Aliya Whiteley

Before wars are won, they must be witnessed. Elize Janview is a soldier, one of the few survivors of an unimaginably terrible weapon, which ended the long détente between the North and the South and plunged them back into all-out war. She enlisted with a dream of finding those responsible, of somehow getting revenge for the deaths of everyone she knew, but was posted to guard the prison at Crag, the fortress of the South, which has never fallen to the enemy. Janview’s life is transformed when a rough wooden box is delivered to Crag, holding the performer and spy Marius Mondegreen, agent of the North: the Misheard Word, who can read minds, breathe fire, and make objects appear and disappear. Janview is to witness Mondegreen’s interrogation by his captor, the beautiful and cruel Allynx Syld, who promises the end of the war. As recorder – and by degrees participant – in the interrogation, Janview comes to question everything she knew about the war, and the very world she lives in…

15 brand-new short stories inspired by and in honour of legendary writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Featuring Ann Leckie, Karen Joy Fowler, Charlie Jane Anders, Kelly Link, Ai Jiang and many others. Revolution in the Heart is a collection of 15 brand new stories by a group of celebrated authors, all inspired by one of the iconic figures in all of science fiction and fantasy: the legendary and award-winning Ursula K. Le Guin. From the appearance of her first work of short fiction in 1962 to the publication of the last in 2016, Ursula K. Le Guin was a master storyteller, winning innumerable awards, and achieving both commercial and literary success. She created the beloved stories of Earthsea alongside the urgent and essential stories of the Hain, pushing forward the form and concepts of science fiction and fantasy - reshaping them into forward-thinking genres. This collection honours her legacy with stories from authors she inspired:Ann LeckieMolly GlossKelly LinkCharlie Jane AndersSarah PinskerChana PorterAi JiangAlaya Dawn JohnsonS. Qiouyi LuE. Lily YuVandana SinghAliya WhiteleyPremee MohamedDarice Little BadgerKaren Joy Fowler

A vibrant and emotional science fantasy about cousins trapped in mirrored worlds – the resplendent and verdant summer city and the ice-carved wastes of the winter city. For fans of Every Heart a Doorway and This is How You Lose the Time War." A beautifully strange and unique fable." The Guardian's Best SF of 2024 on Aliya Whiteley"A unique and memorable work." The Guardian's Best SF of 2024 on Oliver K. Langmead"An elegantly told meditation on how we can’t leave ourselves behind." Esquire's 30 best SF Books of 2024 on Oliver K. LangmeadWelcome to Jamie Pike’s Fairharbour – a city stuck in perpetual winter, its windows and doorways bricked shut to keep out the freezing cold, its residents striving to survive in the arctic conditions. Welcome to Esther Pike’s Fairharbour – a city stuck in constant summer, its walls crumbling in the heat, its oppressive sunlight a relentless presence. Winter and Summer alike, have both fallen under the yoke of oppressive powers, that have taken control after the cataclysm. But both Fairharbours were once a single, united city. And in certain places, at certain times, one side can catch a glimpse of the other. As Jamie and Esther find a way to communicate across the divide, they set out to solve the mystery of what split their city in two, and what, if anything, might repair their fractured worlds.

In January 2314, Rowena Savalas – a curator of the vast archive of the twenty-first century’s primitive internet – stumbles upon a story posted in the summer of 2024. She’s quickly drawn into the mystery of the text: Is it autobiography, fantasy or fraud? What’s the significance of the recurring number 381? In the story, the protagonist Fairly walks the Horned Road – a quest undertaken by youngsters in her village when they come of age. She is followed by the “breathing man,” a looming presence, dogging her heels every step of the way. Everything she was taught about her world is overturned. Following Fairly’s quest, Rowena comes to question her own choices, and a predictable life of curation becomes one of exploration, adventure and love. As both women’s stories draw to a close, she realises it doesn’t matter whether the story is true or not: as with the quest itself, it’s the journey that matters.

Nominated for the Shirley Jackson and Saboteur awards. The tenth anniversary edition of the critically acclaimed short novel, with an introduction by M. R. Carey. Somewhere away from the cities and towns, in the Valley of the Rocks, a society of men and boys gather around the fire each night to listen to their history recounted by Nate, the storyteller. Requested most often by the group is the tale of the death of all women. They are the last generation. One evening, Nate brings back new secrets from the woods; peculiar mushrooms are growing from the ground where the women’s bodies lie buried. These are the first signs of a strange and insidious presence unlike anything ever known before… Discover the Beauty. Also includes the novella The Arrival of Missives.

Aliya Whiteley's fiction has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the John W. Campbell, BFS, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, James Tiptree Jr and Saboteur awards. "When I read Whiteley's short stories I think of Japanese netsuke - magnificent miniatures, perfect in every detail. But netsuke don't keep me awake at night." - M. R. CareyA new collection from one of the most exciting voices in genre fiction. Nineteen stories, eleven of them original to this collection, all themed on travel, be it a desperate need to be somewhere else or a burning desire to escape what's been left behind. Contents: Early Bird Drive or be Driven Luisa Opines Cold Trade The Emblem of Daydreams Your Hero Wrapped The Librarian A Possible Location For Eagles Fernie Ongoing A Million Moving Parts Streamers Pack Your Coat Multiply Rich Growth Beast Something From the Garden At Night, The Road"Rich Growth"... keeps the focus on transformation and the lines between people and the natural world. Here gardeners use their own blood and energy to grow vines up to precious gemflowers... and the story explores the grief and freedom that comes along with that." - Locus'Luisa Opines' is a real oddity, part fairy tale, part satirical comment on social/marketing surveys that attempt to mould our preferences... The story is quirky and surreal, and concludes with a great line that signals Luisa's refusal to accept certainty." - IZ Digital

In January 2314, Rowena Savalas – a curator of the vast archive of the twenty-first century’s primitive internet – stumbles upon a story posted in the summer of 2024. She’s quickly drawn into the mystery of the text: Is it autobiography, fantasy or fraud? What’s the significance of the recurring number 381? In the story, the protagonist Fairly walks the Horned Road – a quest undertaken by youngsters in her village when they come of age. She is followed by the “breathing man,” a looming presence, dogging her heels every step of the way. Everything she was taught about her world is overturned. Following Fairly’s quest, Rowena comes to question her own choices, and a predictable life of curation becomes one of exploration, adventure and love. As both women’s stories draw to a close, she realises it doesn’t matter whether the story is true or not: as with the quest itself, it’s the journey that matters.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FINALIST 2022Drink down the brew and dream of a better Earth. Skyward Inn, within the high walls of the Western Protectorate, is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita. But safety from what? Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded; Innkeepers Jem and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars. Their peace is disturbed when a visitor known to Isley comes to the Inn asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future. Did humanity really win the war? This is Jamaica Inn by way of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula Le Guin, Angela Carter and Michel Faber, a beautiful story of belonging, identity and regret.

Short fiction collection from award-winning, Clarke Award, John W. Campbell, BFS, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, James Tiptree Jr and Saboteur Award nominated author, Aliya Whiteley. The new collection of humane, beautiful and disarming short stories from the award-winning author of The Beauty, Clarke Award nominee The Loosening Skin and The Arrival of Missives, Aliya Whiteley. In 16 stories Whiteley deftly unpeels the strangeness of everyday life through beguiling gardens, rebellious bodies and journeys across familiar worlds, with her trademark wit and compassion. Witness the future of farming in a new Ice Age, or the artist bringing life to glass; the many-eyed monsters we carry and the secret cities inside our bodies; the alien invasion through our language to the Chantress and her twists on the fairy tale. Fascinating and always unexpected, Whiteley is unlike any other writer working today.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FINALIST 2022Drink down the brew and dream of a better Earth. Skyward Inn, within the high walls of the Western Protectorate, is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita. But safety from what? Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded; Innkeepers Jem and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars. Their peace is disturbed when a visitor known to Isley comes to the Inn asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future. Did humanity really win the war? This is Jamaica Inn by way of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula Le Guin, Angela Carter and Michel Faber, a beautiful story of belonging, identity and regret.

Shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, John W. Campbell Award, British Fantasy Awards and the Brave New Words Award. A gripping and strange story of shedding skins, love and moving on from the award-winning author of The Beauty. Includes an exclusive short story set in the world of The Loosening Skin. Rose Allington is a bodyguard for celebrities, and she suffers from a rare disease. Her moults come quickly, changing everything about her life, who she is, who she loves, who she trusts. In a world where people shed their skin, it's a fact of life that we move on and cast off the attachments of our old life. But those memories of love can be touched - and bought - if you know the right people. Rose's former client, superstar actor Max Black, is hooked on Suscutin, a new wonderdrug that prevents the moult. Max knows his skins are priceless, and moulting could cost him his career. When one of his skins is stolen, and the theft is an inside job, Max needs the best who ever worked for him - even if she's not the same person. Includes an exclusive short story set in the world of The Loosening Skin.

A series of micro-collections featuring a selection of peculiar tales from the best in horror and speculative fiction. From Black Shuck Books and Aliya Whiteley comes Fearsome Creatures, the twenty-second in the Black Shuck SHADOWS series.

From the author of The Loosening Skin and The Beauty, Aliya Whiteley, Skein Island is a powerful and disturbing look at the roles we play, and how they form and divide us. This new edition features a brand new novelette set in the same world as Skein Island. Skein Island, since 1945 a private refuge for women, lies in turbulent waters twelve miles off the coast of Devon. Visitors are only allowed by invitation from the reclusive Lady Amelia Worthington. Women stay for one week, paying for their stay with a story from their past; a Declaration for the Island's vast library. Marianne's invitation arrives shortly before her quiet life at the library is violently interrupted, the aftermath leaving her husband David feeling helpless. Now, just like her mother did seventeen years ago, she must discover what her story is. Secrets are buried deep on Skein Island. The monsters of Ancient Greece and the atrocities of World War II, heroes and villains with their seers and sidekicks, and the stories of a thousand lifetimes all threaten to break free. But every story needs an ending, whatever the cost.

From the award-winning author of The Beauty, Aliya Whiteley, comes a genre-defying story of fate, free-will and the choices we make in life. In the aftermath of the Great War, Shirley Fearn dreams of challenging the conventions of rural England, where life is as predictable as the changing of the seasons. The scarred veteran Mr. Tiller, left disfigured by an impossible accident on the battlefields of France, brings with him a message: part prophecy, part warning. Will it prevent her mastering her own destiny? As the village prepares for the annual May Day celebrations, where a new queen will be crowned and the future will be reborn again, Shirley must choose: change or renewal?'One of the most original and haunting stories I have read in recent years.' - Nina Allan, author of The Rift

Nominated for the Shirley Jackson and Saboteur awards, this game-changing story was chosen by Adam Nevill as one of his favourite horror short stories: "What a refreshing gust of tiny spores this novella explodes into, and I inhaled them all with glee". Somewhere away from the cities and towns, in the Valley of the Rocks, a society of men and boys gather around the fire each night to listen to their history recounted by Nate, the storyteller. Requested most often by the group is the tale of the death of all women. They are the last generation. One evening, Nate brings back new secrets from the woods; peculiar mushrooms are growing from the ground where the women's bodies lie buried. These are the first signs of a strange and insidious presence unlike anything ever known before... Discover the Beauty.

Killing it SoftlyThe Best by Women in HorrorSuzie Lockhart and Digital Horror Fiction are thrilled to present 32 chilling tales of terror from some of the best authors in horror. Killing It Softly includes stories from New York Times best selling authors Nancy Holder and Elaine Cunningham, together with more shocking short nightmares from the finest award winning female writers in the genre. Your heart won't stop pounding as you dig into the pages of this book; from the moment you immerse yourself in the first tale, about a women waking to find herself inside a coffin, buried alive, until the last, a coming of age story about a sixteen-year-old's journey of self-discovery amidst all hell breaking loose. You'll find your proof that women can, indeed, do a wicked dance between science fiction and horror as they penetrate your darkest thoughts, to bring forth stories promising to leave you with a lingering anxiety you can't seem to shake. Any romantic notions of vampires will be crushed, and dark and twisted plots will confirm definitively that females can even write about zombies. We dare you to read stories that will leave you deeply disturbed, and some that will slice into your very soul. It wouldn't be horror if there wasn't an ode to Edgar Allen Poe...we have two masterfully written tales. There are stories off the odd and unusual, stories that take a perilous dive into worlds of disturbing shadows, and there's even an exorcism-in a tale that daringly addresses the heartbreaking disease that is alcoholism. Enter at your own risk... Featuring: Rebecca Snow, H. R. Boldwood, Christine Lucas, Gerri Leen, Tracie McBride, Rie Sheridan Rose, Aliya Whiteley, Marion Pitman, Jenner Michaud, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Carole Gill, Tina Rath, Airika Sneve, Carson Buckingham, Chantal Boudreau, Eleanor R. Wood, Nidhi Singh, Rebecca J. Allred, Rebecca Fraser, Jo-Anne Russell, K. S. Dearsley, Amanda Northrup Mays, M. J. Sydney, Rose Blackthorn, Annie Neugebauer, Elaine Cunningham, Sandra Kasturi, Jess Landry, Sarah Hans, Lillian Csernica, Tory Hoke, and Nancy HolderKilling It SoftlyPresented by Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. DigitalFictionPub.comTable of Contents: Torn Asunder-Rebecca SnowLambent Lights-H. R. BoldwoodNosophoros-Christine LucasWhat the Rain Brings-Gerri LeenTaking it for The Team-Tracie McBrideHere We Go Round-Rie Sheridan RoseSongs for Dead Children-Aliya WhiteleyMusic in the Bone-Marion PitmanAll of a Heap-Jenner MichaudTraitorous, Lying, Little Star-Suzanne Reynolds-AlpertTruth Hurts-Carole GillA Trick of the Dark-Tina RathAbysmoira-Airika SneveSkin Deep-Carson BuckinghamOrbs-Chantal BoudreauRule of Five-Eleanor R. WoodGuilty by Chance-Nidhi SinghEcdysis-Rebecca J. AllredCoralesque-Rebecca FraserThe Funhouse-Jo-Anne RussellGraffiti-K. S. DearsleyComplete-Amanda Northrup MaysEllensburg Blue-M. J. SydneyAbandoned-Rose BlackthornThe Call of the House of Usher-Annie NeugebauerRavens-Elaine CunninghamFoxford-Sandra KasturiThe Root-Jess LandryLong Time, No See-Sarah HansSaving Grace-Lillian CsernicaMillie's Hammock-Tory HokeChanged-Nancy Holde