And now, it's time for Nathan Talks Too Much! [Applause]
First: PodCastle 174: The Parable of the Shower by Leah Bobet
Hilarious, with an awesome voice and a kick-ass reading. The fact that its humor is cuttingly satirical as well doesn't hurt. Definitely one of the strongest memories for me.
Second: PodCastle 148: State Change by Ken Liu
This is just such an awesome idea that it more than makes up for a relatively quiet presentation. This story's almost reticent voice and structure kept it out of top place for me, but I loved the potential for imagery here. It definitely explored the concept thoroughly without exhausting it, and I can only wish I'd thought of it first.
Third: PodCastle 152: The Hortlak by Kelly Link
Kelly Link is rad, and this is one of my favorite stories of hers. Everything, no matter how mundane - especially the mundane, in fact - is infused with a sort of numinous depth. Every time I read/hear this story, I can feel meanings and symbols churning violently just beneath the surface. I enjoy that sensation, at least in limited doses. I'm not sure what, exactly, that meaning is, but I love spotting the connections, feeling eternally on the cusp of some great revelation.
So Close: PodCastle 150: Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride by Saladin Ahmed
A strong voice (and excellent reading), but not quite as strong as "Parable of the Shower." An awesome concept, but not quite as abstractly appealing as "State Change." A rich thematic current that means more than it says, but not nearly as frenetically allegorical as "The Hortlak." Overall, it's probably the most balanced of the stories that I liked this year, and it's definitely a favorite; it just had one story that was more in each of the categories of things I liked about it. A solid, solid entry that I unhesitatingly recommend, possibly more so than any of the stories I actually picked (precisely because those stories tended to be extremes in one way or another.)
Honorable Mentions
PodCastle 157: As Below, So Above by Ferret Steinmetz
Giant squid are fun, and that's really all there is to it.
PodCastle 158: Gone Daddy Gone by Josh Rountree
I like selkie/deer-woman/whatever stories, and the Beats have this odd, alien appeal for me. (I was born in 1981, for reference.)
PodCastle 176: Middle Aged Weirdo in a Cadillac by George R. Galuschak
An enjoyable story that stuck in my mind mostly because it didn't do the so-common-it's-the-new-expected-cliché ending of "The hunter hunted." This may have skewed my initial impressions, but I think it's a worthwhile tale regardless.
PodCastle 178, Giant Episode: Braiding the Ghosts by C.S.E. Cooney
Thick, dark, and richly woven. It has some refrigerator logic that rather spoilt it for me, but at the time, I was very much engaged with it.
PodCastle 154: Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Under the Still Waters by N.K. Jemisin
The story, while good, wasn't quite there for me - I found the whole monsters-powered-by-hate schtick to be less than thrilling, and I'm rarely if ever a fan of using real history in fantasy stories - but the reading, my God, the reading was stellar. Storm dragons are the new Regis St. George.