“Vivid, gripping and actually riveting as the Red Danger takes a whole new meaning here. Loved it.” —The Book SmugglersIt is the waning days of the Russian monarchy. A reckless man rules the land and his dragons rule the sky. Though the Tsar aims his dragons at his enemies—Jews and Bolsheviks—his entire country is catching fire. Conspiracies suffuse the royal court: bureaucrats jostle one another for power, the mad monk Rasputin schemes for the Tsar’s ear,...

Avast, intrepid reader! Behold yon inky treasure!A beautiful airship corsair determined to reveal a government conspiracy. An interstellar outlaw bent on avenging the murders of her fellow crewmates. A pirate captain whose hatred of mer-people endangers his ship and crew. A ghost trapped in the wreckage of a privateering ship.From the early voyages of a young, ambitious Gaius Julius Caesar, to a sorceress hunting buccaneers along the post-Civil War Mississi...

Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our August 2021 issue (#179) contains:Original fiction by Beth Goder ("Candide; Life-"), Nadia Afifi ("A Thousand Tiny Gods"), Adam Stemple ("The Clock, Having Seen Its Face in the Mirror, Still Knows Not the Hour"), Congyun 'Mu Ming' Gu ("The Serpentine Band"), Andrea M. Pawley ("A Heist in Fifteen Products from ...

Pallasoldi. The crossroad of kingdoms. Center of commerce, of trade. While empires rise and fall, the city remains. For trade is the lifeblood of all who would rule, and Pallasoldi is its beating heart.Most nights in Pallasoldi were the same for Alda: dress in black, go to the nicer parts of town, and steal everything that's not nailed down. It's not the greatest life—she risks losing a hand to the law or her head to her murderous boss, Heron, if she screws up—but she's good at her...

Would you kill for your art? Would it kill for you?A painter who kills with blood-tinged pigment. A tattoo artist with a dark past who treats with demons. A sculptor on Venus who carves his life’s history into ice at the cost of his sanity. A ceramic vase that might avenge the life of a murder victim. A haunted song that drives listeners to kill. Art surrounds us. It entertains and nurtures. And for some it can do far more. It can protect a family over generations or bridge the bou...

Terrifying monsters, daring escapes and a kingdom on the verge of war…Unlikely companions Snail and Prince Aspen find themselves thrown together on the adventure of a lifetime. Due to a series of misunderstandings, they end up on the run, having adventure after mishap after scary, thrilling escape. When they reach Aspen's kingdom, they learn to their horror that their actions have divided the country and plunged it into violence. Every minute counts: it is time for...

When young runaway Craig prepares to jump from a church rooftop, his salvation comes in the unholy shape of Silex: a beast trapped in the form of a gargoyle. Silex runs an investigative service, chasing redemption from atop his perch. And he needs a young lad to do his footwork.Craig begins his new life by probing a series of murders that has menaced Scotland. The scenes are frightening, the motivation is a mystery, and the authorities are no help. So along with Father Harris, a ha...

Vivid, gripping and actually riveting as the Red Danger takes a whole new meaning here. Loved it. The Book SmugglersIt is the waning days of the Russian monarchy. A reckless man rules the land and his dragons rule the sky. Though the Tsar aims his dragons at his enemies Jews and Bolsheviks his entire country is catching fire. Conspiracies suffuse the royal court: bureaucrats jostle one another for power, the mad monk Rasputin schemes for the Tsar s ear, an...

Leaving his life of petty crime and drug abuse behind, young Douglas flees from Minneapolis to Edinburgh, Scotland, to his stern but fairminded Grandma McLaren, who will take him in if he can support himself. Fortunately, few cities are friendlier than Edinburgh to a guitarist with a talent for spontaneous rhyme, and soon Douglas is making a decent living as the busker who can write a song about you on the spot.But Edinburgh has its dangers for the unwary. The annual arts festival, ...

Sammy Greenberg would rather talk back to The Boyz--a gang of bullies at his school--and get his head stuck in the toilet than constantly be afraid. But when his friend Skink gets beaten up so badly that he has to go to the hospital, Sammy thinks he may be in over his head. He decides to build a golem--a mythical protector from Jewish folklore, made of clay and animated by the ineffable name of God. But this monster doesn't just protect him and Skink from The Boyz, he is also a great drumm...

In The Hostage Prince, Prince Aspen and midwife’s apprentice Snail tried to prevent the Seelie War by making a perilous journey to Aspen’s father’s kingdom. Their journey started the war instead. Chased by two armies, Aspen and Snail find refuge with the actors of Professor Odds’ traveling troupe, dodging soldiers, Border Lord berserkers, a hungry troll, and assorted dwarfs, drows, lycants, boggles, and a cloaked spy. Will they make it out? Is any place safe for the two of them? A...

In Singer of Souls, young Douglas fled his American life of drugs and petty crime, arriving in Scotland to be taken in by his stern but fair-minded grandmother. Unfortunately, his career as a busker was interrupted by the fey folk who invisibly share Edinburgh's streets, who dragged him into their own internecine wars.Now Douglas, usurper, sits on the throne of Faery--holding the Queen and the land hostage with his all-powerful magic and his unflinchingly loyal lieutenant, ...