Who was Sorahb? Stories are told of a hero who will come to Farsala's aid when the need is greatest. But for thousands of years the prosperous land of Farsala has felt no such need, as it has enjoyed the peace that comes from being both feared and respected. Now a new enemy approaches Farsala's borders, one that neither fears nor respects its name and legend. But the rulers of Farsala still believe that they can beat any opponent. Three young people...

Sampling high and low culture to create highly original fictional worlds, Letham's stories are as off-beat as they are poignant.

"Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction--if they don't kill each other first"-- Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone:...

"A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained...

Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields. The girl doesn't remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she's from the Dragonfly Territories and that she's protected by the king. Which means a reward for piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket...

A collection of six short stories imagines future lands with new technologies and beings, where in spite of advanced capabilities, people still must confront deeply human problems.

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than dragon...

Austar IV doesn't have a lot going for it. A metal-poor desert planet in a far-off system, it was originally used by Earth as a dumping ground for convicts. Yet, while its plant and animal life are limited, Austar does have one notable feature: its dragons. Warm-blooded, light-boned creatures, Austarian dragons can fly and survive the killing cold of the desert nights. Nearly extinct when the convicts arrive, they were brought back by careful breeding,...

Ender Wiggin, the young military genius, discovers that a second alien war is inevitable and that he must dismiss his fears to make peace with humanity's strange new brothers. "Three thousand planet-bound years have fled since Edgar Wiggin won Earth's war with the Formics by totally destroying them. Ender remains young, traveling constantly at relativistic speeds. In three thousand years, the Hive Queen and the Hegemon have become holy writ, and...

Elloren Gardner is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph, or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction. Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to Commander Lukas Grey. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel, the holder of the all-consuming...