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Fiction Short Stories

Shapers of Worlds Volume V

Science fiction and fantasy by authors featured on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers

edited by Edward Willett

illustrated by Wendi Nordell

Publisher
Shadowpaw Press
Initial publish date
Mar 2025
Category
Short Stories, Short Stories
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781998273331
    Publish Date
    Mar 2025
    List Price
    $29.99

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Description

The fifth and final installment in a series of powerhouse anthologies featuring some of today’s top authors of science fiction and fantasy

From outer space to inner space, from realms of the never-were to those of the here-and-now and the soon-to-be, the twenty-four authors in this fifth and final collection of science fiction and fantasy by writer featured on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers plunge readers into fantastic worlds filled with unforgettable characters.

Teenagers are disappearing in a mysterious grove, and no one knows why—not even those who escape it. The god of love finds magical arrows just don’t cut it in the modern world of digital matchmaking. A prisoner discovers he has been stripped of thirty-five years of memories as punishment for a crime he cannot remember. Far from being a refuge from humdrum reality, dreams become a trap for one young man when he encounters those who dwell there. A man who hunts angels for a living has the tables turned on him by the last angel he corners. Talking beasts from the island of a certain infamous doctor arrive in London to make their way in the world of men, only to be caught up in the ongoing Martian invasion . . .

Shapers of Worlds Volume V showcases stories by Brad C. Anderson, Edo van Belkom, J. G. Gardner, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, Chadwick Ginther, Evan Graham, M. C. A. Hogarth, M. J. Kuhn, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Kevin Moore, Robin Stevens Payes, James S. Peet, Omari Richards, Lawrence M. Schoen, Alex Shvartsman, Alan Smale, Richard Sparks, P. L. Stuart, Brad R. Torgersen, Hayden Trenholm, Brian Trent, Eli K. P. William, Edward Willett, and Natalie Wright. Every story is illustrated with an original black-and-white drawing by Wendi Nordell.

Travel into the past, the present, and the future in stories set in our world, in deep space, in the land of dreams, and in worlds of pure imagination, shaped by an outstanding roster of authors featuring many bestsellers and award-winners. All you have to do is turn the page . . .

About the authors

EDWARD WILLETT is the author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction for readers of all ages. Marseguro (DAW Books) won the Aurora Award (honouring Canadian science fiction and fantasy) for Best Long-Form Work in English; his young adult fantasy Spirit Singer won a Saskatchewan Book Award. Several other of his books have been shortlisted for those and other awards.

Ed's most recent novel is the far-future humorous outer-space adventure The Tangled Stars (DAW Books). Other recent titles include Star Song, a finalist for both the Aurora Award and Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature, published by Shadowpaw Press; Blue Fire (written as E.C. Blake), also from Shadowpaw Press; and the Worldshapers series (Worldshaper, Master of the World, and The Moonlit World) from DAW. His nonfiction runs the gamut from science books to biographies to history. He hosts Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers podcast (theworldshapers.com), in which he talks to other science fiction and fantasy authors about their creative process, and has Kickstarted several Shapers of Worlds anthologies featuring guests of the podcast.

In addition to being a writer, Ed is a professional actor and singer who has performed in numerous plays, musicals, and operas, and sung in several auditioned choirs, including the Canadian Chamber Choir. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife, Margaret Anne Hodges, P. Eng., a past president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan. They have one daughter, Alice, and a black Siberian cat, Shadowpaw. You can find Ed online at www.edwardwillett.com.

Edward Willett's profile page

WENDI NORDELL has been drawing for as long as she could hold a pencil. It has always been a favourite pastime and eventually became an occasional job. While her three children were growing up, she painted many murals, including the pediatrics wing in a hospital, a school entrance, and in many homes. She also attended festivals and craft shows, selling hand-drawn gift cards, bookmarks, and illustrations. Now that her children are grown, she has pursued an illustration career, illustrating a dozen books in the last five years, mostly for children, but also including Edward Willett's science-fiction and fantasy poetry collection I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust. Recently, Wendi decided to improve her artistic skills and abilities by returning to the Alberta University of the Arts, pursuing a degree in illustration. Wendi has almost always picked up books based on their cover art, and if there are illustrations inside the book she thinks that’s even better. She truly hopes that her illustrations enhance readers' experience with books--including this one!

Wendi Nordell's profile page

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the previous volume

“One of the most overall enjoyable anthologies I have had the pleasure of reading . . . I think that the editor says it best in his introduction: this collection is like a grand feast, made of many varied splendid ingredients, and you are quite sure to leave happy and satisfied when you are done.” – Tangent Online

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