Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars


Book Description

When the witches and wizards are away, the familiars will play! Gifted adventurers across time and space often travel with an animal familiar—usually a cat, but possibly other fuzzy, scaly, or prickly creatures. These magical companions lead their humans into mischief, help them out of sticky situations, or offer opinionated commentary along the way. We're familiar with familiars ... or are we? Compiled by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and award-winning editor Allyson Longueira—and their Publishing graduate students at Western Colorado University—Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars features 26 never-before-published short stories and poems crafted by Mercedes Lackey, Heather Graham, Jody Lynn Nye, John Hartness, Steve Rasnic Tem, and many others. You’ll love this collection kitty-littered with surprises at every turn. Some stories are whimsical, some are sad, some will tug at your heartstrings—and some will stay with you long after you close this book. From mischievous cats to cunning ravens, skittering spiders to—a cow?—these feisty familiars will take you on a magical trip to places even wizards don’t tread.




Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars


Book Description

When the witches and wizards are away, the familiars will play! Gifted adventurers across time and space often travel with an animal familiar-usually a cat, but possibly other fuzzy, scaly, or prickly creatures. These magical companions lead their humans into mischief, help them out of sticky situations, or offer opinionated commentary along the way. We're familiar with familiars ... or are we? Compiled by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and award-winning editor Allyson Longueira-and their Publishing graduate students at Western Colorado University-Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars features 26 never-before-published short stories and poems crafted by Mercedes Lackey, Heather Graham, Jody Lynn Nye, John Hartness, Steve Rasnic Tem, and many others. You'll love this collection kitty-littered with surprises at every turn. Some stories are whimsical, some are sad, some will tug at your heartstrings-and some will stay with you long after you close this book. From mischievous cats to cunning ravens, skittering spiders to-a cow?-these feisty familiars will take you on a magical trip to places even wizards don't tread.




The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and Other Stories


Book Description

Rediscover a Victorian-era collection of fairy tales. Employing sorcery, a wicked princess wears the princes and kings who desire to marry her as crystal beads strung on a gold chain around her neck. A musician searches the world for his missing wife, unaware that elves have transformed her into the golden harp he plays every day. A determined prince embarks on a quest to find the evil fairy who stole the heart of his beloved princess. These are just a few of the inventive and captivating stories in this fine new edition of Mary De Morgan’s fairy tales, The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and Other Stories (1880). Despite her fairy tales being well-known and loved during her time, De Morgan has been overlooked by history and largely forgotten. Considered one of the earliest feminist writers, her influential fairy tales often reflected her social and political ideologies, including reform for women. Featuring strong heroines and subverted gender roles, her untraditional stories often eschewed wealth and power, and occasionally ended sadly with no happily-ever-after. Also included in this new edition is the story “Through the Fire” from On a Pincushion (1877), De Morgan’s first published book of fairy tales. Immerse yourself in a young boy’s adventure as he journeys to the North Pole on a mission for the fire Princess. Fans of Hans Christian Anderson and George MacDonald will adore De Morgan’s rediscovered collection of fairy tales. Foreword by Dr. Marilyn Pemberton, Out of the Shadows: The Life and Works of Mary De Morgan (2012).




The Watcher and Other Weird Stories


Book Description

A captain on the run from his demons...literally! A trapped countess fights for her life in an unfamiliar estate. A love-struck painter searches to save his love against the mysterious suitor that stole her. And more! The Watcher and Other Weird Stories contains six Victorian cautionary tales. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu shines the light on not only the shadows in the cobblestone alleys but the shadows in the human soul. This is a fine new edition to the classic collection by one of the early masters of supernatural horror with a new foreword by Sam Knight! Bring your lantern, check your windows and paintings. You’ll love diving into these old haunts!




Little Fuzzy


Book Description

Before Ewoks... Before Avatar... There Were Fuzzies! A Fine New Edition of a Beloved Science Fiction Classic Prospector Jack Holloway is happy with his solitary life, mining for sunstones in the wilds of backwater planet Zarathustra. Until a small, curious visitor shows up in his shower one day—and proceeds to upend not only Jack’s life, but a whole lot of others’ as well...including the powerful company whose immensely lucrative charter depends on Zarathustra’s having no sapient natives. Rediscover H. Beam Piper’s delightful tale of adorable, indigenous Fuzzies and their human friends pitted against a massive corporation willing to use every trick at its disposal—up to and including genocide—to keep its hold over the planet. This edition includes a foreword by New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi, author of Fuzzy Nation and Starter Villain.




Of One Blood


Book Description

Before Wakanda, there was Telassar. Before Octavia Butler, NK Jemison, and Nisi Shawl, there was Pauline E. Hopkins. When Reuel Briggs, a man hiding his African American identity, discovers that he’s the king of a hidden city in Ethiopia, his mysterious origins are only starting to be revealed. Journey through perilous pyramids, haunted manors, and genres ranging from early science fiction to Gothic horror in this turn-of-the-century tale of romance, revenge, and reclamation of humanity lost. Hopkins boldly challenged the racist paradigms of her time, and even today’s, when female authors of color are still fighting for recognition within genre fiction. This new edition features a foreword by Diverse Worlds Grant-winning author Eden Royce, shining contemporary light on this hidden gem. Venture into the forgotten kingdom of Of One Blood and unearth its treasures for yourself




The Book of Dragons


Book Description

From silly to scary, shocking to absurd, dragons abound in this collection of eight children’s stories from beloved author E. Nesbit. Originally published in the serial magazine The Strand, this anthology was reprinted as a single volume in 1901 and has served as a classic of both children’s and dragon’s literature ever since. Within, you’ll find stories of a silly king, a stalwart princess, a pair of mischievous children on the hunt for adventure, and many more tales of children besting the terrible beasts of their worlds. This fine new edition of The Book of Dragons comes complete with a foreword from Eleanor Fitzsimmons, author of The Life and Loves of E. Nesbit.




Red Hunters and the Animal People


Book Description

An ancient land, a timeless people... From the author of Indian Boyhood and The Madness of Bald Eagle, comes a collection of twelve gripping tales inspired by Native American folklore and culture. Who can save a starving village? What does it take to change foe to friend? What is the cost of triumph? Learn of the people found beneath fur and feather. Each of these short stories opens a door into the world of the animals that roam this earth. Read the wisdom of nature as it was told for thousands of years before being written down. This new edition highlights the importance of native knowledge with a new foreword by award-winning poet and author CMarie Fuhrman. The mysteries lost to the westward expansion are preserved here once more. Turn back the page of time and hear the call of the past




Summer


Book Description

Edith Wharton’s Controversial Coming-of-Age Novel A story full of spirit and scandal... Charity Royall longs for more in life. She can’t stand her sleepy little village or the people who walk its streets. Then, Lucius Harney strolls into town. He awakes an excitement within Charity that can’t be chastened. They have no shortage of valid excuses to meet together, but it doesn’t take long for whispers of scandal to snake their way through the community. “[Summer] is about a character scraped down to the barest elements of her vulnerabilities by her emotional and physical passions. It is a story of how love, relationships, and sex reshape and redefine one person’s entire world.” —J.E. Birk, author of Booklover This beautifully designed rendition of one of Wharton’s classics is a must-have for anyone who also loves stories such as Emma, The Age of Innocence, and Little Women.




Phantastes


Book Description

“Whatever the book you are reading now, you simply must get this at once.” —C. S. Lewis Shun the Ash and the Alder... Sing to the Marble Lady... Enter the door of the Timeless... After Anodos is visited by a fairy on his 21st birthday, his bedroom transforms into a forest, leading him to Fairy Land. With the guidance of fairies and knights, he must navigate ethereal and fantastical landscapes, face threats of evil trees and giants, search for a lost love, and conquer his own haunting shadow. One of the earliest works of portal fantasy and an inspiration to the great fantasy authors of the twentieth century! Transport yourself into a tale of love and self-discovery with this fine new edition of Phantastes by George MacDonald, with an additional foreword by author Paul Di Filippo.