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THE STARLIGHT MAN Algernon Blackwood has been called the central figure in the British supernatural literature of the twentieth century by Michael Dirda in the New York Review of Books. S. T. Joshi referred to him as a master of narrative pacing. He has been labeled one of the most influential supernatural writers of his time by Storm Constantine, author of The Wraeththu Chronicles. In his essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature, H. P. Lovecraft stated that of the quality of Mr. Blackwood s genius there can be no dispute. Writers and reviewers throughout the last 100 years have been extolling the virtues of Algernon Blackwood s tales.

But Blackwood was a rolling stone and kept virtually no papers or private records. When Mike Ashley decided to research Blackwood's life in 1978 he had no idea that over forty years later he would still be researching. A first edition of the biography was published in 2001 but that had to be edited down, and Ashley knew at that time that there were still many unanswered questions. Since then some of those questions have been answered and though there still remains some mystery about Blackwood and maybe that adds to his aura and fascination Ashley has now brought the biography up to date, restoring the text that was removed and adding more of the results of his researches. Here, now, is the most extensive and thorough study of Blackwood's life and works revealing more about the mystic, the adventurer, the innocent, the seeker.

A major first collection from a writer fast becoming one of the stars of the genre... Aliette de Bodard, multiple award winner and author of The Tea Master and the Detective, now brings readers fourteen dazzling tales that showcase the richly textured worldbuilding and beloved characters that have brought her so much acclaim.

Come discover the breadth and endless invention of her universes, ranging from a dark Gothic Paris devastated by a magical war; to the multiple award-winning Xuya, a far-future space opera inspired by Vietnamese culture where scholars administrate planets and sentient spaceships are part of families.

In the Nebula award and Locus award winning "Immersion", a young girl working in a restaurant on a colonized space station crosses paths with an older woman who has cast off her own identity.

In the novelette "Children of Thorns, Children of Water", a shapeshifting dragon infiltrating a ruined mansion finds more than he's bargained for when his partner is snatched by eerie, child-like creatures.

And in the award-winning "Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight", three very different people--a scholar, an engineer, and a spaceship--all must deal with the loss of a woman who was the cornerstone of their world.

This collection includes a never-before seen 20,000-word novella, "Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness", set in Bodard's alternative dark Paris.

Table of Contents

• Introduction - essay
• The Shipmaker [Xuya] (2010) - short story
• The Jaguar House, in Shadow [Xuya] (2010) - novelette
• Scattered Along the River of Heaven [Xuya] (2012) - short story
• Immersion [Xuya] (2012) - short story
• The Waiting Stars [Xuya] (2013) - novelette
• Memorials [Xuya] (2014) - novelette
• The Breath of War [Xuya] (2014) - short story
• The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile [Xuya] (2014) - short story
• The Dust Queen • (2014) - short story
• Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight [Xuya] (2015) - short story
• A Salvaging of Ghosts [Xuya] (2016) - short story
• Pearl [Xuya] (2016) - novelette
• Children of Thorns, Children of Water [Dominion of the Fallen] (2017) - novelette
• Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness [Dominion of the Fallen] - novella
• Story Notes - essay

This short story originally appeared in Lightspeed, October 2010. It can also be found in the anthology Lightspeed: Year One (2011), edited by John Joseph Adams.

Reas the full story for free at Lightspeed.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Run to Starlight, Sports Through Science Fiction) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander and Patricia S. Warrick [as by uncredited]
• 5 - Football - essay by uncredited
• 11 - The Last Super Bowl Game - (1975) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• 39 - The National Pastime - (1973) - novelette by Norman Spinrad
• 67 - Run to Starlight - (1974) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• 107 - Baseball - essay by uncredited
• 113 - Dodger Fan - (1957) - short story by Will Stanton
• 122 - The Celebrated No-Hit Inning - (1956) - short story by Frederik Pohl
• 145 - Naked to the Invisible Eye - (1973) - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• 183 - Basketball - essay by uncredited
• 189 - Goal Tending - (1975) - novelette by E. Michael Blake
• 215 - Golf - essay by uncredited
• 219 - To Hell with the Odds - (1968) - short story by Robert L. Fish
• 241 - Boxing - essay by uncredited
• 246 - Title Fight - (1956) - short story by William Campbell Gault
• 265 - Steel - (1956) - novelette by Richard Matheson
• 299 - Chess - essay by uncredited
• 303 - The Immortal Game - (1954) - short story by Poul Anderson
• 321 - Fishing - essay by uncredited
• 325 - The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth - (1965) - novelette by Roger Zelazny
• 371 - Hunting - essay by uncredited
• 375 - Poor Little Warrior! - (1958) - short story by Brian W. Aldiss

Table of Contents:

• Foreword - essay by Michael Swanwick
• Ellen O'Hara - (1995) - novelette
• Green - (1990) - novelette
• Starship Day - (1995) - short story
• The Giving Mouth - (1991) - novelette
• The Perfect Stranger - (1991) - novelette
• Tirkiluk - (1995) - novelette
• Papa - (1993) - novelette
• 1/72nd Scale - (1990) - novelette
• Marnie - (1991) - novelette
• Grownups - (1992) - novella

This short story originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September-October 2017. It can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection (2018), edited by Gardner Dozois, and The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2018, edited by Rich Horton.

Alone and on the run from Social Services, fourteen year old Berry has nowhere to go until she meets and old man who entrusts her with a mysterious item that he claims has unbelievable powers. Her life is about to change forever. A terrorist group and the FBI want the item and will stop at nothing to get it. And soon, Berry and fellow outcast, Ell, find themselves in a desperate race across the Atlantic to America. From dodging bullets and escaping capture to being hunted through cities and over deserts, Berry must stay alive long enough to find the item's rightful owner - whoever, or whatever, they may be.

Every living creature on Earth, except dogs, is gripped by an enchanted sleep. One of the original Dalmatian puppies, all grown up since the first novel, is now the Prime Minister's mascot. Relying on her spotted parents Pongo and Missis for guidance, she assumes emergency leadership for the canine population of England. Awaiting advice from Sirius, the Dog Star, dogs of every breed crowd Trafalgar Square to watch the evening skies. The message they receive is a disturbing proposition, one that might forever destroy their status as "man's best friend."

Feyre, Rhysand, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated -- scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

Seiji Nomi's scheming from his position atop the school social hierarchy has ceased. Sky Raker has returned to the Accelerated World, and upon joining Nega Nebulus, he and Kuroyukihime have become a force to be reckoned with. But one day, Haruyuki hears the news that the social camera network has been expanded to include the Hermes Cord space elevator, and he realizes what the next stage of the game will be: space. Upon arriving, he gets help from a mysterious operator in taking on the biggest mission in the history of Brain Burst! Plus, Kuroyukihime and Haruyuki have a chance to experience their first overnight event--except that Sky Raker and Fuko end up crashing it!

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

As beautiful as she is deadly, Liriel Baenre flits through the shadows of Menzoberranzan, city of the dark elves. Amid the treachery and murder that are the drow's daily fare, she feels something calling to her... something beyond this dusky world far removed from the sun. Yet as she ventures toward the surface and the lands of light, enemies pursue her unceasingly.

And one of those enemies may offer the only hope of salvation.

Exiled from her home, the beautiful dark elf Liriel Baenre wanders to the surface world with her companion Fyodor. But even far from the dark haunts of Menzoberranzan, she is not safe from the vengeance of her arch-enemy. Even as she and her friend sail the dangerous seas of the Sword Coast, a drow priestess plots a terrible fate for them.

And in the depths of the earth, the spider queen Lolth weaves her own webs of terror and treachery.

Crossing the wide realms of the Faerûn in search of adventure, the dark elf princess Liriel Baenre and her companion Fyodor find themselves in the barbarian's homeland of Rashemen. In a land ruled by witches, Liriel must disguise herself lest she spark the people's hatred of dark elves.

Yet from the deep tunnels of the Underdark, eyes glittering with malice are watching her every move, preparing for vengeance.

After the settling dust of the demon uprising and two years of peace, rumblings from the Menzoberranzan drow have Jarlaxle nervous. Worried his allies may be pulled into a Civil War between the great Houses, he is eager to ensure Zaknafein is armed with weapons befitting his skill, including one in particular: Khazid'hea. A powerful artifact, the sword known as "Cutter" has started wars, corrupted its users, and spilled the blood of many, many people. Nonetheless--or maybe because of that--the rogue Jarlaxle and a small group of friends will go on an expedition looking for the weapon's last wielder, Doum'wielle, in the freezing north, for she may be the key to unlocking the sword's potential... and perhaps the key to preventing the bloodshed looming over the Underdark.

And as they explore the top of the world, Drizzt is on a journey of his own--both spiritual and physical. He wants to introduce his daughter Brie to Grandmaster Kane and the practices that have been so central to his beliefs. But, having only recently come back from true transcendence, the drow ranger is no longer sure what his beliefs mean anymore. He is on a path to determining the future, not just for his family, but perhaps the entire northlands of the Realms themselves.

Two different roads. On one, Jarlaxle and Zaknefein are on a quest to find pieces that could offer salvation to Menzoberranzan. On the other, Drizzt seeks answers that could offer salvation to not just his soul, but all souls.

And no matter the outcome of either journey, the Realms will never be the same again.

Short fiction is the laboratory in which SF invents itself. From the earliest days of the American pulps to the mature magazines of today, short SF has been the form in which the genre's greatest writers have kept the field in entertaining ferment. Starlight 1 brings readers major new works from a dozen of the field's strongest voices, including Michael Swanwick, Susan Palwick, Maureen F. McHugh, and John M. Ford.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1996) - essay by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
• The Dead - (1996) - shortstory by Michael Swanwick
• Liza and the Crazy Water Man - (1996) - novelette by Andy Duncan
• Sister Emily's Lightship - (1996) - shortstory by Jane Yolen
• The Weighing of Ayre - (1996) - novelette by Gregory Feeley
• Killing the Morrow - (1996) - shortstory by Robert Reed
• The Ladies of Grace Adieu - (1996) - novelette by Susanna Clarke
• GI Jesus - (1996) - novelette by Susan Palwick
• Waking Beauty - (1996) - shortstory by Martha Soukup
• Mengele's Jew - (1996) - shortstory by Carter Scholz
• Erase/Record/Play: A Drama for Print - (1996) - novelette by John M. Ford
• I Remember Angels - (1996) - shortstory by Mark Kreighbaum
• The Cost to Be Wise - (1996) - novelette by Maureen F. McHugh
• About the Authors

Since its debut in 1996, Starlight has been recognized as the leading SF and Fantasy original anthology series in the world. Stories from Starlight have won the Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Tiptree Award, and have been repeatedly honored by all of the field's "best of the year" collections. In Starlight 2, award-winning editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden offers a serving of powerful, original fiction, from SF writers such as Jonathan Lethem, Ellen Kushner, David Langford, Susanna Clarke, Esther M. Friesner, and Ted Chiang.

Contents:

• Introduction (Starlight 2) - (1998) - essay by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
• Divided by Infinity - novelette by Robert Charles Wilson
• Mrs Mabb - novelette by Susanna Clarke
• Lock Down - (1998) - shortfiction by M. Shayne Bell
• Congenital Agenesis of Gender Ideation - (1998) - shortfiction by Raphael Carter
• The House of Expectations - (1998) - shortfiction by Martha Soukup
• A Game of Consequences - (1998) - shortstory by David Langford
• The Amount to Carry - (1998) - novelette by Carter Scholz
• The Death of the Duke - shortstory by Ellen Kushner
• Brown Dust - (1998) - shortfiction by Esther M. Friesner
• Access Fantasy - (1998) - shortstory by Jonathan Lethem
• The End of a Dynasty - (1988) - shortfiction by Angélica Gorodischer
• Snow - (1998) - shortstory by Geoffrey A. Landis
• Story of Your Life - (1998) - novella by Ted Chiang
• About the Authors (Starlight 2) - (1998) - essay by Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Since its debut in 1996, Starlight has been recognized as the preeminent original anthology of science fiction and fantasy. Its stories have won the Nebula Award, the Sturgeon Award, and the Tiptree Award. Starlight 1 itself won the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology. The series represents the best new short fiction in fantasy and SF.

Now, with Starlight 3, award-winning editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden offers a new serving of powerful, original stories. Some are playful, some rigorous, or exuberant, or melancholy; some are set in the world of today, and some amidst the farthest stars or in worlds that never were.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
• Hell Is the Absence of God - novelette by Ted Chiang
• Sun-Cloud - shortstory by Stephen Baxter
• Interview: On Any Given Day - shortstory by Maureen F. McHugh
• Wings - shortstory by Colin Greenland
• Gestella - novelette by Susan Palwick
• The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views - shortstory by Jane Yolen
• Wolves Till the World Goes Down - shortstory by Greg van Eekhout
• The Secret Egg of the Clouds - shortstory by Geoffrey A. Landis
• Home Is the Sailor - shortstory by Brenda W. Clough
• Tom Brightwind, or, How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby - novelette by Susanna Clarke
• La Vie en Ronde - shortstory by Madeleine E. Robbins
• In Which Avu Giddy Tries to Stop Dancing - shortstory by D. G. Compton
• Power Punctuation! - novelette by Cory Doctorow
• The Sea Wind Offers Little Relief - novelette by Alexander C. Irvine
• Senator Bilbo - shortstory by Andy Duncan
• The Old Rugged Cross - novelette by Terry Bisson
• About the Authors - essay by Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together--even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can't refuse--no matter how much she'd like to.

With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons--for both anger and desire--she's endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he's promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.

But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife's edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie--with the quiet Valoff who's been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she's put her heart on the line.

Kee Ildez has been many things: hacker, soldier, bounty hunter. She never expected to be a hero, but when a shadowy group of traitors starts trying to goad the galaxy's two superpowers into instigating an interstellar war, Kee throws herself into the search to find out who is responsible--and stop them.

Digging up hidden information is her job, so hunting traitors should be a piece of cake, but the primary suspect spent years in the military, and someone powerful is still covering his tracks. Disrupting their plans will require the help of her entire team, including Varro Runkow, a Valovian weapons expert who makes her pulse race.

Quiet, grumpy, and incredibly handsome, Varro watches her with hot eyes but ignores all of her flirting, so Kee silently vows to keep her feelings strictly platonic. But that vow will be put to the test when she and Varro are forced to leave the safety of their ship and venture into enemy territory alone.

Cut off from the rest of their team, they must figure out how to work together--and fast--because a single misstep will cost thousands of lives.

As a recovery specialist, Lexi Bowen's jobs typically require more trickery and thievery than honest work. Her former captain might not approve of her flexible morals, but stealing artifacts for rich assholes pays the bills, and Lexi's had enough of war and death. The FHP left her to die once; she doesn't plan to give them a chance to finish the job.

Unfortunately, her latest contract takes her to Valovia itself--and right back into the orbit of Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who already cost her one payday and nearly stole her heart.

Armored against his clever charm, Lexi plans to get in, get the job done, and get out. But when her former crew goes missing in Valovian space, Lexi will have to work with Nilo to figure out what happened--and stop it--before the galaxy's two superpowers can use the disappearance as an excuse to return to war.

16 stories by a master of science fiction. Space travel, time machines, runaway robots, wit, insanity, intelligence and non-stop imagination, Alfed Bester has crammed all of these and more into his new, dynamic 2-in-1 volume Starlight. Containing all the stories from both The Light Fantastic and Star Light, Star Bright, each tale in this mammoth collection opens up new vistas of wonder and amazement.

Miriam is a frail young outcase whose healing powers have branded her a witch in the Inquisition of fourteenth-century Europe. Fleeing her city in search of the Free Towns and acceptance, she is brutally violated by a man she heals from the brink of death. Saved by the intervention of the elves, Miriam swears to exact revenge on her assailant. But first she must learn the art of swordsmanship and train to be a warrior with her newfound power of elfin sorcery.

When the Free Towns come under siege by the Inquisition -- led by Miriam's attacker -- the safety and very existence of her people is threatened. Miriam knows her strength will be tested in a face-to-face confrontation with her enemy, but how can she battle for the freedom of others when her own revenge is a mere sword's lengeth away...?

This companion to Woven in Moonlight follows an outcast Condesa, as she braves the jungle to forge an alliance with the lost city of gold.

If the jungle wants you, it will have you...

Catalina Quiroga is a Condesa without a country. She's lost the Inkasisa throne, the loyalty of her people, and her best friend. Banished to the perilous Yanu Jungle, Catalina knows her chances of survival are slim, but that won't stop her from trying to escape. Her duty is to rule.

While running for her life, Catalina is rescued by Manuel, the son of her former general who has spent years searching for allies. With his help, Catalina could find the city of gold that's home to the fierce Illari people and strike a deal with them for an army to retake her throne.

But the elusive Illari are fighting a battle of their own?a mysterious blight is corrupting the jungle, laying waste to everything they hold dear. As a seer, Catalina should be able to help, but her ability to read the future in the stars is as feeble as her survival instincts. While searching for the Illari, Catalina must reckon with her duty and her heart to find her true calling, which is key to stopping the corruption before it destroys the jungle completely.

This BSFA winning story in De Bodard's Xuya universe originally appeared in Clarkesworld, Issue 100, January 2015. It can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection (2016), edited by Gardner Dozois, and Clarkesworld Year Nine: Volume One (2018), edited by Sean Wallace and Neil Clarke.

Read the full story for free at Clarkesworld.