A New Avenue for the Ministry: The 99-Penny Dreadful

Gentle readers, there are amazing things afoot in the Archives, and Miss Braun and I are teeming with excitement at the possibilities of this new ætherweb movement — the digital press. Of course, the released case files of the Archives are already available in a digital format if you are listening to our podcast (and if you are, do be kind and leave us a review); but the sad truth is that not everyone listens to short fiction. Some prefer to read it on the analytical engine of their choosing.

Well then, thanks to the wondrous technology available to Miss Braun and myself, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences presents the 99-Penny Dreadfuls.

So what are 99-Penny Dreadfuls? Presently, these are Tales from the Archives from authors you have heard on our humble æthercast; but these stories are now available for electronic readers at the cost of 99¢. Based on early reception of the tales featured here, our journalists will be releasing original and exclusive short stories set in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences universe. Some tales will delve into the history of the Ministry, or even the agents themselves. Some — like “Darkest before the Darkwater” —may reveal hints of adventures yet to come.

Currently available for download from Amazon are:
“The Evil That Befell Sampson” by Pip Ballantine
“The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas” by Nathan Lowell (and a nominee for the 2011 Parsec Awards)
“Darkest before the Darkwater” by Tee Morris (scheduled to be podcast on the morrow, so here’s your chance to read it beforehand!)

For those of you enjoying your æther-reads on iPad and Nook, the brilliant purveyors of fiction — Smashwords — will be tending to your devices momentarily. Do watch this blogpost and our æthertweets for more.

Whether it is an adventure featuring the Ministry Seven, a case file from our award-nominated podcast, or an exploit of the House of Usher, expect new stories from the Ministry for the mere tuppence of 99¢ a yarn!