New Releases by Marie Brennan

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” The words of composer Gustav Mahler animate this collection of sixteen tales from award-winning author Marie Brennan, inspired by mythological and folkloric traditions around the world. Here you will find flames of revenge, immortality, and grace, as a valkyrie seeks peace, a queen weaves and unweaves her own fate, and a goddess vanishes from mortal memory — but never from the page. TABLE OF CONTENTS * This Is How * Serpent, Wolf, and Half-Dead Thing * The Waking of Angantyr * Silence, Before the Horn * Daughter of Necessity * Your Body, My Prison, My Forge * For the Fairest * The Wives of Paris * The Me of Perfect Sight * The Gospel of Nachash * Salt Feels No Pain * At the Heart of Each Pearl Lies a Grain of Sand * Centuries of Kings * The Old Woman and the Tea * Ghost and Fox * Speak to the Moon * Story notes

Realms of story and wonder . . . New topics take center stage in this volume of award-winning author Marie Brennan’s set of worldbuilding guides for science fiction and fantasy writers. Ranging from the poverty-stricken reality of beggars and servants up to the heights of imperial rule, from the solidarity of guilds and unions to the spirituality of saints and miracles, the NEW WORLDS series offers insights into every corner of human society. This volume collects essays from the seventh year of the New Worlds Patreon.

Enthralling fantasy mystery from the world of Legend of the Five Rings as two samurai risk everything to rescue an old friend from the clutches of a shadowy trickster Having vanquished demons and halted invasions of devious creatures from the Spirit Realms, Asako Sekken and Agasha no Isao Ryotora are finally going to be married. But when a note from their old ally Sayashi arrives unexpectedly, the samurai find themselves dragged into another supernatural mystery. Their investigation leads them to Crane lands and an ancient market ruled by a mysterious being. Now Sekken and Ryotora must use all their wit and charm to save Sayashi from a hundred year bargain before they find themselves embroiled in a conflict with a forgotten deity of unimaginable power.

Bondsmaid. Berserker. Bane. Hervor is no stranger to hardship. Not only is she a reviled bondsmaid, but she’s haunted by the ghosts of dead men. When a berserker fit turns her into a murderer, she has nothing left to lose: fleeing everything she’s known, Hervor goes to find a new future and a way to silence the past. Her quest will take her from the viking seas to the depths of a witch’s forest, from frozen mountains to a king’s golden hall. But the road ahead is no less bloody than the one behind, and the foul magic Hervor fears most is the only thing that can lay her ghosts to rest. They say when you seek revenge, you should dig two graves, but Hervor might be able to get away with one. Because the voices of the dead are getting stronger . . . and her greatest enemy may be herself.

Welcome to the first year’s worth of stories from the new online magazine ZNB Presents published by the small press Zombies Need Brains. In these pages, you will find original science fiction and fantasy stories of awe and wonder, darkness and light, ranging through all of the subgenres, including urban fantasy, alternate history, space opera, fairy tales, and more. They come from the most talented authors in the field today—new voices as well as trusted and familiar names. Join us as we explore visions of the past, present, and future, as we encounter strange new creatures, both in our own backyard, in the depths of space, and our own imagination. Here you will: --Enter an abandoned colony on a hostile world --Come face-to-face with a horrific Stampede on an alien planet --Search for a murderous golem made of salt --Fight in the brutal pits of an apocalyptic America --Fight in the brutal pits of an apocalyptic America --Fight in the brutal pits of an apocalyptic America --Find betrayal and redemption in a world full of clowns --Hunt for those who are killing your fellow gunslingers --Rebel with the Little Match Girl in a search for something beyond her story And so much more! Twenty-four stories written by Brian Hugenbruch, Jason Palmatier, Diana A. Hart, Evan Marcroft, Cislyn Smith, Hazel King, Barbara Ashford, Ryan T. McFadden, Maria Z. Medina, Adria Bailton, Marie Brennan, Crystal Sarakas, Marc Fleury, Anaea Lay, Desmond Astaire, A. Katherine Black, P.A. Cornell, Alma Alexander, Antony Paschos, Jack Gallegos, Brian Crenshaw, Chloie Piveral, Evergreen Lee, and L.D. Colter, each with its own illustration by artists Kat D’Andrea, Ariel Guzman, or Gulzara Tokhtamysheva. Welcome to the multi-faceted worlds of ZNB Presents. Find us on Patreon at: http://www.patreon.com/zombiesneedbrains

Enter a land of infinite possibility . . . In this, the sixth volume of the NEW WORLDS series of worldbuilding guides for science fiction and fantasy writers, award-winning author Marie Brennan takes a deep dive into topics as weighty as slavery, as illicit as crime, and as fun as the inner workings of a magic system. With essays ranging from siege warfare to artistic patronage to food prohibitions, there is something here for every story! This volume collects essays from the sixth year of the New Worlds Patreon.

ABOVE The Age of Enlightenment has come to England. Among the triumphs of science is the prediction by Sir Edmond Halley that a comet last seen in 1682 will return in 1758 -- a prediction that will soon be put to the test. BELOW A century ago, the fae of the Onyx Court fought to defeat the Great Fire of London, an elemental Dragon that destroyed four-fifths of the city. In the aftermath, they banished its spirit to a comet -- a comet that will soon return. BETWEEN The race has begun. When Halley’s comet appears, the Dragon will strike, and the city will burn once more. Faerie magic alone cannot kill this monster; defeating it for good will require the aid of science as well. But science brings its own form of danger . . .

Two samurai risk their hearts, souls, and their very existence to stop an occult phantom from destroying the world, in this stunning supernatural fantasy from Legend of the Five Rings The demon-vanquishing samurai, Asako Sekken and Agasha no Isao Ryotora are summoned to Winter Court. Their exploits with the Spirit Realms have taken a toll on the pair and the cut and thrust of Rokugani politics proves challenging. After being urged to share their tales of adventure, the Winter Court guests begin to fall into a deep sleep from which they cannot wake. Fearing foul play, the Phoenix demand retribution, but Sekken and Ryotora uncover the hand of a supernatural trickster seeking entry to the mortal realm. The path to victory will risk their lives and the strange bond between them. But they must succeed, lest something awful escape into Rokugan.

This compilation of future narratives by Australian women writers contain projections of life in 2122. Women were invited to construct a possible world for a female identity to inhabit, designing all social, political and environmental systems of life. In a markedly divergent set of creative works, themes of utopia, dystopia, female identity, gender diversity and motherhood have emerged. Notably, projections of climate change catastrophe were present in many narratives alongside multiple instances of women exerting influence as organisers and providers of solutions. These narratives were gathered for the purposes of projective narrative inquiry analysis as part of Fiona Wilkie''s Masters thesis project at Victoria University.

The January/February 2023 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Our landmark Issue 50, a double sized issue! Featuring new fiction by Ken Liu and Caroline M. Yoachim, Mary Robinette Kowal, P. Djèlí Clark, A. T. Greenblatt, A.M. Dellamonica, Eugenia Triantafyllou, Sarah Pinsker, E. Lily Yu, Marie Brennan, Christopher Caldwell, John Wiswell, and Maureen Mchugh. Essays by Elsa Sjunneson, John Picacio, Annalee Newitz, A.T. Greenblatt, Diana M. Pho, and Javier Grillo-Marxuach, poetry by Neil Gaiman, Terese Mason Pierre, Sonya Taaffe, Betsy Aoki, Theodora Goss, Ali Trota, Abu Bakr Sadiq, Elizabeth Bear, and Brandon O''Brien, interviews with Ken Liu and Caroline M. Yoachim by Tina Connolly; interviews with Eugenia Triantafyllou, E. Lily Yu, and Christopher Caldwell by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Galen Dara, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Meg Elison. About Uncanny Magazine Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in November 2014. Edited by 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, & 2022 Hugo award winners for best semiprozine, and 2018 Hugo award winners for Best Editor, Short Form, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, Meg Elison, and Monte Lin, each issue of Uncanny includes new stories, poetry, articles, and interviews.

Fairy tales are as old as time, and yet... In SHATTERING THE GLASS SLIPPER, fifteen talented authors take on these age-old tales and transform them into bold and brave new visions. Discover worlds where the Seattle Space Needle acts as Rapunzel’s tower; where seven princesses plot their own rescue from the fae; where a magic mirror is connected to an app on your phone...and shows you more than you may be able to handle. Get hired by a giant to climb beanstalks, each with its own problem to solve...or by the Goblin King to turn Tweets into gold. Hunt a firebird for a single feather. Use the internet to find a prince for a princess. And more! In each of these stories, there is a thread of the familiar, spun by magic or technology into something new to achieve the improbable and, often, the impossible. Through ages past and into the future, our writers are traveling roads less traveled with characters that are light, dark, and always unpredictable. Join Marie Brennan, Lucia Iglesias, Alyse Winters, Rebecca A. Demarest, R.J. Blain, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Rachel Swirsky, Angela Rega, Alethea Kontis, Y.M. Pang, Patricia Bray, Cat Rambo, Rhondi Salsitz, R.Z. Held, and José Pablo Iriarte as they turn Happily Ever After inside out!

The July/August 2022 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Featuring new fiction by Marie Brennan, AnaMaria Curtis, Juliet Kemp, K.S. Walker, John Chu, Radha Kai Zan, and Jordan Taylor. Reprint fiction by Tochi Onyebuchi. Essays by Keidra Chaney, Gay Haldeman, Jim C. Hines, and Jeannette Ng, poetry by Brandon O''Brien, Sarah Grey, Sonya Taaffe, and Millie Ho, interviews with AnaMaria Curtis and Jordan Taylor by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Kirbi Fagan, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Meg Elison. About Uncanny Magazine Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in November 2014. Edited by 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020 Hugo award winners for best semiprozine, and 2018 Hugo award winners for Best Editor, Short Form, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, Meg Elison, and Chimedum Ohaegbu, each issue of Uncanny includes new stories, poetry, articles, and interviews.

Return to the epic fantasy realm of Rokugan’s samurai and magic in the collected Legend of the Five Rings novellas, featuring an all-new story of the Lion Clan Deathseeker by Robert Denton III – a shamed Lion Clan warrior finds a chance for redemption when she discovers a foundling with magical ancestry, whose secrets could change everything. The Eternal Knot by Marie Brennan – a young monk with a mysterious tattoo must learn to embrace her destiny and become a superhuman hero of the Dragon Clan. Trail of Shadows by D G Laderoute – the quest for a lost relic leads a team of bold Crab Clan samurai into a dangerous expedition through the monster-haunted depths of Shinomen forest. Plus, the Legend of Five Rings Halloween tales – a collection of spooky Rokugan stories – never before collected in print.

Ein spannendes, episches Fantasy-Abenteuer in der Welt des Brettspiels Legend of the Five Rings. Zwei rivalisierende Clans tun sich zusammen, um einem tödlichen, übernatürlichen Geheimnis auf den Grund zu gehen. In der isolierten Siedlung Seibo Mura des Drachenclans ist Chaos ausgebrochen. Während des Vollmonds wüten furchterregende Kreaturen durch das Dorf und sorgen für Zerstörung und Tod. Als der Drachensamurai Agasha no Isao Ryōtora losgeschickt wird, um der Sache auf den Grund zu gehen, sieht er sich noch größeren Gefahren entgegen, als er erwartet hatte. Um das Dorf zu retten, muss er sich seiner eigene schmerzhafte Vergangenheit stellen – ganz zu schweigen von dem unerwarteten Besucher vom Phönixclan, Asako Sekken, der seine eigenen Geheimnisse zu verbergen hat. Die Aufgabe, Seibo Mura zu retten, wird die beiden Samurai in die Tiefen der vergessenen Geschichte und in das sich wandelnde Terrain der Geisterreiche führen ... wo sie sich einem uralten, fürchterlichem Übel entgegenstellen müssen.

Bring a new world to life . . . In science fiction and fantasy, anything can provide color and conflict -- from soldiers, to schools, to shops, to sexuality. Continuing her comprehensive NEW WORLDS series of worldbuilding guides, award-winning fantasy author and former anthropologist Marie Brennan takes a deep dive into monarchy and democracy, natural disasters, warfare, gender, and the subtleties of language variation both in the world and on the page. This volume collects essays from the fifth year of the New Worlds Patreon.

Una novela basada en el juego LA LEYENDA DE LOS 5 ANILLOS. Una emocionante aventura de fantasía épica situada en el extraordinario reino de La leyenda de los cinco anillos en la que dos clanes rivales se unen para investigar un terrible misterio paranormal. El caos se ha desatado en Seibo Mura, un aislado asentamiento del Clan del Dragón. Durante la luna llena, unas terribles criaturas arrasan con la aldea y traen con ellas muerte y destrucción. Agasha no Isao Ryōtora, el samurái Dragón al que envían a investigar lo sucedido, tendrá que enfrentarse a un mayor peligro del que había imaginado. Para salvar la aldea, no solo deberá confrontar a su pasado oculto, sino también a Asako Sekken, un inesperado visitante del Clan del Fénix que alberga sus propios secretos. La misión por salvar a Seibo Mura llevará a ambos samuráis a las profundidades de una historia olvidada y a los terrenos desconocidos de los Reinos de los Espíritus... lo que los pondrá cara a cara con unas siniestras y ancestrales fuerzas del mal.

Explore twenty-four imaginative tales crafted by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its second year, and including several international bestsellers and winners of every major award in the field, as well as newer authors just beginning what promise to be stellar careers. A woman seeking the power to see the evil hiding within others regrets receiving it. Letters written by a wizard in the past threaten a queen’s reign in the present. Competing for Earth, a human wrestler faces an alien shapeshifter in an interstellar tournament. A guide in Tibet must weigh the good of his people when asked to lead a westerner to the fabled realm of Shangri. An activist imprisoned for illegal genetic modification works with the materials at hand and the threads of the multiverse to make the world—a world, at least—a better place. A demonic agent sent to help a human turns the tables on his summoner. Like the “cabinets of curiosities” created by collectors of the sixteenth century, Shapers of Worlds Volume II displays a varied array of thought-provoking delights: tales of humour and sorrow, darkness and light, and hope and despair that are full of adventure, full of life, and sometimes full of regret. There are stories set in alternate histories, in possible futures, near and far, and in the here-and-now, taking place on Earth, on distant planets, or in fantastic realms. All arise from the innate need of human beings to create, to imagine . . . to shape worlds. Praise for Shapers of Worlds Volume I: “One of the most wide-ranging volumes I’ve encountered in terms of sub-genre. It’s rather like a speculative fiction buffet, offering steampunk, fantasy, military fiction, magic, space opera, post-apocalyptic, hard science fiction, and others . . . Inventive and varied, the collection has a lot to offer for those seeking an interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking read.” – Lisa Timpf, The Future Fire

Escape into another world . . . Bathing and banking, animals and adultery: human culture contains a truly daunting array of elements. The fourth volume of the NEW WORLDS series takes readers on a tour of all-new topics, delving into everything from childbirth to dream interpretation to the importance of generosity, as award-winning fantasy author and former anthropologist Marie Brennan continues her in-depth exploration of worldbuilding in science fiction and fantasy. This volume collects essays from the fourth year of the New Worlds Patreon.

A thrilling epic fantasy adventure in the astonishing realm of Legend of the Five Rings, as two rival clans join forces to investigate a lethal supernatural mystery Chaos has broken out in the isolated Dragon Clan settlement of Seibo Mura. During the full moon, horrifying creatures rampage through the village, unleashing havoc and death. When the Dragon samurai Agasha no Isao Ryotora is sent to investigate, he faces even greater danger than expected. To save the village, he must confront his buried past – not to mention an unexpected Phoenix Clan visitor, Asako Sekken, who has his own secrets to hide. The quest to save Sebo Mura will take the two samurai into the depths of forgotten history and the shifting terrain of the Spirit Realms… and bring them face to face with an ancient, terrifying evil.

Audrey Camherst ist die berühmte Enkelin von Isabella Camherst, der Lady Trent aus den unterhaltsamen und spannenden Drachenabenteuermemoiren. Als Lord Gleinleigh Audrey rekrutiert, um eine Reihe uralter Täfelchen zu entziffern, die die Geheimnisse der antiken drakoneischen Zivilisation enthalten, hat sie keine Ahnung, dass ihre Forschung sie in eine komplizierte Verschwörung stürzen wird, die eine Rebellion anzetteln und einen Krieg auslösen soll. Zusammen mit ihrem besten Freund aus Kindertagen, Kudshayn, der ebenfalls Archäologe ist, muss sie einen Beweis für die Verschwörung finden, ehe es zu spät ist.

The September/October 2020 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Featuring new fiction by T. Kingfisher, Samantha Mills, Kenneth Schneyer, Lavie Tidhar, Marie Brennan, and James Yu. Reprint fiction by P. Djèlí Clark. Essays by Del Sandeen, Marissa Lingen, Nibedita Sen, and Christopher Mark Rose, poetry by Terese Mason Pierre, Beth Cato, Rita Chen, and Lora Gray, interviews with Kenneth Schneyer and Lavie Tidhar by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Christopher Jones, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Elsa Sjunneson.

Who is Last? Fame is rare in Driftwood--it''s hard to get famous if you don''t stick around long enough for people to know you. But many know the guide, Last, a one-blooded survivor who has seen his world end many lifetimes ago. For Driftwood is a strange place of slow apocalypses, where continents eventually crumble into mere neighborhoods, pulled inexorably towards the center in the Crush. Cultures clash, countries fall, and everything eventually disintegrates. Within the Shreds, a rumor goes around that Last has died. Drifters come together to commemorate him. But who really was Last? Lying liar, or heroic savior? A mercenary, a charlatan, a legend? A man, an immortal--perhaps even a god? Discover Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent)''s incomparable Driftwood, a realm of fragments cohered into a myth that encompasses realities.

Step beyond the ordinary . . . Beneath the surface of our reality lies a world of magic and danger -- a world where buildings have guardian spirits, shapeshifting coyotes prey on the hopeful and the desperate, and ancient traditions prepare for an apocalyptic future. These seven urban fantasy tales from award-winning author Marie Brennan paint the everyday with a layer of wonder, inviting you to imagine what could lie just around the corner. TABLE OF CONTENTS * “Coyotaje” * “Selection” * “Such as Dreams Are Made Of” * “La Molejera” * “Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics as Employed Against Lycanthropes” * “The Last Wendy” * “The Genius Prize” * Story notes

Create a world of wonder and imagination . . . The boundless complexity of worldbuilding can create a daunting challenge for writers of science fiction and fantasy. In the third volume of the NEW WORLDS series, award-winning fantasy author and former anthropologist Marie Brennan provides not only the building blocks for creating a setting, but advice on exposition and other aspects of craft. Whether you need guidance on security or sanitation, demographics or demons or drugs, you’re sure to find inspiration here. This volume collects essays from the third year of the New Worlds Patreon.

Once she had nothing: no name, no memory, no purpose beyond the one her master bound her to fulfill. Now the wandering archon known as Ree must walk an unseen path -- one that will lead her toward the untold story of her origins. But the road to the truth is paved with blood . . .

Out of nothingness they summon her: a woman with no name and no memory, and the power to bring them what they need. Across an island that changes beneath her feet -- into a cavern that holds a terrible trap -- to the brink of her soul’s annihilation -- her journey will transform her forever.

A young woman with an unreliable prophetic gift. A street musician searching for the magic she lost. A king whose voice is too dangerous for ordinary people to hear. This collection of short stories explores the Nine Lands, a realm created by award-winning author Marie Brennan. From the spirit-haunted jungle of the Nahele Peninsula to the cold archipelago of Kagesedo, from the occupied lands of Sahasrara to the decadent courts of Quilíbria, the Nine Lands offer you visions of fantasy, peril, and wonder. TABLE OF CONTENTS * “Calling Into Silence” * “Kingspeaker” * “Sing for Me” * “Execution Morning” * “The Legend of Anahata” * “Lost Soul” * “White Shadow” * story notes

Marie Brennan''s Turning Darkness Into Light is a delightful fantasy of manners, the heir to the award-winning Natural History of Dragons series, a perfect stepping stone into an alternate Victorianesque fantasy landscape. "Overwhelmingly fun."—io9 on The Tropic of Serpents As the renowned granddaughter of Isabella Camherst (Lady Trent, of the riveting and daring Draconic adventure memoirs) Audrey Camherst has always known she, too, would want to make her scholarly mark upon a chosen field of study. When Lord Gleinheigh recruits Audrey to decipher a series of ancient tablets holding the secrets of the ancient Draconean civilization, she has no idea that her research will plunge her into an intricate conspiracy, one meant to incite rebellion and invoke war. Alongside dearest childhood friend and fellow archeologist Kudshayn, Audrey must find proof of the conspiracy before it’s too late. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The July/August 2019 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Featuring new fiction by Sarah Pinsker, Greg van Eekhout, Rachel Swirsky and P.H. Lee, Marie Brennan, A.C. Wise, and Maurice Broaddus. Reprinted fiction by Tim Pratt, essays by Aidan Moher, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Karlyn Ruth Meyer, Marissa Lingen, and Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, poetry by D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Alexandra Seidel, Cynthia So, and Betsy Aoki, interviews with Greg Van Eekhout and Maurice Broaddus by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Julie Dillon, and an editorial by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.