From out of the deepest, most violent recesses of mankind's collective memory, Kothar the gigantic barbarian strides, the enchanted sword Frostfire glittering in his mighty hand. Lusty, hot-blooded, masterful, unafraid of things real or unreal, Kothar dominates the misty, bloody world before recorded time. Yet, though Kothar's world existed in another age--perhaps another dimension--it springs vividly to life. Mapped, charted, chronicled, Kothar's fantastic world suddenly becomes real--the sorcerers, dragons, witches, evil potions, unspeakable monsters. And Kothar, an epic hero for any age, overshadows everything.Includes the stories:"The Sword of the Sorcerer""The Treasure in the Labyrinth""The Woman in the Witch-Wood"with an introduction by Donald MacIvers, Ph.D.

    Long years from now the stories here may still touch someone, cause that person to blink, and put the book down for a second, and stare off through the hallow air, and shirver in wonder." Contents 1 • Preface (The Legend Book of Science Fiction) • (1991) • essay by Gardner Dozois7 • The Country of the Kind • (1956) • shortstory by Damon Knight22 • Aristotle and the Gun • (1958) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp59 • The Other Celia • (1957) • shortstory by Theodore Sturgeon78 • Casey Agonistes • (1958) • shortstory by Richard McKenna [as by Richard M. McKenna ]90 • Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1961) • novelette by Cordwainer Smith116 • The Moon Moth • (1961) • novelette by Jack Vance157 • The Golden Horn • [Tales of a Darkening World] • (1962) • novelette by Edgar Pangborn196 • The Lady Margaret • [Pavane] • (1966) • novelette by Keith Roberts (aka The Lady Anne)238 • This Moment of the Storm • (1966) • novelette by Roger Zelazny273 • Narrow Valley • (1966) • shortstory by R. A. Lafferty287 • Driftglass • (1967) • shortstory by Samuel R. Delany309 • The Worm That Flies • (1968) • shortstory by Brian W. Aldiss331 • The Fifth Head of Cerberus • (1972) • novella by Gene Wolfe397 • Nobody's Home • (1972) • shortstory by Joanna Russ416 • Her Smoke Rose Up Forever • (1974) • novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.437 • The Barrow • (1976) • shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin447 • Particle Theory • (1977) • shortstory by Edward Bryant472 • The Ugly Chickens • (1980) • novelette by Howard Waldrop499 • Going Under • (1981) • novelette by Jack Dann [as by Jack M. Dann ]521 • Salvador • (1984) • shortstory by Lucius Shepard543 • Pretty Boy Crossover • (1986) • shortstory by Pat Cadigan557 • The Pure Product • (1986) • novelette by John Kessel580 • The Winter Market • (1985) • novelette by William Gibson603 • Chance • (1986) • novelette by Connie Willis637 • The Edge of the World • (1989) • shortstory by Michael Swanwick654 • Dori Bangs • (1989) • shortstory by Bruce Sterling671 • Afterword (The Legend Book of Science Fiction) • (1991) • essay by Gardner Dozois

    Thirty-two good stories--some previously anthologized, some hot off the press ("Beauty and the Opera" by Suzy McKee Charnas appeared in July 1996), and a few once considered classic, but now nearly forgotten (Thomas Burnett Swann is rapidly falling out of sight)--offer entertainment for every taste. Many of the stories ("The Overworld" by Jack Vance, and "The Changeling" by Michael Swanwick) also offer continuation elsewhere as part of a longer work.Gardner Dozois's emphasis is on magazine fiction. As such, it's an interesting view of the evolution and increasing sophistication of the "pulps"--and their readers. For this reason this would be an excellent text for a course on modern fantasy writing. Stories from Asimov Science Fiction Magazine, which Dozois edits, are prominent among the recent pieces. Providing a brief history of 20th-century fantasy, the introduction seems written with the new reader in mind.ContentsWalk Like a Mountain • [John the Balladeer] • (1955) • shortstory by Manly Wade WellmanScylla's Daughter • [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] • (1961) • novella by Fritz LeiberPaper Dragons • (1985) • novelette by James P. BlaylockThe Golem • (1955) • shortstory by Avram DavidsonFlowers of Edo • (1987) • novelette by Bruce SterlingBears Discover Fire • (1990) • shortstory by Terry BissonThe Changeling's Tale • (1994) • shortstory by Michael SwanwickMissolonghi 1824 • (1990) • shortstory by John CrowleyBlunderbore • (1990) • shortstory by Esther M. FriesnerInto Gold • (1986) • novelette by Tanith LeeSpace-Time for Springers • [Gummitch the Cat] • (1958) • shortstory by Fritz LeiberBeauty and the Opéra or the Phantom Beast • (1996) • novelette by Suzy McKee CharnasThe Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule • [Griaule] • (1984) • novelette by Lucius ShepardA Cabin on the Coast • (1984) • shortstory by Gene WolfeThe Sleep of Trees • (1980) • shortstory by Jane YolenTrouble with Water • (1939) • shortstory by H. L. GoldThe Gnarly Man • (1939) • novelette by L. Sprague de CampDeath and the Executioner • [Lord of Light] • (1967) • novelette by Roger ZelaznyThe Manor of Roses • [John & Stephen] • (1966) • novella by Thomas Burnett SwannThe Overworld • [Dying Earth] • (1965) • novelette by Jack VanceExtempore • (1956) • shortstory by Damon KnightGod's Hooks! • (1982) • shortstory by Howard WaldropBuffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight • (1987) • novelette by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Tale of Hauk • (1977) • novelette by Poul AndersonA Gift of the People • (1988) • shortstory by Robert SampsonConfiguration of the North Shore • (1969) • shortstory by R. A. LaffertyTwo Sadnesses • (1973) • shortstory by George Alec EffingerManatee Gal, Won't You Come Out Tonight • [Jack Limekiller] • (1977) • novelette by Avram Davidson (aka Manatee Gal Ain't You Coming Out Tonight)The Signaller • [Pavane] • (1966) • novelette by Keith RobertsThe Troll • (1935) • shortstory by T. H. WhiteDeath and the Lady • (1992) • novelette by Judith TarrProfessor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros • (1995) • novelette by Peter S. BeaglePreface (Modern Classics of Fantasy) • (1997) • essay by Gardner DozoisRecommended Reading (Modern Classics of Fantasy) • essay by Gardner Dozois

    the Black Company ... Majipoor. For years, these have been some of the names that have captured the hearts of generations of readers and embodied the sword and sorcery genre. And now some of the most beloved and bestselling fantasy writers working today deliver stunning all-new sword and sorcery stories in an anthology of small stakes but high action, grim humor mixed with gritty violence, fierce monsters and fabulous treasures, and, of course, swordplay. Don't miss the adventure of the decade!Contents:- Introduction: Check Your Dark Lord at the Door by Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan- Goats of Glory by Steven Erikson- Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company by Glen Cook- Bloodsport by Gene Wolfe- The Singing Spear by James Enge- A Wizard in Wiscezan by C.J. Cherryh- A Rich Full Week by K.J. Parker- A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet by Garth Nix- Red Pearls: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock- The Deification of Dal Bamore: A Tale from Echo City by Tim Lebbon- Dark Times at the Midnight Market by Robert Silverberg- The Undefiled by Greg Keyes- Hew the Tintmaster by Michael Shea- In the Stacks by Scott Lynch- Two Lions, a Witch, and the War-Robe by Tanith Lee- The Sea Troll's Daughter by Caitlín R. Kiernan- Thieves of Daring by Bill Willingham- The Fool Jobs by Joe Abercrombie

    At least, the kind of magic that keeps the world alive. Magic is the power to shape reality, and this power is falling ever more into the hands of a few, into the hands of the Technocracy, a group of mages that has decided the universe is best defined by science.The second edition of this anthology contains the best stories from the first edition, as well as new stories that even better reflect the world of Mage: The Ascension "RM" as presented in the new edition of the Storyteller game.

    Danger thrills her. But magic always has a price.Twenty years have passed since the Darkmage was destroyed and the war between mages ended. For Lira Astor, the single living heir to the Darkmage, escaping her name is impossible. People still fear what is long dead, and they see in her the rise of another dangerous mage with deadly ambition. Desperate to claw her way free of her grandfather’s shadow, to make her own name amongst the world of mages, Lira is willing to do whatever it takes. Even if that means joining the secretive rebel group looking to restore his vision.Survival is a lesson Lira learned early and often, yet when she is abducted and held prisoner in a deadly game of cat and mouse, she finds herself facing a nemesis she may be no match for. Forced to band together with unlikely allies who challenge everything she believes about what it means to be a mage, she will have to rely on every bit of ruthlessness she possesses.Because the war may only just be beginning……and Lira Astor intends to come out on top.

    Accompanied by his only friend, a street-savvy thief named Skiver, Alaeron must head north into Numeria, a land where brilliant and evil arcanists rule over the local barbarian tribes with technology looted from a crashed spaceship. Can Alaeron and Skiver survive long enough to unlock the secrets of the stars? Or will the backstabbing scientists of the Technic League make Alaeron's curiosity his undoing?From Hugo Award-winner Tim Pratt comes a fantastical adventure of science, savagery, and the vagaries of the human heart, set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and tied into the Iron Gods Adventure Path.

    Greed pulls the archaeologist Matt Carse into the forgotten tomb of the Martian god Rhiannon and plunges the unlikely hero into the Red Planet's fantastic past, when vast oceans covered the land and the legendary Sea-Kings ruled from terraced palaces of decadence and delight.

    Memories of heroes and villains, glory and savagery have all been relegated to the shadows of yesteryear as present-day residents once again apply themselves to the task at hand: survival.Only Molin Torchholder, architect of Sanctuary’s glory and master of her secrets. knows the whole truth, but he is dying . . . He must hold on until he can pass along the city's hidden history of empires come and gone and blood shed for reason and naught. Aiding him are a lowly laborer named Cauvin, himself a survivor of one of the city's darkest moments, and a young boy named Bec.So many secrets and so little time. And as Molin’s chronicles of the past unfold, even darker forces return, an evil that jeopardizes the very survival of a city that until now has always refused to die.Sanctuary - An Epic Novel of Thieves' World ushers in a whole new age of tales, a whole new age of Thieves' World.

    If he can keep Tenzin's treasure safe, the reward will be worth the effort. But when has travel with a five-thousand-year-old wind vampire ever been simple?In Imitation and Alchemy, all Ben wanted was a quiet summer before his last semester of university. All Tenzin wanted was a cache of priceless medieval coins that had been missing for several hundred years. And some company.In Omens and Artifacts, Ben needs a job. A legendary job. Finding the lost sword of Brennus the Celt would make his reputation in the vampire world, but it could also draw dangerous attention. The Raven King's gold isn't famous for being easy to find. Luckily, Ben has his own legend at his side.OBSIDIAN'S EDGE is an anthology of previously published novellas in the Elemental Legacy series by Elizabeth Hunter, USA Today Bestselling Author of Midnight Labyrinth, Blood Apprentice, and other works of fiction.

    The only ones who could have opposed him are the Knights of Dragonwatch, an ancient order created to defend the world against the Dragon Queen, and they are no more, betrayed by one of their own and hunted to extinction.Jarryd is a young man with a secret. He sees demons. The visions have plagued him since he witnessed a traumatic event as a small boy.Jarryd lives in fear that his secret will be discovered, and he will be condemned to the fate of those who consort with demons. Or, even worse, that the demons will consume him, make him one of them.As the visions grow ever more powerful, Jarryd sets out on a journey to find answers at Knights Keep, the ancestral home of the Dragonwatch Knights. The journey brings him to the notice of the Emperor himself and sets Jarryd on a desperate quest to resurrect the Dragonwatch Knights.Can Jarryd overcome the demons within himself and defeat the Emperor in time? Or will the Dragon Queen escape her prison and ravage the cosmos once again?

    It features work from established and popular authors such as Graham McNeill and Nathan Long.