Cat Sparks

“Imaginative and richly rendered . . . Sparks frames all of this in haunting, near-poetic detail, such that the readers can smell the toxic red sand and perhaps taste the blood. Recommended for people who crave fresh post-apocalypse chaos—because Sparks’s post-apocalyptic chaos is pretty fresh, at that.”—NK Jemisin, The New York Times Powerful war machines of the far-future collide across a barren desert world in this post-apocalyptic debut novel from award-winning Australian author Cat Sparks. Seventeen-year-old Star and her sister Nene are orphans, part of a thirteen-wagon caravan of nomadic traders living hard lives travelling the Sand Road. Their route cuts through a particularly dangerous and unforgiving section of the Dead Red Heart, a war-ravaged desert landscape plagued by rogue semi-sentient machinery and other monsters from a bygone age. But when the caravan witnesses a relic-Angel satellite unexpectedly crash to Earth, a chain of events begins that sends Star on a journey far away from the life she once knew. Shanghaied upon the sandship Dogwatch, she is forced to cross the Obsidian Sea by Quarrel, an ancient Templar supersoldier. Eventually shipwrecked, Star will have no choice but to place her trust in both thieves and priestesses while coming to terms with the grim reality of her past—and the horror of her unfolding destiny—as the terrible secret her sister had been desperate to protect her from begins to unravel. Meanwhile, something old and powerful has woken in the desert. A Lotus Blue, deadliest of all the ancient war machines. A warrior with plans of its own, far more significant than a fallen Angel. Plans that do not include the survival of humanity. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Lotus Blue

Ken Liu

Neil Gaiman

David Farland

James S. A. Corey

Mary Robinette Kowal

Jasper Fforde

Robert Silverberg

Garth Nix

Mark Lawrence

Sebastien de Castell

Jack Dann

Juliet Marillier

Kate Forsyth

Ian Irvine

Alison Goodman

Angela Slatter

Kylie Chan

Aiki Flinthart

Lee Murray

Marianne de Pierres

Dirk Flinthart

Jan-Andrew (JA) Henderson

Pamela Jeffs

Futures and Pasts, Fearless and Frightening.This is a must-read collection for all fans of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. A celebration of legacy and endurance.?Bizarre remains of a lost civilisation emerge from the ice. ?The ghosts of a drowned town wait to be awakened. ?A witch with a dragon problem. ?What Elvis will do to protect his fellow artists from annihilation.?An ancient spaceship carries the last, fragmented memories of Earth.?Broken souls of the dead are passed on to the new-born.??These and many more tales showcase the hopes, remnants, and fears of humanity. Having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Aiki Flinthart reached out for works from as many of her favourite authors as would answer the call. And many did.Between these pages you'll find stories by some of the world's best science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers. Find new favourite authors and re-join old friends. Their fabulous works are threads woven with a sure hand into a tapestry of the weird, the worrying, and the wonderful that make up mankind.Grab a copy of Relics, Wrecks, and Ruins today. You'll also help fund a mentorship for emerging authors.Review:"The deep messages of this anthology make the very bones hum. Taloned onto the page by resistance and vision, these stories invite us to witness how sacrifice crafts wisdom, and how wisdom opens doors for the next generation."L.E. Daniels, author of Serpent's Wake: A Tale for the Bitten"Rich, varied, and bittersweet, this anthology is a fitting and triumphant salute to Aiki Flinthart's dauntless spirit and irrepressible moxie" - Geneve Flynn, co-editor of Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women

Relics, Wrecks and Ruins

Deborah Biancotti

David Sandner

Marie Brennan

Laird Barron

John Grant

Catherynne M. Valente

Leah Bobet

Tanith Lee

Vandana Singh

Erin Hoffman

John C. Wright

Ekaterina Sedia

Cat Rambo

Joanna Galbraith

Michael J. DeLuca

Jennifer Crow

C.S. MacCath

The first volume in the ground-breaking, genre-bending, boundary-pushing Clockwork Phoenix anthology series, newly available in digital format. Includes critically-acclaimed and award-nominated stories by Catherynne M. Valente, David Sandner, John Grant, Cat Rambo, Leah Bobet, Michael J. DeLuca, Laird Barron, Ekaterina Sedia, Cat Sparks, Tanith Lee, Marie Brennan, Jennifer Crow, Vandana Singh, John C. Wright, C.S. MacCath, Joanna Galbraith, Deborah Biancotti and Erin Hoffman. With a whimsical introduction and new afterword by Nebula Award-nominated editor Mike Allen. CONTENTS The City of Blind Delight • Catherynne M. Valente Old Foss Is the Name of His Cat • David Sandner All the Little Gods We Are • John Grant The Dew Drop Coffee Lounge • Cat Rambo Bell, Book and Candle • Leah Bobet The Tarrying Messenger • Michael J. DeLuca The Occultation • Laird Barron There Is a Monster Under Helen's Bed • Ekaterina Sedia Palisade • Cat Sparks The Woman • Tanith Lee A Mask of Flesh • Marie Brennan Seven Scenes from Harrai's 'Sacred Mountain' • Jennifer Crow Oblivion: A Journey • Vandana Singh Choosers of the Slain • John C. Wright Akhila, Divided • C. S. MacCath The Moon-Keeper's Friend • Joanna Galbraith The Tailor of Time • Deborah Biancotti Root and Vein • Erin Hoffman Praise for CLOCKWORK PHOENIX . . . . Selected for the Locus Magazine 2008 Recommended Reading List Author and editor Allen (Mythic) has compiled a neatly packaged set of short stories that flow cleverly and seamlessly from one inspiration to another. In “The City of Blind Delight” by Catherynne M. Valente, a man inadvertently ends up on a train that takes him to an inescapable city of extraordinary wonders. In “All the Little Gods We Are,” Hugo winner John Grant takes a mind trip to possible parallel universes. Modern topics make an appearance among the whimsy and strangeness: Ekaterina Sedia delves into the misunderstandings that occur between cultures and languages in “There Is a Monster Under Helen’s Bed,” while Tanith Lee gleefully skewers gender politics with “The Woman,” giving the reader a glimpse of what might happen if there was only one fertile woman left in a world of men. Lush descriptions and exotic imagery startle, engross, chill and electrify the reader, and all 19 stories have a strong and delicious taste of weird. — Publishers Weekly, May 12, 2008 A very strong first volume … Established writers and new names all are in good form here … A series of great promise. Prospects on the anthology front look ever better. — Locus, July 2008 I would have bought this book for its mysteriously gorgeous cover art alone, but the stellar lineup of contributing writers sold me completely … CLOCKWORK PHOENIX editor Mike Allen describes the anthology as “a home for stories that sidestep expectations in beautiful and unsettling ways, that surprise with their settings and startle with the ways they cross genre boundaries, that aren’t afraid to experiment with storytelling techniques.” His choices here don’t disappoint. — PhillyBurbs.com Even if you’re not into the genre, this is a welcome read that’ll hopefully strike an emotional chord in you. — Bibliophile Stalker Another “new weird” collection, perhaps? A slipstream opus? Whatever — set somewhere between fantasy, SF, and something else, the stories selected by editor Mike Allen have an unique property: they are never tedious … I highly recommend the book to anyone looking for top-notch fiction irrespective of genre labels. — The Harrow

Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

Clockwork Phoenix

Dark Harvest gathers together Australian science fiction writer Cat Sparks' best short fiction of recent years, as selected by the author herself: fourteen stories, two of them novelettes, including one brand new tale and two Ditmar Award winners.

Dark Harvest

The third volume in the Agog! anthology series, with stories by Australian contributors: Deborah Biancotti, Simon Brown, Marianne de Pierres, Brendan Duffy, Grace Dugan, Dirk FlinthartPaul Haines, Richard Harland, Robert Hood, Trent Jamieson, Louise Katz, Justine Larbalestier, Martin Livings, Claire McKenna, Sean McMullen, Ben Peek, Jeremy Shaw, Bryn Sparks, Iain Triffitt, and Kim Westwood.

Agog! Smashing Stories

Twenty-nine new tales of fantasy, imagination and wonder, edited by Cat Sparks, including contributions by Michael Barry, Deborah Biancotti, Leigh Blackmore, Damien Broderick, Simon Brown, David Carroll, Marianne de Pierres, Terry Dowling, Brendan Duffy, Dirk Flinthart, Paul Haines, Richard Harland, Robert Hood, Trent Jamieson, Rick Kennett, Geoffrey Maloney, Claire McKenna, Chuck Mckenzie, Chris Mowbray, Kate Orman, Ben Peek, Robin Pen, Tony Plank, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Tracey Rolfe, Keith Stevenson, Jessica Vivien, and Kyla Ward.

Agog! Fantastic Fiction

Agog! Ripping Reads is the sixth anthology of speculative fiction to be published by Agog! Press, and the fourth to be edited by Cat Sparks.

Agog! Ripping Reads

Cat Sparks

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