Two women embark on a unforgettable quest that draws them into a world of dark gods and ancient magic in this sweeping fantasy debut inspired by the history and folklore of colonial South America.
Reina is desperate.
Stuck on the edges of society, Reina’s only hope lies in an invitation from a grandmother she’s never met. But the journey to her is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert disaster.
Attacked by creatures that stalk the mountains, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn—and keep—her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.
Eva Kesaré is unwanted.
Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries to be the perfect daughter, but Eva is hiding a secret: Magic calls to her.
Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet it’s hard to ignore power when it has always been denied you. Eva is walking a dangerous path. And in the end, she’ll become something she never imagined.
Born and raised in Venezuela, Gabriela Romero Lacruz now lives two-thousand miles from home, in the land of bayous and astronauts. She graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, and after a stint in Oil and Gas, decided to dedicate herself to the arts. She writes young adult and adult fantasy stories set in places that remind her of home, so in her mind she’s never too far from the beaches and mountains of Venezuela. She also scratches that ChemE itch with a science fiction or two. She illustrates as The Moonborn.
THERE IS NO REDEMPTION FOR BLACK ADAM. Or is there? As a war rages within the supreme ruler of Kahdaq, Black Adam is given a chance to head toward the light for good…but does he have what it takes to seize it? Plus: Ibac’s here and ready to brawl!
Story Christopher Priest Art José Luis Garcia-Lopez
Five miles off the South Carolina coast, Darden and Catherina are getting their promised forty acres, all of it undersea. Like every Black “mer,” they’ve been experimentally modified to adapt to their new subaquatic home—and have met with extreme resistance from white supremacists. Darden has an inspired plan for resolution. For both those on land and the webbed bottom-dwellers below, Darden is hoping to change the wave of the future.
Nisi Shawl’s 2043 … (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) is part of Black Stars, a multi-dimensional collection of speculative fiction from Black authors. Each story is a world much like our own. Read or listen to them in a single sitting.
Nisi Shawl is the award-winning author of Everfair and numerous short stories, which have appeared in such publications as Strange Horizons and Asimov’s Science Fiction, among many others. Last year, Nisi won the World Fantasy Award, the FIYAH Magazine IGNYTE Award, the British Fantasy Award, two Locus Awards, and the Brave New Words Award from Starburst magazine.
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With Curtis overseas and the heat closing in back in Dakota, Hardware’s associate-accomplice?-Tiffany faces a dangerous situation…and a difficult choice!
Written Brandon Thomas, Art Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz
