The Mythic Dream (Paperback)
An all-new anthology of eighteen classic myth retellings featuring an all-star lineup of award-winning and critically acclaimed writers.
Madeleine L’Engle once said, “When we lose our myths we lose our place in the universe.” The Mythic Dream gathers together eighteen stories that reclaim the myths that shaped our collective past, and use them to explore our present and future. From Hades and Persephone to Kali, from Loki to Inanna, this anthology explores retellings of myths across cultures and civilizations.
Featuring award-winning and critically acclaimed writers such as Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Rebecca Roanhorse, JY Yang, Alyssa Wong, Indrapramit Das, Carlos Hernandez, Sarah Gailey, Ann Leckie, John Chu, Urusla Vernon, Carmen Maria Machado, Stephen Graham Jones, Arkady Martine, Amal El-Mohtar, Jeffrey Ford, and more, The Mythic Dream is sure to become a new classic.
Madeleine L’Engle once said, “When we lose our myths we lose our place in the universe.” The Mythic Dream gathers together eighteen stories that reclaim the myths that shaped our collective past, and use them to explore our present and future. From Hades and Persephone to Kali, from Loki to Inanna, this anthology explores retellings of myths across cultures and civilizations.
Featuring award-winning and critically acclaimed writers such as Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Rebecca Roanhorse, JY Yang, Alyssa Wong, Indrapramit Das, Carlos Hernandez, Sarah Gailey, Ann Leckie, John Chu, Urusla Vernon, Carmen Maria Machado, Stephen Graham Jones, Arkady Martine, Amal El-Mohtar, Jeffrey Ford, and more, The Mythic Dream is sure to become a new classic.
Dominik Parisien is an editor, poet, and writer. He is the co-editor, with Navah Wolfe, of The Mythic Dream, Robots vs Fairies, and The Starlit Wood. Together their anthologies have won the Shirley Jackson Award and have been finalists for the World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Ignyte, and Locus Award. He also won the Hugo, British Fantasy, and Aurora Award for co-editing Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction with Elsa Sjunneson. His debut poetry collection Side Effects May Include Strangers was published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. Dominik is a disabled, bisexual French Canadian. He lives in Toronto.
Navah Wolfe is a Hugo Award–nominated editor at Saga Press and the coeditor of The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales and Mythic Dream, along with Dominik Parisien. She was previously an editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where she worked on many bestselling books, including some that have won awards such as the Printz Honor, The Pura Belpré Award, The Pen/Faulkner Award, The Stonewall Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Schneider Family Award.
Amal El-Mohtar is an award-winning author, editor, and critic. Her short story “Seasons of Glass and Iron” won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards and was a finalist for the World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Aurora, and Eugie Foster awards. She is the author of The Honey Month, a collection of poetry and prose written to the taste of twenty-eight different kinds of honey, and contributes criticism to NPR Books and The New York Times. Her fiction has most recently appeared on Tor and Uncanny Magazine, and in anthologies such as The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories and The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales. She is presently pursuing a PhD at Carleton University and teaches creative writing at the University of Ottawa. She can be found online at @Tithenai.
Sarah Gailey is an internationally published writer of fiction and nonfiction and a winner of the Hugo Award. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and The Boston Globe, and they are a regular contributor for Tor. Their most recent fiction credits include Fireside Fiction and Uncanny Magazine. Find out more at SarahGailey.com and find them on Twitter @GaileyFrey.
Kat Howard’s short fiction has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, anthologized in best of and annual best of collections, and performed on NPR. You can find it in her collection, A Cathedral of Myth and Bone. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Roses and Rot and the Alex Award–winning An Unkindness of Magicians. She is also one of the writers of the Books of Magic series, set in the Sandman Universe. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and you can find her on twitter at @KatWithSword.
Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
T. Kingfisher, also known as Ursula Vernon, is the author and illustrator of many projects, including the webcomic “Digger,” which won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story and the Mythopoeic Award. Her novelette “The Tomato Thief” won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, and her short story “Jackalope Wives” won the Nebula Award for Best Story. She is also the author of the bestselling Dragonbreath, and the Hamster Princess series of books for children. Find her online at RedWombatStudio.com.
Seanan McGuire is the author of Every Heart a Doorway, the October Daye urban fantasy series, the InCryptid series, and several other works, both standalone and in trilogies. She also writes darker fiction as Mira Grant. She was the winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2013 she became the first person ever to appear five times on the same Hugo ballot.
Rebecca Roanhorse is the New York Times bestselling author of Trail of Lightning, Storm of Locusts, Black Sun, and Star Wars: Resistance Reborn. She has won the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards for her fiction, and was the recipient of the 2018 Astounding Award for Best New Writer. She lives in New Mexico with her family.
Navah Wolfe is a Hugo Award–nominated editor at Saga Press and the coeditor of The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales and Mythic Dream, along with Dominik Parisien. She was previously an editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where she worked on many bestselling books, including some that have won awards such as the Printz Honor, The Pura Belpré Award, The Pen/Faulkner Award, The Stonewall Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Schneider Family Award.
Amal El-Mohtar is an award-winning author, editor, and critic. Her short story “Seasons of Glass and Iron” won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards and was a finalist for the World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Aurora, and Eugie Foster awards. She is the author of The Honey Month, a collection of poetry and prose written to the taste of twenty-eight different kinds of honey, and contributes criticism to NPR Books and The New York Times. Her fiction has most recently appeared on Tor and Uncanny Magazine, and in anthologies such as The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories and The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales. She is presently pursuing a PhD at Carleton University and teaches creative writing at the University of Ottawa. She can be found online at @Tithenai.
Sarah Gailey is an internationally published writer of fiction and nonfiction and a winner of the Hugo Award. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and The Boston Globe, and they are a regular contributor for Tor. Their most recent fiction credits include Fireside Fiction and Uncanny Magazine. Find out more at SarahGailey.com and find them on Twitter @GaileyFrey.
Kat Howard’s short fiction has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, anthologized in best of and annual best of collections, and performed on NPR. You can find it in her collection, A Cathedral of Myth and Bone. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Roses and Rot and the Alex Award–winning An Unkindness of Magicians. She is also one of the writers of the Books of Magic series, set in the Sandman Universe. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and you can find her on twitter at @KatWithSword.
Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
T. Kingfisher, also known as Ursula Vernon, is the author and illustrator of many projects, including the webcomic “Digger,” which won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story and the Mythopoeic Award. Her novelette “The Tomato Thief” won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, and her short story “Jackalope Wives” won the Nebula Award for Best Story. She is also the author of the bestselling Dragonbreath, and the Hamster Princess series of books for children. Find her online at RedWombatStudio.com.
Seanan McGuire is the author of Every Heart a Doorway, the October Daye urban fantasy series, the InCryptid series, and several other works, both standalone and in trilogies. She also writes darker fiction as Mira Grant. She was the winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2013 she became the first person ever to appear five times on the same Hugo ballot.
Rebecca Roanhorse is the New York Times bestselling author of Trail of Lightning, Storm of Locusts, Black Sun, and Star Wars: Resistance Reborn. She has won the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards for her fiction, and was the recipient of the 2018 Astounding Award for Best New Writer. She lives in New Mexico with her family.
“The all-original stories collected here provide a lively cross-section of current science-fiction and fantasy writers… It's a cliche to say there's something for everyone here, but in this surprisingly eclectic anthology there probably is.”
— Chicago Tribune, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
"These lively, action-packed, and emotional tales by the best writers in sf/fantasy allow readers to root for their favorite team or discover new pleasures in an unfamiliar genre...Exceptional storytelling and well-paced writing make this volume a total delight."
— Library Journal, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
"The stories range from hilarious to spine-tingling, and each one has its own enchanting qualities...This is a cinematic and well-paced collection and will please both science-fiction and fantasy readers with its variety. Team Robot or Team Fairy? Definitely both."
— Booklist, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
"The modern revival of fairy tale fiction for adults began in the 20th century (with the stories of Angela Carter and Tanith Lee), and The Starlit Wood is proof that the revival is still going strong. Editors Parisien and Wolfe have brought a wide range of writers together to blaze new trails through the dark of the woods. Whether you're passionate about fairy tales, like I am, or haven't read them since childhood, I recommend this excellent anthology. I simply loved it."
— Terri Windling, World Fantasy Award-winning editor of the Snow White, Blood Red series, on THE STARLIT WOOD
“A classy, smart, and entertaining volume of stories put together with consummate care—and featuring the best and most exciting fantasy writers working in the field today.”
— Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times-bestselling author of the Southern Reach trilogy, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"Lots of strange and wonderful goings-on in The Starlit Wood. Fairy tales you thought you’d left behind in childhood are back in some very poignant, sly and original versions that will touch the Wow in most readers."
— Jonathan Carroll, World Fantasy-Award winning author, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"This anthology is consistent throughout, with well-crafted writing and a tantalizing taste of each author’s unique journey into reimagining classic fairy tales for a new audience."
— Booklist, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"A great pick for readers looking for a fresh, diverse spin on standard fairy tales."
— Library Journal, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"A rich sample of what awaits us in the world of fairy tales...well worth making time to read."
— Publishers Weekly, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"The Starlit Wood, edited by Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe is one of the best fantasy compilations of the year."
— Locus Magazine, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"The table of contents alone reads like a who's who of fantasy authors...Highly recommended."
— F&SF, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"Clever, touching, frightening, funny and frequently surprising, The Starlit Wood shines with magical possibility."
— The Press Herald, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"The best original fantasy anthology of the year."
— Jonathan Strahan, World Fantasy and Locus Award-winning editor, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"Robots vs Fairies is the creature feature you didn’t know you wanted.”
— The Washington Post, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
“This eclectic, often subversive collection will appeal to fairy tale fans who want something new and different.”
— Publishers Weekly
— Chicago Tribune, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
"These lively, action-packed, and emotional tales by the best writers in sf/fantasy allow readers to root for their favorite team or discover new pleasures in an unfamiliar genre...Exceptional storytelling and well-paced writing make this volume a total delight."
— Library Journal, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
"The stories range from hilarious to spine-tingling, and each one has its own enchanting qualities...This is a cinematic and well-paced collection and will please both science-fiction and fantasy readers with its variety. Team Robot or Team Fairy? Definitely both."
— Booklist, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
"The modern revival of fairy tale fiction for adults began in the 20th century (with the stories of Angela Carter and Tanith Lee), and The Starlit Wood is proof that the revival is still going strong. Editors Parisien and Wolfe have brought a wide range of writers together to blaze new trails through the dark of the woods. Whether you're passionate about fairy tales, like I am, or haven't read them since childhood, I recommend this excellent anthology. I simply loved it."
— Terri Windling, World Fantasy Award-winning editor of the Snow White, Blood Red series, on THE STARLIT WOOD
“A classy, smart, and entertaining volume of stories put together with consummate care—and featuring the best and most exciting fantasy writers working in the field today.”
— Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times-bestselling author of the Southern Reach trilogy, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"Lots of strange and wonderful goings-on in The Starlit Wood. Fairy tales you thought you’d left behind in childhood are back in some very poignant, sly and original versions that will touch the Wow in most readers."
— Jonathan Carroll, World Fantasy-Award winning author, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"This anthology is consistent throughout, with well-crafted writing and a tantalizing taste of each author’s unique journey into reimagining classic fairy tales for a new audience."
— Booklist, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"A great pick for readers looking for a fresh, diverse spin on standard fairy tales."
— Library Journal, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"A rich sample of what awaits us in the world of fairy tales...well worth making time to read."
— Publishers Weekly, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"The Starlit Wood, edited by Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe is one of the best fantasy compilations of the year."
— Locus Magazine, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"The table of contents alone reads like a who's who of fantasy authors...Highly recommended."
— F&SF, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"Clever, touching, frightening, funny and frequently surprising, The Starlit Wood shines with magical possibility."
— The Press Herald, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"The best original fantasy anthology of the year."
— Jonathan Strahan, World Fantasy and Locus Award-winning editor, on THE STARLIT WOOD
"Robots vs Fairies is the creature feature you didn’t know you wanted.”
— The Washington Post, on ROBOTS VS FAIRIES
“This eclectic, often subversive collection will appeal to fairy tale fans who want something new and different.”
— Publishers Weekly