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The History of the World Begins in Ice by Kate Elliott

Trade Paperback – Fairwood Press – October 2024 – 342 pages

Enter the Post-Roman Afro-Celtic icepunk regency fantasy world of the Spiritwalker Trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel)—starring Phoenician spies, well-dressed men, revolutionary women, and lawyer dinosaurs—with 11 vivid stories gathered in one place by RT Reviewers’ Choice winner and Nebula, World Fantasy, Norton, and Locus Awards finalist Kate Elliott.

• When the emperor of Rome needs a rare book stolen from a well-guarded woman, he hires a rogue with his own dangerous secrets . . . 
• An elderly man retires at last, seeking peace to write his final masterwork on architecture . . . until that peace is disturbed by an outbreak of magic.
• Everyone knows the story of Dido and Aeneas. But only Beatrice knows the correct version.
• A shapeshifting sabertooth cat falls into the arms of two beautiful palace attendants . . . all too eager to pet him.
• A powerful mage and his wife travel into enemy territory on an urgent mission . . . Surely the expedition will go exactly as planned. . . right?

These standalone stories and 6 others are accompanied by wonderful illustrations from 14 featured artists. Eleven short essays that delve into the whys and wherefores of the setting and characters round out the volume.