Synopses & Reviews
The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is a symbol not of the end, but of transformation and rebirth. This is the genesis and root of
Thirteen: Stories of Transformation. The twenty-eight authors of this collection are voicesnew and oldwho are not afraid to explore what comes next. Whether it be a life after death, a life without love, a life filled with hunger, or the life shared by a ghost. These are stories of the weird, the mythic, the fantastic, the futuristic, the supernatural, and the horrific.
The ghosts of the past have been eaten by the children of the future: this endless cycle of birth, death, and renewal is the magic of thirteen.
Do not fear change. Embrace it. Let Thirteen be the handbook for the new you.
With stories from:
Liz Argall
M. David Blake
Richard Bowes
George Cotronis
Amanda C. Davis
Julie C. Day
Jetse de Vries
Jennifer Giesbrecht
Daryl Gregory
Rik Hoskin
Rebecca Kuder
Claude Lalumière
Marc Levinthal
Grá Linnaea
Alex Dally MacFarlane
Juli Mallett
Lyn McConchie
Fiona Moore
Gregory L. Norris
Adrienne J. Odasso
Cat Rambo
Andrew Penn Romine
David Tallerman
Tais Teng
Richard Thomas
Fran Wilde
A. C. Wise
Christie Yant
Synopsis
Thirteen” is the first month of a new yearly cycle, wherein the old skins have been shed and the newborns are still learning to walk. One” and Three” make Four,” which is the number of completion, of coming home, and of realizing the form that has been in process for some time. Nothing is true; everything is possible. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. The thirteenth tarot card is Death, and he is the symbol of transformation and rebirth. This is the genesis and root of XIII, an anthology of original stories that are myths reforged in the furnace of the new millennium. These are tales to be told around the campfire, under the broad canopy of the stars; these are homilies to be read from the pulpit of the church. The ghosts of the past have been eaten by the children of the future: this endless cycle of birth, death, and renewal is XIII.
About the Author
Mark Teppo is the author of nearly a dozen novels including
The Potemkin Mosaic,
Lightbreaker,
Heartland, and
Earth Thirst. His works constantly challenges genre boundariesfrom restyling urban fantasy as occult noir, to rebuilding the vampire trope as the basis of a 21st century eco-thriller, to re-invigorating the pulp adventure tale with a healthy dose of historical martial arts expertise.
He was the showrunner for The Foreworld Saga during its first season and was the head writer on The Mongoliad Cycle. He is the founder and publisher of Resurrection House, an independent publishing company which embodies a fierce affection for the printed book. He is a synthesist, a trouble-shooter (and -maker), a cat herder, and an idea man. His favorite Tarot card is the Moon.
Table of Contents
The alphabetical list of stories for
Thirteen is as follows.
- Liz Argall - "Augustus Clementine"
- M. David Blake - "The Soldier Who Swung at the End of a Thread"
- Richard Bowes - "Oh, How the Ghost of You Clings"
- George Cotronis - "Blackbird Lullaby"
- Amanda Davis - "Why Ulu Left the Bladescliff"
- Julie C. Day - "Pretty Little Boxes"
- Jetse de Vries - "Follow Me Through Anarchy"
- Jennifer Giesbrecht - "You Could Go Anywhere"
- Daryl Gregory - "Digital"
- Rik Hoskin - "Slow Shift"
- Rebecca Kuder - "Rabbit, Girl, Cat"
- Claude Lalumière - "The Thirteenth Goddess"
- Marc Levinthal - "The Math (a fairy tale)"
- Grá Linnaea - "Two Will Walk With You"
- Alex Dally MacFarlane - "Feed Me the Bones of Our Saints"
- Lyn McConchie - "The 13th Ewe"
- Juli Mallett - "Creezum Zuum"
- Fiona Moore - "Selma Eats"
- Greg Norris - "Occupy Maple Street"
- Adrienne J. Odasso - "Skin and Paper" and "The Still Point of the Turning World"
- Cat Rambo - "The Ghost-Eater"
- Andrew Penn Romine - "We All Look Like Harrie"
- David Tallerman - "Twilight for the Nightingale"
- Tais Teng - "With Musket and Ducat"
- Richard Thomas - "Chrysalis"
- Fran Wilde - "A Moment of Gravity, Circumscribed"
- A. C. Wise - "Letters to a Body on the Cusp of Drowning"
- Christie Yant - "Eidolon"