Starlings

"Exquisitely written feats of imagination, each one leaving an impression long after it's done."—Kelley Armstrong, bestselling author of Rituals . In this intimate first collection from award-winning novelist Jo Walton (Among Others, The King's Peace, Necessity) are captivating glimpses of her subtle myths and wholly reinvented realities. An ancient Eritrean coin uncovers the secrets of lovers and thieves. The magic mirror sees all but can do almost nothing. A search engine logically proceeds down the path of an existential crisis. Three Irish siblings thieve treasures with ingenuity, bad poetry, and the aid of the Queen of Cats. Through eclectic stories, intriguing vignettes, inspired poetry, and more, Walton soars with humans, machines, and more than a hint of magic. In Her First Collection, Award-winning Novelist Jo Walton Delivers Both Subtle Legends And Reinvented Realities. An Ancient Coin Cyber-spies On Lovers And Thieves. The Magic Mirror Sees All But Can Do Nothing. A Cloned Savior Solves A Fanatically-inspired Murder. Three Irish Siblings Thieve Treasures With Bad Poetry And The Aid Of The Queen Of Cats--back Cover. Starlings (a Poem) -- Fiction. Three Twilight Tales ; Jane Austen To Cassandra ; Unreliable Witness ; On The Wall ; The Panda Coin ; Remember The Allosaur ; Sleeper ; Relentlessly Mundane ; Escape To Other Worlds With Science Fiction ; Joyful And Triumphant: St. Zenobius And The Aliens ; Turnover ; At The Bottom Of The Garden ; Out Of It ; What A Piece Of Work ; Parable Lost ; What Would Sam Spade Do? ; Tradition ; What Joseph Felt ; The Need To Stay The Same ; A Burden Shared ; Three Shouts On A Hill (a Play) -- Poems. Dragon's Song ; Not In This Town ; Hades And Persephone ; The Death Of Petrarch ; Advice To Loki ; Ask To Embla ; Three Bears Norse ; Machiavelli And Prospero ; Cardenio ; Ten Years Ahead: Oracle Poem ; Pax In Forma Columba ; Translated From The Original ; Sleepless In New Orleans ; The Godzilla Sonnets ; Not A Bio For Wiscon: Jo Walton. Jo Walton. Starlings (a poem) -- Three twilight tales -- Jane Austen to Cassandra -- Unrealiable witness -- On the wall -- The panda coin -- Remember the allosaur -- Sleeper -- Relentlessly mundane -- Escape to other worlds with science fiction -- Joyful and triumphant: St. Zenobius and the aliens -- Turnover -- At the bottom of the garden -- Out of it -- What a piece of work -- Parable lost -- What would Sam Spade do? -- Tradition -- What Joseph felt -- The need to stay the same -- A burden shared -- Three shouts on a hill (a play) -- Dragon's song -- Not in this town -- Hades and Persephone -- The death of Petrarch -- Advice to Loki -- Ask to Embla -- Three bears Norse -- Michiavelli and Prospero -- Cardenio -- Ten years ahead: oracle poem -- Pax in Forma Columba -- Translated from the original -- Sleepless in New Orleans -- The Godzilla sonnets -- Not a bio for Wiscon: Jo Walton. "Starlings isn't really a short-story collection. It's something better: a written showreel, illustrating yet again that [Walton's] imagination stretches to the stars (or the starlings), and that she's endlessly inventive in finding new methods to express it."? NPR Books . An ancient coin cyber-spies on lovers and thieves. The magic mirror sees all but can do nothing. A cloned savior solves a fanatically-inspired murder. Three Irish siblings thieve treasures with bad poetry and the aid of the Queen of Cats. With these captivating initial glimpses into her storytelling psyche, Jo Walton shines through subtle myths and reinvented realities. Through eclectic stories, subtle vignettes, inspired poetry, and more, Walton soars with humans, machines, and magic?rising from the every day into the universe itself "In her first collection, award-winning novelist Jo Walton delivers both subtle legends and reinvented realities. An ancient coin cyber-spies on lovers and thieves. The magic mirror sees all but can do nothing. A cloned savior solves a fanatically-inspired murder. Three Irish siblings thieve treasures with bad poetry and the aid of the Queen of Cats"--Résumé de l'éditeur