Shapers of Worlds

Within these pages lie eighteen stories, from eighteen worlds shaped by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its first year. There are original stories from Tanya Huff, Seanan McGuire, David Weber, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., John C. Wright, D.J. Butler, Christopher Ruocchio, Shelley Adina, and Edward Willett, plus fiction by John Scalzi, David Brin, Julie Czerneda, Joe Haldeman, Gareth L. Powell, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Fonda Lee, Derek Kunsken, and Thoraiya Dyer. Some are international bestsellers. Among them are winners and nominees for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, Aurealis, Ditmar, British Science Fiction Association, and Dragon Awards. Some have been writing for decades, others are at the beginning of their careers. All have honed their craft to razor-sharpness.

A teenage girl finds something strange in the middle of the Canadian prairie. An exobiologist tries to liberate a giant alien enslaved on its homeworld by humans. The music of the spheres becomes literal for an Earth ship far from home. A superhero league interviews for new members. Strangers share a drink on a world where giant starships fall. Two boys, one a werewolf, one a mage, get more than they bargained for when they volunteer to fight an evil Empire. A man with amnesia accepts a most unusual offer. A young woman finds unexpected allies as she tries to win a flying-machine race in steampunk London . . .

Ranging from boisterous to bleak, from humorous to harrowing, from action-filled to quiet and meditative; taking place in alternate pasts, the present day, the far, far future, and times that never were; set on Earth, in the distant reaches of space, in fantasy worlds, and in metaphysical realms, each of these stories is as unique as its creator. And yet, they all showcase one thing: the irrepressible need of human beings to create, to imagine, to tell stories.

To shape worlds.

The ebook edition releases September 22 through all major retailers for $6.95 US

The Kickstarter print edition is being shipped to just under 200 backers

The ebook edition went out to all 360 Kickstarter backers, with a request for reviews





EDITOR'S BIO



EDWARD WILLETT is the award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers of all ages. His most recent titles include the Worldshapers series for DAW Books and the five-book young-adult fantasy series The Shards of Excalibur, just re-released by Shadowpaw Press. Ed won Canada’s Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English in 2009 for Marseguro (DAW Books) and the Aurora Award for Best Fan Related Work in 2019 for his podcast The Worldshapers; he’s been shortlisted for Auroras multiple times. He’s currently working on The Tangled Stars, a new space opera for DAW. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan. Find him on Twitter @ewillett, on Facebook @edward.willett, and at edwardwillett.com.