This free sampler of short fiction was made available mainly for the purposes of the John W. Campbell Award, for which Aliette was shortlisted in 2009: if you want to get an idea of what she publishes, this is a great place to start. The stories here showcase a range of subgenres she writes in.

Click here to download this sampler.

(if for some reason you don’t feel comfortable with the .zip, you can access the individual webpages by clicking from the table of contents below)

Contents

  • “The Lost Xuyan Bride” (SF/alternate history), originally published in Interzone. [HTML]
    • Honorable Mention, The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection, ed. Gardner Dozois
    • Nominated for a BSFA Award, 2007
    • Placed 6th in Interzone‘s Readers’ Poll, 2007
    • To be reprinted in The Apex Book of World SF, ed. Lavie Tidhar, December 2009
  • “Obsidian Shards” (Mystery/Fantasy), originally published in Writers of the Future XXIII. [HTML]
    • Second Place Winner, Third Quarter 2006, Writers of the Future
    • Honorable Mention, The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection, ed. Gardner Dozois
  • “Autumn’s Country” (Fantasy), originally published in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. [HTML]
    • Honorable Mention, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Twenty-First Annual Collection , ed. Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant
  • “Through the Obsidian Gates” (Epic Fantasy), originally published in Shimmer [HTML]
    • Honorable Mention, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Twentieth Annual Collection , ed. Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant
  • “The Dancer’s Gift” (Dark Fantasy), originally published in Fictitious Force [HTML]
    • Honorable Mention, longlist of The Best of Horror of the Year Vol. 1, ed. Ellen Datlow