"You can't stop a soldier from being frightened but you can give him motivation to help him overcome that fear. I have no such motivation. I can't have. I'm a witcher: an artificially created mutant. I kill monsters for money. I defend children when their parents pay me to. If Nilfgaardian parents pay me, I'll... Continue Reading →
The Saint of Steel Series by T. Kingfisher
"If we limited loving to just the sane, undamaged people, the next generation would have about three people in it and presumably humanity would die out shortly afterward."-Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher I am hopelessly in love with T. Kingfisher's Saint of Steel series, and I only wish I had not taken so long to... Continue Reading →
The Palace of Illusions by Rowenna Miller
"The light unfurled toward the center of the glass again, softly warming like the horizon before the sunrise- a dramatic change from darkness, but not painful to look at. It drew tight toward the middle of the glass, an eye closing swiftly, and as the light coalesced it suddenly flared so strongly that Clara clamped... Continue Reading →
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry
"The fantastic and the imaginative aren't escapism . . . Good stories introduce the marvelous. The whole story, paradoxically, strengthens our relish for real life. This excursion sends us back with renewed pleasure to the actual world. It provides meaning. . . It takes us out of ourselves and lets us view reality from new... Continue Reading →
A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
“Yesterday, I sat by my window, watching glimmers of sunset from the surface dye the drop-off waters a stately purple. I do this sometimes when I feel most at odds with my Brain, you see, and find it quite effective. I was all alone – my sister Sophy recently departed on the Ridge expedition –... Continue Reading →
A Far Better Thing By H.G. Parry
"I felt it before I saw it. My nerves twitched, and my flesh tingled as if at an enroaching storm. I was looking at myself. A far better version of me, of course: all changelings are more beautiful than the human beings they substitute, and in my case that wasn't hard. The prisoner was well-grown... Continue Reading →