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Theme and Variations by Michelle M. Welch, editor
Science Fiction
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A podcast anthology of speculative fiction with music as a theme. Science fiction, fantasy, and slipstream tales include stories of a future world where music has been lost, office workers whose embedded soundtracks direct their lives, the Martian superstar who doesn't want to play anymore, singers who can compel men to kill with the sound of their voices, and more.
The eight episodes present short stories by Keyan Bowes, Ernest Hogan, Elaine Isaak, Lejon A. Johnson, Jack Mangan, Rick Novy, Lon Prater, Caroline Rhodes, and Michelle M. Welch, and some of the episodes feature performances or original music by the authors.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 3.0 United States License.
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Chapters
| Title | Description | Date Created |
| Episode 1: Prelude to a Theme by Dougie Franz, by Lon Prater (19.03 MB) | Dougie Franz loves his lifetrack, the motivational implant that rewards him with scents and sounds for a job well done. When he moves up to management, though, he finds he can't go without it. This story originally appeared in Spacesuits and Sixguns, October 2008. | Nov 4, 2009 |
| Episode 2: Black Orchid, by Rick Novy (20.85 MB) | When depression takes a physical form, flautist Maricel must defeat the monster before it can defeat her. Featuring original music by the author. | Nov 4, 2009 |
| Episode 3: Post-Apocalyptic Guitar in G Minor, by Caroline Rhodes (35.49 MB) | A young boy's love of music brings hope to a post-apocalyptic world. Featuring original music by the author, arranged and performed by Jack Mangan. | Nov 4, 2009 |
| Episode 4: Song for the Sea, by Elaine Isaak (35.77 MB) | In a fortress built of shipwrecks, a young singer searches for the courage to defy a wizard's voice. A prequel to Isaak's novels The Singer's Crown, The Eunuch's Heir, and The Bastard Queen. A version of this story first appeared as an Amazon Short in 2006. | Nov 4, 2009 |
| Episode 5: Twelve Bar Blues, by Jack Mangan (28.46 MB) | A hot inner city night. Betrayals, lovers, and dark plans. The music reveals all secrets when brothers and friends take the stage at the Twelve Bar. Featuring original music by the author. [Explicit language] | Nov 4, 2009 |
| Episode 6: Flash fiction double-feature (19.62 MB) | "She Shall Have Music" by Keyan Bowes: Little Tina is emitting music, bewildering her worried parents. What can it possibly be? This story appears in the forthcoming print anthology Cheer Up, Universe. // "Knell" by Lejon A. Johnson: A church bell rings in a dying community, heralding the fate that awaits it. | Nov 18, 2009 |
| Episode 7: Serenade, by Michelle M. Welch (22.74 MB) | A musician loses her ability to hear music in an accident. When an experimental technology promises to restore it, what else will she lose? Featuring music performed by the author. | Dec 2, 2009 |
| Episode 8: The Rise and Fall of Paco Cohen and the Mariachis of Mars, by Ernest Hogan (32.99 MB) | The Nuzoom corporation chooses talented custodian Paco Cohen to create popular music to improve the morale of the transplanted workers of Mars, but Paco has other ideas. Featuring original music by Jack Mangan. This story originally appeared in the April 2001 issue of Analog. [Explicit language] | Dec 15, 2009 |