A new anthology celebrating the witches and sorcerers of epic fantasy—featuring stories by George R. R. Martin, Scott Lynch, Megan Lindholm, and many others!
Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois’s acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf . . . and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda . . . and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore . . . and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped—or misshaped—by the potent magic they seek to wield. Yet though their abilities may be godlike, these men and women remain human—some might say all too human. Such is their curse. And their glory.
In these pages, seventeen of today’s top fantasy writers—including award-winners Elizabeth Bear, John Crowley, Kate Elliott, K. J. Parker, Tim Powers, and Liz Williams—cast wondrous spells that thrillingly evoke the mysterious, awesome, and at times downright terrifying worlds where magic reigns supreme: worlds as far away as forever, and as near as next door.
FEATURING SIXTEEN ALL-NEW STORIES:
“The Return of the Pig” by K. J. Parker, read by Elliot Hill
“Community Service” by Megan Lindholm, read by Karissa Vacker
“Flint and Mirror” by John Crowley, read by Sile Birmingham
“The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable” by Matthew Hughes, read by Maxwell Caulfield
“The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror: Chapter Two: Jumping Jack in Love” by Ysabeau S. Wilce, read by Susan Denaker
“Song of Fire” by Rachel Pollack, read by Scott Brick
“Loft the Sorcerer” by Eleanor Arnason, read by Bruce Mann
“The Governor” by Tim Powers, read by Holly Palance
“Sungrazer” by Liz Williams, read by Nicholas Guy Smith
“The Staff in the Stone” by Garth Nix, read by Steve West
“No Work of Mine” by Elizabeth Bear, read by Tonya Cornelisse
“Widow Maker” by Lavie Tidhar, read by Stephen Mendel
“The Wolf and the Manticore” by Greg Van Eekhout, read by Almarie Guerra
“The Devil’s Whatever” by Andy Duncan, read by Kimberly Farr
“Bloom” by Kate Elliott, read by Kristen Ariza
“The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch, read by Lincoln Hoppe
with additional narration for introductions and titles by Mark Deakins
Plus George R. R. Martin’s classic story “A Night at the Tarn House”, read by John Lee, and an introduction by Gardner Dozois, read by Mark Deakins
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