New Releases by Liz Williams

Introducing Singaporean DI, Wei Chen. “This exotic amalgam of police procedural, SF, comic fantasy, and horror is a delight from start to finish” (Locus). When the fourteen-year-old daughter of Singapore Three’s most prominent industrialist dies of anorexia, her parents assume that Pearl’s suffering has come to an end. But somewhere along the way to the Celestial Shores, Pearl’s soul is waylaid, lured by an unknown force to the gates of Hell. To save their daughter from eternal banishment, they come to Detective Inspector Wei Chen, whose jurisdiction lies between this world and the next. A round-faced cop who is as serious as his beat is strange, Chen has a demon for a wife and a comfort with the supernatural that most mortals cannot match. But finding Pearl Tang will take him further into the abyss than ever before—to a mystifying place where he will have to cooperate with a demonic detective if he wants to survive. It’s easy, Chen will find, to get into Hell. The hard part is getting out. Snake Agent is the first of the five Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which continue with The Demon and the City and Precious Dragon.

In this “satisfyingly suspenseful” urban fantasy, a demon teams up with a human detective on the Singapore police force (Booklist). Zhu Irzh is having trouble adjusting to life on Earth. The food is bland, the colors dim, and the weather much too chilly for a demon used to the balmy climate of the underworld. Recently attached to the Singapore Three police department, Zhu Irzh has been assigned to help humans like Detective Inspector Chen investigate cases that overlap this world and the world to come. But how dedicated can a demon be to justice when his last assignment was to Hell’s vice squad—whose job is not to prevent vice, but to promote it? Zhu Irzh is pondering these philosophical questions when he catches his first murder case: the savage killing of a rich would-be witch outside of the occult market. Chen is on a well-deserved vacation, so the demon takes charge himself, unearthing a supernatural conspiracy that proves Hell holds no monopoly on evil. The Demon and the City is the second of the five Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which also include Snake Agent and Precious Dragon.

“Part alien adventure and part existential exploration, this top-notch tale establishes Williams as an author to watch.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review Latent Emanation is a cruel world where ordinary people do everything they can to stay out of the way of their vicious masters, the mysterious Night Lords. Apprentice alchemist Alivet Dee is more cautious than most, having devoted her life to making enough money to buy back her imprisoned sister from the Night Lords—but trouble is about to find her. When a client dies during a routine alchemical session, Alivet flees—pursued by the Night Lords, their minions, and a dark force that haunts her dreams. She is rescued by Ghairen, a Poison Master from another world who offers her a chance to save her sister—and humanity, as well. He is charming and handsome, with ruby-red eyes that glow in the night—but how can she trust a professional assassin? As she proceeds warily alongside the Poison Master, Alivet finds a chance not just to save mankind, but to unlock the mysteries of humanity’s very existence.

The spell-casting detective and his demonic partner go to Hell on a fact-finding mission in this “pleasantly suspenseful . . . fantastical mystery” (Publishers Weekly). For years, the embarrassing secret of the Singapore Three police department was Detective Inspector Chen—a specialist in the supernatural whose jurisdiction extended to Heaven and Hell. But when a rampaging goddess nearly destroyed the city, only to be stopped by Chen and his demonic partner, Zhu Irzh, the department was forced to reward them, resulting in the kind of attention that both cops loathe. Their new assignment is an affair of state, escorting the Heavenly functionary Mi Li Qi on a diplomatic mission to the underworld. By the time they’re finished, Chen and Zhu Irzh will wish they had remained forgotten. Soon after they check in to their hellish hotel, Miss Qi vanishes into the abyss. They follow her into the bowels of the demonic bureaucracy, where they will be forced to dodge all manner of otherworldly dangers if they wish to avoid a political incident with apocalyptic implications. Precious Dragon is the third of the five Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which begin with Snake Agent and The Demon and the City.

A supernatural mystery set in Singapore featuring a “detective whose beat reaches to the fringes of Heaven and Hell,” by the author of Snake Agent (Booklist). No mortal has ever heard of the Book, and few in Heaven even believe it is real. Instead, they regard the stories of a bound volume older than time itself as something of a creation myth. But Mhara, the Emperor of Heaven, knows the Book is very real, very powerful, and very much missing. It has a mind of its own, and it appears to have wandered off—taking the secrets of the universe with it. To find it, Mhara calls Detective Inspector Chen, a supernatural sleuth with previous experience in saving the universe. Chen has a lot on his plate at the moment: His wife is pregnant, his demonic partner is tracking the movement of an immortal horde, and he hasn’t had a vacation in years. But for the sake of the Emperor, he’ll do his best to return order to the cosmos. If he doesn’t, who will? The Iron Khan is the final volume of the Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which begin with Snake Agent and The Demon and the City.

Making dens and shelters is a favourite childhood activity and has always been so. Dens and shelters provides a wealth of den making ideas which involve children in active learning and creative thinking. Each activity gives suggestions on how the activity can be set up to suit the different development stages of the children in your care.Dens give children the space and time to explore their creativity - a magical place for children to role play and let their imaginations run wild. Dens and shelters also provide a child with a place to rest and reflect when the noise and activity of a busy setting gets too much.The Baby&Beyond series takes simple activities or resources and shows how they can be used with children at each of the EYFS development stages, from birth to 60+ months. Each activity is laid out so that you can see progression at a glance.

Clarkesworld is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month they bring you a mix of fiction (new and classic works), articles, interviews and art. Our May Issue contains: Original Fiction by James Patrick Kelly ("Soulcatcher"), Andy Dudak ("Tachy Psyche") and E. Catherine Tobler ("(R + D) / I = M"). Classic stories by Liz Williams ("The Banquet of the Lords of Night") and Michael Swanwick ("From Babel''s Fall''n Glory We Fled . . ."). Non-fiction by Maggie Clark (When the Alien Is Us: Science Fictional Documentaries), an interview with Yoon Ha Lee, an Another Word column on the Singularity by Craig DeLancey, and an editorial by Neil Clarke. Art by Julie Dillon.

This book gives ideas for introducing and extending experiences of sound and music for babies and young children. Each page spread contains a range of experiences and a selection of ideas ffor each of the six stages in Development Matters (Revised EYFS 2012).The Baby&Beyond series takes simple activities or resources and shows how they can be used with children at each of the EYFS development stages, from birth to 60+ months. Each activity is laid out so that you can see progression at a glance.

Mark Making: Progression in Play for Babies and Children gives ideas for introducing and extending mark making activities and experiences for babies and young children. Each page contains a range of experiences and a selection of ideas for each of the six stages in Development Matters (Revised EYFS 2012). The experiences with mark making materials described in this book encourages development and learning through active play using all the senses. Enhancing experiences of mark making from babyhood will encourage children''s independence and involvement in communication through meaningful marks.

Despite the ever-growing influence of technology, handwritten letters are regaining their value, meaning and popularity.

''I don''t think I can actually remember a time in policing when I didn''t want to join the Armed Offenders Squad. My early reasons for joining probably weren''t the purest, though – I just thought they looked really cool.'' Five Foot and Fearless is the inspiring story of Liz Williams, a police officer and mum of one, who desperately wanted to be part of the Armed Offenders Squad. The brutal selection process would send most people running for cover, but her husband''s words spurred her on: ''You know, you could do it if you wanted to.'' Liz''s story is one of determination and girl power. She struggles with motherhood and childcare just like any other working mum – but in Liz''s world, she needs someone to look after her son at 1 a.m. when she''s called on to fight crime. A gifted storyteller, Liz entertains with tales of drowning in AOS gear that is too big for her, trying to keep her togs from riding up in the swim trial, and dealing with criminals in bad underwear. But her story has a darker side, as she reveals the harsh realities of the job that an AOS member faces every day. Liz''s account of the 2009 Napier siege is especially harrowing. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at other times shocking, Liz''s story offers rare insights into one of the most dangerous jobs in the country.

What if being a librarian was the most dangerous job in the world? Worldsoul, a great city that forms a nexus point between Earth and the many dimensions known as the Liminality, is a place where old stories gather, where forgotten legends come to fade and die -- or to flourish and rise again. Until recently, Worldsoul has been governed by the Skein, but they have gone missing and no one knows why. The city is also being attacked with lethal flower-bombs from an unknown enemy. Mercy Fane and her fellow Librarians are doing their best to maintain the Library, but...things...keep breaking out of ancient texts and legends are escaping into the city. Mercy must pursue one such dangerous creature. She turns to Shadow, an alchemist, for aid, but Shadow -- inadvertently possessed by an ifrit -- has a perilous quest of her own to undertake.

Complete Tort Law: Text, Cases, & Materials combines extracts from a wide range of recent cases with clear explanatory text to create a complete resource for students. A wealth of features provide a high level of support, making this an ideal introduction to tort law.

Issue 3 - ROMANCE- 5 diverse stories of Romance in Science Fiction/Fantasy - Interview with author Liz Williams - Common Misconceptions about singer/songwriter Tom Smith - 5 Misconceptions about agents from Agent & Writer Lucienne Diver - Lovely cover art by Megan Rose Gedris ONLY 100 COPIES WILL BE SOLD!

Thank you, Mr. Vance / Dean Koontz -- Preface / Jack Vance -- The True vintage of Erzuine Thale / Robert Silverberg -- Grolion of Almery / Matthew Hughes -- The Copsy Door / Terry Downling -- Caulk the witch-chaser / Liz Williams -- Inescapable / Mike Resnick -- Abrizonde / Walter Jon Williams -- The Traditions of Karzh / Paula Volsky -- The Final quest of the Wizard Sarnod / Jeff Vandermeer -- The Green bird / Kage Baker -- The Last golden thread / Phyllis Eisenstein -- An Incident at Uskvesk / Elizabeth Moon -- Sylgarmo''s Proclamation / Lucius Shepard -- The Lamentably comical tragedy (or the laughably tragic comedy) of Lixal Laoavee / Tad Williams -- Guyal the Curator / John C. Wright -- The Good magician / Glenn Cook -- The Return of the Fire Witch / Elizabeth Hand -- The Collegeum of Mauge / Byron Tetrick -- Evillo the Cunning / Tanith Lee -- The Guiding nose of Ulf?nt Banderoz / Dan Simmons -- Frogskin cap / Howard Waldrop -- A Night at Tarn House / George R.R. Martin -- An Invocation of incuriosity / Neil Gaiman.

Winterstrike spy Hestia Mar has been sent to Caud to recover details of an ancient weapon. During her stay in the Martian city, she encounters the ghost of a warrior, who turns out to be the encoded representation of the city’s bombed library. She downloads the data contained here, and the details of the weapon are among them. But Hestia Mar realises too late what she has done: by accessing the data, she has virtually guaranteed the use of the weapon against Caud by her own government. Desperate to rescue the situation she makes her way back home across the dangers of the Crater Plain. Meanwhile, in Winterstrike itself, the festival of Ombre has been taking place upon the eve of war. Shorn, a woman imprisoned by her family for accidentally consorting with a male – manages to escape. Her sister Essgui follows Shorn and sets out across the Crater Plain where she meets Hestia Mar. Their journey – to recover lost sister and missing weapon – takes them into the dangerous mountains of Mars, and the discovery of a group of outcast male creatures who hold the secrets to the Martian past, and to its future . . .

Vali Hallsdottir has returned to her home world of Muspell to discover that her nation is in chaos, preparing to face invasion from the neighbouring country of Darkland. When her friend and mentor Idhunn is brutally murdered and her spine removed and stolen, Vali falls under suspicion and is held by the army of the Morrighanu, but released by a mysterious force. Having nowhere else to run, she travels across the northern ice field to the hostile glacier territory of Darkland, where she meets an old enemy, Thorn Eld, a member of the elite security force known as the vitki. Eld tells her that Darkland has spawned a rogue assassin, a female vitki killer known as Skinning Knife and despite their differences Vali and Eld decide to join forces and track down the vitki’s most lethal weapon. Together they are facing some dangerous questions about the nature of Skinning Knife herself, and her impact on their world . . .and they are not the only ones who are desperate to discover the assassin’s whereabouts . . . ‘Confirmation, if any were really needed, that Williams is one of the most original and distinctive voices in British SF’ SFX

“Delightful . . . A treat for dictionary hounds and vocabulary-challenged word lovers everywhere.”—Booklist For most of us, these prizewinning spelling bee words would be difficult to pronounce, let alone spell. We asked twenty-one of today’s most talented and inventive writers to go even further and pen an original tale inspired by one of dozens of obscure and fascinating championship words. The result is Logorrhea—a veritable dictionary of the weird, the fantastic, the haunting, and the indefinable that will have you spellbound from the very first page. Including twenty-one stories and the inscrutable words that inspired them: Chiaroscuro: “The Chiaroscurist” by Hal Duncan Lyceum: “Lyceum” by Liz Williams Vivisepulture: “Vivisepulture” by David Prill Eczema: “Eczema” by Clare Dudman Sacrilege, Semaphore: “Semaphore” by Alex Irvine Smaragdine: “The Smaragdine Knot” by Marly Youmans Insouciant: “A Portrait in Ivory” by Michael Moorcock Cambist: “The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics” by Daniel Abraham Logorrhea: “Logorrhea” by Michelle Richmond Pococurante: “Pococurante” by Anna Tambour Autochthonous: “From Around Here” by Tim Pratt Vignette: “Vignette” by Elizabeth Hand Sycophant: “Plight of the Sycophant” by Alan DeNiro Elegiacal: “The Last Elegy” by Matthew Cheney Eudaemonic: “Eudaemonic” by Jay Caselberg Macerate: “Softer” by Paolo Bacigalupi Transept: “Crossing the Seven” by Jay Lake Psoriasis: “Tsuris” by Leslie What Euonym: “The Euonymist” by Neil Williamson Dulcimer: “Singing of Mount Abora” by Theodora Goss Appoggiatura: “Appoggiatura” by Jeff VanderMeer “This book is a logophile’s dream—a left-field collection of stories inspired by winning words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Anyone who has ever spent an hour or two happily browsing the pages of a dictionary will find something to love here.”—Kevin Brockmeier, author of A Brief History of the Dead

A humorous, exciting and engaging autobiography recounting Liz''s career as a 17-year-old Air Force Recruit then on to the New Zealand Police before moving to her current position in the CIB. A fascinating view into a job that many may have an idea about but few know the realities of.

Activity boxes show how each area can be approached by children at different ages and stages of development. The format makes it easy to select the level of activity appropriate for each child using the same resources, making these books ideal for groups of mixed ages. When returning to the same areas later the user can choose another activity to support progression and extend learning.

Covering work with glass, metal, wood, plastics, fabrics, paper and card, this book has ideas of the many ways preschool children can work safely while exploring resistant materials. Little Books are particularly suitable for use with children aged between 36 and 60+ months. They are carefully planned to meet the objectives for each stage of development and reflect the latest thinking on the education of young children. Little Books make an excellent start to an exciting journey through learning.

This book gives ideas for introducing and extending construction activities and experiences for babies and young children. Each page spread contains a range of experiences and a selection of ideas for each of the four developmental stages of the Birth to Three Matters Framework, and extends this progression into the early Stepping Stones for the Foundation Stage. The experiences with construction materials described in this book encourage development and learning through active play using all the senses. Of course, many babies and children will want to taste the experience as well!

Experiences of the natural world are essential elements in all Early Years settings. The experiences help babies and children to look and listen, to touch and feel, and to enjoy being out of doors. The activities described in this book are all appropriate to children from birth to five (and beyond) and we have linked them to the developmental stages of the curriculum guidance for Birth to Three and the Foundation Stage (soon to become the Early Years Foundation Stage)

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The primary objective of this research was to update and expand information about subsistence uses, needs, and areas traditionally used for subsistence harvests by the subsistence residence zone communities of Denali National Park and Preserve, Lake Minchumina and Nikolai.

In such novels as The Poison Master, Empire of Bones, and Nine Layers of Sky, Liz Williams sparked readers'' imaginations by creating worlds at once strange and familiar. Now this bold new writer brings her best short fiction together in one stunning collection. The stories featured in The Banquet of the Lords of Night have appeared in Asimov''s, Interzone, Realms of Fantasy, and The Third Alternative, among others. The stories within the covers of The Banquet of the Lords of Night are varied in style and subject matter, but they are all powerfully written. From the breathtaking title story, "Banquet of the Lords of Night" about an Earth plunged into a world of darkness where light is against the law to the stunning "The Man from the Ministry" in which we learn the how far a mother will go where her family is concerned; Williams displays an astonishing breadth and variety of writing styles. Williams is equally at home writing galaxy-spanning science fiction like "Quantum Anthropology" as she is weaving a tale like "Adventures in the Ghost Trade" which incorporates demons, magic, the afterlife, and private detectives. "Williams''s unique cross-genre voice is a reinvigorating one for SF, fantasy and horror." Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.