…t seemed to vibrate in her ribs–wrapping itself around her like a blazing fist around her heart. “So afraid of power? If you don’t seize hold of what life gives you, you’ll remain all your life in your attic.” There were worse things, she wanted to say, but the words shrivelled in her throat; were pushed down by the sound of his laughter–even Marie-Aimée and Françoise seemed so far away, their faces pale and featureless compared to the fire pressi…

…and get it for free. Please note that I’ve done my best to encourage Amazon to price-match, but I can’t promise that all the countries followed suit: it’s free for sure in the US and UK, or you can download the MOBI file directly below if you can’t find it for free in your part of the world. Download Now: EPUB | MOBI. Download from retailers: Where to download Amazon US Amazon UK Smashwords Apple Barnes and Noble Download now. Or read online here….

…eighbourhoods and witching. -Best Novelette: “Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge” by Eugenia Triantafyllou, Uncanny Magazine : a story of a lost brother and his resourceful sister, and a family’s deal with the devil… -Best Short Story: “The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones. I read this and basically can’t get it out of my head. The brilliance of the two universes, the mice, the crowns, the magic… Searing and amazing….

…y of other people have odd relationship with genre 🙂 [2]Not saying there’s systematic antagonism between religion and science today (in particular, various denominations of Christianity have various approaches and strike a different balance)…

…d again. I asked the bird, “Will you guide me?” It laughed. It was such a human sound that, startled, I dropped the obsidian knife to the ground. “Sahague,” it said. “You no longer have need of one of us. You know the path. You made your own way back after the game.” “But I cannot descend the stairs,” I said. “Only an immortal can–” I stopped. No. They could not have done that. The bird did not speak, but I thought I could see pity in its eyes. “I…

…ithdrew his hand from the panels, scabbed paint came with it. He turned around, studied the walls, and the way the wisteria grew wild, untended to. It might have been that Si-Jian had fallen on hard times, but Fai had doubts about that. The outside of the house looked more as if it had been abandoned for a long time. “He’s gone,” Fai said. “Let’s see if we can learn where.” In Fengjin, he entered the first wineshop he saw, accompanied by the capta…

…and works in Paris, where she has a day job as a System Architect. She studied Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, but moonlights as a writer of speculative fiction. Aliette has won three Nebula Awards,an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award, a British Fantasy Award and five British Science Fiction Association Awards. She is the author of Navigational Entanglements, a xianxia-inspired romantic space opera and of A Fire Born of Exile, a sapphic Count…

…You give so much, so little you get back — the other lets you down or looks away. Together or apart, it’s still the same. The moon turns pale, blooms fade, the soul’s bereaved, for when you love, can you be sure you’re loved? To love is to die a little in the heart. They’ll lose their way within dark sorrow land, those passionate fouls who go in search of love. And life will be a desert stripped of joy, and love will tie the knot that binds to gr…

…g else seemed normal. I had seen enough open chests to learn something of human bodies. Macihuin said, “His name was Huitxic. He was a warrior and a respected member of his clan. Beyond that, I know nothing of why he might have such a shard in his heart. I was hoping you’d tell me.” I could sense his impatience, his worry. For him, this murder involving magical obsidian was unfamiliar territory, the intrusion of something dangerous into his life….

…,” I said. “But still you judge. She was a slut, whose only dream was to become mistress of the house. As if a mere slave could rise high enough for that. I’m the only one in Yaotl’s heart.” There was hunger, too, in her eyes, but a different kind from Nenetl. “But you used her,” I said. “You’ll pay the price.” “After death?” she said. “I don’t care.” “No,” I said. “You’re paying it now. Do you love Yaotl, knowing what he did to conceive Chimalli?…