By Greg van Eekhout

Read by Dave Thompson

Originally Printed in Starlight 3. Read the text at Ideomancer!

“Hey,” said my brother. “Down there.” Without waiting, he dove toward the sand where a dead Rotweiller rolled in the white foam. It had been a long flight and we were both ravenous. I angled in to follow, and soon we were absorbed in our feast.

A big gray gull challenged our salvage rights, screaming and beating us with his wings, but we tore him to shreds, ate him, then returned to the dog.

Later, my brother would be able to report every minute detail of the incident. He’d describe the precise markings on the gull’s bill, the way he favored his left foot over his right, the iron and salt taste of his blood.

But he wouldn’t be able to say why we’d killed him. He’s expert at the whats and whens and wheres, but he leaves the whys to me.

His name is Munin, Memory. I’m Hugin, Thought.

Rated R: Contains Violence and some gore.

by Lord Dunsany

Read by Steve Anderson

There was a woman in a steel-built city who had all that money could buy, she had gold and dividends and trains and houses, and she had pets to play with, but she had no sphinx.

On the eve of the New Year, Rachel Swirsky and Dave Thompson talk about the Changing of the Guard and what’s in the works at PodCastle. An excerpt is included with the post. The full text of the metacast will be available at the forums. Feel free to extend your well wishes to any of the editors there.

from Rachel:
“I always knew that I wouldn’t be with PodCastle forever. Last summer, I decided that, as much fun as PodCastle was, I really needed more time to write. I’ve been very fortunate to enjoy some success with my writing career, from publishing two novellettes at Tor.com to signing a contract for an upcoming collection through Aqueduct Press, Through the Drowsy Dark.