Spend a night in the far reach with Sherk Maxwell, doctor of broadcast journalism. Sherk is humanity’s last voice of dissent, set forth on a mic and beamed out across deep space to every rift-t...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/07/04/the-last-frequency/

Reverend Ethan is a man who likes to keep things simple: a collar, a street to keep, a stick to keep them with. But tonight, with war looming just around a battered brick corner, things are about...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/06/25/the-failed-cities-monologues-10/

If you’re new to the Failed Cities, there’s only one place to go if you want to be in the know, and it’s not some digital Orwellian info-matrix. It’s a tiny tarot den in the shadiest part...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/06/15/failed-cities-monologues-09/

Pohraen’s childhood was dominated by the interminable war on her planet; only the music of the 100th Day gatherings could lift her mood. Then, in a last desperate arms race, a bizarre turn of e...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/06/03/the-spoils-of-war/

When fevered streets reach their boiling point, you bring in a mediator. When it’s looking like back alley war, you need a maven. Tonight was already going to be his toughest mediation yet. The...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/05/27/failed-cities-monologues-08/

The first annual Parsec Awards, honoring excellence in podcasting, will be presented at this year’s Dragoncon, to be held in Atlanta in September. Nominations are currently being accepted at Th...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/05/22/parsec-awards/

In the Failed Cities, being beautiful can make you a victim. Being beautiful and smart can make you dangerous. d’Anger has a flawless form, a Botticelli face…and an IQ of 175… **** Written ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/05/14/failed-cities-monologues-07/

Every night I strolled the same path, looking for him. The nights were getting colder. Even in the short time I was out, my fingers were aching from it, and I worried that he was frozen somewhere...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/05/05/dead-of-night/

Constable Valeri Klimenko, whose father and grandfather were both Heroes of Ukraine, never had any intention of living up to his family’s legacy. Now he’s been made a detective and forced ont...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/04/23/failed-cities-monologues-06/

Fera, alpha female of The Feral Twins. Death lives inside her, and it’s a reality she shares with all those she meets, whether they want its secrets or not. But is Fera a predator… or just th...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/04/11/the-failed-cities-monologues-05/

In the 1930’s 52nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue was home to the speakeasy. In the 2030’s it’s all about the breakdowns, where they mix biochem cocktails and spark the Ash of the De...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/04/01/children-of-the-androphagi/

The news webs call him The Conductor. He’s responsible for the disappearances of at least thirty young women, all prostitutes. Their bodies are never found. And oh, yes, you’re about to disco...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/03/19/failed-cities-monologues-04/

Walk the streets between the Stacks with Sterne, a pit fighter that splits his nights between brawling for cash and spinning tales of old school tough guys and detectives. The Stacks is considere...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/03/09/failed-cities-monologues-03/

This list isn’t going to be all inclusive, we just wanted to give a shout out to some of the ones we’ve listened to and liked. It’s a helluva community out there, and we’re proud to be pa...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/03/05/podcasts-we-like/

At least Mom doesn’t walk me all the way to the door. That would be so embarrassing!… They can be stolen away and terrible things can be done to them… I used to be that little girl, the one...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/03/01/evelyn/

Within social circles linked by blood The Feral Twins are more than assassins, they’re celebrities. A predator pack of two that bring animal spectacle to murder, they have no past, just questio...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/02/21/failed-cities-monologues-02/

Two cities separated by 16 miles of river. One side has been written off, zeroed out by its elected caretakers. Now men with white collars and nighted sticks patrol the streets. They’re peaceke...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/02/14/failed-cities-monologues-01/

I’d spotted Carey. He heard the Whirring too. He’d grabbed my baseball bat out of the front seat, and now he was standing, braced against the open passenger side door, in his best Sammy Sosa ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/02/12/absolution-insured/

You thought that was the sun rising over Saturn and ain’t that a sight when really a superflare of magnesium was covering the approach of a creepy-creeper. And by the time the light dissipated ...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/01/24/another-mans-run-part-2/

They weren’t family in the office. It wasn’t a brotherhood. They weren’t even friends. But they’d all been assigned a singular shitty fate, and that made them the same. When Management de...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/01/24/another-mans-run-part-1/

Variant Frequencies – Your speculative fiction dial. Find us at https://www.variantfrequencies.com Variant Frequencies is a podcast that stretches the entire bandwidth of genre fiction, modulat...

https://www.variantfrequencies.com/2006/01/24/variant-frequencies-intro-2/