Book picks similar to
Spoils of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky


fantasy
short-stories
shadows-of-the-apt
7-yyy

A Fire Within The Ways


Robert Jordan - 2019
    As some of you know, during the revision process of A Memory of Light, two lengthy sections ended up on the cutting room floor. The first, which we titled River of Souls, was included in the first Unfettered Anthology. The second, I assumed, would never see the light of day.However, Grim Oak press (and Shawn Speakman, who runs it) has continued the Unfettered anthologies—the income of which is used to help pay medical fees for authors and artists in need. I thought the arrival of the third anthology would be a great chance to use this other deleted scene. (Which involves Perrin traveling into the Ways.) Harriet has graciously agreed to let it be published, so I’m thrilled to be able to announce its inclusion in the anthology.I’ve long been fond of this sequence, and it was quite difficult to cut from the book. (In the anthology itself, I’ll explain why we eventually decided that the sequence needed to go.) I do have to warn you that-unlike River of Souls, which we consider canon to events in the Wheel of Time—this as-of-yet untitled sequence is NOT canon. You’ll want to read it in the same way you’d watch an unfinished, alternate film scene that ended up not being used.Still, I think it’s an exciting and interesting chunk of writing. It’s quite big, as long as a novella, and it addresses one of the big unanswered questions we left hanging at the end of the Wheel of Time. So I think you’re in for a treat.Look for Unfettered Three March 19th, 2019.Brandon

Slayer of the Storm God


Nathan Long - 2009
    Little do they realise that this is the very trinket dedicated to Stromfels – the ancient and evil Storm God – and he wants it back!Our two heroes are attacked by the god’s minions and the bracelet is taken from them, but a stubborn and determined Gotrek refuses to relinquish it without a fight. Venturing deep into the Marienburg marshes in pursuit of the thieves, Gotrek and Felix find themselves confronting the embodiment of the Storm God himself…

Kingdoms of the Wall


Robert Silverberg - 1992
    At its Summit, on the highest peak of all, far above the clouds, live the gods themselves. Each year, from the village of Jespodar at the foot of the imposing Wall, twenty men and twenty women, selected and trained at arduous length, set forth on a Pilgrimage. Against overwhelming odds they will attempt to scale the Summit, meet with the gods, and gain new knowledge. A few Pilgrims will return as madmen. Most will never be seen again.For Poilar Crookleg, the Pilgrimage has been a lifelong dream. Years ago he and his childhood friend Traiben vowed that they would one day make the Pilgrimage together, converse with the gods, and return not as madmen but as teachers of wisdom. Now it is their year of selection, and the two young men set forth among the chosen forty, determined to succeed where so many before them have failed.Along the way, they must brave ghosts and ravenous Wall-hawks, traverse terrifying Kingdoms and blasted landscapes of heat and ice, and then face the greatest challenge of all…the temptation of eternal life in a paradise of pleasure. At the end, for the few who endure, lies the Summit itself, and with it the secret of the gods—a secret so strange and unsettling that it will shatter centuries of belief and change the world forever.In Kingdoms of the Wall, Robert Silverberg has crafted a masterpiece of the first order, an adventure filled with awesome mystery and disturbing revelation, a voyage to the heart of creation itself as the inhabitants of an alien world strive to learn the truth about themselves and their gods, a truth as harsh and unforgiving as the forbidding heights of Kosa Saag.

Mike


Jim Butcher - 2020
    Dresden Drops will feature never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, sample chapters for Peace Talks, contests, and other tasty tidbits throughout 2020.The first piece of microfiction, “Mike,” is set between White Night and Small Favor–shortly after the graphic novel Wild Card.Spoiler Level: LOW.

The Jester


Michael J. Sullivan - 2014
    A thief, a candlemaker, an ex-mercenary, and a pig farmer walk into a trap…and what happens to them is no joke. When Riyria is hired to retrieve a jester’s treasure, Royce and Hadrian must match wits with a dwarf who proves to be anything but a fool. Difficult choices will need to be made, and in the end those who laugh last do so because they are the only ones to survive.This is a standalone short story of 7,200 words, originally published in the Unfettered anthology. No prior knowledge of The Riyria Revelations or The Riyria Chronicles is required to enjoy it to its fullest, making this a perfect introduction for new readers or a chance for Riyria veterans to spend a little more time with old friends. The Jester is a story of adventure, bonds of friendship, and a recognition that the choices we make dictates the future we find.

This Tower of Ashes


George R.R. Martin - 1976
    R. Martin's "The Thousand Worlds" setting.

No Hero


Jonathan Wood - 2011
    Because Arthur is no hero. He's a good cop, but prefers that action and heroics remain on the screen, safely performed by professionals. But then, secretive government agency MI37 comes calling, hoping to recruit Arthur in their struggle against the tentacled horrors from another dimension known as the Progeny. But Arthur is NO HERO! Can an everyman stand against sanity-ripping cosmic horrors?

The Hammer and the Goat


Peter Newman - 2016
    This novelette is set parallel to events in THE VAGRANT and tells the story of what the Hammer that Walks and the goat get up to when left to their own devices…

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls


Aliette de Bodard - 2015
    Thirty years ago, threatened by an invading fleet from the Dai Viet Empire, the Citadel disappeared and was never seen again. But now the Dai Viet Empire itself is under siege, on the verge of a war against an enemy that turns their own mindships against them; and the Empress, who once gave the order to raze the Citadel, is in desperate needs of its weapons. Meanwhile, on a small isolated space station, an engineer obsessed with the past works on a machine that will send her thirty years back, to the height of the Citadel's power. But the Citadel's disappearance still extends chains of grief and regrets all the way into the fraught atmosphere of the Imperial Court; and this casual summoning of the past might have world-shattering consequences... A new book set in the award-winning, critically acclaimed Xuya universe.

The Key of the Keplian


Andre Norton - 1995
    All that is, save for one young Native American girl new to Witch World, who rescues a Keplian mare and her foal and discovers an awesome truth--the Keplians were created to serve light, not darkness, and to ride with humans. This is the first in a new trilogy.

The Hook


Meljean Brook - 2010
    The challenge was to write about a famous urban legend in our characters’ voices, and my urban legend was The Hook.This story features Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth and Constable Newberry from The Iron Duke.

Sixth of the Dusk


Brandon Sanderson - 2014
     Sixth of the Dusk, set in a never-before-seen world, showcases a society on the brink of technological change. On the deadly island of Patji, where birds grant people magical talents and predators can sense the thoughts of their prey, a solitary trapper discovers that the island is not the only thing out to kill him. When he begins to see his own corpse at every turn, does this spell danger for his entire culture? -------------------- A note from the publisher: For a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this novella, including brainstorming and workshopping session transcripts, the first draft, line-by-line edits, and an essay by Brandon, please see Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology.

Star Wars: Mist Encounter


Timothy Zahn
    Mist Encounter is a short story written by Timothy Zahn and illustrated by Doug Shuler, originally published in Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 by West End Games in August 1995.

Elseworlds: Superman Vol. 1


J.M. DeMatteisGil Kane - 2018
    1. Included are many tales either never before included in graphic novel form or long out of print, including SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS, SUPERMAN: KAL, SUPERMAN: DISTANT FIRES, SUPERMAN: A NATION DIVIDED, SUPERMAN, INC. and SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE WORLDS.

The Time of the Warlock


Larry Niven - 1984
    Contains:Not Long Before the EndWhat Good is a Glass Dagger?The Magic Goes AwayUnfinished Story #1and:The Magic May ReturnNotes for a Series of Stories to be Set in the Fantasy World of The Magic Goes Away