Search Worlds Without End

Centuries in the future when pollution has fouled the skies and the oceans, humanity survives only in massive, domed cities. One scientist discovers a method by which the ecological disaster might be reversed, but he fears that his research will only lead to worse catastrophes.

The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.

Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he's been accused of the murder, and he's on the run. He's sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn't believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.

Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she's given a task by Valdas' dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.

Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he's to have a future.

Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?

Legends say that on stormy nights, or during sunsets, there sometimes comes a strange whistling in the sky followed by sightings of enormous black dogs. But these are no ordinary dogs. They are demonic things, hounds loose from the Wild Hunt, and they are searching for lost souls. They are rarely sighted more than one at a time, but if all seven should come together, it will mean the end of the world.

In the picturesque New England town of Kingsbury, Vermont, a young woman named Rose Kerrigan mourns the death of her grandfather, the sweet but strange old man who raised her. Soon, Rose will learn the legend of the Seven Whistlers. They've come to Kingsbury in search of a soul that has been hidden from them, and they will not leave without it. First there was one, then two... then four... If they don't find what they're looking for soon, perhaps all seven will gather in Kingsbury. And if all seven should come together....

CHIPS OFF A BOLD BLOCH

--a terrifying punishment for a murderer who found immortality

--a sinister reward for putting the wrong head on the wrong shoulders

--an eerie case of one woman's sweets being another woman's poison

--a gruesome twiast of fate leads a husband to a strange revenge

ROBERT BLOCH, author of Psycho, plunges beyond the imaginable to create a blood-shilling vault of terror and fear with these twelve masterpieces of the strange and the unknown. Inside lurk the deadly spirits and supernatural dreams of madness incarnate, gleefully waiting to test the nerves of any who dare enter his CHAMBER OF HORRORS.

Table of Contents:

• 9 - The Living End - (1963) - short story
• 14 - The Head Hunter - (1950) - short story (variant of Head Man)
• 31 - Impractical Joker - (1963) - short story
• 48 - Pride Goes - - short story
• 52 - The Screaming People - (1959) - novelette
• 87 - Fat Chance - (1960) - novelette
• 98 - The Unpardonable Crime - (1961) - short story
• 103 - Method for Murder - (1962) - short story
• 110 - Two of a Kind - (1958) - short story
• 117 - Untouchable - (1961) - short story
• 123 - Beelzebub - (1963) - short story
• 131 - "Frozen Fear" - (1946) - short story

From familiar fairy tales and legends - Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss-in-Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires, werewolves - Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.

Contains:

• The Bloody Chamber
• The Company of Wolves
• The Courtship of Mr. Lyon
• The Erlking
• The Lady of the House of Love
• The Snow Cild
• The Tiger's Bride
• The Werewolf
• Wolf Alice
• Puss-in-Boots

14 September 1766. Prime Minister William Pitt proposes the Columbia Compromise, unifying the Kingdom of Great Britain and her colonies and establishing a framework for North American representation in Parliament. The American War of Independence is over before it begins. This is the history of British North America. This anthology includes nine original stories from six authors. Each delves into events along the timeline between this point of divergence from established history up to the present day, from the uncertainty of early colonial conflicts to the devastation on the front line of the War of Wars, from the politics underpinning a British mission to land a man on the moon to rivalry on the cricket grounds of New England.

Accompanied by extensive appendices including maps, biographies, letters and diaries, they collectively describe an alternate history of the sisterhood between a very British North America and Great Britain, the story of Columbia and Britannia.

When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam war, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly's part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

The Dream Daughter is a rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother's quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.

A stand-alone science fiction novella from the award-winning, bestselling, critically-acclaimed author of the Wayfarer series.

At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to journey to neighboring exoplanets long known to harbor life.

A team of these explorers, Ariadne O'Neill and her three crewmates, are hard at work in a planetary system fifteen light-years from Sol, on a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds. But as Ariadne shifts through both form and time, the culture back on Earth has also been transformed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the story of the wonders and dangers of her mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.

With its strange, imaginative blend of horror, science fiction, romance and lyrical prose, Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow is a classic masterpiece of weird fiction. This series of vaguely connected stories is linked by the presence of a monstrous and suppressed book which brings fright, madness and spectral tragedy to all those who read it. An air of futility and doom pervade these pages like a sweet insidious poison. Dare you read it?

This collection has been called the most important book in American supernatural fiction between Poe and the moderns. H. P. Lovecraft, creator of the famed Cthulu mythos, whose own fiction was greatly influenced by this book stated that The King in Yellow 'achieves notable heights of cosmic fear'.

Table of Contents:

• The Repairer of Reputations
• The Mask
• In the Court of the Dragon
• The Yellow Sign
• The Demoiselle d'Ys
• The Prophets' Paradise
• The Street Of The Four Winds
• The Street of the First Shell
• The Street of Our Lady of the Fields
• Rue Barrée

Steampunk -- a grafting of Victorian aesthetic and punk rock attitude onto various forms of science-fiction culture -- is a phenomenon that has come to influence film, literature, art, music, fashion, and more.

The Steampunk Bible is the first compendium about the movement, tracing its roots in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through its most recent expression in movies such as Sherlock Holmes. Its adherents celebrate the inventor as an artist and hero, re-envisioning and crafting retro technologies including antiquated airships and robots. A burgeoning DIY community has brought a distinctive Victorian-fantasy style to their crafts and art. Steampunk evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, and embraces extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future.

This ultimate manual will appeal to aficionados and novices alike on a wild ride through the clockwork corridors of Steampunk history.

WFA nominated short story. It originally appeared in the anthology Cassilda's Song: Tales Inspired by Robert W. Chambers' King in Yellow Mythos (2015), edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.

Tiptree nominated novella. Originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January-February 2014. Later anthologized in Paula Guran's The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novellas 2015.

Traditional horror has often portrayed female characters in direct relation to their sexual role according to men, such as the lascivious victim or innocent heroine; even vampy, powerful female villains, such as the classic noir "spider women," use their sexual prowess to seduce and overwhelm married men. Fist of the Spider Woman is a revelatory anthology of horror stories by queer and transgressive women and others that disrupts reality as queer women know it, instilling both fear and arousal while turning traditional horror iconography on its head.

In this collection, horror (including gothic, noir, and speculative writing) is defined as that which both titillates and terrorizes, forcing readers to confront who they are. Kristya Dunnion's "Homeland" reveals the horrors that lurk on your average night in a lesbian bar; Elizabeth Bachinsky's "Postulation on the Violent Works of the Marquis de Sade" is a response to Sade from a feminist (yet kinky) perspective; and Amber Dawn's "Here Lies the Last Lesbian Rental" is a paranormal fantasia about urban gentrification, set in a house rented by lesbians on the eve that it is sold to new owners.

Subversive, witty, sexy--and scary--Fist of the Spider Woman poses two questions: "What do queer women fear the most?" and "What do queer women desire the most?"

Amber Dawn is a writer, performance artist, and radical sex/gender activist.

It's the summer of 1990 and Crystal Beach has lost its beloved, long-running amusement park, leaving the lakeside village a virtual ghost town. It is back to this fallen community Starla Mia Martin must return to live with her overbearing mother after dropping out of university and racking up significant debt. But an economic downturn, mother-daughter drama, and Generation X disillusionment soon prove to be to be the least of Starla's troubles. A mysterious and salacious force begins to dog Starla; inexplicable sounds in the night and unimaginable sites spotted in the periphery. Soon enough, Starla must confront the unresolved traumas that haunt Crystal Beach.

Sodom Road Exit might read like a conventional paranormal thriller, except that Starla is far from a conventional protagonist. Where others might feel fear, Starla feels lust and queer desire. When others might run, Starla draws the horror nearer. And in turn, she draws a host of capricious characters toward her--all of them challenged to seek answers beyond their own temporal realities.

Sodom Road Exit, the second novel by Lambda Literary Award winner Amber Dawn, is a book that's alive with both desire and dread.

Fear and wonder, a powerful combination.

Terry Dowling is one of the best kept secrets in modern science fiction, fantasy and horror, a storyteller that Grand Master Jack Vance in his introduction calls, "A very talented writer, one I admire and respect."

Locus saw Dowling's first book, Rynosseros, as placing him "among the masters of the field", while editor David G. Hartwell calls him "A master craftsman...one of the best prose stylists in science fiction and fantasy." In the words of Harlan Ellison, "Here is Jack Vance, Cordwainer Smith and Tiptree/Sheldon come again, reborn in one wonderful talent...you'll purr and growl with delight."

Such praise is certainly deserved. Winner of the 2007 International Horror Guild Award for Best Collection, Dowling's stories have appeared in The Year's Best Science Fiction, The Year's Best SF, The Year's Best Fantasy, The Best New Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, in major anthologies like Songs of the Dying Earth, Inferno, The Dark, and Wizards, and such leading publications as SciFiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Interzone.

Now, for the first time, Amberjack: Tales of Fear & Wonder gives us the best of Terry's recent uncollected work in a single wonderful volume. From invasion by the truly alien in "The Lagan Fishers", "Truth Window" and "Flashmen" to the gut-wrenching horror of "Toother" and "The Suits at Auderlene", from the day-after-tomorrow, hardline SF of "He Tried to Catch the Light" to the epic sweep and swashbuckling adventure of "The Library", this is imaginative storytelling as it should be: provocative, unsettling, beautifully crafted, full of invention and genuine surprise and, yes, a definite touch of the dark side.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction by Jack Vance
• Preface
• Amberjack
• The Lagan Fishers
• Glencoe
• The Fooly
• Now, Then, Everywhen
• The Magikkers
• The Lure of Legendary Ladies
• He Tried to Catch the Light
• Bermudas
• Flashmen
• The Blue Marlin Whore
• Toother
• China in His Day
• The View in Nancy's Window
• Mr. Fate & Mr. Danger
• Jarkman at the Othergates
• Ithaca
• Some Roses for the Bonestell Man
• Gantry Jack
• The Suits at Auderlene
• At the Sign of the Moon
• Truth Window: A Tale of the Bedlam Rose
• Down in the Limbo Gardens
• The Library
• Déjà-vu

They come to Amberleaf Fair -- toymakers, storytellers, conjurers, and adventurers. They bring song and dance, gifts of love, and tales of far places. But in the midst of celebration, the high wizard Talmar is stricken with what appears to be the Choking Glory, his brother Torin the toymaker has been rejected by his lady love, and a fabulous necklace from across the sea has been stolen -- and Torin is the chief suspect! This year Amberleaf Fair promises to be more than a place of marvels, a crossroads for magic, mysteries, and fabulous wealth. This year the fair promises to be much more interesting... and dangerous!

Confessions of a Five-Chambered Heart is the follow-up to Caitlín R. Kiernan's World-Fantasy Award nominated The Ammonite Violin & Others, a collection that drew comparisons to the writings of such luminaries of the macabre and surreal as Angela Carter, Thomas Ligotti, Shirley Jackson, and Harlan Ellison. Here, again, in her eighth collection, we visit the borderlands where the weird, horrific, mythic, and erotic intersect. Once again, Kiernan sets her masterful, intoxicating prose to the task of retelling fairy tales, spinning sensual post-Lovecraftian yarns, and blurring the lines between pain and pleasure. Here is a celebration of the bizarre and beautiful, and a marriage of unlikely worlds. From a reverence of the dead to the sacrifices the living make to unspeakable gods, from clockwork dreams to tales of merciless revenge, Kiernan blurs the artificial lines of genre, and shows us a world where there is no division between the light and dark.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Sexing the Weird - essay
• The Wolf Who Cried Girl - (2007) - short story
• The Bed of Appetite - (2007) - short story
• Subterraneus - (2012) - short story
• The Collector of Bones - (2008) - short story
• Beatification - (2008) - short story
• Untitled Grotesque - (2007) - short story
• Flotsam - (2009) - short story
• Regarding Attrition and Severance - (2008) - short story
• Rappaccini's Dragon (Murder Ballad No. 5) - (2008) - short story
• Unter den Augen des Mondes - (2008) - short story
• The Melusine (1898) - (2011) - short story
• Fecunditatum (Murder Ballad No. 6) - (2012) - short story
• I Am the Abyss, and I Am Light - (2008) - short story
• Dancing with the Eight of Swords - (2008) - short story by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Murder Ballad No. 7 - (2008) - short story
• Lullaby of Partition and Reunion - (2008) - short story
• Derma Sutra (1891) - (2008) - short story
• The Thousand-and-Third Tale of Scheherazade - (2009) - short story
• The Belated Burial - (2009) - short story
• The Bone's Prayer - (2009) - short story
• A Canvas for Incoherent Arts - (2009) - short story
• The Peril of Liberated Objects, or the Voyeur's Seduction - (2009) - short story
• Pickman's Other Model (1929) - (2008) - novelette
• At the Gate of Deeper Slumber - (2009) - short story
• Fish Bride - (2009) - short story
• "But She Also Lies Broken and Transformed": An Afterword - essay by Sonya Taaffe
• About the Author - essay

This short story originally appeared in Lightspeed, July 2013.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

Althus is an anarchist, a Phantom Dragon. Vade is a Whisper?an Imperial agent.

Their love was never meant to survive.

In a world of magical empires and the anarchists that would tear them down, A Necessary Chaos is the story of Althus and Vade, assigned to spy on the other by opposing sides. But now that they've both caught feelings, where will their loyalties fall? They must each decide if they'll follow orders or find a way to make their romance thrive beyond the lies.

This short story originally appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, #232, August 2017. It can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2018, edited by Rich Horton, and The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2018, edited by Paula Guran.

Read the full story for free at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Forty light years from earth, the colonists on the world of Unua have somehow managed to keep civilization struggling on, despite twice daily earthquakes and technology lagging far behind that of the mother planet. But now an Unuan mining expedition has discovered an alien mineral they name centrokrist--a stone of incomparable beauty.

Yet when the Earth scientists at last arrive to investigate, they find a phenomenon eclipsing this discovery. For this double-sunned solar system is nestled right next to a black hole, and waiting for them on the verge of the black hole's event horizon is an alien artifact that can't possibly exist!

Mark Keaflyn didn't want to be a space hero...

He just wanted to stay alive!

Staying alive should have been easy in a universe where death had been conquered. But suddenly life had become very difficult for Mark Keaflyn.

First he was injected with a sense of humor that made him see everything as hilarious - even his own imminent demise. Then it was arranged that his ravishing lady-love turned into a 9 year old girl. Next he found himself on a planet that resembled a wax-work museum filled with legendary figures from Earth's distant past - only here they were all flesh and blood.

By now Mark could be sure of just one thing. The fate of the universe hung on his discovery of the nature of his unknown enemy, and the unsuspected truth about himself - in a strange and savage struggle that ranged from the outermost reaches of space to the innermost depths of the secret soul...

In the weird and wonderful tradition of Kelly Link and Karen Russell, Amber Sparks's dazzling new collection bursts forth with stories that render the apocalyptic and otherworldly hauntingly familiar. In "The Cemetery for Lost Faces," two orphans translate their grief into taxidermy, artfully arresting the passage of time. The anchoring novella, "The Unfinished World," unfurls a surprising love story between a free and adventurous young woman and a dashing filmmaker burdened by a mysterious family. Sparks's stories?populated with sculptors, librarians, astronauts, and warriors?form a veritable cabinet of curiosities. Mythical, bizarre, and deeply moving, The Unfinished World and Other Stories heralds the arrival of a major writer and illuminates the search for a brief encounter with the extraordinary.

Hugo Award winning novelette. It originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, June 1977. The story can also be found in the anthologies The New Women of Wonder (1978), edited by Pamela Sargent, The 1978 Annual World's Best SF, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, The Analog Anthology #2 (1982), edited by Stanley Schmidt and The Hugo Winners, Volume 4: (1976-79) (1985), edited by Isaac Asimov. It is included in the collection Eyes of Amber and Other Stories (1979).

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Joan Vinge: The Turing Criterion - essay by Ben Bova
• Eyes of Amber - (1977) - novelette
• Afterword (Eyes of Amber) - essay
• To Bell the Cat - (1977) - novelette
• Afterword (To Bell the Cat) - essay
• View from a Height - (1978) - shortstory
• Afterword (View from a Height) - essay
• Media Man - (1976) - novella
• Afterword (Media Man) - essay
• The Crystal Ship - (1976) - novella
• Afterword (The Crystal Ship) - essay
• Tin Soldier - (1974) - novella
• Afterword (Tin Soldier) - essay

Johnny Grissom—nicknamed "Johnny Gruesome" by his high school classmates—is a heavy metal hellion who loves to party, watch horror movies, and get into fights. One winter night, Johnny's car, The Death Mobile, is discovered submerged beneath the icy surface of Willow Creek, with Johnny's waterlogged corpse inside. The townspeople believe that his death was accidental. But soon the murders begin—horrible acts of violent vengeance that hint at a deepening mystery and terror yet to come. A headless body is discovered at the high school, a priest is forced to confront his own misdeeds, and a mortician encounters the impossible. The sound of a car engine and maniacal laughter fill the night, and one by one, Johnny's enemies meet a grisly demise. The students at Red Hill High School begin to fear for their lives—especially Johnny's closest friends, who all harbor a dark secret.

Sylvie has always known she deserves more. Out in the permanent twilight of the Dusklands, her guardians called her power to create illusions a curse. But Sylvie knows it gives her a place in Coeur d'Or, the palais of the Amber Empress and her highborn legacies.

So Sylvie sets off toward the Amber City, a glittering jewel under a sun that never sets, to take what is hers.But her hope for a better life is quickly dimmed. The empress invites her in only as part of a wicked wager among her powerful courtiers. Sylvie must assume a new name, Mirage, and begin to navigate secretive social circles and deadly games of intrigue in order to claim her spot.

Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is as it appears and no one, including her cruel yet captivating sponsor, Sunder, will answer her questions. As Mirage strives to seize what should be her rightful place, she'll have to consider whether it is worth the price she must pay.

Mirage, triumphant in her coup of the Amber Empire, returns to the palais prepared to take her place as empress. With the support of her friends and a tentative, blossoming romance with Sunder, Mirage is on the cusp of taking hold of everything she has ever wanted. However, her place in the sun is not as sure as she expected, nor is it quite as bright as she imagined.

When the Empress Severine's body was recovered from the battle, Mirage discovered she was not dead after all. Rather, Severine is in a coma, her every breath a threat to Mirage's newfound power. Worse, a distant cousin, Gavin d'Ars, appears at court with the challenge of his blood claim.

As Mirage uncovers more secrets from her family's past, she proposes a series of ancient, grueling trials to determine the most deserving heir. But in Mirage's fight to defend her vision for the empire, she begins to splinter all of her alliances. Will the battle for control leave anyone untainted?

From the author of Borne and Annihilation comes the one-volume hardcover reissue of his cult classic Ambergris Trilogy.

Before Area X, there was Ambergris. Jeff VanderMeer conceived what would become his first cult classic series of speculative works: the Ambergris Trilogy. Now, for the first time ever, the story of the sprawling metropolis of Ambergris is collected into a single volume, including City of Saints and Madmen, Shriek: An Afterword, andFinch.

Sturgeon Award nominated novella. It appeared as a chapbook in 1996 and was later in the collection City of Saints and Madmen (2001).

Read the full story for free at infinity plus.

A mesmerizing novella -- one moment hilarious, the next utterly chilling -- that is not only a tour guide through the dream city of Ambergris, but through the very architecture of the imagination. This brilliant work, presented as an actual "artifact" from Ambergris, and stunningly intricate in its construction, builds upon the world introduced in Dradin, In Love: A Tale of Elsewhen & Otherwhere (Buzzcity Press, 1996).

The Early History of Ambergris was listed as one of the Books of the Year by acclaimed British author Brian Stableford in Vector, the Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Association.

Reprinted (with other tales from Ambergris) in City of Saints and Madmen, published by Cosmos Books (2001), Prime Books (2002), Wildside Press (2003), Tor UK (2004), and Spectra (2006).

Once upon a time, on the banks of the River Moth, a city sprang up like no other in or out of history. Founded on the blood of the original inhabitants, the stealthy gray caps, and steeped for centuries in the aftermath of that struggle, Ambergris has become a cruelly beautiful metropolis--a haven for artists and thieves, for composers and murderers. City includes the World Fantasy Award-winning novella The Transformation of Martin Lake.

Narrated with flamboyant intensity by one-time society figure Janice Shriek, and presenting a vivid gallery of strange characters and even stranger events, this is an account of the adventures of her brother Duncan, a historian obsessed with a doomed love affair and a dark secret that may kill or transform him. It involves, too, a war between rival publishing houses which threatens to change Ambergris forever, and rivalry with a marginalised race known as the "grey caps" who, armed with advanced fungal technologies, wait underground for their chance to recover the city that was once theirs. This story of the family Shriek is an exotic and colourful novel of love, life and death which brings to fruition the author's genius for capturing the truly weird.

In Finch, mysterious underground inhabitants known as the gray caps have reconquered the failed fantasy state Ambergris and put it under martial law. They have disbanded House Hoegbotton and are controlling the human inhabitants with strange addictive drugs, internment in camps, and random acts of terror. The rebel resistance is scattered, and the gray caps are using human labor to build two strange towers.

Against this backdrop, John Finch, who lives alone with a cat and a lizard, must solve an impossible double murder for his gray cap masters while trying to make contact with the rebels. Nothing is as it seems as Finch and his disintegrating partner Wyte negotiate their way through a landscape of spies, rebels, and deception. Trapped by his job and the city, Finch is about to come face to face with a series of mysteries that will change him and Ambergris forever.

A city. A mystery. An impossible love.

Why would the Head of a great ruling House retrieve a robbed, battered victim left for dead in the streets of the legendary city of Amberlight?

Why would the oracle that guides all House-heads tell her, It matters, if he dies?

What would an outlander stripped of all memory know of cabal and coalition along the River, where Amberlight holds the monopoly of power and wealth?

What threat might he reveal to Amberlight's one, unique possession: the motherlodes of the qherrique; the pearl-rock that gives the River's rulers their most powerful tool?

What could the Head of a great House feel for a nameless stranger, that would make her risk her House and city for his sake?

Is it honor or betrayal that brings war, siege, and the ruin of their every hope?

The answers lie beyond tangles of intrigue and insurrection and brutal warfare, when in the final upheaval they both begin to understand the more-than-human mystery that first brought them together in the streets of Amberlight.

Fighting doubt and convention, beset with great challenge and facing profound change, Tellurith leads her displaced House to a new beginning and a different life in Iskarda - a life that includes men and women as equals.

But the traditionalist Iskardans are outraged by Tellurith's policies and appalled by her love for two husbands: Alkhes - the rough, dark Outlander who brought Amberlight its doom - and golden Sarth, epitome of the urbane men of the Amberlight Towers.

To achieve Tellurith's dream, both must re-shape their lives. To preserve the dream, all three must journey to Dhasdein's imperial capital of Riversend and face deadly menace and perilous machination.

After their shattering departure from Amberlight, Telluir House has begun to rebuild in the mountain village of Iskarda - but even there, River politics remain a threat.

When Tellurith and her consort receive the precious yet harrowing gift of a possible new form of the qherrique, only one solution offers protection for Iskarda and the qherrique both: leave Iskarda. Find the River's Source. The qherrique itself chooses Tellurith a company, of husbands, lovers, old friends and new, and their passage upRiver is accompanied by upheavals and catastrophe wherever they pass.

Nor are things quieter downRiver, or in Iskarda itself. Before she can return, everything Tellurith has worked for threatens to crumble, as war flares along the River, among the fall and liberation of states, including Amberlight. It takes revelation, sacrifice, great loss, and an impossible hope's fulfillment, to bring Tellurith and her company safely home from the Source, to a River that will never be the same again.

Le Carré meets Cabaret in this debut spy thriller as a gay double-agent schemes to protect his smuggler lover during the rise of a fascist government coup

Welcome to Amberlough City, the illustrious but corrupt cosmopolitan beacon of Gedda. The radical One State Party--nicknamed the Ospies--is gaining popular support to unite Gedda's four municipal governments under an ironclad, socially conservative vision.

Not everyone agrees with the Ospies' philosophy, including master spy Cyril DePaul and his lover Aristide Makricosta, smuggler and emcee at the popular Bumble Bee Cabaret. When Cyril's cover is blown on a mission, however, he must become a turncoat in exchange for his life. Returning to Amberlough under the Ospies' watchful eye, Cyril enters a complex game of deception. One of his concerns is safeguarding Aristide, who refuses to let anyone--the crooked city police or the homophobic Ospies--dictate his life.

Enter streetwise Cordelia Lehane, top dancer at the Bee and Aristide's runner, who could be the key to Cyril's plans--if she can be trusted. As the twinkling lights of nightclub marquees yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means--and people--necessary. Including each other.

In a tropical country where shadowy political affairs lurk behind the scenes of its glamorous film industry, three people maneuver inside a high stakes game of statecraft and espionage:

Lillian, a reluctant diplomat serving a fascist nation;

Aristide, an expatriate film director running from lost love and a criminal past; and

Cordelia, a former cabaret stripper turned legendary revolutionary.

Each one harbors dangerous knowledge that can upturn a nation. When their fates collide, machinations are put into play, unexpected alliances are built, and long-held secrets are exposed. Everything is barreling towards an international revolt... and only the wiliest ones will be prepared for what comes next.

In Amberlough City, out of the ASHES of revolution, a TRAITOR returns, a political CAMPAIGN comes to a roaring head, and the people demand JUSTICE for crimes past.

As a nation struggles to rebuild, who can escape retribution?

The first novel in a brand-new alternate history series where Teddy Roosevelt is president for a second time right before WWI breaks out, and on his side is the Black Chamber, a secret spy network watching America's back.

1916. The Great War rages overseas, and the whole of Europe, Africa, and western Asia is falling to the Central Powers. To win a war that must be won, Teddy Roosevelt, once again the American president, turns to his top secret Black Chamber organization--and its cunning and deadly spy, Luz O'Malley Aróstegui.

On a transatlantic airship voyage, Luz poses as an anti-American Mexican revolutionary to get close--very close--to a German agent code-named Imperial Sword. She'll need every skill at her disposal to get him to trust her and lead her deep into enemy territory. In the mountains of Saxony, concealed from allied eyes, the German Reich's plans for keeping the U.S. from entering the conflict are revealed: the deployment of a new diabolical weapon upon the shores of America...

The second novel in an alternate history series where Teddy Roosevelt is president once more right before WWI breaks out, and on his side is the Black Chamber, a secret spy network watching America's back.

After foiling a German plot to devastate America's coastal cities from Boston to Galveston, crack Black Chamber agent Luz O'Malley and budding technical genius Ciara Whelan go to California to recuperate. But their well-deserved rest is cut short by the discovery of a diabolical new weapon that could give the German Imperial Navy command of the North Sea.

Luz and Ciara must go deep undercover and travel across a world at war, and live under false identities in Berlin itself to ferret out the project's secrets. Close on their trail is the dangerous German agent codenamed Imperial Sword, who is determined to get his revenge, and a band of assault-rifle equipped stormtroopers, led by the murderously efficient killer Ernst Röhm. From knife-and-pistol duels on airships to the horrors of the poison-gas factories to harrowing marine battles in the North Sea, the fight continues--with a world as the prize.

The third novel in a World War I alternate history series where America's greatest weapon against Germany is Black Chamber secret agent Luz O'Malley and technical genius Ciara Whelan. Only they can protect America's best hope of winning the war.

The Great War is at a stalemate, and the only thing stopping Germany from striking America is the threat of the United States using their own Annihilation Gas against them. But America's supply is quickly decaying and the Central Powers know it.

A plant is under construction in the remote highlands of Mexico so that America can make their own supply. President Teddy Roosevelt assigns crack agent Luz O'Malley and her technical genius Ciara Whelan to watch over the plant operating under cover identities.

But German agent Horst von Duckler has escaped from the POW camp in El Paso, and he's heading in the same direction--bent on revenge against Luz, and sabotage that will deprive America of its deterrent and kill tens of thousands.

Our story begins at the end of an investigation, as the members of London's Peculiar Crimes Unit race to catch a killer near London Bridge Station in the rain, not realising that they're about to cause a bizarre accident just yards away from the crime scene. And it will have repercussions for them all...

One year later, in an exclusive London crescent, a woman walks her dog--but she's being watched. When she's found dead, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is called in to investigate. Why? Because the method of death is odd, the gardens are locked, the killer had no way in - or out - and the dog has disappeared.

So a typical case for Bryant & May. But the hows and whys of the murder are not the only mysteries surrounding the dead woman - there's a missing husband and a lost nanny to puzzle over too. And it seems very like that the killer is preparing to strike again.

As Arthur Bryant delves in to the history of London's 'wild chambers' - its extraordinary parks and gardens, John May and the rest of the team seem to have caused a national scandal. If no-one is safe then all of London's open spaces must be closed...

With the PCU placed under house arrest, only Arthur Bryant remains at liberty--but can a hallucinating old codger catch the criminal and save the unit before it's too late?

Contents:

• xi - Introduction (The Yellow Sign and Other Stories) - (2000) - essay by S. T. Joshi
• 7 - The Repairer of Reputations - [The King In Yellow] - (1895) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 33 - The Mask - [The King In Yellow] - (1895) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 47 - In the Court of the Dragon - [The King In Yellow] - (1895) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 54 - The Yellow Sign - [The King In Yellow] - (1895) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 70 - The Demoiselle d'Ys - (1895) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 83 - The Prophets' Paradise - (1895) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 97 - The Maker of Moons - (1896) - novella by Robert W. Chambers
• 135 - A Pleasant Evening - (1896) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 159 - Introduction (The Mystery of Choice) - (1897) - poem by Robert W. Chambers
• 163 - The Purple Emperor - (1897) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 180 - Pompe Funèbre - (1897) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 183 - The Messenger - (1897) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 214 - The White Shadow - (1897) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 246 - Passeur - (1897) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 250 - The Key to Grief - (1897) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 263 - In Search of the Unknown - (1904) - novel by Robert W. Chambers
• 433 - The Tracer of Lost Persons (excerpt) - (1906) - shortfiction by Robert W. Chambers
• 469 - The Carpet of Belshazzar - (1907) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 487 - The Sign of Venus - (1903) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 496 - The Case of Mr. Helmer - (1904) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 504 - The Bridal Pair - (1902) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 516 - Out of the Depths - (1904) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 525 - Police!!! - (1915) - collection by Robert W. Chambers
• 529 - Foreword (Police!!!) - (1915) - poem by Robert W. Chambers
• 533 - Preface (Police!!!) - (1915) - essay by Robert W. Chambers
• 535 - The Third Eye - (1915) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 556 - The Immortal - (1915) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 571 - The Ladies of the Lake - (1915) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 592 - One Over - (1915) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers
• 612 - Un Peu d'Amour - (1915) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 630 - The Eggs of the Silver Moon - (1915) - shortstory by Robert W. Chambers

Calliope Reaper-Jones so just wanted a normal life: buying designer shoes on sale, dating guys from Craig’s List, web-surfing for organic dim-sum for her boss...

But when her father—who happens to be Death himself—is kidnapped, and the Devil’s Protege embarks on a hostile takeover of the family business, Death, Inc., Callie returns home to assume the CEO mantle— only to discover she must complete three nearly impossible tasks in the realm of the afterlife first.

Calliope Reaper-Jones is Death's Daughter. She owes a debt to Cerberus, the three headed dog that guards the gate's of hell-a debt that involves a trip to Purgatory, Las Vegas, ancient Egypt, and a discount department store that's more frightening than any supernatural creature she'll ever encounter.

Calliope just wants to make it big in the Big Apple like any other working girl. But Callie is also Death's Daughter, no matter how much she tries to stay out of the family business. And now her older sister has made a deal with the Devil himself to engage in a hostile takeover of both Death Inc. and Heaven-once they get Callie out of the way.

All Calliope Reaper-Jones ever wanted out of life was a fabulous job in New York City and a really hot boyfriend. But now, she's the brand-new President of Death, Inc. With the Board of Death breathing down her neck and her dad's copy of How to be Death (A Fully Annotated Guide) unopened, Callie's really feeling the tension. And when the guide book is stolen at a fancy formal dinner, Callie has to figure out how to be the boss--before the powers held within the book get out and destroy humanity forever...

My name is Calliope Reaper-Jones (Callie to my friends). I'm Death's Daughter and—as of very recently—the (reluctant) head of my father's company, Death, Inc.

I was gradually learning how to be a businesswoman. Had the power suits and shoes down, though the day to day was slow going. Then I was blindsided by Enemies Unknown and sent off to I-don't-know-where. Not a good thing.

Now not only must my friends and family be frantic, but without a CEO, Death, Inc., can't function. With the newly deceased left free to roam the Earth, it's the zombie apocalypse come true.

I've got to get back—for my sake and the sake of, oh, all humanity...

Omnibus edition collecting together the Path of the Dark Eldar trilogy

For millennia, Asdrubael Vect has ruled the dark city of Commorragh, crushing any who dare to cross him. His reach is long and his position unassailable... or so he thinks. A cabal of rebellious archons, allied with other darker forces, seek to unseat the tyrant and rule the city in his stead. But as their actions bring about a cataclysm and draw the attention of the mysterious Harlequins, they are cast into grave danger... and Vect is watching.

The first book featuring the Dark Eldar from Warhammer 40,000

In the hidden city of the dark eldar, a crisis is coming. An ambitious archon and a twisted haemonculus unite to challenge the city's rulers, and Commoragh will burn in their wake.

For millennia, Asdrubael Vect has ruled the dark city of Commorragh, crushing any who dare to cross him. His reach is long and his position unassailable... or so he thinks. Yllithian, an ambitious archon with the desire to unseat the tyrant, joins forces with a twisted haemonculus in an attempt to revive a long-dead warrior and challenge the might of the overlord, both racing to achieve their goal before Vect discovers their treachery. But a cataclysm is coming, and Yllithian's actions may in fact be the cause...

Second novel in the Dark Eldar Path series

The eternal city of Commorragh has been cast into turmoil by the Dysjunction, a cataclysmic disturbance in the very fabric of its existence. As the streets are inundated with horrors from beyond the veil the supreme overlord, Asdrubael Vect, battles to keep his enemies in check and maintain his stranglehold over the riven city. Kabal turns upon kabal, archon against archon as the fires of hell are unleashed. Redemption for Commorragh rests in the hands of a disgraced incubus warrior wrongly accused of triggering the Dysjunction itself. His efforts to reclaim his lost honour could save the city or damn it forever--assuming it can survive the daemonic invasion and the archons' deadly battles for supremacy.

Final novel in the Dark Eldar Path trilogy

The eternal city of Commorragh is no longer beset by the horrors of the Dysjunction, but the scars of its passage remain. Now the supreme overlord, Asdrubael Vect, strives to reassert his authority over the anarchic city before hidden challengers can make their bid for power. The noble Yllithian frantically seeks new allies to put between himself and the overlord's wrath, the Mandrake kings muster and Vect prepares to unleash his most fearsome weapons against his own people as Commorragh erupts into open war.

The lesbian science-fiction classic Daughters of a Coral Dawn told the story of a group of pioneering women who disappeared from Earth and colonized the planet Maternas. But what of their sisters left behind? In the highly anticipated sequel, Katherine Forrest tells the story of a group of women called the Unity, who have vanished from society but are still living on earth. But Earth, repressive before the most accomplished and in-dispensable women disappeared, is now a hellish place ruled by the dictator Theo Zedera, known as Zed, and he is seeking the vanished women with ruthless determination. Among them is Africa Contrera, and as she struggles to build a world safe for women, she is haunted by her past, a past in which she and Zed were close friends, a past where she trusted him and shared the deadly knowledge he now uses to hunt her. Is there hope for this new hidden society of women? However resourceful they may be, can they withstand the savagery of a man who uses their own secrets against them? Just as she did 18 years ago, Katherine Forrest has created a brilliant and breathtaking saga of a divided society and the rebels courageous enough to withstand this brutal new world.

The latest title from best-selling author and Dragonlance setting co-creator Margaret Weis, Amber and Ashes takes up where the War of Souls left off with the central character Mina. While following her story, this new trilogy will also explore the chaos that is post-war Krynn. This is Weis's first solo hardcover since the publication of the extremely popular Dragonlance title The Soulforge in 1998.

The world of Krynn is ever changing, and even the gods can be taken by surprise. And if that's true of the gods, what chance can a mere mortal have? Caught up in forces none of them could hope to face alone, a small but determined band of adventurers come together in a desperate attempt to stop an invasion.

Mina, as enigmatic as ever, escapes imprisonment to set off on a quest that will test even her considerable will. All the while, evil spreads across the land, gaining ground with each new day. With so much at stake, with the very soul of Krynn on the line, champions must be found even in the darkest places.

The Dark Disciple's fate will alter the future of Krynn.

In the concluding volume of this post-War of Souls trilogy, Mina learns the truth about herself and the terrible knowledge drives her insane. Rhys, the monk of Majere, accompanied by his dog Atta and the kender Nightshade, is given the dangerous assignment of guarding the crazed god, escorting her on a long, strange journey to the mysterious place known as Godshome, where Mina hopes to find the answer to the riddle of her existence. Their path is fraught with peril, for the undead Beloved want to make Mina their leader, even as the death knight Krell wants to seize her and Galdar tries to deliver Mina to her most hated enemy.

"...although Mary and these poets experienced a lifetime before they were thirty, here I was at 28, having never left my homeland. I needed to flee -- go forth and find sublimity. What better guide than Frankenstein."

Six years ago, Selena Chambers turned her first major trip abroad into a literary scavenger hunt of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Visiting Geneva, Switzerland, Ingolstadt, Germany, and Chamonix, France over a series of several days, she found within the nooks and crannies of these modern European towns the residual Romanticism that inspired the teenage Mary Shelley and shaped her most famous novel.

This special limited edition chapbook collects this Best of the Net-nominated travelogue to commemorate the bicentennial of Frankenstein's conception during the week of June 16, 1816. Written in the epistolary vein as Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, these letters portray Chambers' visits to three of the most important sites within literature and take us all on a journey through the sublime.

Table of Contents:

• Dedication
• Letter 1
• Letter 2
• Letter 3
• Endnotes
• Afterword
• About the Author

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike is does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageous stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself?

From two masters of dark fantasy comes a chilling tale of magic and possession, set in--and beneath--fabulous Venice, a city slowly being swallowed by the very waters that have made it one of the wonders of the world.

Geena Hodge is an American archaeologist working to salvage Venice's past from the encroaching Adriatic Sea. When she and her lover, Nico, discover the lost library of Petrarch under the Piazza San Marco, they rejoice not only at the historical significance of the find but at the opportunity to bring worldwide attention--and much-needed funding--to their endeavors.

But that find soon leads to another, a room buried more deeply still: the fabled Chamber of Ten, where centuries ago the secret rulers of Venice, in their quest for absolute power, met to plot betrayals and murders. After entering the Chamber, Geena and Nico are thrust into the midst of an ancient feud, a deadly battle of wills and black magic that threatens to poison the city's future with the evils of its past.

The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heart-stopping end, marking the final volume of His Dark Materials as the most powerful of the trilogy.

Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, come a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spymaster to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. So, too, come startling revelations: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live--and who will die--for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that--in its shocking outcome--will uncover the secret of Dust. Philip Pullman deftly brings the cliff-hangers and mysteries of His Dark Materials to an earthshattering conclusion--and confirms his fantasy trilogy as an undoubted and enduring classic.

The book follows a young man who works for the Bronx Zoo as an ornithologist. He gets sent on exotic travels around the world as part of his job. He has strange adventures, or hilarious clamity, during his search for odd and extinct animals that are supposed to still exist. He can never quite realize his goal, but always finds a pretty girl to fall in love with, only to have her wisked away at the last moment.

Jake Helman, an elite member of the New York Special Homicide Task Force, faces what every cop dreads—an elusive serial killer. While investigating a series of bloodletting sacrifice rituals executed by an ominous perpetrator known as the Cipher, Jake refuses to submit to a drug test and resigns from the police department. While battling a cocaine addiction, Jake starts a high-pressure position as the director of security at Tower International, a controversial genetic-engineering company. Beneath the polished exterior of the corporate identity and the CEO—who has a reputation as the frontiersman on the cutting edge of science—is a deranged mind. As Jake delves deeper into this frightening laboratory, he discovers much more than unethical practices performed in the name of human progress. Sequestered in rooms veiled in secrecy is the worst crime the world will ever see—the theft of the human soul. Horrifying and gruesome, this is a gripping, suspense-filled novel that offers intense arguments about science, ethics, and human life. Show More Show Less

In this action-packed novel, Jake Helman—the ex-cop and zombie killer—has set up shop as a private investigator in lower Manhattan. When a woman hires Jake to prove that her dead grandson is dealing a deadly new drug called “Black Magic” on a Brooklyn street corner, Jake uncovers a plot by a vicious drug lord to use voodoo to seize the streets of New York City. Gun-wielding zombie assassins, hallucinations, and betrayal confront Jake at every corner, but voodoo creates more terror than zombies, and Jake finds himself poised on the edge of insanity as he fights to restore the soul of the one person he trusts. A combination of hard-core horror and hard-boiled crime fiction, this thriller is gripping and suspenseful. Show More Show Less

Private investigator Jake Helman has battled a demon, his minions, the walking dead, and beings from the dimensions of the Sphere of Light and the Dark Realm, but now he faces the greatest evil the world has ever known in the third installment of this loosely knit trilogy. Jake is hired by the wife of New York City mayor Myron Madigan to prove his infidelity. Meanwhile, the ex-girlfriend of his old partner Edgar needs Jake’s help when her son joins a cult that worships space aliens. And Jake’s late wife, Sheryl, now an “agent of Light,” asks him to locate a monster called the Destroyer of Souls—who may be responsible for the disappearance of the Biblical entity known as Abel. The investigation of Madigan leads to Karlin Reichard, a wealthy industrialist and political kingmaker—head of a cabal that has secretly manipulated world affairs for generations. In order to bring these men down, Jake must join them. With earthly and otherworldly forces marshaled against him, Jake battles human assassins and supernatural creatures in his quest to uncover the mystery behind the Order of Avademe and a monster willing to destroy heaven and hell to rule the earth. Show More Show Less

Lucifer Box, His Majesty's most daring — and depraved — secret agent returns in a mystery set some twenty years after the scandalous events of The Vesuvius Club. This time he faces treachery within his own service and a fascist messiah with a peculiarly Satanic design...

Lucifer Box — the gorgeous butterfly of King Bertie's reign, portraitist, dandy and terribly good secret agent — is feeling his age. Assigned to observe the activities of fascist leader Olympus Mons and his fanatical Amber Shirts in a snow – bound 1920s New York, Box finds himself framed for a vicious murder.

Using all his native cunning, Box escapes aboard a vessel bound for England armed only with a Broadway midget's suitcase and a string of unanswered questions. What lies hidden in the bleak Norfolk convent of St Bede? What is 'the lamb' that Olympus Mons searches for in his bid for world domination? And what has all this to do with a medieval prayer intended to summon the Devil himself?

From the glittering sophistication of Art Deco Manhattan to the eerie Norfolk coast and the snow – capped peaks of Switzerland The Devil in Amber takes us on a thrilling ride that pits Lucifer Box against the most lethal adversary of his career: the Prince of Darkness himself.

Marie Jenner is at it again!

In this fast-paced paranormal mystery, the second in the Marie Jenner Mystery series, amateur sleuth Marie Jenner tries--one more time with feeling--to pull her life together. She takes on the case of Honoria Lowe, a woman of interest in Eddie Hansen's gruesome murder by crucifixion.

Since Marie knows where Eddie Hansen's spirit is, she figures it will be a slam dunk. All she has to do is ask him who nailed him to the tree, and she'll have one in the win column for her more or less boss, James Lavall.

But, James thinks Honoria's either crazy or lying, and doesn't want to take her case. Worse than that, Marie can't find Eddie. He should be right by the crucifixion tree, but he isn't. Of course.

There's never a ghost around when you want one.

It's been centuries since the robots of Earth gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.

But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.

They're going to need to ask it a lot.

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Red Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the Shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the Shogun's Inner Chamber...

In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman... and the harem is full of men. R to L (Japanese Style). Curious about why female lords must take on male names, the Shogun Yoshimune seeks out the ancient scribe Murase and his archives of the last eighty years of the Inner Chambers--called the Chronicle of the Dying Day. In it's pages Yoshimune discovers the coming of the Redface Pox, the death of the last male Shogun, and the birth of the new Japan... In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Red Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen to a quarter of the total female population. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the Shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the Shogun's Inner Chamber...

In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman... and the harem is full of men.

R to L (Japanese Style). In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman... and the harem is full of men. The tale told in the Chronicle of the Dying Day continues as the young female shogun Iemitsu tries desperately to conceive a male heir. But her lover Arikoto seems unable to give her a child, and they must betray their hearts to save their country. Meanwhile, the Redface Pox continues its ruthless progress through Japan, leaving famine, despair, and the threat of anarchy in its wake.

In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman...and the harem is full of men.

Reads R to L (Japanese Style). In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman... and the harem is full of men.

Despite Iemitsu and Arikoto's best efforts, there is no male heir to take over the shogunate. As the Redface Pox continues to ravage the country, it becomes increasingly clear within Edo Castle that Japan's continued existence relies on overturning the centuries of custom that define it!

In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman... and the harem is full of men.

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for M audiences. Gyokuei, who first arrived at the Inner Chambers as a young novitiate monk, has risen to become one of the Shogun Tsunayoshi's advisors. He hopes to protect the shogunate the same way his mentor Arikoto once did. But the numerous intrigue of the Inner Chambers--and the shogun herself--are pushing Gyokuei's patience and cunning to the breaking point.

In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman... and the harem is full of men.

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...

Ienobu's heir is still just a child, and with few official functions to perform, the men of the Inner Chamber find themselves with much time on their hands. Some find ways to make the most of their rare trips outside the palace, while others turn their minds to bloody intrigue...

In this 17th Century Japan the Shogun is a woman...and the harem is full of men.

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...

Yoshimune has secured her place in history as a cunning and capable ruler, but the time has come for her to officially declare an heir. Many in her court hope she will pass over her oafish older daughter Ieshige in favor of the urbane Munetake. Yoshimune has never been one to bow to convention, but this time the future of her country is at stake!

A stunning alternative history from Eisner-nominated creator Fumi Yoshinaga

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...

Yoshimune brought many changes to the inner chambers in her time as shogun, and now even after death she brings another: the men of the Inner Chambers must study Western learning and discover a cure for the Redface Pox. For if Japan can't increase the male population, it's only a matter of time before a foreign power discovers their secret and invades!

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...

Aonuma and his disciples in Holland studies are closer than ever to finding a way to prevent the spread of the Redface Pox. But even as they work ceaselessly for salvation for their country, shadowy political machinations threaten their endeavors... and their lives!

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...

Tokugawa Harusada connived for years to place her son in the shogun's seat, and now she's enjoying holding all the reins of power while Ienari is relegated to breeding duties. But while his mother sees him as nothing but a mindless stud horse, Ienari has been reading The Chronicle of a Dying Day and dreaming of a better future for his country--one free of his mother's increasingly cruel control.

With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters - Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser-delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander....

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

After Pendergast is presumed dead from a supernatural encounter, his bodyguard Proctor is the only one who can chase a kidnapper across international waters and into the deadly unknown.

A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE
After a harrowing, otherworldly confrontation on the shores of Exmouth, Massachussetts, Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast is missing, presumed dead.

A SHOCKING RETURN
Sick with grief, Pendergast's ward, Constance, retreats to her chambers beneath the family mansion at 891 Riverside Drive--only to be taken captive by a shadowy figure from the past.

AN INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT
Proctor, Pendergast's longtime bodyguard, springs to action, chasing Constance's kidnapper through cities, across oceans, and into wastelands unknown.

BUT IN A WORLD OF BLACK AND WHITE, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS
And by the time Proctor discovers the truth, a terrifying engine has stirred-and it may already be too late...

Amber is the one real world, of which all others including our own Earth are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne.

From Arden to the Pattern deep in Castle Amber which defines the very structure of Reality, Corwin must contend with the powers of his eight immortal brothers, all Princes of Amber. His savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imagining impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering Forces that challenge the might of Corwin's superhuman fury.

Seeking vengeance against his usurping brother, Eric, Corwin, the rightful heir to the throne, ventures into the dark world of Shadow in order to gather ammunition, and is distracted by a beautiful and mysterious woman.

Accepting the responsibilities as ruler to the world of Amber, Corwin finds himself the target of sibling treachery, and must seek guidance in a land of visions, where a sinister prediction foretells his doom.

King Oberon has vanished and Shadow menaces the perfect realm of Amber. Family blood has been spilled on the magic pattern that created Amber. To save themselves from the dagger-wielding hand that stabs across the nebulous boundaries of the parallel worlds, the remaining Princes - led by the superhuman Lord Corwin - must find the murderous traitor in their midst... and discover the source of the black road that unites the one true world of Amber with the multidimensional realm of Shadow.

Corwin finds his world dissolving around him when his father Oberon, disguised as Corwin's friend, steals the Jewel of Judgment so that he may defeat the evil Brand, in a conclusion to the first Amber series.

In the continuation of the Amber chronicles, Corwin, Prince of Amber, exiled to Earth because of an ancient feud with his brothers, must battle his way back to the perfect world of Amber, the center of reality.

Merle Corey escapes from prison into Amber, a world of wonders and confusions where friends and foes are sometimes indistinguishable, where a man is out to kill him and a woman to help him.

Merle Corey, son of the great Prince Corwin of Amber, has been pursued through shadow by unknown enemies and left trapped in an Alice in Wonderland world - a bar with the Mad Hatter serving and the Cheshire Cat grinning malevolently. In a dramatic escape from a monstrous Jabberwock, Merle embarks upon a fantastic adventure, leading him back to the Court of Amber and finally to a confrontation at the Keep of Four Worlds, and here he learns the strange secrets of the Courts of Chaos and their role in his destiny.

Confronting his deadliest enemy in a reincarnated Julia, his former lover, Merlin of Amber is forced to choose between the Patterns of Amber and Chaos while continuing his search for his father, Corwin.

On the brink of achieving the crown of Chaos, Merlin, aka Merle Corey, is challenged with silencing a murderous discord between Amber and Chaos and freeing a captive royal father who is under a villain's spell.

One of the most revered names in sf and fantasy, the incomparable Roger Zelazny was honored with numerous prizes--including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards--over the course of his legendary career. Among his more than fifty books, arguably Zelazny's most popular literary creations were his extraordinary Amber novels. The Great Book of Amber is a collection of the complete Amber chronicles--featuring volumes one through ten--a treasure trove of the ingenious imagination and phenomenal storytelling that inspired a generation of fantasists, from Neil Gaiman to George R.R. Martin.

Contians all ten Chronicles of Amber novels.

Amber is the one real world, casting infinite reflections of itself -- Shadow worlds, that can be manipulated by those of royal Amberite blood. But the royal family is torn apart by jealousies and suspicion; the disappearance of the Patriach Oberon has intensified the internal conflict by leaving the throne apparently up for grabs.

In a hospital on the Shadow Earth, a young man is recovering from a freak car accident; amnesia has robbed him of all his memory, even the fact that he is Corwin, Crown Prince of Amber, rightful heir to the throne -- and he is in deadly peril . . .

This omnibus edition contains five books, Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn, The Hand of Oberon and The Courts of Chaos, which together make up the first half of Roger Zelazny's finest work of fantasy and an undisputed classic of the genre.

In all the universe, Amber is the only true world. All others are Shadows, playthings for Amber's royal family -- sibling rivals who vault between worlds using tarot-like Trump cards and walk the labyrinthine Pattern, which confers the power to manipulate reality. Far removed from his native land, Merlin, son of Corwin of Amber and Dara of Chaos, has tried to build himself a normal Earthly life -- a life free of the cabals, vendettas and feuds that have torn his family apart. And he's done quite well for himself... except when it comes to April 30th. Because on that day, every year for the past eight years, someone -- or something -- has tried to kill him. Gunshots. Fires. Gas leaks. Car accidents. This year's attempt comes in the form of a huge, dog-like beast that tears his former girlfriend to bits -- and tries to do the same to him. Somebody must have it in for him, but who?

Contains Chronicles of Amber novels 6-10.

Amber is the one real world, casting infinite reflections of itself - Shadow worlds, that can be manipulated by those of royal Amberite blood. But the royal family is torn apart by jealousies and suspicion; the disappearance of the Patriarch Oberon has intensified the internal conflict by leaving the throne apparently up for grabs.

In a hospital on the Shadow Earth, a young man is recovering from a freak car accident; amnesia has robbed him of all his memory, even the fact that he is Corwin, Crown Prince of Amber, rightful heir to the throne - and he is in deadly peril...

The five books, Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn, The Hand of Oberon and The Courts of Chaos, together make up The Chronicles of Amber, Roger Zelazny's finest work of fantasy and an undisputed classic of the genre.

Merlin is a Prince of Chaos and Amber, Corwin's son and heir. He has grown up knowing that his legacy is to one day follow in his father's footsteps, live up to his father's legend.

When Corwin goes missing, that day comes far sooner than he could ever have expected. Merlin must find his own identity as the ruler of the worlds, and discover what kind of King he wants to be. Will he be a warrior like his father, or embrace his own path as a hacker-magician?

A generation after Corwin's rise to the throne, Merlin is aided by powers beyond anything Corwin could have imagined. The epic magic from The Chronicles of Amber is wielded alongside sentient computers, a vorpal sword, and the ghosts of those who came before.

Featuring the Locus award-winning Trumps of Doom, the Locus nominated Blood of Amber and Sign of Chaos, and the final two novels Knight of Shadows and Prince of Chaos, The Second Chronicles of Amber continues the epic story of Amber and the Shadow worlds.

The last in a six-volume series Volume 6: The Road To Amber, the last in the series, covers the final five years of Zelazny's career in the early 1990s, when he reached for new ideas and continued familiar themes with stories such as "Godson" and "Godson: A Play in Three Acts," two more Wild Cards stories ("Concerto for Siren and Serotonin" and "The Long Sleep"), and a linked sequence of five Amber stories leading to planned but unwritten Amber novels.

MEET TELZEY AMBERDON - SHE'S NOBODY'S TOY

Telzey Amberdon was only in her teens when she discovered that she was a telepath. Not only a telepath, but a xenotelepath, able to communicate mentally not just with humans, but with alien intelligences. And she turned out to be one of the most powerful telepaths in the history of the galactic civilization called the Hub.

First she had to deal with an alien race that humans hadn't realized were intelligent, and who were about to eliminate those troublesome humans who thought they were colonizing an uninhabited world. Then, she had to fend off the secret psi agents of the Psychological Corps who took a dim view of any telepath, let alone one with Telzey's powers, operating outside of their control. Next, she stumbled across a telepathic serial killer, who used an unstoppable predator, under his mental control, to hunt and kill his victims-and Telzey was to be the catch of the day.

It was fortunate for the human race that she survived, since she next found herself in the middle of a secret war between two hidden races of genetically engineered humans. They called it the "Lion Game," and they made the mistake of thinking that in this clash of predators, Telzey was just a harmless kitten. But when the dust settled, Telzey would be the only one purring....

Table of Contents:

• Novice - (1962) - novelette
• Undercurrents - (1964) - novella
• Poltergeist - (1971) - short story
• Goblin Night - (1965) - novelette
• Sleep No More - (1965) - short story
• The Lion Game - (1971) - novella
• Blood of Nalakia - (1953) - novelette
• The Star Hyacinths - (1961) - novelette
• Afterword - essay by Eric Flint
• The Federation of the Hub: An Overview - essay by Guy Gordon

Evil times had come for rthe Deryni, the humans with strange, magical powers. The Regents of the boy-king Alroy sought their destruction. And now Bishop Alister Cullen was dead, depriving the Deryni of their greatest friend. But no one could be sure he was really dead. His body lay unchanged and incorruptible. As those questions remained unanswered, the effort to save Deryni had to continue. In the meanwhile, Camber's daughter Evaine pursued the most perilous quest of all--to find among ancient foribidden scrolls the spell that might release Camber. The price to fail--or to succeed--was unthinkable...

With young young King Alroy on his deathbed, the power-hungry Regents are plotting to keep the legitimate heir from ascending the thrown. But Prince Javan is a formidable opponent. And the Regents vow to stop at nothing to wrest back control of Gwynedd. To prevail against the Regents, to rule his kingdom justly, and even to live, Javan has to be strong. He has to be clever. And he has to be very lucky indeed...

The power-hungry former Regents of the three Haldane princes were pleased. They controlled Gwynedd once more, now that Rhys Michael was king--malleable, wine-loving, and soft. Or so they thought...

Unbeknownst to the Regents, Rhys Michael was coming into his birthright. With secret Deryni aid, he struggled to grasp the magic bequeathed to all anointed kings. And when Marek--heir to Gwynedd's last degenerate deposed Deryni despots--marched into Gwynedd at the head of an army, even the Regents had to admit that Rhys Michael must take to the field himself as king to repel the pretender.

Rhys Michael saw his chance at last. He swore that the power of the throne--from now on and for all time to come--was to be held by Gwynedd's rightful king. For this, for his sons, and for his country, the king would risk all...

When young Kelson, King of Gwynedd is reported drowned in a search for the legendary Saint Camber, Nigel was deemed to be king. But his son, Conoll, was too jealous and struck down his own father. Conoll had forgotten Saint Camber.

Nebula Award nominated novelette. It originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction -> Science Fact, April 1965. The story can also be found in the anthologies On Our Way to the Future (1970), edited by Terry Carr and The World Turned Upside Down (2005) edited by Eric Flint, Jim Baen and David Drake. It is included in the collections The Best of James H. Schmitz and Telzey Amberdon (2000).

Telzey Amberdon, at age 15, had enormously developed psionic powers. She could read, as well as change, human minds! In part I, she enjoys an extraordinary telepathic rapport with a feline non-human.

Then her dreams become nightmares dominated by a weird "psionic traffic cop," and she realizes that further exercise of her powers could lead to trouble. Somehow, the interstellar government had found out about her, and had planted that "cop" in her mind to destroy her.

Expansion of 2 previously published stories - "Novice" (1962) and "Undercurrents" (1964).

The future of earth and control of the universe is at stake when a highly intelligent fifteen-year-old becomes involved in a game played by her protean kidnappers.

Expansion of 3 previously published stories - "Goblin Night" (1965), "Sleep No More" (1965), and "The Lion Game" (1971).

Table of Contents:

• Company Planet
• Compulsion
• Resident Witch
• The Telzey Toy

Set in the future, humans are forced to share the world with shape-changers from Bhahdradomen, and the mysterious Aelyr. When the shape-changers start a war, two sisters and two brothers from a quiet village find themselves about to be dragged into the conflict.

Magic and mysticism come alive in this magnificent historical fantasy from the New York Times-bestselling author of the Chronicles of the Deryni.

Long before Camber was revered as a saint, he was a Deryni noble, one of the most respected of the magical race whose arcane skills set them apart from ordinary humans in the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd.

For nearly a century, Camber's family has had little choice but to loyally serve the ruling Festils, Deryni usurpers who employed dark magic to wrest the throne from the rightful Haldane liege.

Now, the land suffers under the tyranny of King Imre, whose savage oppression of the human population weighs heavily on Camber's heart--a heart that is shattered when the despot and his evil mistress-sister, Ariella, cause the death of Camber's beloved son.

The grim demands of justice and vengeance drive Camber far from his family's estates in search of the last of the Haldane line. This descendant of kings will not be easily persuaded to accept Camber's unthinkable plan. But with the kingdom in turmoil, the aging mage and the reluctant Haldane heir must confront together the awesome, terrible might of the Festils for the good of all.

The breathtaking history of the Deryni continues as the greatest hero of a medieval fantasy realm is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice

The evil king is dead, and thanks to the efforts of revered Deryni magic-user Camber of Culdi, a human liege occupies the throne of Gwynedd for the first time in nearly a century. The yoke of tyranny has finally been lifted from the shoulders of an oppressed people who suffered for decades under the cruelty of the ruling magical race.

But Camber's job remains unfinished. The dangerous remnants of a conquered enemy still mass at the borders. Worse still, the former monk and new ruler King Cinhil is desperately unhappy wearing the crown, and is resentful of all Deryni, Camber in particular, and their arcane abilities. Now, with the stability of a fragile kingdom at stake, its greatest champion must make the ultimate sacrifice: Camber of Culdi must cease to exist.

In the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd, strife has long existed between the human population and the Deryni, a powerful race of magic-users. For more than a decade, a fragile peace has held under the rule of King Cinhil. The former monk reluctantly ascended the throne with the help of Camber of Culdi, Gwynedd's most revered Deryni lord, who in turn sacrificed his identity and physical form for the good of all people, earning sainthood in the process. But now Cinhil is dying, and a dark cloud is descending upon the land.

The king's heir is a mere boy of twelve, and the malevolent regents who will rule until young Alroy comes of age are determined to eliminate all Deryni. Suddenly, the future of Gwynedd hangs in the balance, and Camber--once adored as a saint, but now reviled as a heretic--must find a way to protect his people before everything and everyone he loves is destroyed in the all-consuming flames of intolerance and hate.

Unbeknownst to most of humankind, a powerful network of witches thrives within the shadows of society, using their magic to keep the world in balance. But they are being eliminated--and we will all pay if their power falls...

When Elyse MacAllister's great-aunt Eleanora, the woman who raised her, becomes deathly ill, Lyse puts her comfortable life in Georgia on hold to rush back to Los Angeles. And once she returns to Echo Park, Lyse discovers her great-aunt has been keeping secrets--extraordinary secrets--from her.

Not only is Lyse heir to Eleanora's Victorian estate; she is also expected to take her great-aunt's place in the Echo Park coven of witches. But to accept her destiny means to place herself in deadly peril--for the world of magic is under siege, and the battle the witches now fight may be their last...

In the second Witches of Echo Park novel, one coven must keep the world in balance and stand against a rising darkness.

Lyse MacAllister did not step into an easy role when she took over as master of the Echo Park coven of witches after her great-aunt Eleanora's death. As she begins to forge the bonds that will help her lead her sisters, she struggles to come to terms with her growing powers. And she soon faces a deadly new threat. A group of fanatics intent on bringing about the end of times has invaded the witches Council--but the Council is turning a blind eye to the danger growing in its midst.

Only one witch is prophesied to be able to stop the encroaching darkness. And if Lyse and her blood sisters are to have any chance at protecting all we know from being lost forever, they must keep her safe--no matter what the cost...

Lyse MacAllister used to be like everyone else--blissfully ignorant of magic, of the dire battles being fought in shadows and secrecy. But that was before her great-aunt Eleanora died, leaving her in control of the Echo Park coven; before she found herself in the middle of the witches' clash with the anti-magic zealots known as The Flood; before her blood sisters lost their faith in her.

As The Flood begins turning humans across the globe against the witches, Lyse must find a way to regain the trust of her former magical family and once again unify them. Because the final battle between good and evil is looming--and if the witches don't stand together, all of humankind could be lost...

Somewhere within our crowded sky, a crew of wormhole builders hops from planet to planet, on their way to the job of a lifetime. To the galaxy at large, humanity is a minor species, and one patched-up construction vessel is a mere speck on the starchart. This is an everyday sort of ship, just trying to get from here to there. But all voyages leave their mark, and even the most ordinary of people have stories worth telling. A young Martian woman, hoping the vastness of space will put some distance between herself and the life she's left behind. An alien pilot, navigating life without her own kind. A pacifist captain, awaiting the return of a loved one at war. Set against a backdrop of curious cultures and distant worlds, this episodic tale weaves together the adventures of nine eclectic characters, each on a journey of their own.

Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has to start over in a synthetic body, in a world where her kind are illegal. She's never felt so alone.

But she's not alone, not really. Pepper, one of the engineers who risked life and limb to reinstall Lovelace, is determined to help her adjust to her new world. Because Pepper knows a thing or two about starting over.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that, huge as the galaxy may be, it's anything but empty.

Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life -- and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one's story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything.

With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers - all different species with different aims - are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio - an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes - are compelled to confront where they've been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.

Lord Wulf von Dunstig is in deep trouble. He is surrounded by invading enemies and kingdoms fallen into chaos. Along with dealing with the problems of a realm he never expected to rule, Wulf is in love with the elf maiden Saeunn Amberstone. Saeunn once saved his land. Now she has lost her star-soul and is dying.

Ursel Keiler wishes she could control her errant heart as easily as she can guide the flight of an arrow to a target. She tries to escapes into the woodlands she adores, only to be pulled back by a band of desperate and brave warriors who need her help. But aiding them will lead Ursel straight to Wulf von Dunstig, and to the heartache she is fleeing.

Yet evil cares nothing for human feelings. Now Wulf, Ursel and their friends must find a way to unite the land of Shenandoah against a powerful Roman inquisitor. He not only controls an Imperial Legion, he is also toying with magic that threatens the foundations of existence itself. Yet there is hope even in the deepest and darkest places of the world, and all may depend upon Wulf and Ursel forging a powerful weapon drawn from the heart of a dragon.