written by David Steffen

My last Best of Dunesteef article was in October 24, 2011. For most of the podcasts I listen to, I try to do an updated list on a yearly basis, but I also like to make sure that I get batch of stories big enough that a best of list is meaningful. Dunesteef has an often irregular publication schedule, so it’s taken a little longer to get the minimum 30 episodes I like to work with. So this list covers all 33 of their stories published between then and now.

Rish Outfield and Big Anklevich put together good productions from their team of volunteers, and have quite interesting though long after-episode chatter. Their episodes have been even more irregular due to Big moving to a new house, but what they lack in frequency they more than make up for in entertainment.

The List

1. Saying Goodbye by Christopher Munroe
One of the winners of their Broken Mirror Story event in which writers submitted a story that meets the following description: “A phone rings in the middle of the night. The voice on the line says only one word†¦but it is enough.” While the story at first seems to be one that we’ve all heard before, about the ghost of a man trying to send a message of love to his widow, I appreciate the novel direction taken by the end of it.

2. The Dead of Tetra Manna by Mark L.S. Stone
Cool world building here, and multiple cultures with varying kinds of magic. Erik of Ciohar heads out on a quest to find out what happened to his last body that died.

3. Todd Elrin and the Forever Reset by Jonathan C. Gillespie
I’ve seen this premise a few times recently, where a single person relives the same year over and over again, but each one was different and told well.

4. The Question by Robert Lowell Russell
“It’s the question on everybody’s minds, as soon as they hear about fully-functional, human-like robots.” That’s all well and good, people say, but can you f*** it?

5. Wedded Bliss by Rish Outfield
A conversation between married men goes from the mundane to a ludicrous game of one-upmanship.