Shapers of Worlds


Book Description

Within these pages lie eighteen stories, from eighteen worlds shaped by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its first year. Some are international bestsellers. Among them are winners and nominees for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, Aurealis, Ditmar, British Science Fiction Association, and Dragon Awards. Some have been writing for decades, others are at the beginning of their careers. All have honed their craft to razor-sharpness. A teenage girl finds something strange in the middle of the Canadian prairie. An exobiologist tries to liberate a giant alien enslaved on its homeworld by humans. The music of the spheres becomes literal for an Earth ship far from home. A superhero league interviews for new members. Strangers share a drink on a world where giant starships fall. Two boys, one a werewolf, one a mage, get more than they bargained for when they volunteer to fight an evil Empire. A man with amnesia accepts a most unusual offer. A young woman finds unexpected allies as she tries to win a flying-machine race in steampunk London . . . Ranging from boisterous to bleak, from humorous to harrowing, from action-filled to quiet and meditative; taking place in alternate pasts, the present day, the far, far future, and times that never were; set on Earth, in the distant reaches of space, in fantasy worlds, and in metaphysical realms, each of these stories is as unique as its creator. And yet, they all showcase one thing: the irrepressible need of human beings to create, to imagine, to tell stories. To shape worlds.




Shapers of Worlds Volume II


Book Description

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




Shapers


Book Description

SHAPERS is the definitive guide to elevate the way you work and live. PRAISE FOR SHAPERS: "Do you wish you could throw yourself into your work, become energised and enriched by it, and leave the world a better place? Then SHAPERS is for you. Altman shows that your idiosyncrasies and unique skills are not the obstacles to achievement and purpose. They are the path.” –Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of WHEN and DRIVE “With countless nuggets of timeless wisdom, SHAPERS gently nudges readers to envision new possibilities for them to build more meaningful, joyful work and lives.” –Amy C. Edmondson, Professor, Harvard Business School, author of The Fearless Organisation and Teaming "Altman mixes together case studies, anecdotes and careful empirical research to offer wise and practical advice about how to make work better, and thus to get better work. If companies followed even a quarter of his suggestions they would foster a more productive and more satisfied workplace for everyone. And his engaging, informal style makes for effortless reading.” –Barry Schwartz teaches at Haas School of Business, U.C. Berkeley and is the author of The Paradox of Choice and Why We Work We work in places, ways, and on things that were once the stuff of sci-fi flicks. Yet the reality is that most professionals are unhappy in their work. Whether you want to reset your career, strike out on your own, or just ignite more joy in what you do, this illuminating productivity book shows you how to create a working life that reveals meaning while rewriting our collective future. When we connect with something larger than ourselves, we enjoy the fruits of our labour as well as the journey — the sweat and the struggle. It’s the unyielding commitment to a purpose that gives shapers their shimmer. The benefits of this shine are plentiful: enhanced wellbeing, more community engagement, a healthier economy, better work for all, and a more beautiful world. Altman is a workologist who guides companies to leave politics and posturing behind in favour of transparent and trusting cultures. After decades facilitating culture-defining practices for leaders, you’ll learn everything he knows: Adopt the mindset for creativity, innovation, and boundless growth Amplify your career and inspire others to do the same Help create engaged teams through building leadership skills Become a better leader through the five new modes of leadership ethics Learn what underpins the most resilient organisations in the world The stories and anecdotes in SHAPERS come from hundreds of interviews with innovators dedicated to improving our outdated system of work. These trailblazers include CEOs, organisational designers, social psychologists, workplace strategists, and start-up entrepreneurs. See your work from a whole new perspective and focus on what fulfils you. If you seek the freedom to approach work in your own unique way and become energised by what you do, then SHAPERS is your guide.




Worldshaper


Book Description

Now in mass market, from an Aurora Award-winning author comes the first book in a portal fantasy series where one woman's powers open the way to a labyrinth of new dimensions. For Shawna Keys, the world is almost perfect. She's just opened a pottery studio in a beautiful city. She's in love with a wonderful man. She has good friends. But one shattering moment of violence changes everything. Mysterious attackers kill her best friend. They're about to kill Shawna. She can't believe it's happening--and just like that, it isn't. It hasn't. No one else remembers the attack, or her friend. To everyone else, Shawna's friend never existed.... Everyone, that is, except the mysterious stranger who shows up in Shawna's shop. He claims her world has been perfect because she Shaped it to be perfect; that it is only one of uncounted Shaped worlds in a great Labyrinth; and that all those worlds are under threat from the Adversary who has now invaded hers. She cannot save her world, he says, but she might be able to save others--if she will follow him from world to world, learning their secrets and carrying them to Ygrair, the mysterious Lady at the Labyrinth's heart. Frightened and hounded, Shawna sets off on a desperate journey, uncertain whom she can trust, how to use her newfound power, and what awaits her in the myriad worlds beyond her own.




Shaper Nations


Book Description

Shaper Nations provides perspectives on the national strategies of eight countries that are shaping global politics in the twenty-first century. The volume’s authors offer a unique viewpoint: they live and work primarily in the country about which they write, bringing an insider’s feel for national debates and politics.




Master of the World


Book Description

Now in mass market, the second book in a gripping portal fantasy series by an Aurora Award-winning author, in which one woman's powers open the way to a labyrinth of new dimensions. Shawna Keys has fled the world she only recently discovered she Shaped, narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Adversary who seized control of it...and losing her only guide, Karl Yatsar, in the process. Now she finds herself alone in some other Shaper's world, where, in her first two hours, she's rescued from a disintegrating island by an improbable flying machine she recognizes from Jules Verne's Robur the Conqueror, then seized from it by raiders flying tiny personal helicopters, and finally taken to a submarine that bears a strong resemblance to Captain Nemo's Nautilus. Oh, and accused of being both a spy and a witch. In the meantime, she has to navigate a world where two factions fanatically devoted to their respective leaders are locked in perpetual combat, figure out who the Shaper of the world is, find him or her, and obtain the secret knowledge of this world's Shaping. Then she has to somehow reconnect with Karl Yatsar, and escape to the next Shaped world in the Labyrinth...through a Portal she has no idea how to open.




Seven Princes


Book Description

A vibrant tale of ancient sorcerers, heroic kings, and looming war, Seven Princes is the epic beginning to John R. Fultz's debut fantasy series. Under the watchful eye of the Giants, the kingdoms of Men rose to power. Now, the Giant-King has slain the last of the Serpents and ushered in an era of untold peace and prosperity. Where a fire-blackened desert once stood, golden cities flourish in verdant fields. But the realms of Man face a new threat -- an ancient sorcerer slaughters the rightful King of Yaskatha before the unbelieving eyes of his son, young Prince D'zan. With the Giant-King lost to a mysterious doom, it seems that no one has the power to stop the coming storm. Now the fugitive Prince seeks allies across the realms of Men and Giants to liberate his father's stolen kingdom. Six foreign Princes are tied to his fate. Only one thing is certain: War is coming. Praise for Book of the Shapers: "Non-stop action at a blistering pace. . .Vigorous and vibrant." -- Kirkus "Flawless -- and timeless -- epic fantasy." -- BN.com




Schismatrix


Book Description




Shadowshaper (The Shadowshaper Cypher, Book 1)


Book Description

"Magnificent." -- Holly Black, New York Times Book Review Come to the crossroads, to the crossroads comeSierra Santiago planned an easy summer of making art and hanging with her friends. But then a corpse crashes the first party of the season. Her stroke-ridden grandfather starts apologizing over and over. And when the murals in her neighborhood begin to weep real tears . . . Well, something more sinister than the usual Brooklyn ruckus is going on.Where the powers converge and become oneWith the help of a fellow artist named Robbie, Sierra discovers shadowshaping, a thrilling magic that infuses ancestral spirits into paintings, music, and stories. But someone is killing the shadowshapers one by one -- and the killer believes Sierra is hiding their greatest secret. Now she must unravel her family's past, take down the killer in the present, and save the future of shadowshaping for herself and generations to come.Full of a joyful, defiant spirit and writing as luscious as a Brooklyn summer night, Shadowshaper introduces a fantasy heroine and magic unlike any you've ever seen before, and marks the YA debut of a brilliant new storyteller.




Banewreaker


Book Description

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of the Kushiel series comes another startling fable--an epic tale of gods waging war in their bid to control an entire universe and the mortals they use as chess pieces in a most deadly game.