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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.

ABOVEThe 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.BELOWA 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.BETWEENThe 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 . . .

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.

Book View Cafe presents thirteen (of course) brand new (mostly) tales of ghosts, hauntings, and things that might or might not go bump in the night-tales that will inspire an involuntary glance over the shoulder, an unexpected shiver, or an uneasy chuckle.Open this book at your own risk...of a spooky good read.Stories by Alma Alexander - Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff - Chaz Brenchley - Marie Brennan - Brenda W. Clough - Marissa Doyle - Katharine Eliska Kimbriel - Shannon Page - Paul Piper - Steven Popkes - Dave Smeds - Jennifer Stevenson - Jill Zeller

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.

In the third volume of the epic martial arts adventure, Redbark has broken up. And the three Afans have chosen their paths. Yskanda lives day to day in the silken prison of the imperial court, hiding amidst his paints until a life-changing encounter.Prince Jion returns to the imperial palace in disgrace, as Ryu, tired of disguises, begins to take her own name. When she isn't crusading as Firebolt--and causing hunters on both sides to come after her.

What if God is an alien who inhabits the body of a macaw? Young Ian finds out when his mother's nasty-tempered bird offers to cure her alcoholism if Ian will work for the alien.What follows is a career spanning hundreds of years and identities, as Ian struggles to save at least some of humanity from environmental disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, and lost species. He gets used to lots of dying.Is a terraformed Venus full of dinosaurs worth it?

Dear Diary,Shall we pause to take stock?Female (liberated, at least from fraught marriage). Age 52, height 5'5"e;, weight 120, bone density excellent, minimal cellulite, maximal hot flashes. One and 3/4 breasts.Months since sex: 27Lindsey Friedland, former river-rafting guide and avid outdoorswoman, has hit the worst stretch of water she's ever faced: divorce from an abuser, breast cancer, menopause symptoms that her friends seem to have paddled serenely by. And she's lost sight of her dream of becoming an environmental journalist.Lindsey needs to get her spark back.Dear Diary, Disastrous blind dates so far: The walking cologne bottle. The "e;really want a gal to give me babies"e; guy. The pushy past-life reintegration facilitator.Will Lindsey make it past the rocky shoals of family upheavals, job crises, sexism, and ageism... not to mention toxic love traps? Does "e;happily ever after"e; now mean settling for occasional (but hot!) sex with Mr. Maybe? Can she reclaim her journalism dream?Dear Diary, I'm tired of being tragic. I'm sending off my article about the bulldozers versus the baby owls. ***"e;Sara Stamey does for fiction what Cheryl Strayed and Elizabeth Gilbert did for memoir. Pause gives a voice to women who are too often invisible in contemporary books. The unforgettable Lindsey Friedland weaves together humor and passion against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest's natural beauty, using her unique voice to deliver a must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes."e;-USA Today Bestselling author Mindy Klasky

Fairy tales - new-told, re-told, re-invented, rebuilt, new-visioned. Fairy tales are the building blocks not just of fantasy but of all fiction, the original Story, the thing we all grew up on. This is a return to those roots, and an entirely new vision of all that a fairy tale was, is, or can be.

Dot 1.0 is a performing software robot that can bring any audience to its feet. She can sing. She can dance. She can gauge her effect on people to the millimeter. She cannot create material of her own.Dot 2.0 can do everything Dot 1.0 can do plus write songs and tailor them to each audience. Songs to bring tears. Songs to bring laughter.Dot 1.0 does what she is told.Dot 2.0 has other ideas.

Anghara Kir Hama -heir to an ancient throne, holder of a perilous gift called Sight, one who serves the dangerous and powerful Old GodsaEUR and then sweeps them away as the Changer of Days

12-year-old aristo Lilah asks, Why are the kingdom's magic spells are fading? But her uncle the king only wants a stronger army. Why are the kids outside the palace gates ragged and hungry? But the king keeps raising taxes. Her older brother Peitar, the king's heir, spends more time writing mysterious letters than talking to her. And her father just wants her to learn court manners.Since everyone is ignoring her, Lilah disguises herself and slips over the walls to befriend those ragged kids. She learns that revolution is fermenting, led by the charismatic young commoner Derek. And Lilah is shocked to learn that her scholarly brother is allied with Derek.The revolution ignites into chaos and violence. Lilah and her friends are determined to help however they can. But what can four kids do? Become spies, of course! Chases and disguises, captures and trials lead to a wild climax, with Lilah right in the middle.First published by Viking, and a finalist for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, this novel has been completely revised for the Book View Cafe edition.

Cindy Fiske hates her high school life from her vice cop father, Jake, to her biochemist mother, Anya. Of course, she runs away and into the waiting arms of Connie Samoa who runs a high price call girl ring. Then, Anya's boss starts sampling her secret drug project and things get really strange.After all, with sex, prostitution, crooked cops, televangelists, psychopaths, an eclipse and illicit neurochemistry, what could go wrong?Welcome to God's Country.

THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION TO THE LHIND YOUNG ADULT FANTASY SERIES! When Lhind's beloved Hlanan is taken by Shinjan slavers, she leaves her self-imposed exile to rush to the rescue. But first she must face a dragon, and learn world-changing truths about herself.Meanwhile, halfway across the world, imprisoned Hlanan labors to liberate fellow slaves of the evil Shinjan empire.Before they meet again, both must explore the difficult dimensions of honor, trust, and love.Failure means death. Success, bringing down two murderous tyrants-and forever changing the world.

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.

It's 1901-a brave new century-and seventeen-year-old Grace Boisvert thinks it's high time to forget that she's a dryad; being able to talk to trees just doesn't seem very useful in the automobile age. A little hair dye to touch up her green roots, and she's off to join her best friend Alice Roosevelt for a visit to glamorous Newport, RI, with her family's warnings not to fall for any human boys ringing in her ears.As it happens, the only interesting boy in Newport, Kit Rookwood, clearly prefers Alice to her. But that changes when he and his family unexpectedly follow them to a secluded Adirondack camp to join Alice's family. Grace finds herself falling in love-and not just with the breathtaking forests.She soon has other worries besides Alice's growing jealousy. The trees whisper to her of dark, angry shadows emerging from their usual haunts high in the mountains because someone is calling them forth--but who, and why? Grace will need all of her dryad powers to avert a disaster for her friends once she finds out...but the danger for her is just beginning.

Science fiction and fantasy are renowned for immersing their readers in rich, inventive settings. In this follow-up to the collection NEW WORLDS, YEAR ONE, award-winning fantasy author Marie Brennan guides you through new aspects of worldbuilding and how they can generate stories. From beauty to books, from tattoos to taboos, these essays delve into the complexity of different cultures, both real and imaginary, and provide invaluable advice on crafting a world of your very own.This volume collects essays from the second year of the New Worlds Patreon.

Welcome to the post-apocalyptic frontier town ofA Las Anclas, where the sheriff possesses superhuman strength, the doctor can warp time to heal his patients, and the distant ruins bristle with deadly crystal trees. In the deserts outside of town, teenage prospector Ross Juarez's best find ever - an ancient book he doesn't know how to read - nearly costs him his life when a bounty hunter is set on him to kill him and steal the book. Ross barely makes it to Las Anclas, bringing with him a precious artifact, a power no one has ever had before, and a whole lot of trouble.Originally published by Viking (2014)REVIEWS:"e;...The five dynamic narrators and action-packed plot deliver thrills while slyly undermining genre cliches. A first-rate page turner that leaves its own compelling afterimage."e; -Kirkus, Starred Review

Worldbuilding is one of the great pleasures of writing science fiction and fantasy -- and also one of its greatest challenges. Award-winning fantasy author Marie Brennan draws on her academic training in anthropology to peel back the layers of a setting, going past the surface details to explore questions many authors never think to answer. She invites you to consider the endless variety of real-world cultures -- from climate to counterfeiting, from sumptuary laws to slang --and the equally endless possibilities speculative fiction has to offer.This volume collects essays from the first year of the New Worlds Patreon.

The best-laid plans, even of princesses, can go awry...very, very awry.Seventeen-year-old Saraid of Thekla is on her way to marry the ruler of far-off Mauburni. But she's not sobbing into her silk-curtained litter at the thought of leaving home, because she has plans-and The Book. She's studied this ancient treatise on the art of kingship for months to make herself the ideal queen for her adopted country. Once her new husband sees that, he'll fall madly in love with her. It will all be perfect. She knows it.But The Book is silent on what to do when one's journey across a cursed desert wasteland is halted by a mysterious young warlord. Cadel has plans of his own-plans that don't include her going to Mauburni. As she begins to unravel his secrets, Saraid will have to lay aside The Book and trust her own wisdom-and her heart-to navigate the treacherous shoals of politics and power and become the queen she yearns to be.

The past is prologue . . .Kit Marlowe. Guy Fawkes. Ada Lovelace. Kings and sailors and sainted nuns populate these seven stories of historical fantasy by award-winning author Marie Brennan. They span the ages from the second century B.C.E. to the nineteenth century C.E., from ancient Persia to the London of the Onyx Court. Discover the secret histories, hear the stories that have never been told -- until now.

Follow the map to another world . . .Two cities joined by their reflections. A realm of feathered serpents and jaguar-men. A desert where a former goddess seeks the ultimate truth. In this collection, award-winning author Marie Brennan takes you to ten different fantastical lands, including the world of her famed scholar-heroine Lady Trent. Journey with her to places rich and strange: here there be more than just dragons.