Alchemy changes more than dross into gold. It changes steampunk stories into stories of magical transformation. These thirteen stories combine science and magic into do-not-miss alternate history stories that span the globe. Travel with a soul-stealing carnival, meet the Grand Dangoolie, put on some perfect perfume, and sample some magical chocolate. These adventures grace the pages of the most creative volume of Fiction River yet.

Edited by Mercedes Lackey ... the voices of other authors add their own special touches to the ancient land where Heralds “Chosen” from all walks of life by magical horse-like Companions patrol their ancient kingdom, dispensing justice, facing adversaries, and protecting their monarch and country from whatever threatens. Trained rigorously by the Herald’s Collegium, these special protectors each have extraordinary Gifts: Mindspeaking, FarSeeing, FarSpeaking, Empathy, Firestarting and ForeSeeing, and are bonded for life with their mysterious Companions. Travel with these astounding adventurers in sixteen original stories.

What do trolleys, bananas, and impudent fairies have in common? A fairy hunter named Zola and her newest blind date: Milton B. Flannigan, III. Unfortunately, dear old Miltie isn't everything he's been made out to be. He's more. Then again, so is Zola. Find out just how wrong a date can go in this laugh-out-loud tale from the streets of San Francisco.

Everyone wants a little magic in their lives, don’t they? Everyone, that is, except the guy Gerold’s been sent to bring back to magic school. Can Gerold save the day and convince the cowboy to come back with him? Or are Gerold’s dreams of a post-elementary education as ephemeral as the cowboy’s magic?

From the eternal sea she rose – a tattered, lifeless husk – with but one solitary purpose: to take the soul of the one who condemned her.

When a harpy is assigned to torment a young girl, she finds out that being a nag isn’t as easy as it once was, especially since the innocent girl is in danger. A danger that coalesces when the father’s lust send both harpy and innocent tearing down a path only one of them can escape.

Wild magic and monsters. Who could ask for anything more?

All of Charlie’s plans for a high-flying future were about to become fish stew. He had to do something; he just didn’t know what . . .

Edited by Mercedes Lackey ...among Ms. Lackey's many novels, few are as critically-acclaimed and beloved as those of the Elemental Masters. The novels in this series are loosely based on classic fairy tales, and take place in a fantasy version of turn-of-the-century London, where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

When people embark on blind dates, they never quite know what they will find-and the dates in these mostly modern- day urban tales go far beyond the usual expectations.

Here, these 17 romantic hopefuls encounter surprise first dates with the likes of Zeus and William Shakespeare; Medusa wreaks havoc upon Internet predators; a woman is cursed to see the truth about her dates after drinking a little wine; and more.