PodCastle is the world’s first audio fantasy magazine. Weekly, we broadcast the best in fantasy short stories, running the gammut from heart-pounding sword and sorcery, to strange surrealist tales, to gritty urban fantasy, to the psychological depth of magical realism. Our podcast features authors including N.K. Jemisin, Peter S. Beagle, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Jim C. Hines, and Cat Rambo, among others. Terry Pratchett once wrote, “Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.” Tune in to PodCastle each Tuesday for our weekly tale, and spend the length of a morning commute giving your imagination a work out.
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PodCastle 423: The Gold Silkworm
by Tony Pi
read by S. Qiouyi Lu
First published in Fantasy Magazine.
A city of canals and bridges amidst natural beauty, Pingjiang had almost been destroyed thirty years ago when the Jin armies invaded from the North. However, as the Emperor chose the nearby city of Lin’an to be the new capital, it did not take long for the rich to flock to the city with their money and rebuild.
It was the perfect place for a gu-sorcerer to seek riches.
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Rated PG-13
Tony Pi
Tony Pi is a writer based in Toronto, Canada, whose works have been published widely and some have been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best English Short Fiction. The heroine of this story also makes an appearance in “The Sweetest Skill” at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, available in audio as well for those who’d like to hear more about Yan Xue. Find him on the web at tonypi.com and on Twitter @wistling.
S. Qiouyi Lu
S. Qiouyi Lu is a writer, artist, and translator who has also narrated for GlitterShip and Acacia Moon Productions. You can visit their site at s.qiouyi.lu, follow them on Twitter as @sqiouyilu, or support their Patreon at patreon.com/sqiouyilu.