the history of the world begins in ice

​Enter the Post-Roman Afro-Celtic icepunk regency fantasy world of the Spiritwalker Trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel)-starring Phoenician spies, well-dressed men, revolutionary women, and lawyer dinosaurs-with eleven vivid stories gathered in one place by RT Reviewers’ Choice winner and Nebula, World Fantasy, Norton, and Locus Awards finalist Kate Elliott.

When the emperor of Rome needs a rare book stolen from a well-guarded woman, he hires a rogue with his own dangerous secrets . . . An elderly man retires at last, seeking peace to write his final masterwork on architecture . . . until that peace is disturbed by an outbreak of magic.Everyone knows the story of Dido and Aeneas. But only Beatrice knows the correct version.A shapeshifting sabertooth cat falls into the arms of two beautiful palace attendants . . . all too eager to pet him.A powerful mage and his wife travel into enemy territory on an urgent mission . . . Surely the expedition will go exactly as planned. . . right?

These standalone stories and six others are accompanied by wonderful illustrations from fourteen featured artists. Eleven short essays that delve into the whys and wherefores of the setting and characters round out the volume.