Чери Прист4.2 Гражданская война в США не утихает. Противоборствующие стороны вооружены чудовищными механизмами боевыми дирижаблями, шагающими боевыми машинами, мощной и маневренной артиллерией. Смерть собирает богатую жатву на полях сражений, а в госпиталях идет сражение с ней самой. Сестра милосердия Мерси Линч каждый день сталкивается с болью и страданием. Не успев оправиться от известия о гибели мужа, воевавшего в рядах северян, она узнает, что ее отец тяжело болен. Молодая женщина решает разыскать его в далеком Сиэтле, для чего ей придется пересечь истерзанную войной страну. Прихоть судьбы заносит ее на прославленный бронепоезд «Дредноут». Однако «Дредноут» овеян не только славой, но и тайной…
Phelan Cle never wanted to be a bard--that's his decidedly unmusical father's ambition for him--but now that he's about to graduate from Bardic School at Caerau, he's determined to make it easy on himself. He chooses what should be a straight-forward thesis topic: Bone Plain, where legend says all poetry originated, where Nairn the Wanderer, the Fool, the Cursed, the Unforgiven, one of the greatest bards in history, failed the mysterious Three Trials and disappeared forever. History surrounds the school and the nearby standing stones, where archaeologist Princess Beatrice digs up an unusual artifact that may hold the key to the mysteries of Bone Plain.
Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.
But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.
These twenty-two short stories are measured out with a cup of normal and a pound of the fantastic. From dark fairytales to alien skies, Monk's stories blend haunting yesterdays, forgotten todays and twisted tomorrows wherein:
...A normal little girl in a city made of gears, takes on the world to save a toy....
...A normal ancient monster living in Seattle, must decide if love is worth trusting a hero...
...A normal patchwork woman and her two-headed boyfriend stitch their life and farm together with needle, thread, and time...
...a normal vampire in a knitting shop must face sun-drenched secrets...
...a normal snow creature's wish changes a mad man's life...
...a normal man breaks reality with a hamster...
...and yes, a normal little robot, defines how extraordinary friendship can be.
Poignant, bittersweet, frightening, and funny, these stories pour out worlds that are both lovely and odd, darkly strange and tantalizingly familiar, where no matter how fantastic the setting or situation, love, freedom, and hope find a way to take root and thrive.
Being a mechanic is hard work. Mercy Thompson, for instance, just spent the last couple of months trying to evade the murderous queen of the local vampire seethe. And now the leader of the werewolf pack, who's maybe-more-than-just-a-friend, has asked for her help. A book of fae secrets has come to light and they're all about to find out how implacable - and dangerous - the fae can be.
OK, so maybe her troubles have nothing to do with the job. But she sure could use a holiday...
Финалист