Carrie Vaughn

Bright lights, big city...magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujería may be part of your way of life. Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team's "curse" can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call — it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts.

Even time travel can’t unravel loveTime-travel is a way for writers to play with history and imagine different futures – for better, or worse. When romance is thrown into the mix, time-travel becomes a passionate tool, or heart-breaking weapon. A time agent in the 22nd century puts their whole mission at risk when they fall in love with the wrong person. No matter which part of history a man visits, he cannot not escape his ex. A woman is desperately in love with the time-space continuum, but it doesn’t love her back. As time passes and falls apart, a time-traveller must say goodbye to their soulmate. With stories from best-selling and award-winning authors such as Seanan McGuire, Alix E. Harrow and Nina Allan, this anthology gives a taste for the rich treasure trove of stories we can imagine with love, loss and reunion across time and space. Including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages

Two heroes revisit a traumatic incident from their past--and learn hard truths in the present--in this original graphic novel set in the Wild Cards universe, where an alien virus mutates some and grants superpowers to others, created by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones. In 1946, an alien virus ravaged the world, its results as random as a hand of cards. Those infected either draw the black queen and die, draw an ace and receive superpowers, or draw the joker and are bizarrely mutated. Over a year ago, the U. N.'s Committee for Extraordinary Interventions sent ace heroes Ana Cortez and Kate Brandt--Earth Witch and Curveball--to Brazil to investigate Aurora Mission, a charity that claimed to provide education and medical care for those affected by the Wild Card virus. But local ace and activist Gabriel Silva reported abuses. Ana and Kate helped him get to the truth, which turned out to be far more sinister than anyone expected. Ana and Kate thought that case was closed, but now a Brazilian official has questions. Did they do the right thing or overreach their authority? The case amply demonstrates that, even in a world of incredible powers, there will always be victims. Written by New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn with art by Eisner-nominated creator Renae De Liz, this dynamic story gives readers a new look into the Wild Cards universe, and shows how even those with great powers have their limits.

Paranormal investigators. Occult detectives. Ghost hunters. Monster fighters. Humans who unravel uncanny crimes and solve psychic puzzles; sleuths with supernatural powers of their own who provide services far beyond those normal gumshoes, shamuses, and Sherlocks can. When vampires, werewolves, and things that go "bump" in the night are part of your world, criminals can be as inhuman as the crimes they commit, and magic can seep into the mundane — those who solve the mysteries, bring justice, or even save the world itself, might utter spells, wield wands as well as firearms, or simply use their powers of deduction. Some of the best tales of the last decade from top authors of the 21st century’s most popular genres take you down mean streets and into strange crime scenes in this fantastic compilation.

Remember the werewolves of classic stories and films, those bloodthirsty monsters that transformed under the full moon, reminding us of the terrible nature that lives within all of us? Today's werewolves are much more suave — and even sexy — and they've moved from British moors to New York City lofts, shaved, and got jobs. But as the tales of these writers will show you, they remain no less wild and passionate, and they still tug at the part of our being where a wild animal used to be. Running With the Pack includes stories from Carrie Vaughn, Laura Anne Gilman, and C. E. Murphy, and they will convince you that despite their gentrification, werewolves remain as fascinating and terrifying as ever.

Award-winning author Carrie Vaughn’s sequel to The Naturalist Society follows a young scientist unlocking her magical abilities amid a high-seas adventure filled with international intrigue. The year is 1902, and the world is changing with the new century. Twenty-one-year-old Ava Stanley, the daughter of two celebrated Arcane Taxonomists, has much to live up to—however scarce her magical abilities may be. While her parents draw power from spectacular birds and megafauna, Ava’s connection to the natural world is much smaller, stemming from the microscopic. This is useful in her quest to become a doctor, as she studies the burgeoning links between bacteria and disease, but it means Ava’s power itself is also smaller. Even so, she plans to make the most of it when she boards a ship to Nassau, where she’ll continue her research. But those plans change when pirates take over the ship, bringing with them danger, mystery, and the stirrings of war. Amid the chaos, Ava forges connections with her fellow travelers. And in them, she begins to find that every tiny piece of the world has the power to strengthen it…or shatter it completely.

In this magical tale of self-discovery from New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn, a young widow taps into the power that will change the world—if the man’s world she lives in doesn’t destroy her and her newfound friends first. In the summer of 1880, the death of Beth Stanley’s husband puts her life’s work in jeopardy. The magic of Arcane Taxonomy dictates that every natural thing in the world, from weather to animals, can be labeled, and doing so grants the practitioner some of that subject’s unique power. But only men are permitted to train in this philosophy. Losing her husband means that Beth loses the name they put on her work—and any influence she might have wielded. Brandon West and Anton Torrance are campaigning for their expedition to the South Pole, a mission that some believe could make a taxonomist all-powerful by tapping into the earth’s magnetic forces. Their late friend Harry Stanley’s knowledge and connections would have been instrumental, but when they attempt to take custody of his work, they find that it was never his at all. Tied together by this secret and its implications, Beth, Bran, and Anton must find a way for Beth to use her talent for the good of the world, before she’s discovered by those who would lay claim to her rare potential—and her very freedom.

"Questland is a thrill ride... Richly imagined, action-packed, maximum fun." --Charles Yu, New York Times bestselling author of Interior Chinatown YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A MAZE FULL OF TWISTY PASSAGES... Literature professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered, life in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual job. He wants her to guide a mercenary strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built: Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will one day pay big bucks for a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic. Unfortunately, one of the island's employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communication. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion rests on Dominic Brand, the project's head designer-- and Addie Cox's ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost. But Addie is wrestling demons of her own--and not the fantastical kind. Now, she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw." Gamers rejoice Carrie Vaughn has conjured up a fun and fast-paced story filled with elves, d20s, and Monty Python riffs."--Monte Cook, ENnie Award-winning creator of the Numenera roleplaying game

"Questland is a thrill ride . . . Richly imagined, action-packed, maximum fun." -- Charles Yu, New York Times bestselling author of Interior ChinatownYOU FIND YOURSELF IN A MAZE FULL OF TWISTY PASSAGES . . . Literature professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered, life in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual job. He wants her to guide a mercenary strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built: Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will one day pay big bucks for a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic. Unfortunately, one of the island's employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communication. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion rests on Dominic Brand, the project's head designer--and Addie Cox's ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost. But Addie is wrestling demons of her own--and not the fantastical kind. Now, she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw." Gamers rejoice Carrie Vaughn has conjured up a fun and fast-paced story filled with elves, d20s, and Monty Python riffs." -- Monte Cook, ENnie Award-winning creator of the Numenera roleplaying game

Questland is a thrill ride... Richly imagined, action-packed, maximum fun. --Charles Yu, New York Times bestselling author of Interior Chinatown YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A MAZE FULL OF TWISTY PASSAGES... Literature professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered, life in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual job. He wants her to guide a mercenary strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built: Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will one day pay big bucks for a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic. Unfortunately, one of the island's employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communication. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion rests on Dominic Brand, the project's head designer-- and Addie Cox's ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost. But Addie is wrestling demons of her own--and not the fantastical kind. Now, she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw. Gamers rejoice Carrie Vaughn has conjured up a fun and fast-paced story filled with elves, d20s, and Monty Python riffs.--Monte Cook, ENnie Award-winning creator of the Numenera roleplaying game

The final installment of the bestselling Kitty Norville series showcases the paranormal escapades of Carrie Vaughn's fan-favorite werewolf talk-show host. This engaging short fiction collection--with its own soundtrack for each tale--is sure to delight both existing Kitty fans and anyone who enjoys urban fantasy at its grittiest and best. "The only urban fantasy world where I want to read every book of the series."? The Denver Post If you've loved Kitty's adventures, you have been waiting for this book "--Seanan McGuire, author of Come Tumbling Down and Every Heart a Doorway Kitty Norville still can't stay away from trouble--of the supernatural kind. Everyone's favorite werewolf DJ is here to mix it up just one last time. Here you will find, or will be lucky to newly discover, the irrepressible Kitty Norville with friends and enemies alike: Rick the vampire; Jessi Hardin, paranormal detective; Kitty's werewolf husband Ben; Cormac, the bounty hunter; and the ever-villainous Dux Bellorum. These irresistible tales are full of unpredictable twists and turns: lupines experimenting with astronomy, a cheating boxer with preternatural strength, vampires arriving from the Philippines. As a special treat, author Carrie Vaughn (Bannerless) has provided her own selections for a mix-tape: Story notes and songs dedicated to each tale. Whatever you do, don't miss Kitty before she is gone.

Carrie Vaughn follows up The Ghosts of Sherwood with the charming, fast-paced The Heirs of Locksley, continuing the story of Robin Hood's children. We will hold an archery contest. A simple affair, all in fun, on the tournament grounds. Tomorrow. We will see you there. The latest civil war in England has come and gone, King John is dead, and the nobility of England gathers to see the coronation of his son, thirteen year old King Henry III. The new king is at the center of political rivalries and power struggles, but John of Locksley--son of the legendary Robin Hood and Lady Marian--only sees a lonely boy in need of friends. John and his sisters succeed in befriending Henry, while also inadvertently uncovering a political plot, saving a man's life, and carrying out daring escapes. All in a day's work for the Locksley children...

Carrie Vaughn's The Ghosts of Sherwood revisits the Robin Hood legend with a story of the famed archer's children. Everything about Father is stories. Robin of Locksley and his one true love, Marian, are married. It has been close on two decades since they beat the Sheriff of Nottingham with the help of a diverse band of talented friends. King John is now on the throne, and Robin has sworn fealty in order to further protect not just his family, but those of the lords and barons who look up to him - and, by extension, the villagers they protect. There is a truce. An uneasy one, to be sure, but a truce, nonetheless. But when the Locksley children are stolen away by persons unknown, Robin and Marian are going to need the help of everyone they've ever known, perhaps even the ghosts that are said to reside deep within Sherwood. And the Locksley children, despite appearances to the contrary, are not without tricks of their own...

"The Wild Dead is a tightly plotted mind-thrill . . . This is the feminist dystopian mystery series you didn't know you needed." -- Meg Elison, Philip K. Dick Award-winning author of The Road to Nowhere seriesMysteries and murder abound in the sequel to the Philip K. Dick Award-winning BannerlessA century after environmental and economic collapse, the people of the Coast Road have rebuilt their own sort of civilization, striving not to make the mistakes their ancestors did. They strictly ration and manage resources, including the ability to have children. Enid of Haven is an investigator, who with her new partner, Teeg, is called on to mediate a dispute over an old building in a far-flung settlement at the edge of Coast Road territory. The investigators' decision seems straightforward -- and then the body of a young woman turns up in the nearby marshland. Almost more shocking than that, she's not from the Coast Road, but from one of the outsider camps belonging to the nomads and wild folk who live outside the Coast Road communities. Now one of them is dead, and Enid wants to find out who killed her, even as Teeg argues that the murder isn't their problem. In a dystopian future of isolated communities, can our moral sense survive the worst hard times?" An intriguing mystery made compelling by its post-apocalyptic setting . . . Another great read from Vaughn." -- S. M. Stirling, New York Times best-selling author of The Sky-Blue Wolves and Dies the FireA Mariner OriginalA John Joseph Adams Book

A great new stand-alone science fiction novel from Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty Norville series. Polly Newton has one single-minded dream, to be a starship pilot and travel the galaxy. Her mother, the Director of the Mars Colony, derails Polly's plans when she sends Polly and her genius twin brother, Charles, to Galileo Academy on Earth. Strange, unexplained, dangerous coincidences centered on their high-profile classmates begin piling up. There's more going on than would appear, and the stakes are high. Polly is determined to find the truth, no matter the cost.

Conflict is EternalWe have always fought. War is the furnace that forges new technologies and pushes humanity ever onward. We are the children of a battle that began with fists and sticks, and ended on the brink of atomic Armageddon. Beyond here lies another war, infinite in scope and scale. But who will fight the wars of tomorrow? Join Elizabeth Bear, Indrapramit Das, Aliette de Bodard, Garth Nix and many, many more in an exploration of the furthest extremes of military science fiction…

WINNER OF THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARDA mysterious murder in a dystopian future leads a novice investigator to question what she's learned about the foundation of her population-controlled societyDecades after economic and environmental collapse destroys much of civilization in the United States, the Coast Road region isn't just surviving but thriving by some accounts, building something new on the ruins of what came before. A culture of population control has developed in which people, organized into households, must earn the children they bear by proving they can take care of them and are awarded symbolic banners to demonstrate this privilege. In the meantime, birth control is mandatory. Enid of Haven is an Investigator, called on to mediate disputes and examine transgressions against the community. She's young for the job and hasn't yet handled a serious case. Now, though, a suspicious death requires her attention. The victim was an outcast, but might someone have taken dislike a step further and murdered him? In a world defined by the disasters that happened a century before, the past is always present. But this investigation may reveal the cracks in Enid's world and make her question what she really stands for.

Behind the Mask is a multi-author collection with stories by award-winning authors Kelly Link, Cat Rambo, Carrie Vaughn, Seanan McGuire, Lavie Tidhar, Sarah Pinsker, Keith Rosson, Kate Marshall, Chris Large and others. It is partially a prose nod to the comic world - the bombast, the larger-than-life, the save-the-worlds and the calls-to-adventure. But it's also a spotlight on the more intimate side of the genre. The hopes and dreams of our cape-clad heroes. The regrets and longings of our cowled villains. That poignant, solitary view of the world that can only be experienced from behind the mask. The authors in this collection, both established and new, are all dexterous and wonderfully imaginative, each deserving of their own form-fitting uniforms and capes. Some of the stories pulse with social commentary, like Cat Rambo's whimsical and deft "Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut" and Keith Rosson's haunting "Torch Songs." Others twist the genre into strange and new territories, like Stuart Suffel's atmospheric "Birthright," Kate Marhsall's moving "Destroy the City with Me Tonight," and Adam Shannon's reality-bending "Over an Embattled City." Some punch with heart and humor, like Matt Mikalatos's satisfying "The Beard of Truth" and Chris Large's adventurous "Salt City Blue," while others punch with bite and grit, such as Michael Milne's evocative "Inheritance," Aimee Ogden's poignant "As I Fall Asleep," and Jennifer Pullen's heartfelt "Meeting Someone in the 22nd Century." Some of the stories feature characters who might not be superheroes in the traditional sense, yet are heroic nonetheless, such as Sarah Pinsker's imaginative "The Smoke Means It's Working" and Stephanie Lai's majestic "The Fall of the Jade Sword." Some shine a unique, captivating spotlight on supervillains, like Keith Frady's dramatic "Fool" and Carrie Vaughn's romantic "Origin Story." Some are somber, ponderous works, where our heroes consider their impact on the world, like Lavie Tidhar's regret-tinged "Heroes" and Nathan Crowder's resonant "Madjack." Others tread more light-hearted waters, with heroes adjusting to the sometimes-comical, sometimes-stressful life in the public eye, like Seanan McGuire's entertaining "Pedestal" and Patrick Flanagan's lively "Quintessential Justice." And then there are the softer, quieter moments between heroes, as they navigate their extraordinary lives in their own unique ways, such as Ziggy Schutz's tender "Eggshells" and, of course, Kelly Link's captivating "Origin Story." Publisher's Weekly - "Reeks and Richardson have pulled together a treasure trove of 20 stories . . . exploring the lives of superheroes when they're not saving the world. . . . There is nary a miss in this diverse and thoughtful collection, which will have readers considering what it means to be human." Kirkus Reviews - (starred review) "A momentous, readable collection, its sole downside being that there are only 20 superhero stories."