The only thing harder than the journey to Muscovy is their arrival in Muscovy. An audience with the Duke seems impossible to obtain, and Darger and Surplus quickly become entangled in a morass of deceit and revolution.The only thing more dangerous than the convoluted political web surrounding Darger and Surplus is the gift itself, the Pearls of Byzantium, and Zoesophia, the governess sworn to protect their virtue.

    The series moves to its new publishing home, Solaris, with this eighth annual volume of the celebrated and popular series.Table of Content"Some Desperado" by Joe Abercrombie"Zero for Conduct" by Greg Egan "Effigy Nights" by Yoon Ha Lee "Rosary and Goldenstar" by Geoff Ryman"The Sleeper and the Spindle" by Neil Gaiman"Cave and Julia" by M. John Harrison"The Herons of Mer de l’Ouest" by M Bennardo"Water" by Ramez Naam"The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling" by Ted Chiang "The Ink Readers of Doi Saket" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt "Cherry Blossoms on the River of Souls" by Richard Parks "Rag and Bone" by Priya Sharma "The Book Seller" by Lavie Tidhar "The Sun and I" by K J Parker"The Promise of Space" by James Patrick Kelly "The Master Conjurer" by Charlie Jane Anders "The Pilgrim and the Angel" by E. Lily Yu "Entangled" by Ian R Macleod "Fade to Gold" by Benjanun Sriduangkaew "Selkies Stories are for Losers" by Sofia Samatar"In Metal, In Bone" by An Owomoyela "Kormack the Lucky" by Eleanor Arnason "Sing" by Karin Tidbeck"Social Services" by Madeline Ashby "The Road of Needles" by Caitlín R Kiernan "Mystic Falls" by Robert Reed "The Queen of Night’s Aria" by Ian McDonald"The Irish Astronaut" by Val Nolan

    It will take every bit of magic simmering beneath her skin for the Stormwalker to survive being “Double Hexed.”From national bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein comes “Blood Debt,” in which bounty-hunter-turned-vampire Anna Strong is visited by three witches who ask her to right an old magical wrong. Anna will have to live up to her last name to make it through alive.

    Salvatore.Book 1: The Demon AwakensBook 2: The Demon SpiritBook 3: The Demon ApostleBook 4: MortalisBook 5: AscendanceBook 6: TranscendenceBook 7: Immortalis“Mather’s Blood” takes place before the start of the DemonWars Saga and tells of the ranger Mather Wyndon, uncle of Elbryan, a central figure in DemonWars.“A Song For Sadye” offers new insights into the life of the bard, Sadye, who plays an important role in the second DemonWars half of the DemonWars Saga.“The Education of Brother Thaddius” picks up the DemonWars story immediately following Immortalis, the last book of DemonWars, and opens to door for the next saga in the world of Corona. First printed in the DemonWars: Reformation Core Rule Book, “The Education of Brother Thaddius” highlights the troubles in the in Abellican Church, battered by the De’Unneran Heresy and struggling to survive in a world ravaged by wars and demons.

    It's a place where pioneers rewrite their future, or end their days…for better or worse. In the spirit of Bret Maverick, Cat Ballou, Kwai Chang Caine, and James West, The Weird Wild West blends western grit with the magical and mysterious unknown that waits beyond the next horizon.With thrilling stories by Jonathan Maberry, Gail Z. Martin, John Hartness, RS Belcher, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Misty Massey, James R. Tuck, Robert E. Waters, David Sherman, Tonia Brown and many more, you've hit the Mother Lode!“Abishag Mary” by Frances Rowat. © 2015 Frances Rowat.“Blood Tellings” by Wendy N. Wagner. © 2015 Wendy N. Wagner.“Ruin Creek” by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin. © 2015 Gail Z. Martinand Larry N. Martin.“Via Con Diablo” by Bryan C. P. Steele. © 2015 Bryan C. P. Steele.“Rattler” by R. S. (Rod) Belcher. © 2015 R. S. (Rod) Belcher.“Rocky Rolls Gold” by David Sherman. © 2015 David Sherman.“Son of the Devil” by Jonathan Maberry. © 2015 Jonathan Maberry.“Mungo Snead’s Last Stand” by Robert E. Waters. © 2015 Robert E. Waters.“Frank and Earnest” by Tonia Brown. © 2015 Tonia Brown.“From Parts Unknown” by James R. Tuck. © 2015 James R. Tuck.“Sundown” by Liz Colter. © 2015 Liz Colter.“Fifteen Seconds” by Scott C. Hungerford. © 2015 Scott C. Hungerford.“Redemption Song” by John Hartness. © 2015 John Hartness.“Grasping Rainbows” by Diana Pharaoh Francis. © 2015 Diana Pharaoh Francis.“The Faery Wrangler” by Misty Massey. © 2015 Misty Massey.“Haven” by Ken Schrader. © 2015 Ken Schrader.“Eighteen Sixty” by Faith Hunter. © 2015 Faith Hunter.

    -- unless he can stop it.

    When the seafaring Allemanii tribes came to their shores, the two races lived side by side for generations, staying apart but trading and learning from each other in peaceful harmony. But something went horribly awry and the shari'a people were suddenly and brutally slain by the settlers who had come to dominate the land. They feared the shari'a . . . and more important, the witches who led them and who held powers that the Allemanii could barely comprehend. The remnants of this gentle people were scattered, and any shari'a who held the knowledge of the old ways and powers were proscribed and hunted to death. That was long ago, and young Brierley thinks she is the last shari'a witch in the world. She knows what discovery it would mean, but she cannot deny her gifts as a healer; risking discovery, she goes out time and again to bring solace . . . despite the fact that those Brierley saves are the very people who killed most of her race.When she saves the life of a nobleman's wife-a nobleman sworn to obliterate any trace of witchery-Brierley stumbles into a web of deceit and power struggles more deadly than anything she has ever faced. But she refuses to walk away-and by staying the course, Brierley gains the possibility of finding a love to last the ages, as well as a way to reclaim her people's heritage.With Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea, Marcellas has crafted a beautiful first novel that explores what it means to be different, to value that difference, and what happens when one trusts in true love.

    From video game characters seeking civil rights and a cave dragon loan shark pondering an investment, to Santa Claus's Australian vacation and an enemy of Sam Spade's out for revenge, plus visits to the Nightside and Sookie Stackhouse's hometown, these stories will take readers around the world on a magical mystery tour."Lucky" by Charlaine Harris -- a Sookie Stackhouse short"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas"Looks are Deceiving" by Micheal A. Stackpole"the House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn"Glamour" by Mike Doogan"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews"the Duh Vice" by Michael Armstrong"Weight of the World" by John Straley"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman"the House" by Laurie R. King"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green -- a Nightside short"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow

    "Robin Hobb" and "Megan Lindholm" are both pseudonyms used by California-born Margaret Ogden, who from 1983 to 1992, published exclusively as Lindholm. This generous, 400-page hardcover original brings together short stories and novellas penned under both authorial bylines. As Hobb herself notes, "their" writing and styles differ in significant ways. (P.S. This collection includes stories previously unpublished in the United States.)

    Here are 25 tales created especially for this volume by some of today's most imaginative crafters of the fantastic.WOODWORK – Humor and ingenuity are part of the job requirementsThe Forest's Not for Burning by Katherine Lawrence"I'll Give You Three Wishes...." by Kevin Andrew MurphyThe Triple Death by Ken St. AndreOut of the Woods by Lawrence Watt-EvansSPEAKING WORDS – The view from the branchesViridescence by Connie HirschFiat Silva by Jack OakleyWeeds by Brook West and Julia H. WestBenbow by Nancy EtchemendyINHERITANCES – Different dances to a single tuneThe Prism of Memory by Jo ClaytonThe Force That Through the Green Fuse by Mark KreighbaumMy Soul Into the Boughs by Teresa EdgertonTHE SCARS OF WAR – Echoes in flesh and woodThese Shoes Strangers Have Died Of by Bruce Holland RogersThe Clearing by Lois TiltonVICTORIAN VARIATIONS – New shoots from an old trunkHow the Ant Made a Bargain by Karawynn LongIn Fear of Little Nell by Gregory FeeleyTHE NEW WORLD THAT NEVER WAS – Branchings from historyWood Song by Kate DanielVirginia Woods by Janni Lee SimnerIMPOSSIBLE LOVES – Joy comes in many shapesTies of Love short fiction by Lawrence SchimelThe Heart of the Forest by Dave SmedsHoly Ground by Thomas S. RocheGhostwood novelette by Michelle WestSANCTUARY – There is danger in the Forest but also peaceThe Monsters of Mill Creek Park novelette by Susan ShwartzThe Memory of Peace novelette by Kate ElliottEverything Has a Place by Barbara A. DenzTrees Perpetual of Sleep by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

    Now, in Savage Messiah, the first volume in a sweeping new trilogy of magic, romance, and adventure, Newcomb returns to the world of his epic saga, unlocking fresh secrets and startling surprises.With the demise of his evil half brother, Wulfgar, Prince Tristan restored peace to Eutracia . . . or so he thought. But the Orb of the Vigors was damaged in the climactic battle, and now the powerful artifact is bleeding magical energy and cutting a swath of death and destruction across the kingdom. Tristan can heal the wounded Orb, but not until his enchanted blood is returned to normal. Only then will the powers of the Vigors be his to command. Unfortunately, the secret of reversing the enchantment is lost.Even worse, Wulfgar is neither dead nor defeated. Ensconced in his fortress across the Sea of Whispers, Tristan’s hideously scarred half brother plots with the Heretics, the otherworldly masters of the Vagaries. With their aid, Wulfgar has grown even stronger in the dark arts. Now, with powerful demonic servants and weapons of dire potency, Wulfgar sets forth to complete the destruction of the Orb . . . and to avenge himself on the Chosen Ones. Preceding him, he sends a brotherly greeting: a cunning assassin with orders to dispatch Eutracia’s ruling council.Tristan and his trusted allies–the wise wizards Wigg and Faegan, the beautiful pirate Tyranny, and, dearest of all, his beloved Celeste–embark on a desperate quest to cleanse his blood. It is a journey that will lead from the Sea of Whispers to distant Parthalon to the mysterious Well of Forestallments, and it will change everything the Chosen Ones think they know about themselves and their destiny. If they should fail, the Orb will perish, and with it, the Vigors.As for success, it may prove more costly still. . . .From the Hardcover edition.

    S. Lewis, Myra Cohn Livingston, and many others. A perfect companion to Coville's own bestselling Unicorn Chronicles and an ideal gift for the child who has always wondered about these glorious beasts, The Unicorn Treasury is sure to find a large and enduring audience.

    This book collects some of the best funny fantasy fiction published in the past decade. Included are works by Hugo and Nebula Award winners, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, as well as up-and-coming talented writers.Includes the following stories:“Dave the Mighty Steel-Thewed Avenger” by Laura Resnick“Crumbs” by Esther Friesner“Fellow Traveler” by Donald J. Bingle“A Fish Story” by Sarah Totton“Another End of the Empire” by Tim Pratt“Giantkiller” by G. Scott Huggins“A Mild Case of Death” by David Gerrold“Fairy Debt” by Gail Carriger“A Very Special Girl” by Mike Resnick“The Blue Corpse Corps” by Jim C. Hines“Librarians in the Branch Library of Babel” by Shaenon K. Garrity“The Queens Reason” by Richard Parks“The Best Little Cleaning Robot in All of Faerie” by Susan Jane Bigelow“Suede This Time” by Jean Rabe

    RosenmanBy the Time the Witchblood Blooms • (2000) • short story by Anne BishopA Family Affair • (2000) • novelette by William C. DietzSuspended • (2000) • novelette by Michelle R. GaweBorders • (2000) • short story by Nancy Jane MooreKiss Me, You Fool • (1993) • short story by Del Stone, Jr.Round Dragon, Angry Tiger • (2000) • novelette by Steven PiziksThe Judas Lesson • (2000) • short story by Jerry OltionThe Fine Art of Betrayal • (2000) • novelette by Karen HaberFrozen • (2000) • short story by Tom CoolThe Traitor • (2000) • short story by Lois TiltonWhat's in a Name? • (2000) • short story by Douglas SmithRena 733 • (2000) • short story by Lisa SilverthorneChalk Circle • (2000) • short story by Greg McElhattonTrue Love in the Day After Tomorrow • (2000) • novelette by Scott EdelmanThe Divi • (2000) • short story by Irene RadfordHer Fair and Unpolluted Flesh • (2000) • novelette by K. D. WentworthPerfidy • (2000) • short fiction by Dennis L. McKiernanThe Passenger • (2000) • short story by Julie E. Czerneda

    Here are eleven of her finest stories, surprising tales in which the impossible becomes real, the real becomes impossible, and strangeness lurks at every turn.The end of the world comes not with a bang but a series of whimpers over many years in "The Last of the Winnebagos."The terror of pain and dying gives birth to a startling truth about the nature of the stars, a principle known as the "Schwarzschild Radius."In "Spice Pogrom," an outrageous colony in outer space becomes the setting for a screwball comedy of bizarre complications, mistaken identities, far-too-friendly aliens--and even true love.The last of the Winnebagos --Even the queen --Schwarzschild radius --Ado --Spice pogrom --Winter's tale --Chance --In the late Cretaceous --Time out --Jack --At the Rialto