Beyond the familiar tropes of kings and castles, elves and dragons, there is a whole world of possibilities for fantasy literature. This anthology collects fantasy stories whose inspiration lies beyond the traditional medieval European basis. It brings exciting new stories and overlooked voices into the fantasy genre.
This volume contains stories set in imaginative other-worlds where society can take many different patterns. Stories by: Tanith Lee, Neil Williamson, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Phenderson Djeli Clark, Megan Hutchins, Tom Fletcher, Melissa Mead, and more.
- A girl stows-away on a ship sailing on a lava sea battling to get scarce water.
- As dark forces destroy his city, a man has visions of a different life in a peaceful world. Which is the dream and which reality?
- Can an island woman negotiate a dangerous deal with death mages to silence the volcano that threatens her people?
- A shaman's young assistant is poisoned for discovering a dangerous secret.
- An investigator tries to decipher the message from assassins who use very aggressive flower arranging.
Enjoy nineteen stories of fantasy, adventure, and magic set in unique lands beyond the edge of the known world.