recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
The Indranan War

**by K.B. Wagers**

Eligible Publication: ***Beyond the Empire*** (The Indranan War #3) *(excerpt)*, Orbit Books, November 2017

*Gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to take her rightful place in the palace. Her sisters and parents have been murdered, and the Indranan Empire is reeling from both treasonous plots and foreign invasion.*

*Now, on the run from enemies on all fronts, Hail prepares to fight a full-scale war for her throne and her people, even as she struggles with the immense weight of the legacy thrust upon her. With the aid of a motley crew of allies old and new, she must return home to face off with the same powerful enemies who killed her family and aim to destroy everything and everyone she loves. Untangling a legacy of lies and restoring peace to Indrana will require an empress's wrath and a gunrunner's justice.*

Eligible Publication: ***After the Crown*** (The Indranan War #2) *(excerpt)*, Orbit Books, December 2016

*Former gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to fill her rightful position in the palace. With her sisters and parents murdered, the Indranan empire is on the brink of war. Hail must quickly make alliances with nearby worlds if she has any hope of surviving her rule.*

*When peace talks turn violent and Hail realizes she's been betrayed, she must rely on her old gunrunning ways to get out of trouble. With help from an old boss and some surprising new allies, she must risk everything to save her world.*

***Behind the Throne*** (The Indranan War #1) *(excerpt)*, Orbit Books, August 2016

*Quick, sarcastic, and lethal, Hailimi Bristol doesn't suffer fools gladly. She has made a name for herself in the galaxy for everything except what she was born to do: rule the Indranan Empire. That is, until two Trackers drag her back to her home planet to take her rightful place as the only remaining heir.*

*But trading her ship for a palace has more dangers than Hail could have anticipated. Caught in a web of plots and assassination attempts, Hail can't do the one thing she did twenty years ago: run away. She'll have to figure out who murdered her sisters if she wants to survive.*
Greg Ruth

Greg Ruth's website

Instagram

ISFDB bibliography

### 2017 work:

Cover for *Wer fürchtet den Tod* [*Who Fears Death*, German] by Nnedi Okorafor (Cross Cult, April)Cover for *Das Buch des Phönix* [*The Book of the Phoenix*, German] by Nnedi Okorafor (Cross Cult, October)Cover for *Lightning in the Blood* by Marie Brennan (Tor.com Publishing, May)Cover for *Berserker* by Emmy Laybourne (Feiwel and Friends, October)Cover for *Mapping the Interior* by Stephen Graham Jones (Tor.com Publishing, June)Cover for *Akata Witch* by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing, July)Cover for *Binti: Allein* by Nnedi Okorafor [*Binti*, German] (Cross Cult, November)Poster for *Daredevil* (Marvel Comics, January)Poster for *Daredevil* (Marvel Comics, January)
An Unkindness of Ghosts

Odd-mannered, obsessive, withdrawn, Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, as they accuse, she'd be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remained of her world, save for stories told around the cookfire.

Aster lives in the low-deck slums of the HSS *Matilda*, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations the *Matilda* has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster, whom they consider to be less than human.

When the autopsy of *Matilda*'s sovereign reveals a surprising link between his death and her mother's suicide some quarter century before, Aster retraces her mother's footsteps. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer and sowing the seeds of civil war, Aster learns there may be a way off the ship if she's willing to fight for it.

"'Unkindness Of Ghosts' Transposes The Plantation's Cruelty To The Stars" - NPR review by **Amal El-Mohtar**

"Immediately immersive and sophisticated...This is a phenomenal piece of work."
--**Lee Child**, author of the Jack Reacher series

"*An Unkindness of Ghosts* marks the debut of a wildly talented writer. Rivers Solomon has put together a heady science-fiction novel that speaks directly to some of the most pressing political and social concerns of the modern day. And yet for all that it remains deeply humane, and it's even quite funny at times. This is a book you'll want to read now so you can tell your friends you read it first."
--**Victor LaValle**, author of *The Changeling*

"Welcome to the Tarlands aboard the space vessel HSS *Matilda*--home of the poor and rejected--and the setting of Rivers Solomon’s powerful debut novel. Imaginative in the vein of Colson Whitehead, Samuel R. Delany, and Octavia E. Butler, this novel explores the struggles of slum dwellers aboard a spacecraft sadly reminiscent of our own world: rife with poverty, caste, and discrimination as told through the Looking Glass. With outstanding world-building and an unforgettable protagonist in Aster, *An Unkindness of Ghosts* is a notable debut by an author whose work I look forward to reading for years to come.”
--**Tananarive Due**, author of *The Living Blood* and *Ghost Summer*
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters

*(excerpt)*, with an introduction by Karen Joy Fowler

Ursula K. Le Guin on the absurdity of denying your age: *"If I’m ninety and believe I’m forty-five, I’m headed for a very bad time trying to get out of the bathtub."*

On cultural perceptions of fantasy: *"The direction of escape is toward freedom. So what is ‘escapism’ an accusation of?"*

On breakfast: *"Eating an egg from the shell takes not only practice, but resolution, even courage, possibly willingness to commit crime."*

Ursula K. Le Guin has taken readers to imaginary worlds for decades. Now she’s in the last great frontier of life, old age, and exploring new literary territory: the blog, a forum where her voice — sharp, witty, as compassionate as it is critical — shines. No Time to Spare collects the best of Ursula’s online writing, presenting perfectly crystallized dispatches on what matters to her now, her concerns with this world, and her unceasing wonder at it: “How rich we are in knowledge, and in all that lies around us yet to learn. Billionaires, all of us.”

*Le Guin’s mindful empathy for every kind of living and non-living thing makes her a role model for the rest of us who ever tried to walk a mile in another kind of shoe… With her profound skepticism of the merits of capitalism, her à la carte Eastern spirituality, and her willingness to be disliked, she could certainly be a strong contender for Mayor of Portland.* — **Megan Volpert, *PopMatters***

*Her takeaway (‘There are many bad books. There are no bad genres.’) exemplifies her keen ability to boil down complex issues to their essence, even as she argues with nuance and grace.* — **Jason Heller, *NPR.org***

*In 2010, at the age of 81, the acclaimed novelist Ursula K. Le Guin started a blog. Blogs never seemed a likely destination for the writer, who by then had a long career in 20th-century traditional publishing behind her. But Le Guin’s new book, No Time To Spare, which harvests a representative sample of her blog posts, feels like the surprising and satisfying culmination to a career in other literary forms.* — **Robert Minto, *The New Republic***

*Fantasy and SF author Le Guin (*The Lost and the Found*) mines her blog in these short, punchy, and canny meditations on aging, literature, and cats. Prompted by an alumni survey from her alma mater, Radcliffe, that asks how she occupies her spare time, she takes issue with the idea that any time occupied by living — whether that means reading, writing, cooking, eating, cleaning, etc. — can be considered spare. Moreover, with her 81st birthday fast approaching, Le Guin declares, "I have no time to spare."* — ***Publishers Weekly***
Unused

Eligible work will be a multi-volume science fiction or fantasy story, unified by elements such as plot, characters, setting, and presentation, which has appeared in at least three volumes consisting of a total of at least 240,000 words, by the close of the calendar year 2017, at least one volume of which was published in 2017.

*Series which were Finalists in this category in 2016 are not eligible.*
Replicas by Amanda Ure

In the 24 century the at age 24, Melissa Shipton is brought into a room at a medical center where her parents introduce her to her droid siblings. One is a virtual twin of herself, a brilliant scientist and inventor. The other is an emotionally tortured enby who has accomplished little and questions its own humanity. One droid is the simulation of Melissa's original genome. The other of the genome her parents had modified.

*Replicas* is the story of Shipton’s complex and tragic relationships with her droid siblings and her same-sex spouse. It’s a time when humans have colonized eight Earth-like exoplanets in nearby star systems. Shipton becomes an anthropologist and botanist studying life on worlds she has never visited. Frustrated by her marriage, she breaks free of her Earth bound life to become a space pioneer.

The novel explores a number of provocative topics including exoplanet societies, artificial intelligence, the rights of androids, genetic engineering, and trans-sexuality. This is what science-fiction is supposed to do, isn’t it? Issues of trans-sexuality and gender identity are another important focus of the novel and are explored with empathy and sensitivity, illustrating how people may deal with these subjects in 350 years.
TIE Fighter Pilot

**CHARACTER AWARD: THIS CHARACTER HAS BEEN AWARDED "FASTEST CHARACTER IN THE GAME" FOR BEING THE FASTEST CHARACTER IN THE GAME!**

## Abilities

* Tips For Use
* Squad Choices
* Other Empire Characters
* Other Attackers

# Squad Choices

## Vader's Fist

**Vader's Fist** is a squad created by Captain Fradec Zarra on SWGOH.GG.com. The Squad consists of Darth Vader, Royal Gaurd, Emporer Palpatine, TIE Fighter Pilot, and Magmatrooper.
The Black Tides of Heaven

## The Black Tides of Heaven

### Series

Tensorate #1

Mokoya and Akeha, the
twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as
children. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was
always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action.
While his sister received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what
could be. What's more, he saw the sickness at the heart of his mother's
Protectorate.

A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new
 levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them
 down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue to play
 a pawn in his mother's twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate
behind and falls in with the rebels. But every step Akeha takes towards
the Machinists is a step away from his sister Mokoya. Can Akeha find
peace without shattering the bond he shares with his twin sister?
The Dress of Glass and Iron

The Dress of Glass and Iron was created by Alexandra Rowland and worn by Amal El-Mohtar to the 2017 Hugo ceremonies where she was nominated (and won!) for her short story, "Seasons of Glass and Iron".

A video of Amal El-Mohtar seeing the dress for the first time can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/isabella.caresini/videos/10155519297549336/
The Memoirs of Lady Trent

**by Marie Brennan**

Eligible Publication: ***Within the Sanctuary of Wings*** (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #5) *(excerpt)*, Tor Books / Titan Books, April 2017

*After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent – dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field.*

*And yet – after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia – the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure–scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland’s enemies – and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.*

1 ***A Natural History of Dragons***, 2013

2 ***The Tropic of Serpents***, 2014

3 ***Voyage of the Basilisk***, 2015

3.5 **"From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review"**, 2016

4 ***In the Labyrinth of Drakes***, 2016
The Bear and the Nightingale

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls.
Breaking the Glass Slipper

**A bi-monthly podcast celebrating women in SFF**

Hosted by Megan Leigh, Lucy Hounsom and Charlotte Bond

The series was inspired by writer Juliet McKenna who commented on her blog about the many so-called ‘best of’ genre fiction lists that conspicuously lacked titles by women. *Breaking the Glass Slipper’s aims* are straightforward:

* We want to get people talking about women, be they authors, readers or characters.
* We want to look at gender narratives, the roles women adopt inside and outside genre fiction.
* We want to celebrate great writing and bring less-publicised authors to a wider readership.

We invite everyone to listen, reflect and take part in the discussion. We’re always open to episode or guest suggestions so do get in touch if you have ideas to share.

**2017's episodes**

Foz Meadows on portal fantasy

Love triangles

Kameron Hurley on feminist SF and space operas

Interview with Alison Littlewood

Sarah Gailey on sexual violence in SFF

Laura Lam on exploring the queer experience in SFF

Disney Princesses

Fight scenes and women warriors with Juliet McKenna

Maiden, mother, and crone: Ageism in genre fiction

Ytasha Womack on Afrofuturism

Gail Carriger on comedy in SFF and the heroine’s journey

Kieron Gillen on gender and diversity in comics

Melinda Snodgrass on optimism in science fiction

The feminist obligation

Writing video games with Rhianna Pratchett

Interview with Seanan McGuire

Realistic characters with RJ Barker and Anna Smith Spark

Interview with Tim Lebbon

In praise of YA with Frances Hardinge

Mythical females

Pat Cadigan: Queen of Cyberpunk

Witchcraft, ritual, and power

Diversity in video games with Emily Marlow

Subverting social norms with Adrian Tchaikovsky

Interview with RJ Barker

Find all our episodes at http://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/
Cast of Wonders

Cast of Wonders

Editors: Marguerite Kenner

Assistant Editor: Dani Daly & Katherine Inskip

Host: Marguerite Kenner

About: Cast of Wonders a weekly speculative fiction podcast producing audio performances of short fiction, including all the sub-genres of speculative YA. Cast of Wonders has been part of Escape Artists, Inc. since 2016, is a SFWA qualified market.
Sam Weber

Sam Weber's website

Instagram

Concept Art World

ISFDB bibliography

### 2017 work:

Cover for *City of Miracles* by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway Books, May)Cover for *The Name of the Wind* by Patrick Rothfuss (DAW Books, October)Cover for *Norse Mythology* by Neil Gaiman (Norton Books, February)Cover for *Now I Rise* by Kiersten White (Delacorte Press, June)Cover/Illustration for "These Deathless Bones" by Cassandra Khaw (Tor.com, July 26)
Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day

Reviews: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus

*When her sister Patty died, Jenna blamed herself. When Jenna died, she blamed herself for that, too. Unfortunately Jenna died too soon. Living or dead, every soul is promised a certain amount of time, and when Jenna passed she found a heavy debt of time in her record. Unwilling to simply steal that time from the living, Jenna earns every day she leeches with volunteer work at a suicide prevention hotline.*

*But something has come for the ghosts of New York, something beyond reason, beyond death, beyond hope; something that can bind ghosts to mirrors and make them do its bidding. Only Jenna stands in its way.*
Amatka

Vanja, an information assistant, is sent from her home city of Essre to the austere, wintry colony of Amatka with an assignment to collect intelligence for the government. Immediately she feels that something strange is going on: people act oddly in Amatka, and citizens are monitored for signs of subversion.

In Karin Tidbeck’s world, everyone is suspect, no one is safe, and nothing—not even language, nor the very fabric of reality—can be taken for granted.
Others Will Follow

*The lone survivor of the first mission to Mars uses his last moments to pass the torch of inspiration.*

Andrew Finch — Director / Writer / Cine / VFX / Sets / Props / Costumes / Edit / Sound / Score

Greg Cotten — Co-Cinematographer,

Starring:

* Bruce Greenwood (voice)
* Winston Tao
* Erica Sabol
* Damian Chey

Music: "Secret" by Clark,
Courtesy Warp Records / Kobalt Music Group Ltd.

© Andrew Finch 2017
Laya Rose

Portfolio

## 2017 Fan Artist Work:

Illustration "Jellyfish Queen"Illustration "Rey" from *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*Illustration "Kelly and Yorkie" from *Black Mirror: San Junipero*Sculpture of Sissix from *The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers (sculpey, acrylic, first image painted over in SAI)Sculpture of Sissix from *The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers (sculpey, acrylic, first image painted over in SAI)Illustration "Beatrice and Margerit" from *Daughter of Mystery* by Heather Rose JonesIllustration "Cas and Bao" from *The Abyss Surrounds Us* by Emily SkrutskieCharm Bracelet *When The Moon Was Ours*Cover for the short story "Blood For Her" by Lindsay Keiller
Cliff Nielsen

Cliff Nielsen's website

Wikipedia

ISFDB bibliography

### 2017 Work

Cover for *The Edge of the Blade* by Jeffe Kennedy (Kensington Books, January)Cover for *Grave* by Michelle Sagara (DAW Books, February)Cover for *A Fading Sun* by Stephen Leigh (DAW Books, July)Cover for *Sun Warrior* by P. C. Cast (Wednesday Books, October)Cover for *Given to the Sea* by Mindy McGinnis (G. P. Putnam's Sons)Cover for *The Rebel* by Gerald Brandt (DAW Books, November)Cover for *Brother's Ruin* by Emma Newman (Tor.com Publishing, March)Cover for *Weaver's Lament* by Emma Newman (Tor.com Publishing, October)Cover for *Night Magic* by Jenna Black (Tor Teen, May)
John Jude Palencar

John Jude Palencar's website

Wikipedia

ISFDB bibliography

### 2017 Work

"Ghost Punch" from *Spectrum 24: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art* edited by John Fleskes (Flesk Publications, November)Cover for *The Cold Eye* by Laura Anne Gilman (Saga Press, January)Cover for *Winter Tide* by Ruthanna Emrys (Tor, April)
Black Hammer, Vol. 1

Once they were heroes, but the age of heroes has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City--Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien--now lead simple lives in an idyllic, timeless farming village from which there is no escape! But as they employ all of their super abilities to free themselves from this strange purgatory, a mysterious stranger works to bring them back into action for one last adventure! Collects *Black Hammer* #1-#6.
This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

```

 A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information

 ### Title

 This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information

 ### Author

 Kyle Cassidy

 ### Publisher

 Black Dog & Leventhal

 ### Pub date

 May 16, 2017

```

In 2014, author and photographer Kyle Cassidy published a photo essay on
 Slate.com called "This is What A Librarian Looks Like," a montage of
portraits and a tribute to librarians. Since then, Cassidy has made it
his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are
to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages,
backgrounds, and personal style-from pink hair and leather jackets to
button-downs and blazers. In short, not *necessarily* what one
thinks a librarian looks like. The nearly 220 librarians photographed
also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. *This is What A Librarian Looks Like* also
 includes original essay by some of our most beloved writers,
journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin,
 Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter
Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and
others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.
Thick As Thieves

Deep within the palace
of the Mede emperor, in an alcove off the main room of his master’s
apartments,. Kamet minds his master’s business and his own. Carefully
keeping the accounts, and his own counsel, Kamet has accumulated a few
possessions, a little money stored in the household’s cashbox, and a
significant amount of personal power. As a slave, his fate is tied to
his master’s. If Nahuseresh’s fortunes improve, so will Kamet’s, and
Nahuseresh has been working diligently to promote *his* fortunes since the debacle in Attolia.

A
 soldier in the shadows offers escape, but Kamet won’t sacrifice his
ambition for a meager and unreliable freedom; not until a whispered
warning of poison and murder destroys all of his carefully laid plans.
When Kamet flees for his life, he leaves behind everything—his past, his
 identity, his meticulously crafted defenses—and finds himself woefully
unprepared for the journey that lies ahead.

Pursued across
rivers, wastelands, salt plains, snowcapped mountains, and storm-tossed
seas, Kamet is dead set on regaining control of his future and
protecting himself at any cost. Friendships—new and
long-forgotten—beckon, lethal enemies circle, secrets accumulate, and
the fragile hopes of the little kingdoms of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis
hang in the balance.
 (less)
Black Bolt (2017-), Vol. 1

THE KING OF THE INHUMANS' FIRST SOLO SERIES! Black Bolt imprisoned! But by who? And where exactly? The answers to both will shock you! But to learn those answers, Black Bolt must first win a fight to the death with a fellow inmate — The Absorbing Man! Award-winning science fiction writer Saladin Ahmed (Throne of the Crescent Moon) crafts a story as trippy as it is action-packed, with truly mind-bending art from the one and only Christian Ward!
Miriam Weinberg

**Miriam Weinberg**

Publisher: Tor Books

2017 Works Edited:

* *A Conjuring of Light* by V E Schwab (Shades of Magic #3)
* *Horizon* by Fran Wilde (Bone Universe #3)
* *Luna: Wolf Moon* by Ian McDonald (Luna #2)
* *Within the Sanctuary of Wings* by Marie Brennan (Memoirs of Lady Trent #5)
* *Lightning in the Blood* by Marie Brennan (Varekai #2) (novella)
* *Standard Hollywood Depravity*, by Adam Christopher (Ray Electromatic) (novella)
Previously On X-Men

In late 1992, on small budgets and under tight schedules, the cast and crew of X-MEN: The Animated Series crafted a television show that, despite an industry full of naysayers, immediately shot to #1. This "kids' show" often landed more than half the TV viewers across America, and a twenty-year gold rush of Marvel motion pictures and TV series followed. Previously on X-Men is Eric Lewald's personal, inside account of how the series got on the air, the many challenges that were overcome, and how the show prevailed. The head writer interviewed 36 of the artists, writers, voice cast, and executives who helped make this game-changing series a worldwide success. This book is an authoritative look into the creation of the animated series that nobody expected to succeed. Lewald offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the Saturday-morning cartoon series that changed Hollywood.
The Shape of Water

Directed by Guillermo del Toro. General US release on 22 December 2017.

*From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER - an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.*

Reviews: NPR, Washington Post, New Yorker, New York Times
The Murders of Molly Southbourne

*The rule is simple: don’t bleed.*

*For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she’s been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way—and intent on her destruction.*

*Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she’ll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?*

Reviews:Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, New York Times
Extremity, Vol. 1

Thea dreams. Not of a better life, but of revenge on the clan that ruined her family. With ferocious battles between man, machines, and monsters ahead…who knows where her quest for vengeance will take her? Creator DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON (Space Mullet) and colorist MIKE SPICER present a bold new vision, where the beauty and imagination of Studio Ghibli meet the intensity of Mad Max, in this all-new Skybound Original. Collects EXTREMITY #1-6
And Then There Were (N-One)

Read the story.

A quantomologist who discovers how to access parallel universes arranges a convention for attendees who are all versions of herself from slightly divergent universes.

*This murder mystery novella uses a format familiar to many SFF fans – a convention with keynote speeches and panels on relevant subjects of interest – to provide the setting for an exploration of the theme in Frost’s* Road Not Taken*. It’s a powerful metafictional musing on choices and consequences and what’s most important in life – and how one’s priorities can change, depending on the results of previous choices. I loved it. This is definitely going on my Hugo Novella ballot.* – JJ, *File 770*

*Sarah Pinsker’s story of a convention – SarahCon – for Sarahs from thousands of alternate reality might be my favorite novella of the last several years, to be honest. It’s smart and funny and thoughtful in perfect proportions. It was enchanting from page one, and it’s a story and concept that has been often on my mind ever since I read it.* – Bridget McKinney, *SF Bluestocking*

*For all this could be an adventure in navel-gazing, though, I find it instead to be a deep and complex look at possibility and the pull of diverging realities, the hurt of loss and the wondering what could make it better, wondering what if the loss had never happened to begin with.* – Charles Payseur, *Quick Sip Reviews*
Arabella and the Battle of Venus

Arabella’s wedding plans to marry Captain Singh of the Honorable Mars Trading Company are interrupted when her fiancé is captured by the French and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp on swampy Venus. Now, Arabella must find passage to an enemy-controlled planet in the middle of a war, bribe or fight her way past vicious guards, and rescue her Captain.

To do this she must enlist the help of the dashing privateer, Daniel Fox of the *Touchstone* and build her own clockwork navigational automaton in order to get to Venus before the dread French general, Joseph Fouché, the Executioner of Lyon.

Once on Venus, Arabella, Singh, and Fox soon discover that Napoleon has designed a secret weapon, one that could subjugate the entire galaxy if they can’t discover a way to stop Fouché, and the entire French army, from completing their emperor’s mandate.
The Invisible Library

**by Genevieve Cogman**

Eligible Publication: *The Burning Page* (The Invisible Library #3), Roc/New American Library, January 2017 (first U.S. publication)

*When it's your job to save the day - where do you start?*

*Librarian spy Irene has standards to maintain, especially while on probation. And absconding from a mission via a besieged building doesn't look good. But when her escape route home goes up in flames, what's a spy to do? However, it seems Gates back to the Library are malfunctioning across dozens of worlds. Worse still, her nemesis Alberich is responsible -and he plans to annihilate the Library itself.*

*Irene and assistant Kai are posted to St Petersburg, to help combat this threat. Here Alberich emerges, as Irene tries to save her friend Vale and foil assassination attempts. Then one incredibly dangerous opportunity to save the Library emerges. Saving herself would be a bonus...*

*The Invisible Library*] (The Invisible Library #1), (excerpt), Roc/New American Library, June 2016 (first U.S. publication)

*Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission -- to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.*

*Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested -- the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.*

*Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option -- the nature of reality itself is at stake.*

*The Masked City* (The Invisible Library #2), Roc/New American Library, September 2016 (first U.S. publication)

*Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal -- not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.*

*Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people - and the forces of order and chaos themselves.*

*Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death.*
In Other Lands

## In Other Lands

### Pub date

15 August 2017

*“What’s your name?”*

*“Serene.”*

*“Serena?” Elliot asked.*

*“Serene,” said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.”*

*Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.”*

The
 Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or
any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless
 you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are
okay.) There are elves, harpies, and—best of all as far as Elliot is
concerned—mermaids.

Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen
years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than
 a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall
that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the
Borderlands.

It turns out that on the other side of the wall,
classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer
mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s
Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more
beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human
friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of
interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to
change the world.
Rey

Resistance Attacker that is powerful, as long as she doesn't have any debuffs.

## Tips for use

* Tips
* Squad choices
* Other Resistance Units
* Other Attacker Units

* Use her with Qui-Gon Jinn, as he can call assists and can also provide Offense Up when Dispelling Positive Status Effects.

### Arena Choice #1

* Leader:Poe Dammorran
	+ Because of Poe's Potency boost and Offense boost, this can really help Rey, Resistance Trooper, and Resistance Pilot.

### Light Side

#### Tank

* Finn
* Poe Dammorran

### Dark Side

* Darth Sidious
* Darth Vader
* Kylo Ren
* IG-86 Sentinel Droid
* IG-88

### Light Side

* Ahsoka Tano
* Jawa
* Luke Skywalker
* Princess Leia
John Joseph Adams

**John Joseph Adams**

Publisher and Editor:

* *Lightspeed Magazine*
* *Lightspeed Podcasts*
* *Nightmare Magazine*

2017 Anthologies Edited:

* *The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017* (with Charles Yu), Mariner Books
* *Cosmic Powers*, Saga Press

2016 Anthologies Edited:

* *The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016* (with Karen Joy Fowler), Mariner Books
* *What the #@&% Is That?: The Saga Anthology of the Monstrous and the Macabre* (with Douglas Cohen), Saga Press
* *People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction*, Lightspeed Magazine
* *People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror*, Nightmare Magazine
* *People of Colo(u)r Destroy Fantasy*, Fantasy Magazine
Galen Dara

Portfolio

ISFDB bibliography

## 2017 Professional Artist Work:

Cover for *Into the Fire* by Patrick Hester (WordFire, January)Cover/illustration for "Seven Salt Tears" by Kat Howard (*Lightspeed*, January)Cover/illustration for "The Faerie Tree" by Kathleen Kayembe (*Lightspeed*, November)Cover for *The Romeo Catchers* by Alys Arden (Skyscape, May)Cover for *The Squirrel on the Train* by Kevin Hearne [Iron Druid / Oberon's Meaty Mysteries #2] (Subterranean Press, November)
File 770

File 770

Edited by Mike Glyer

* Speculative Fiction Awards News
	+ Leading Critics Form Clarke Award “Shadow” Jury
* Book Reviews and Author Interviews
	+ Sheri S. Tepper by Robin A. Reid
* Convention News and Updates
	+ Worldcon 75 Developments
* News and Trailers for Genre-related Movies and TV Shows
	+ Axanar Lawsuit Settled
* *In Memoriam* Tributes
	+ Peter Weston (1943-2017)
* Coverage of Fandom Controversies
	+ A Speculative Kerfuffle
* Genre Publishing Industry News
	+ SFWA President Rambo Seeks Second Term
* SFF History and Remembrances
	+ A New Year of Bradbury
* Space and Technology News
	+ Tools and Problems of Human Neuroscience by Benjamin C. Kinney
* Assorted Whimsy
You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych

Read the story

Isobelle is staying with her uncle, an immigrant from Congo who is an avid collector of tales of witchcraft. It's unsettling: what is living in her dead cousin Mbuyi's room, and why does Uncle lock her in her room with magical protections every night? For that matter, why did Mbuyi, an only son, have the name traditionally given to the elder of a pair of twins? The family secrets reach back to Congo years before.

Also recommended by: A. C. Wise, Charles Payseur
Jonathan Strahan

**Jonathan Strahan**

Publisher: Solaris

2017 Anthologies Edited:

* *The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eleven*
* *Infinity Wars* [Infinities #6]

2016 Anthologies Edited:

* *The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Ten*
* *Bridging Infinity* [Infinities #5]
* *Drowned Worlds*

2015 Anthologies Edited:

* *The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Nine*
* *Meeting Infinity* [Infinities #4]

Other 2017 Editing:

* *Passing Strange*, by Ellen Klages (novella), Tor.com
* *Agents of Dreamland*, by Caitlín R. Kiernan (novella), Tor.com
* *Proof of Concept*, by Gwyneth Jones (novella), Tor.com

Various short stories at Tor.com, including:

* "The Future of Hunger in the Age of Programmable Matter", by Sam J. Miller
* "Uncanny Valley", by Greg Egan
* "The Martian in the Wood", by Stephen Baxter
* "Sanctuary", by Allen Steele
* "Extracurricular Activities", by Yoon Ha Lee
* "The Old Dispensation", by Lavie Tidhar
Camestros Felapton

## **Camestros Felapton**

Blog

Featured posts:

* Review: *Diaspora* by Greg Egan (1997)
* More daft Star Wars Mary Sue claims
* Create Your Own Fake *Collapsing Empire* Book Cover
* Review: *Too Like the Lightning* by Ada Palmer
* How to Cook a Frozen Pizza the Hugo Way
* Unfeasible Tales of Social Justice Fantasy Science! – Donnie and the Aos Sí
* A Cat Reviews La La Land *(yes, this is really SFF)*
* Choose Your Own Adventure Game: Twine Towns with Bortsworth
* On Taxes and Parallelograms
Miranda and Caliban

*A lovely girl grows up in isolation where her father, a powerful magus, has spirited them to in order to keep them safe.*

*We all know the tale of Prospero’s quest for revenge, but what of the dutiful and tenderhearted Miranda, who loves her father but is terribly lonely? Or Caliban, the strange and feral boy Prospero has bewitched to serve him. Always under Prospero’s jealous eye, Miranda and Caliban battle the dark, unknowable forces that bind them to the island even as the pangs of adolescence create a new awareness of each other and their doomed relationship.*

Reviews: Vox, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, BookPage
Aayla Secura

Versatile attacker (Support) with high survivability through Dodge, Hitpoints, and self-heal.

# Abilites

## Ability #1: Inspiring Strike

Deal Physical Damage to target enemy with a 35% chance to call an Ally to Assist. If the assisting ally is a Jedi, they deal 50% more damage.

## Ability #2: Survivor

Deal Physical damage to target enemy and recover Health equal to 65% of the damage dealt.

## Ability #3: Jedi Valor

Jedi allies gain 40% Tenacity and recover 10% Max Health when they ward off a Detrimental effect.

## Ability #4: Superior Ripost=

Aayla has +10% Critical Chance, +65% Counter Chance, and +50% Counter Damage. In addition, she Stuns her target for 1 turn when she critically hits.

Upgrade Sheet
Your Name

Title: Your Name

Directed by: Makoto Shinkai

Written by: Makoto Shinkai, Clark Cheng (English script)

Produced by: Amuse, Answer Studio, CoMix Wave Films, East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc, Kadokawa, Lawson HMV Entertainment, Toho Company, Vogue Ting

Starring: Ryûnosuke Kamiki (voice), Mone Kamishiraishi (voice), Ryô Narita (voice), Aoi Yûki (voice)

Release date: 26 August 2016 (Japan), 7 April 2017 (US)

Note: this 2016 release may be considered eligible for this year's Hugo because it was not released in North America until 2017
List of Updates

# Celebration Update

## Date

May 25th, 2017

Visible on: May 24th, 2017

## Any Reworks?

### Grand Moff Tarkin

* Potency plays a big factor in his character now. Instead of just doing nothing and helping no one, he will now have a greater attack, and will be a far more liable option for a leader.

## Any Notes?

* Luke Skywalker is the First Flash Event Character. The player I'll need to furry to access the event he is in, as they will only last about 1-4 hours. You will be able to access the event later, as they will repeat themselves at random times. In these events, you need to help Luke (probably going to be an ally) to "rid Tusken Raiders from the Vaparators." You will gain gear, depending on your level (i.e.: 1-52, probably levels 1-5 gear, and then 6-11 for levels 53-85. (GUESS).
* Mods have been improved, giving a higher chance of getting a mod when playing in a Mod Battle.
* For the week of 5/25-6/?, double drops will occur everyday, ranging from different modes.

# Imperial Trooper Update

## Date

May 1st, 2017

Visible on: May 4th, 2017/May 3rd, 2017

## New Tags/Debuffs/Mechanics?

### Tags

#### Imperial Troopers

The Imperial Trooper tag has been added to the following characters:

* Death Trooper
* Magmatrooper
	+ Unique: All Imperial Troopers gain +30% Tenacity while Magmatrooper is alive.
* Snowtrooper
* Stormtrooper
	+ Zeta Ability added:
* Shoretrooper
	+ Unique: All Imperial Troopers are given +10% Max Health while Shoretrooper is alive.

#### Galactic Republic

This tag has been added to:

* All Jedi.
* All Clone Troopers.
* Clone Wars Chewbacca
* R2-D2

Also, all Ships with the 'Republic' tag have been changed to the 'Galactic Republic' tag.

## Any Reworks?

* General Veers
	+ Now will give Imperial Troopers a Speed BOost on his Leader Ability.

## Any Notes?

In Ships, your pilot is shown (in a portrait) on the bottom left side of the screen, and the targeted enemy's pilot is shown (in a portrait) on the top right side. This will help those who don't remember who is flying the ship.
IG-88

**IG-88** is a Droid and Scoundrel Villian that can inflict Healing Immunity and Ability Block.

## Tips for use

* Tips
* Squad choices
* Other Droid Units
* Other Attacker Units

### Arena Choice #1

Leader: IG-88

* Mate #1: IG-86 Sentinel Droid
* Mate #2: HK-47
* Mate #3: Poggle The Lesser
* Mate #4: Geonosian Soldier

### Dark Side

* HK-47
* IG-86 Sentinel Droid

### Light Side

* K-2SO
* Chopper

### Light Side

* Ahsoka Tano
* Jawa
Kerrie Hughes

**Kerrie Hughes**

Publisher: Various

Anthologies Edited:

* *Fiction River: Tavern Tales*, WMG Publishing (2017)
* *Shadowed Souls* (with Jim Butcher), Roc / New American Library (2016)
* *Fiction River: Alchemy and Steam*, WMG Publishing (2015)
* *Fiction River: Hex in the City*, WMG Publishing (2013)
* *Westward Weird* (with Martin H. Greenberg), DAW Books (2012)
* *Chicks Kick Butt* (with Rachel Caine), Tor Books (2011)
The Pit

***To see a full list of available Raids, go here.***

**The ‘’’Rancor Raid’’’ is a 4-staged Raid that has you facing off against 2 bosses-the Gamorrean Captain and The Rancor.**

***==1st Stage==***

**In the 1st stage, you face off against three opponents: The**

**===Opponents===**

**Notes: These are for the Tier 7 Heroic Raid, which requires 7 star characters to compete.**

**====Gamorrean Captain====**

**\*1st Ability, Mighty Thrust:** Deal Physical damage to target enemy, plus bonus damage equal to 20% of their Max Health. If the target had 50% Health or more, also call an ally to Assist. This attack can't be Evaded.

**\*2nd Ability, Rally the Guards:** Call all Gamorrean allies to Assist, then summon up to two Gamorrean allies to the battle. This ability is on cooldown when the battle begins

**\*3rd Ability, Bestial Roar:** All allies gain 30% Turn Meter and Offense Up for 3 turns, and other allies recover 30% of their Max Health.

**\*4th Ability, Kill Order:** Deathmark target enemy for 5 turns. This effect can't be Resisted. (Deathmarked targets must be attacked if able, and whenever they are damaged by an attack, they take bonus damage equal to 50% of their Max Health. If the target is defeated while still Deathmarked, they can't be Revived.)

**\*5th Ability, Pit Fighter:** This unit has +50% Tenacity while it isn't Toppled.

**\*6th Ability,  Fearsome Foe II:** As long as this unit isn't Toppled, it has +1 Bonus Action and gains 5% Turn Meter whenever it takes damage. In addition, it takes reduced damage from Percent Health damage effects, its Turn Meter gain effects can't be prevented, and it's immune to Stun, Shock, Ability Block, Health Down, Cooldown increase, and massive damage effects.

Fearsome Foe begins a countdown when the encounter begins. When it completes, all enemies will become Enraged until the end of the encounter.

**====Gamorrean Brute====**

**\*1st Ability, Heavy Chop: Deal Physical damage to target enemy and inflict Heal Immunity for 2 turns. (Target is unable to be Healed for the duration of the affect time)**

**\*2nd Ability, Head Splitter:** Deal Physical damage to target enemy and inflict Buff Immunity and Ability Block for 2 turns.

**\*3rd Ability, Impede:** Gamorrean Brute Taunts, gains Defense Up for 2 turns, and gains 70% Turn Meter.

**====Gamorrean Guard====**

**\*1st Ability, Hack and Slash: Deal physical damage to a target enemy and inflict 2 DoTs for 3 turns. (Can be Evaded, Dodged, Countered, and Resisted)**

**\*2nd Ability, Muscle In: Gamorrean Guard Taunts and gains Retribution for 2 turns. (can Automatically Counter all attacks done to him, and all Allies are Forced to Fire on him)**

**\*3rd Ability, Punch Through: Deal Physical damage to target enemy and Expose for 2 turns. (if attacked, Exposed targets take a significant increased amount of damage)**

***==2nd Stage==***

***==3rd stage==***

***==4th stage==***
Darth Maul

Darth Maul is an Anti-Jedi Sith who gains stuff up as units are eliminated.

Second enemy: 25% Evasion

Third enemy: 25% Max Health recovery on hitting with an attack

(all numbers and percents change with the level of the ability.)

## Tips for use

* Tips
* Squad choices
* Other Sith Units
* Other Attacker Units

* To really use Darth Maul effectivly, have him be in a team with Darth Sidious, Count Dooku, and Darth Vader. They are all Anti-Jedi Sith characters.

### Dark Side

* Darth Vader
* Count Dooku

### Light Side

* Ahsoka Tano
* Jawa

* Darth Maul is REALLY good against Jedi. He, like  Sids and Empororer Palpatine, can be in a sqaud that will destroy Jedi. If you face a team of Jedi, Maul does extra damgae on his special. Palpatine has a good synergy with anti-jedi's as well.
Offense Up

*Confused? Were you possibly instead looking for Offense Down?*

Offense Up is a Buff found in SWGOH.

* What This Does
* Strategies
* Who Can Gain This
* List of other Buffs

# What This Does

**Offense Up** gives the affected unit a boost in their potential to be more effective in killing an enemy. It also gives the character a target on their back, as this can make them PE#1 (Public Enemy #1).

# Strategies

This is most effective for any Attacker or Support.

# Who Can Gain This

* Rey
* (Under him) Everyone on your sqaud: Poggle The Lesser
* (When He Dispels a Debuff) (Everyone): Qui-Gon Jinn
* Clone Sergant's ARC-170 Starfighter
* Clone Sergant - Phase I
Empire Games

*Charles Stross builds a new series with Empire Games, expanding on the world he created in the Family Trade series, a new generation of paratime travellers walk between parallel universes.*

*The year is 2020. It's seventeen years since the Revolution overthrew the last king of the New British Empire, and the newly-reconstituted North American Commonwealth is developing rapidly, on course to defeat the French and bring democracy to a troubled world. But Miriam Burgeson, commissioner in charge of the shadowy Ministry of Intertemporal Research and Intelligence--the paratime espionage agency tasked with catalyzing the Commonwealth's great leap forward--has a problem. For years, she's warned everyone: "The Americans are coming." Now their drones arrive in the middle of a succession crisis.*

*In another timeline, the U.S. has recruited Miriam's own estranged daughter to spy across timelines in order to bring down any remaining world-walkers who might threaten national security.*

*Two nuclear superpowers are set on a collision course. Two increasingly desperate paratime espionage agencies try to find a solution to the first contact problem that doesn't result in a nuclear holocaust. And two women--a mother and her long-lost daughter--are about to find themselves on opposite sides of the confrontation.*
The Handmaid's Tale

A religion-based autocracy has taken over most of the United States, renaming the country Gilead. In this country women are second-class citizens. Anyone trying to escape is punished. One such person is June, who is captured while trying to escape with her husband and child and is sentenced to be a handmaid, bearing children for childless government officials. As a handmaid, June is renamed Offred. This is her story.
HK-47

Droid Support that boosts Droid allies' Critcals and gives Turn Meter boosts on Critical Hits.

## Abilities

### Ability #3: ?

Description:
LEVEL 1: Droid allies gain 10% Critical Chance.
Cost: ?
Ability Mats: MK 1: 2
Level needed: ?
LEVEL 2: Adds 5% Critical Chance.
Cost: ?
Ability Mats: MK 1: ? MK 2: ?
Level needed: ?

## Tips to use

* Like IG-88, HK-47 gives allies Critical Chance boosts. However, HK-47 also gives specific allies a Turn Meter boost when they Critically Hit.
* HK-47 is an Anti-Jedi unit. This means he works well against Jedi, so an all Jedi team would be countered by a team consisting of HK-47, Darth Sidious, Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Count Dooku. Remember, though: HK-47 would not be a good leader, as he is a Droid, which does not give anyone else a boost on the team. So, look to use Sidious or Dooku, as they are inclusive Leaders with leader abilities that include all allies.