Winner of the Elgin Award! "It's as close to perfect as a book can get... I already know this will be one of my favorites for the year. A favorite book, period." — Beth Cato, two-time Rhysling Award winner Drawing on Chinese and Mongolian elements, SFPA Grand Master Mary Soon Lee has penned an epic of politics, war, and the reach of dragons — perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and Beowulf. As the fourth-born prince of Meqing, Xau was never supposed to be king. But when his brothers are deemed unfit to rule and eaten by a dragon, as is the custom, Xau finds himself on the throne. The early years of his reign are marred by earthquake, flood, and war. Then a demon thought long-dead returns, leaving devastation in its wake, and Xau must broker peace with his enemies. Can their combined strength vanquish the demon before it destroys them? In the tradition of the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Beowulf, The Sign of the Dragon is told in poetry. Many of the individual poems appeared in award-winning magazines such as Apex Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons. This is the revised ebook edition of the entire epic and is accompanied by forty extraordinary full-page illustrations by Gary McCluskey. Praise for The Sign of the Dragon: "What an utterly beautiful, impressive, & occasionally heartbreaking reading experience!" — Ann K. Schwader, SFPA Grand Master "This is an absolutely stunning work that I will read and reread." — T. Frohock, author of the Los Nefilim series

A fascinating little illustrated series of 118 haiku about the Periodic Table of Elements, one for each element, plus a closing haiku for element 119 (not yet synthesized). Originally appearing in Science magazine, this gifty collection of haiku inspired by the periodic table of elements features all-new poems paired with original and imaginative line illustrations drawn from the natural world. Packed with wit, whimsy, and real science cred, each haiku celebrates the cosmic poetry behind each element, while accompanying notes reveal the fascinating facts that inform it. Award-winning poet Mary Soon Lee's haiku encompass astronomy, biology, chemistry, history, and physics, such as "Nickel, Ni: Forged in fusion's fire,/flung out from supernovae./Demoted to coins." Line by line, Elemental Haiku makes the mysteries of the universe's elements accessible to all.

This flash-submission third issue is launched in honour of The Violet Hour Magazine's first Halloween in print, and is based on the themes of "Gothic" and "Macabre." It contains short fiction by Kevin M. Folliard and Alyson Faye, short non-fiction by Vivian Wagner, and poetry by Doc Wallace, Devon Balwit, Hannah Litvin, and many more.

ELGIN AWARD WINNING POETRY COLLECTION FROM MARY SOON LEE Rhysling Award winner Mary Soon Lee has created a fantastic world that is marvelous in scope. Drawing upon elements from Asian and Celtic culture while incorporating dragons, bloody wars, horsemanship, kingship and other tropes of the genre, she never ignores the human cost of heroism. Gorgeous black-and-white illustrations by M. Wayne Miller complete this first book of The Sign of the Dragon, and epic fantasy in verse. "And what will you pay for the crown, little princeling? Gold? Men? A song?" "My freedom!" he shouted at her. "Well," she said, "that's a start."

How to Be a StarGravitationally collapse a nebula.Fuse hydrogen into helium.If desired, explode.How-to astronomy poetry to answer vexing questions such as How to Surprise Saturn, How to Blush Like Betelgeuse, and How to Survive a Black Hole.Mary Soon Lee is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and has won the Rhysling Award, the Elgin Award, and the AnLab Readers' Award. Her work has appeared in Science, American Scholar, Spillway, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons. This is her second collection of science poetry, following on from Elemental Haiku: Poems to honor the periodic table three lines at a time. Born and raised in London, she now lives in Pittsburgh.

Speculative fiction, fantasy, horror, and stories that you just wouldn't anticipate.

Hekate and Diana. Odin and Apollo. Freyja and the Witch-Lord. Eternal Haunted Summer was born in the late summer of 2009. It was created as a place where Pagans and polytheists and witches (and non-Pagans with a love of the old myths) could feature their short stories and poems and essays with those of a like mind and similar beliefs and practices. EHS has grown steadily over the years, due entirely to the wonderful contributors whose works fill its digital pages. Without their creativity and talent, EHS would not exist; it would have disappeared long ago. This thirteenth anniversary edition is a celebration of their work. I love every piece that appears in Eternal Haunted Summer, and I just wish that I could have included them all here. These poems, essays, and short stories range from tragic to triumphant, from exciting to despairing, from comic to horrific, from grotesque to sensual, from erotic to subtle; here you will find odes to terrible Gods, exciting tales of adventure, melancholy meditations on creation, and wonderings at the nature of human and divine hearts. These are the best of Eternal Haunted Summer. I hope that you find them as inspiring as I do.

This issue contains a tremendous selection of science fiction from some of the biggest names in the industry.