#commission Kel! they’re great!

[wonder-kid-pugh]

Damn Aussies - (Christen Press x reader)

Y/n's Pov

"Cmon almost there" I grunt as I stretch to reach the cereal from the top shelf. Normally I would have gotten it easily but it makes it significantly harder when your also trying to balance on one foot. I almost have it when someone screams behind me

"Y/n!"

The scare causes me to stumble and put pressure on my other foot which chases me to cry out in pain. I lean after the counter top and bit my lip trying to distract myself from the pain. Before I know it I'm picked up and carried over to the couch. I already know I'm in for it so when I open my eyes and I put on my "cute and innocent" smile as she likes to call it, "Hey Chris". She rolls her eyes and doesn't budge as she crosses her arms narrows her eyes at me, "That doesn't work on me Y/n. What were you doing you know you can't walk without your crutches!".

A few months ago we were playing a friendly against Australia. We were winning, both Christen and I had scored and I was playing with my girlfriend. Everything was going great until it wasn't. I was about to cross the ball over to Tobin when Kerr came sliding in.

Right into my ankle

Well long story short, she fucked up my ankle pretty bad. So I'm out for a while. But on the bright side I get to stay with my amazing caring girlfriend as long as I keep up my recovery. "I don't like my crutches Chris and technically I didn't walk.... I hopped to the kitchen" I whine and finish with a cheeky grin. But that still doesn't waver her glare, "Still Y/n you could have called me and I would have gotten it for you". "I didn't want to bother you. You were getting ready for training" I pout. Christen's gaze softens as she crouches in front of me and takes my hands in hers, "Look Y/n, I know you hate being injured and not being able to do stuff yourself right now. But you need to allow your ankle to heal or else you could be out for even longer. And you are never a bother to me Y/n. Ever" she chided as she kisses my knuckles.

"I know I'm sorry" I apologized kissing her forehead and hugging her. We stay like that for a few minutes before she gets up, "Seeing as you can't be trusted to stay off your foot when your alone. You get to come with me to training". "Chrisss I don't want to go!" I whine. "Should have thought about that before you "hopped" to the kitchen" she argues. She hands me my crutches and I groan as I pull myself off the crouch and take the crutches off her. She grabs her last few things for practice before helping me in the car. She stops and gets me food seeing as I didn't end up getting my cereal.

We were a few minutes early when we pulled up to the training pitch. Again she helps me out I the car before I slowly make my way in. As we walk in it looks like most of the team was already there. It seemed like Kelley was the first to see us, "Y/n!". She runs towards us and picks me up spinning me around. Kelley, Christen and I all went to Stanford. Kelley was the one who kept pestering us until we eventually got together. She's insane but also my best friend. "Hey Kels" I laugh. "Be careful with her ankle!" Christen calls. But Kelley just shifts me so I'm on her back as she piggybacks be over to the rest of the girls. "Hey Y/n" Becky says as Kelley sets me down in the bench beside the Royals captain. "Hey Becks". "How's the ankle?" She questions. I shrug, "Getting there". "Why are you here? You usually stay at home when Pressy comes to training" Kelley asks. Christen answers before I could, "Well someone doesn't like to use their crutches and now they're here".

I cross my arms, "Just expose your girlfriend like that. That's nice". That sets Becky on me, "You need to use your crutches Y/n! Or else it will take longer to heal!". I hold my hands up in the surrender sign, "I know I know! I swear I'll use my crutches from now on". "Good I need my prank buddy back for camp as soon as possible" Kelley says fully serious which causes me to smile and nod. Soon the Royals coach came out to start training. Right before they start though they turn to me, "How do we know your not going to run off and tell the Thorns our plays?" Christen walks over to us, "Trust me she won't". I smirk up at my speedy forward, "How did you know that?". She just shrugs and start to walk onto the pitch, "That's fine just know if I hear you telling Tobin or any of the Thorns any of our plays, you get no cuddles for a year". My eyes widen. Her cuddles are the best and she doesn't mess around, "Woah woah! No need for such drastic measures! I'll be good. I'll be good!" She walks around not before I see a wide smirk on her face as I hear Kelley laughing her ass off, "Your so whipped!" "Shut up Squirrel!".

I watched their training, well I mostly just watched Chris. As much as I hate watching instead of playing, I loved to watch her play she always looked so happy and free. The session was short and light seeing as they had a match against the Red Stars tonight. When practice came to an end all the girls either sat on one of the benches or on the ground. Christen was the last over as she was talking with her coach. As there was no more room on the bench she plopped down on the ground in-between my legs laying her head on my right leg. I absent mindedly ran my fingers through her head and hug her from behind, "You played great. Red Stars better watch out tonight". "Thanks Y/n/n" she whispers as she cuddles my leg.

The team goes and has lunch together and just chats to each other killing the time before the game. Finally it's time for the game and it was decided that I would stay with the team as they didn't want fans to mob me in the seats. So I was walking out to the royals dug out when I was stopped, "Hey L/n wait up!". I hear the sound of cleats on concrete. I turn and see Sam Kerr jogging up to me. I raise an eyebrow at the Aussie, "Yeah?". "I just wanted to say sorry about your ankle. It was a reckless and stupid tackle and it shouldn't of happened" she apologizes. I nod, "It's okay these things happen. You were just caught up in the game. It happens to the best of us". She lets out a sigh of relief, "Yeah well I better get out there". "Yeah good luck. You'll need it" I smirk. "Ha, I'll see you after the game L/n". And with that she runs onto the field. Before I can even move I feel an arm slip around my waist, "What did she want?" I turn my head and see my girlfriend glaring at the back of Kerr. I shrug, "She just said sorry for the tackle and my ankle". "She should be" she growls. I raise an eyebrow at her and kiss her temple, "Well I better get to the bench and you better get warmed up. Good luck. Kick some ass for me!".

The game went well Chris scored some absolute screamers. Although Kerr caused a lot of problems for the Royals but between Becky and Kelley they were able to deny she a lot of chances. Which was a big factor in the Royals victory. When the match was over all the girls went to go talk to fans. I smile as I watch Chris talk to a group of little girls, smiling and laughed with them. I was about to join her when I was stopped again by the Austrian native, "Hey L/n". "Hey good game, told you you would need it" I smirk. She laughs, "Yeah I guess you did. Look I've hear you were thinking about the W League before you got injured. I'm just saying it would be amazing if you were to sign with a team down there during the off season". I furry my eyebrows together, "Well I was thinking of going down under before someone decided to out me out of commission for a while". "I said I was sorry!" She whines. I laugh, "I'm joking, but yeah I don't know I was only thinking about it". "Well if you ever decide you want to or even find yourself down there sometime, shoot me a text. I would love to show you around" she says. I think for a minute before nodding, "Yeah sure". And with that I head towards Christen and the girls. When I reach them I go to give Christen a peck but she dodges and I end up hitting her cheek. I look at her confused but she wouldn't look straight at me. She quickly retreats to the locker room to get changed while I turn to Becky and Kelley, "What did I do?". They both shrug before following Christen to the dressing room.

I wait outside the locker room waiting for Christen leaning up against the wall. After a while she comes out but doesn't really acknowledge me. Still confused I crutch after her following her to the car. The drive compared to this morning's is silent. The only noise in the car was coming from the radio. Again when we park she goes in without me and by the time I get in I can already hear the shower running. I decided to leave her alone for a while and just watch TV. I give her about an hour before I decide I have to talk to her. I struggle to make my way upstairs but when I do I make my way into our bedroom. When I get in she just looks up from her phone and then continues on her phone. I sigh as I sit on the bed, "Did I do something wrong?" She just scoffs not looking up from her phone.

I roll my eyes and snatch her phone from her hand and putting it in my pocket, "Hey!" "Cmon we need to talk about why are aren't talking to me!" I say meeting her eye. She just crosses her arms, "Why don't you go ask Sam?" I just furry my eyebrows together, "What?!" "Well she seemed to be talking to you a lot at the match" Chris bites. I shake my head, "She was just apologizing for the tackle Chris I told you that". "And offering to show you around Australia! Come on Y/n were was clearly flirting with you!" Christen shouts standing up from the bed. "Chris it wasn't like that!" I try to calm her down.

She didn't usually get like this but when she does she can be lethal

"So you weren't thinking about leaving to go play in Australia" she challenged. My face clearly drops because we both know the answer. She scoff and walked out of the room. "Christen wait!" I call after her. I couldn't reach my crutches but I wasn't about to let her leave without her knowing how much I love her. I hop my way out of the room but it doesn't exactly work out as I accidentally hit my ankle. I collapse in a heap on the ground with a loud this screwing my eyes shut, "Shit". I can hear Christen kneel beside me, "Idiot. Stop walking around without your crutches". She tries to look at my ankle but I grab both of her hands and look at her with tears in my eyes, whether it was from the fight or the pain I didn't care, "I wasn't about to let you walk away like that". She sighs before leaning me against the wall, "It was still dumb. You'll prolong your injury if you keep doing it. Or making it way worst". I shake my head, "I don't care. Hell I don't care if I could never play soccer again. But I won't-I can't lose you Christen. I need you". She stops what she's doing at looks at me giving me her full attention. "Look yes I was thinking about joining the W-league after hearing about Sonnett's experience of it. But then I realised that I would be away from you and I didn't want that anymore. I don't want to be away from you anymore. That's why I put in a trade to the Royals". "You did what?!" She gasps. I've been with the Thorns for years. It had become my home and once I had settled down there I knew that Portland would be where I was stay for a long time. I never expected to leave there and thought I would be there when I retired.

I guess I was wrong

"Y/n you've been with them for years. The Thorns is your life" christen protests. "Chris I love you with my entire being. And I know the distance kills both of us at times and I know the reason was because neither one of us wanted to move. But Christen I can't live without you. I need you in my life. The Thorns may have been my life but your my entire world Christen". At this point Christen had tears in her eyes as well as she slipped her hand into mine whispering a small "I'm sorry". I pull her into a gentle hug, "It's okay my love. You have nothing to worry about. Kerr has nothing on you". "Damn Aussie" I hear her mutter into my shoulder. I laugh as we both sit on the floor, her curled into my side as I trace patterns on her back. If anyone where to see us they would think we were mad.

But there was no where I rather be.

Heyyy! This one is slightly longer than usual but I think it turned out all right. Maybe? I don't know... Anyway I hoped you enjoyed. Feel free to comment/message to send in ideas for imagines. Honestly I was thinking of doing a Sophia Smith imagine but because I don't know much about her it would kinda be guess work. What do you think comment if you want to see that. Anyways until next time, bye!

#christen press #christen press x reader #christen press imagines #christen press imagine #uswnt woso #uswnt imagines #uswnt imagine #uswntsoccer #uswnt fic #uswnt #uswnt x reader #kelley o'hara #sam kerr #becky sauerbrunn #utah royals #USWNT #Tobin Heath #injured

[heroineimages]

Queens, ships, and a bastard niece

Queen Sita of Illara is another character I’ve introduced in a few scenes who I look forward to using more extensively later in First Empress. Sita is a former colleague of Queen Viarra’s father and grandfather, and is hegemon of the second most powerful empire on the Vestic Sea. Her land army is nearly twice the size of Queen Viarra’s and (counting privateers) her fleet is possibly five times Viarra’s. Sita is currently locked in a stalemate with the Empire of Pellastor that fluctuates back and forth between cold-war status and open warfare. 

The initial conflict between Viarra and Sita is basically that Sita would love to drag Viarra’s army into the conflict with Pellastor, while Viarra would much prefer to remain entirely neutral in said conflict. Thus instead Sita has to content herself with distracting her enemy with phantom threats from Viarra’s direction. In the following scene, Sita visits Viarra, offering the gift of a quinquereme, a new type of warship that Vi’s shipwrights have never had access to before. While on the surface it comes across as a generous gift, its true intent is to make Pellastor see a phantom alliance between Sita and our protagonist. 

Elissa found herself staring in awe as the largest warship she’d ever seen rowed into the harbor of Kel Fimmaril, taller, wider, and longer than the pair of triremes escorting it. She could tell her awe was shared by everyone present as Queen Viarra’s entourage made their way to the harbor area.

“I’d heard about these ‘quinqueremes,’” General Derron commented. “But my understanding was that only Pellastor knew how to build them—that their construction was a closely-guarded secret. Clearly Queen Sita’s people managed to capture one and reverse engineer it.”

“What do you think: a hundred and fifty feet to the trireme’s hundred and twenty?” Ronnius speculated.

“I’d say all of that,” Derron agreed. “The deck looks to be at least thirty feet wide, and I count three tiers of around thirty oars on each side. From what I understand, the top two tiers have two rowers per oar.”

“Ferra’s breath,” Ronnius swore, “so we’re talking as many as three hundred rowers per ship, plus deck crew and marines. That can’t be cheap to keep afloat.”

“They don’t have a full complement of marines,” Queen Viarra observed.

Derron frowned as their delegation stopped up the beach. “You’re right,” he agreed, turning to her majesty. “They could carry as many as six-score hoplites between the three ships, but that doesn’t look like even eighty. Why would Sita travel with diminished security?”

“Because they’re not planning to return home with the quinquereme,” Queen Viarra answered. “I suspect she means it as a gift.”

“The intent of which is probably to spite Pellastor,” was Ronnius’s comment.

“Or at least make them nervous,” Viarra agreed. “Andivel’s navy is less than a quarter the size of Illara’s and possibly as small as a tenth the size of Pellastor’s. Even so, Emperor Orvandius is scared shitless of the possibility that we might ally ourselves with Illara and attack his empire from the north while Sita hits him from the west. Beginning production of our own quinqueremes would increase that paranoia a dozen-fold. Yet at the same time, we’d be stupid to not commission quniqueremes of our own to enhance our navy.”

“Sita was always a shrewd politician,” Derron nodded as the quinquereme’s crew beached the huge dreadnought along an empty stretch of sand. “She’s a consummate manipulator and has been the power behind the throne of Illara for twenty-odd years; she’s in a class of her own when it comes to getting into her enemies’ heads.”

“Or her allies’,” Queen Viarra added grimly.

The triremes waited until the larger ship was secured before beaching on either side of it. A pair of sailors lowered a ramp from the side of the quinquereme, allowing Queen Sita’s entourage to disembark. First came her honor guard, twelve swarthy Illaran men and women in black armor with crimson capes and plumes. Next came Queen Sita of Illara and her servants and entourage, including at least one woman who Elissa recognized as one of the Illaran princesses.

Queen Sita had aged well, to Elissa’s estimation. The grey in her dark hair gave her a distinguished look, and she had excellent curves for a woman in her forties who’d borne eight children. Or was it just seven? Elissa couldn’t remember. The Illaran queen wore an elegant dark blue dress with a violet shoulder cloak.

“Viarra, my darling, it’s been far too long,” Queen Sita hailed, striding forward to embrace her fellow monarch.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, dear Sita,” Queen Viarra laughed in return. The queens held each other fondly for a long moment before stepping back.

“By Nyrus’s teeth, you look so grown up, dear,” the Illaran queen said appraisingly. “You were what, ten years old last we met?”

“All of that,” Viarra smiled.

“I was sorely grieved to learn of your brothers’ murders,” Sita told her, voice quieting, “as well as your father’s death, for that matter. I may not have always agreed with his administrative policies, but I know he believed he was doing what was best for his people.”

“Thank you for your condolences, your majesty,” Viarra replied somberly. She turned to her retinue. “You remember General Derron of course,” her majesty introduced the commander of her island forces.

“Of course I remember the old flirt,” Sita smiled, stepping up to embrace the grizzled general. “You’re looking well, all things considered,” she said as she stepped back. “Where is that Verleki woman you married? How is she holding up?”

“Wonderful to see you again, your majesty,” Derron bowed. “Vola is doing well, despite a leg injury that didn’t heal properly. At the moment she’s on the mainland working on expanding and integrating our hegemony’s cavalry troops.”

Sita nodded appreciatively.

“This is Ronnius, my second in command and Steward of Kel Fimmaril when I’m away,” Viarra introduced next.

“Majesty,” Ronnius bowed.

“Steward,” Sita nodded in return.

Viarra turned to introduce Elissa next. “You may remember Elissa, my handmaid and now concubine.”

“No doubt there’s an interesting anecdote behind that,” Queen Sita smiled lopsidedly. “It’s lovely to see you again, my dear.”

Elissa curtsied, feeling herself blush.

“And my more recent handmaids, Naddie and Gwynnet.”

“Ladies,” the older queen nodded to each in return.

“And, lastly, I’d like you to meet Princess Juda of Valos.”

Queen Sita barked out a laugh—a surprising breach in her silky demeanor. “By Nyrus, that’s delightful. What did dear Xafod do that you need to keep his daughter under wraps?”

“He bankrolled several small privateer task groups operating within my territorial waters,” the younger queen explained, “claiming blackmail as his motivation.”

Sita looked surprised. “Do you believe him?” she asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Queen Sita laughed again. Princess Juda fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Not to worry, dear,” the older queen reassured the princess. “I’m sure your father is wise enough to not cross Queen Viarraluca again.” She patted the girl on the cheek briefly.

“Queen Viarra, my dear,” she continued, taking Queen Viarra’s hands, “my purpose for visiting is twofold. Firstly, I wanted to express my gratitude. You may not realize it, but you did my people a great turn by overthrowing the Tetrarchy of Andivel. My enemies in Pellastor were using the payments from Andivel to buy privateers to counter the privateers I hired to harass their supply lanes. Though inadvertent, it was your intervention that forced Orvandius to sue for peace last summer. And for that I wished to repay you in kind.” Sita turned and gestured dramatically at the dreadnought beached before them. “As a token of my thanks, I present the Myrmidonian Harpe, one of the newest quinqueremes from the shipyards at Descal. She is yours to do with as you wish.”

“She’s magnificent,” Queen Viarra smiled, appraising the great warship and doing an excellent job at acting surprised. “She’ll make a fine flagship, thank you, your majesty. I’ll have to ask your captain to take us on a full tour later—and I very much look forward to seeing what she can do on the open sea.”

“I’m sure you’ll know exactly how best to integrate her into your fleet,” Sita told her. “Secondly, I wanted to introduce you to someone very important,” she continued. “Landra, bring Tila here, please. You remember my daughter Landra, of course.”

“Of course,” Viarra said as the Illaran princess led forward a young girl with golden-brown hair. “I’m pleased to see you again, your highness.”

“You as well, your majesty,” Landra replied, her civil tone nearly masking her annoyance at having to be here at all. The shy-looking girl with her looked to be about seven or eight years old, with light green eyes and facial features that seemed eerily familiar to Elissa.

“Come here, darling,” Queen Sita commanded gently, taking the small girl by the hand and leading her before their hostess. “Viarra, my dear, I want you to meet my granddaughter Tila, daughter of Landra and your brother Arrol.” Elissa gasped at the revelation, placing a hand to her mouth. She could tell her shock was shared by the others present. “Tila, say ‘hello’ to your aunt Viarra.”

“Hello, your majesty,” the girl said, blushing as Queen Viarra knelt before her. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”

“And I’m very pleased to meet you, Tila,” Queen Viarra said in return, embracing her niece with tears in her eyes. “I hope we get to know each other very well during your visit.”

Elissa just covered her mouth, feeling stunned. The little Princess Tila looked hauntingly like the late King Arrol: similar facial features and identical shade of golden-brown hair. There’d been rumors that Arrol had seduced Princess Landra during Sita’s visit eight years ago—though Viarra had always suspected it was the other way around—and Elissa vaguely remembered hearing that Landra ended up pregnant not long after. But she’d never heard if there were efforts to confirm those rumors.

Looking down at the pretty little princess in Queen Viarra’s arms, Elissa felt no doubts that she was Arrol’s daughter. She could only imagine the joy and wonderment her beloved queen must be feeling at the moment.

#my writing #my novel #First Empress #Queen Viarra #Queen Sita #General Derron #Steward Ronnius #Handmaiden Elissa #Handmaid Naddie #Princess Juda #excerpts

[spynotebook]

Detail from the cover of The Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

It’s June! The days are longer, the nights are warmer, and the amount of new science fiction and fantasy books that will soon be available is truly mind-blowing. Read on to find out about more than 30 great new titles, coming out over the next 30 days!

Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien

Editor Christopher Tolkien draws out a key love story from his father’s The Silmarillion, exploring how the tale changed over the years by placing it within different contexts as it evolved. The book features artwork by Alan Lee, who also illustrated The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and shared a Best Art Direction Oscar for Return of the King. (June 1)

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Valerian: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 by Pierre Christin (author) and Jean-Claude Mézières (artist)

Luc Besson’s big-screen adaptation of this much-loved French comic series arrives July 21; get a head start with this first collected volume, which compiles books one and two (The City of Shifting Waters and The Empire of a Thousand Planets), as well as the first-ever English translation of book zero (Bad Dreams). It also contains a new interview with Besson and a sneak peek at his upcoming movie. (June 1)

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All Good Things by Emma Newman

The author (Planetfall, Between Two Thorns) wraps up her Split Worlds urban fantasy saga with this fifth entry in the series. (June 6)

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Grim Expectations by K.W. Jeter

The author, who coined the phrase “steampunk,” marks 30 years of the genre with a new George Dower tale, a sequel to Infernal Devices. (June 6)

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The Kill Society by Richard Kadrey

Kadrey’s ninth Sandman Slim book sends the supernatural drifter to Tenebrae, the land of the lost dead, where he takes up with a gang of damned souls while dodging a pack of bounty-hunting angels. (June 6)

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The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente

Female superheroes, and wives and girlfriends of superheroes—forever being kidnapped by villains, or simply being shoved into the background until the plot requires their presence—finally raise their voices in this collection of linked stories. (June 6)

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The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 Edition edited by Rich Horton

This new collection contains 30 stories curated from publications like Asimov’s and Lightspeed, written by acclaimed authors like Kameron Hurley, Genevieve Valentine, Steven Barnes, and io9 co-founder Charlie Jane Anders. (June 6)

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The Black Elfstone: The Fall of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Brooks finishes out his popular Shannara fantasy series after 40 years with this final installment. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Brooks described it as “a gift back to the readers for sticking with me for this much time.” (June 13)

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Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

McGuire’s magical Wayward Children series continues with this follow-up to the acclaimed Every Heart a Doorway, though this new entry is described as a standalone story. (June 13)

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Fata Morgana by Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney

The crew of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress faces another kind of dangerous adventure entirely when they’re knocked from a World War II battle into a strange and unfamiliar parallel world. (June 13)

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Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson

This tale explores the strangely interwoven lives and experiences of three women in three very different places and times: post-World War I England; Dust Bowl-era Oklahoma; and the Midwest, circa 2065. I’ll leave you to guess which era’s characters is planning to move to Mars. (June 13)

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Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

The author follows up Ninefox Gambit with the further adventures of Captain Kel Cheris, possessed by a centuries-old general who is both brilliant and psychotic, and is wreaking havoc on both the rebellion in their midst and an impending enemy invasion. (June 13)

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The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.: A Novel by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland

“D.O.D.O” is code for the top-secret “Department of Diachronic Operations,” and this thriller involves military intelligence, time travel, linguistics, and 19th-century magic, co-written by the acclaimed author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and more. (June 13)

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Soleri by Michael Johnson

This first book in a brand-new epic fantasy series draws inspiration from both ancient Egyptian history and King Lear. (June 13)

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The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett

A space traveler values her solitude above all else until she learns that the overcrowded Earth she left behind has been decimated by a deadly virus. Joining a scrappy group of survivors, she begins the long journey home, not sure what she’ll find or who she’ll have to become. (June 13)

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The Asylum of Doctor Caligari by James Morrow

In 1914, a young painter scores a job as an art therapist at a European asylum—a plum gig until he realizes the asylum’s director is into the very, very dark arts. (June 20)

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A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden

A mythical monster who is the last of his kind emerges into a changed world hellbent on vengeance, but realizes he will have to tread carefully in the battle of old versus new to get what he desires. (June 20)

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Indigo by Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Kelley Armstrong, Jonathan Maberry, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Tim Lebbon, Cherie Priest, James Moore, and Mark Morris

A collaborative work about a woman in New York City who’s an investigative reporter by day, and a superpowered vigilante by night. Both parts of her lives have her focusing on a single goal: nabbing a cult that’s been ruthlessly murdering children. But what role does her own mysterious past play in this vigilante saga? (June 20)

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Kangaroo Too by Curtis C. Chen

The author follows up Waypoint Kangaroo with another tale about the secret agent. This time, spacecraft sabotage leads him to the moon, where his search for information is compromised when his partner is arrested and a terror attack wreaks havoc on the moon’s booming tourist industry. (June 20)

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The Management Style of the Supreme Beings by Tom Holt

In this comedic fantasy, the Supreme Being and his son decide they’re ready to move on—and their successors make all kinds of radical changes, including doing away with the ideas of “good” and “evil.” Will an old god (who still very much believes in “naughty” and “nice”) come out of retirement to take charge? (June 20)

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Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

In this horror novella, a 15-year-old follows what he thinks is the ghost of his father into the mysterious depths of his family home. (June 20)

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Other Arms Reach Out to Me: Georgia Stories by Michael Bishop

This collection of Georgia-set and Georgia-centric tales includes the author’s Nebula-nominated novelette, “Rattlesnakes and Men.” (June 20)

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Shattered Minds by Laura Lam

In this sequel to False Hearts, erstwhile biohacker Carina has become addicted to a drug that keeps her in a constantly dark, dreamlike state—until she realizes she’s receiving transmissions sent by an old co-worker who was murdered by her sinister former employer. (June 20)

$18

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The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

Women from horror and scifi literary classics—including Mary Jekyll, Justine Frankenstein, Beatrice Rappaccini, and others—come together to solve a murder mystery, while investigating their own murky pasts. Sherlock Holmes also makes a cameo. (June 20)

$17

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Transformation by James Gunn

The veteran author (who is not the same person as the Guardians of the Galaxy director) continues the space opera he began with Transcendental, as its enhanced-human heroes are sent to investigate a mysterious enemy that threatens planets at the edge of their realm. (June 20)

$18

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The Fatal Gate by Ian Irvine

The author follows up The Summon Stone with another epic fantasy tale set in the same universe as his View From the Mirror series. (June 27)

$17

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Seven Stones to Stand or Fall: A Collection of Outlander Fiction by Diana Gabaldon

The popular Starz TV adaptation of Gabaldon’s Outlander series isn’t returning until the fall, so get your fix with this collection of short stories featuring its characters, including a zombie-themed tale and two never-before-published novellas. (June 27)

$19

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Soul of the World by David Mealing

A new fantasy trilogy kicks off with this story of three magical heroes in the making, set against the chaotic backdrop of a city on the brink of revolution. (June 27)

$10

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Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory

In this comedic novel, a con man and a psychic fall in love and take their act on the road—until a tragedy changes their lives forever. But all is not lost as their son begins to realize he’s inherited a very special combination of his parents’ talents. (June 27)

$18

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Twelve Days: A Novel by Steven Barnes

A troubled soldier and a struggling family make a strange discovery while attending an unusual martial arts demonstration—and realize they may be uniquely equipped to help prevent the impending apocalypse. (June 27)

$18

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The Waking Land by Callie Bates

In this debut fantasy novel, a young woman is wrongfully accused of killing the king who raised her like a daughter. When she flees to her magical homeland, she begins to discover her own long-hidden powers. (June 27)

$20

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The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams

The Dragonbone Chair author Williams begins Last King of Osten Ard, a new sequel trilogy, with this tale set 30 years after his earlier novels. Once again, the realm is divided by opposing forces—and an ancient race of elves is plotting to rise up and retake the lands they once ruled. (June 27)

$20

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The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

Ghost-hunting cop Peter Grant and his motley crew of associates return in this new novella to figure out who or what is haunting the London Underground—and why. (June 30)

$25

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