Stories in the anthology reveal Horth’s introduction to the sword in childhood (“The Number Three Blade” by Craig Bowlsby); a good reason why the Sevolites destroyed Reetions ships on sight for two hundred years after the Killing War (“For Amanda” by Randy McCharles); the plight of a girl with a little too much Vrellish about her to be a Demish lady (“Ladylike” by Krysia Anderson); a spiritual tale from the Okal Lumens tradition (“Return” by Sandra Fitzpatrick) and a chilling glimpse of ho...

Companion anthology for The Courtesan Prince, in the Okal Rel Saga, this volume is the first to introduce the talents of other writers to the ten-novel series by Lynda Williams. Between its covers, readers see glimpses of ORU history up close and personal, from fresh perspectives.“The Okal Rel Universe is a lifelong labor of love, giving us the layers upon layers of societies, fantastic genetically enhanced lines of humanity, and the sparks of passion that make any planet ...

The authors in this anthology have each approached the theme of ‘Pretenders’ from a unique and exciting perspective. The characters you are about to meet choose to hide or misrepresent their status, abilities, education, ambition, sexuality, spirituality, intentions or their past. It’s not just the main characters either; nearly every character is hiding something or wishing to be perceived in some way.Stories include: “Blind Stitches” by A. M. Stickel, “Sword Crossed Paths” by Eli...

This is the fourth anthology of stories set in the Okal Rel Universe. It honors the theme of secrets rooted in the past that emerge to perturb people’s lives. Like other Okal Rel anthologies, the theme is drawn from one of the main saga novels; in this case Throne Price, in which Erien’s return to court upsets the balance of power between Ameron and Ev’rel. The choice of theme comes from co-editor Sheila Flesher who recognized the “skeleton-in-the-closet” issue as one that could be product...