Fantasy - People of Color Genre

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Summary: If ultimate power corrupts, how does one learn to be incorruptible? I’m Aliyah Morgenstern. All of my life, I grew up on tales of my great-grandfather’s magic bringing light and healing to the world. Then, I bonded with my dragonet Ember on my sixteenth birthday, which means I’ll be scary powerful someday. There’s one problem. Mom’s kept secrets that everyone at my new school seems to know. Turns out, I’ve got an infamously criminal uncle and now everyone’s waiting for me to do something evil. After my first horrible day at school I’m convinced I’m going to do something evil. My biggest challenge this year isn’t history, math, Gym, or even the dreaded Magiscience Lab. No, it’s keeping a devastating secret from almost everyone, including my own family. I’m an extramagus. Is evil really my destiny, or can I fight it somehow?

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Summary: A baby’s laughter. A mind uncaged. Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid. And everything changes. When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes. As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.

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Summary: Is the challenge to blame for its revelation? With Ruben still missing and no sign of their enemy’s force, Donovan races to uncover the mysteries of blood magic while training the next generation in New Seeking. Away from the familiar halls of the Order, he learns from Annette to develop the skills to lie and secret his true self amongst the nobility and whatever spies may skulk in their midst. Donovan encounters changed relationships, rediscovered and more complex than he ever wished, and he longs for Whitman’s good humor, which is in short supply. Whitman himself struggles to unearth and connect his own threads of insight through heartbreak and daunting challenge as he digs through layers and centuries of deception, historical propaganda, and indoctrination. Throughout all, Ruben drowns in fear and danger, managing breaths of revelation and enlightenment that threaten to unravel everything he once understood to be true. Taught and taunted by the Smiling Man, whose knowledge appears to stretch for generations, he is determined to be of use to his friends when they come for him. Will they make it before his resolve trickles away?

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Summary: For Evangeline “Evan” Miles, Honeycutt Academy is more than just a prestigious school of magic. It’s home. Before graduating, it was the first place they’d ever felt comfortable enough to be themself. Now, as a school librarian, it’s also where Evan might have finally found the promise of love - with Mimi, the bright and bubbly potions professor. But when Evan meets Hester, the half-sister they never knew they had, everything suddenly changes. Hester is being stalked by their murderous, vampiric father - an experience Evan remembers only too well. United, the two siblings agree that their days of running and hiding from their father are over - and it’s time to finally end his wretched existence. But to do so, they must turn to Svenja - a witch, a wolf-shifter, and the only creature they know powerful enough to take down their monstrous father. However, the paranormal private investigator is also Evan’s former lover - and as the hunt for their father draws them closer together, the flames of their romance begin to rekindle. Evan feels forced to choose between their chemistry with Svenja, and their commitment to Mimi - and that distracts them from a dangerous truth: That as Evan and Hester prepare to confront their centuries-old father, they’ve forgotten he’s also had decades to prepare for them. I Think of You Often is the first installment of the St. Acton series by Sienna Eggler - a small town sapphic PNR by an author praised for writing “engaging tales of emotions and struggles” and “sweet, realistic romance between two people figuring their way in life.”

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Summary: INK (NOUN) Five definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) A colored fluid used for writing 2) The action of signing a deal 3) A black liquid ejected by squid 4) Publicity in the written media 5) A slang word for tattoos Ink features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

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Summary: Kinning, the sequel to Nisi Shawl’s acclaimed debut novel Everfair, continues the stunning alternate history where barkcloth airships soar through the sky, varied peoples build a new society together, and colonies claim their freedom from imperialist tyrants. The Great War is over. Everfair has found peace within its borders. But our heroes’ stories are far from done. Tink and his sister Bee-Lung are traveling the world via aircanoe, spreading the spores of a mysterious empathy-generating fungus. Through these spores, they seek to build bonds between people and help spread revolutionary sentiments of socialism and equality—the very ideals that led to Everfair’s founding. Meanwhile, Everfair’s Princess Mwadi and Prince Ilunga return home from a sojourn in Egypt to vie for their country’s rule following the abdication of their father King Mwenda. But their mother, Queen Josina, manipulates them both from behind the scenes, while also pitting Europe’s influenza-weakened political powers against one another as these countries fight to regain control of their rebellious colonies. Will Everfair continue to serve as a symbol of hope, freedom, and equality to anticolonial movements around the world, or will it fall to forces inside and out? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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Summary: Look to the skies! Brave adventurers face new relationships and adversity in all sizes, from steampunk dirigibles to harpies, giant bees to garden gnomes, and winged dinosaurs to sky pirates. Isolated mountain peaks, clifftop cities, and battles in the sky abound in this sapphic anthology focused on overcoming challenges awaiting in the clouds. If you like diverse stories with lesbian and sapphic-centric heroines enjoying the thrill of adventure high in the air, buy Lofty Mountains today! With stories by: Seanan McGuire, Rosiee Thor, Rebecca Kim Wells, Maya Gittelman, Carmen Loup, Sara Codair, William C. Tracy, N.L. Bates, L.R. Gould, Robin C.M. Duncan, and J.S. Fields

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Summary: Something is taking their loved ones… Haunted by the violent disappearance of his twin, private investigator Cisco Cavalera tries to provide people with answers that he never got. When his best friend’s son is kidnapped, Cisco dives headfirst into the search. But the more he digs, the less anything makes sense. Rian Denver isn’t the only person who’s disappeared under the same bizarre circumstances. All the signs point to something unexplainably supernatural. When Cisco comes face to face with the brother who’d disappeared 11 years ago, things become far more complicated and far more dangerous than he expected. Is it possible that the man he’s mourned is not only alive, but connected to these disappearances? Surrounded by real-life monsters, can Cisco save the people he loves before time runs out? Or will he lose his family for a second time?

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Summary: Trapped outside the world, unlikely hero Thaddeus Wright must partner with sexy Secret Agent Peter Pan to save a new generation of Lost Boys. THADDEUS WRIGHT would love to forget his childhood. A bi-racial bastard orphaned at four, he was the very definition of sin, according to the strict and disapproving grandparents who raised him. Twenty years later, Thad works with at-risk youth as both coach and counselor. Even after his grandparent’s spare-the-rod, spoil-the-child parenting, Thad just wants to help people. But when three young boys he coaches go missing, he’s the prime suspect. Especially when he goes missing himself! That’s when paranormal policing agency Borderless Observers Org. (B.O.O.) sends in recent recruit Peter Batique on his first solo mission. Peter had another name once, but he’s all grown up now and looking to prove himself an adult and a capable agent. However, after a hundred years as an unruly boy in Neverland, growing up holds some pretty unique challenges for Peter. Despite their differences, Thad and Peter must learn to work together to rescue a whole new generation of Lost Boys and take down the black market shadow dealer responsible. Can Thad learn he’s worthy of love? Can Peter finally grow up? Can the Lost Boys be found?

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Summary: Belonging can sometimes be Hell Jin is 17, pansexual, blue-haired, half-Korean and a lifelong outsider. His modus operandi, after years of neglect and chaos, is never belong, never attach, because both just bring pain. What he doesn't know, and mustn't, is if he does ever belong, his lust demon father will take him to Hell forever the day he turns 18. But when he moves to the remote Scottish town of Hammer Falls, where he shouldn't fit in at all, he finds being supernatural and queer aren't quite the barriers to belonging he'd hoped. As his lust demon blood begins to show and he grows ever closer to gorgeous part-angel demonstalker Nate, how long can Jin continue to convince himself he doesn't belong and isn't getting attached? Lust & Other Demons is the first in a trilogy containing a snarky, prickly half lust demon, hot demon hunters, werebears, angst, messy love and explicit MM sex. Books 2 & 3 also contain steamy MMM+ polyamory scenes as part of a key relationship. NOTE - These books are NOT suitable for younger readers or people likely to be offended by speculative views about religion.

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Summary: IMAGINE BEING the only un-magical kid at Hogwarts. That’s how sixteen-year-old orphan Jaden Raines feels as he enters Azunya High. He struggles to fit in, but he’s really a fish out of water. The magical isle of Azunya, where paranormal policing agency B.O.O. is headquartered, is shocking to Jaden after having lived his entire life in the American Midwest. Back there, his classmates were freaks, geeks and gangstas. Here, his classmates are genies, witches, healers… A whole pantheon of beings and monsters. And worse yet, he’ll have to read The Old Man and the Sea. Again. Jaden might be the new kid in town, but he’s still a teen. It’s love at first sight with handsome skater-boy Stiltz. They have three things in common: neither is able to use magic, they’re both petrified of water, and, lucky for Jaden, they’re both gay. They should bond, but their relationship’s stormy from the start. To try to fit in, Jaden hides his powerless state, accidentally creating the myth that he’s the most powerful being of them all. But when the entire school demands a demonstration, what’s Jaden to do? New lies and cruel deceptions leave Jaden and Stiltz stranded at sea in the middle of a deadly tropical storm. In order to survive, the boys must spill their secrets. It’s sink or swim for our heroes. Only the truth can set them free. And keep them alive.

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Summary: Fresh out of college, Meike boarded a train for their new destination: volunteering on a small farm. Aside from dorming, it was the first time they’ve been miles away from home, and were looking forward to expanding their horizons and padding out their resume. Unfortunately for Meike, their train took a drastic detour, leaving them and a fellow passenger stranded in the world of Glasend. With nowhere to go but forward, Meike is determined to utilize their knowledge of botany, and eke out a living as an herbalist. Along the way, they encounter a colorful cast of characters, study magic, and tame wild beasts and monsters. Off The Beaten Path is a queer portal fantasy, and part of an ongoing web serial.

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Summary: Every story has a beginning…. Dragons. Angels fear them and demons follow them. Formidable beasts of incredible power, they fight each other to the death for dominance. But dwindling dragon numbers cause alarm among the angelic ranks. Surely when the dragons have finished killing each other, the victors will search elsewhere for conquest… maybe even the Upper Realm. Roland, an angelic artist of significant talent, doesn’t know what to believe. Part of him longs to see a dragon in person, and his peaceful life of contentment is wearing thin. He wants passion, desire, adventure, and love. He gets more than he bargained for when he and his sister are ambushed and captured by demons, and they bring him to a creature who surpasses Roland’s wildest imaginings. But the mighty dragon Asagoroth is not all that he seems. Something sparks between him and Roland. Something neither anticipated. Something that will shake the cosmos to its core. Note to readers: this is the second edition, fully revised and updated.

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Summary: Trystan is an unchosen angel—shunned by society, bullied, and without a future. In a hidden well, Trystan discovers a carving of a dragon, who were once the commanders of demons and now believed extinct. But Trystan learns the carving doesn’t depict an ordinary dragon. Stories tell that millennia ago, the great dragon Asagoroth and his demon army nearly conquered the three realms but was killed by the five elders. The powerful angels combined their life forces to cast a spell, sacrificing their lives. But history is full of falsehoods. The five elders only managed to imprison the dragon, and Asagoroth had cast his own spell—one of releasement. It only needs the blood of a certain angel to liberate him from his cage…. Asagoroth, enemy of angels, conqueror of realms, is free. But even as the angels prepare for war, the great dragon surprises them with an ultimatum: hand over the angel who awakened him or face annihilation. Note to readers: this is the second edition, fully revised and updated. The current audiobook is based on the first edition.

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Summary: The Scarlet Order vampires are on the run. Rudolfo de Cordoba has led most of the Scarlet Order vampires to a new home in Colorado where they can regroup and unlock new vampire powers. Alexandra and Drake have gone to New Orleans to continue their quest for lost Biblical writings when they learn the government's project to create super soldiers from vampires continues. Marcella and Roquelaure have traveled to the South of France to avoid trouble only to stumble upon a terrorist plot and an even more frightening means of quashing extremism. Meanwhile, Special Agent John Lassiter is on the trail of the Scarlet Order vampires. Will the vampires unlock their new gifts and save humanity from itself before Agent Lassiter catches up and ends the vampires' immortal existence? The only thing certain is that they'll learn truths about themselves and the universe we live in—and those truths will not leave them unscathed.

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Summary: Our Fruiting Bodies collects stories of old growth and fresh decay, of stubborn rebirth and the faint but nonimaginary paths connecting life and nonlife. From the sharp, sweet confessional of their Peter Pan-inspired “Awfully Big Adventure,” through the melting ambitextualities of “Just Us” — from the early, dizzy-eyed quest at the heart of “Looking for Lilith” through the newly unfurling tendrils that pierce the grounds of “I Being Young and Foolish” — Nisi Shawl’s search for the power of fiction’s truth puts pure, precious gifts right here, right in your hands, ripe and ready for reading. Advance Praise Nisi Shawl’s Our Fruiting Bodies is a wilderness of untamed magic to explore, ever changing underfoot, beauty thorned and fertile with meaning, nurtured by the most talented of keepers. Shawl trusts their readers to be attuned to the mysteries of the imagined, rather than sated by formula or convention. —Indrapramit Das, author of The Devourers

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Summary: Welcome to the Shifting Lands. Silluka was born with only one arm and could never practice the exacting motions to summon the favor of the gods. Caught stealing, she is forced to test her powers or be branded an outcast. She fails, and loses citizenship to her village. In a fit of desperation, Silluka tries to steal a badge of citizenship from a mysterious elder. But instead, Elder Quilqi shows Silluka a different path to gain the powers of the gods, aided by an octopus-like technological wizard who worships their own eldritch divinities. Time is short for training however, because a new island is speeding toward the coastal town, throwing deadly hurricanes and tidal waves before it, and threatening all who live there. Only the gods and godlike storm warriors protect the village from destruction, but all of them fail when a mysterious creature bursts through the wall. It's only one forerunner for a species of terrifying turtlemen: fast, deadly, and ready to invade the larger island. The village must flee inland before the invasion, while Silluka is weighed down by her outcast status and her brother’s failing abilities. To save herself, her family, and her village, Silluka must overcome stigma and self-doubt. She must learn the scope of the world outside her village. She must learn Physical Magic.

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Summary: Chloe’s first memory is of being carried hurriedly by Tashuhunka through sleeting rain with echoing blasts of thunder as an epic battle raged overhead. Tash, the only boy that wasn’t caught that night, raised her in secret as he also hid in the woods. She is devastated years later when he sends her to live with a family. She feels like she was orphaned twice. Now eighteen, Chloe is starting to hear things that other’s can’t. She feels drawn places she was warned about, and she dreams of boys...but there aren’t any boys in the realm - other than Tash. All the other boys were imprisoned by the witch who believes one of them is the emperor's heir and she wants that power. After the witch won the battle and imprisoned the boys, she cast a spell making everyone forget about them. Now, Chloe has seen the boys in visions. Her friends think she's imagining. Tash knows better. This is what he was afraid of. He tried to protect her from a perilous fate written in ancient prophecies, but as she comes of age, destiny propels her to solve the mysteries of the realm and free the boys. But, how? Magic doesn't work without dust, which is scarce now, and Chloe doesn't have superpowers. She's just a misfit, from the wrong side of the pond. Something inside drives her. She doesn't know she's being brave. She's just following her heart, and not thinking how scary it all is.

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Summary: 1915. Teddy Roosevelt is building an empire. Only Pancho Villa stands in his way. The American Expeditionary Force under the command of General "Black Jack" Pershing has invaded Northern Mexico. Pancho Villa leads his revolutionary army in a desperate raid against the American force only to be outflanked. Just as Pershing's airships prepare to deliver the death blow, Pancho Villa is transported to a parallel Earth where he finds an unexpected ally and the technology that might just turn defeat into victory. Revolution of Air and Rust is a stand-alone novella set in the Empires of Steam and Rust world created by Robert E. Vardeman and Stephen D. Sullivan. A story filled with military action, espionage and gadgetry that's sure to satisfy fans of steampunk and alternate history.

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Summary: RISE (noun / verb) Eight definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) An upward slope or movement 2) A beginning or origin 3) An increase in amount or number 4) An angry reaction 5) To take up arms 6) To return from death 7) To become heartened or elated 8) To exert oneself to meet a challenge Rise features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.