How far would Gandalf have gotten without Shadowfax? Where would the Vault Dweller be without Dogmeat? And could the Beastmaster been the Beastmaster without his fuzzy allies? Animal companions are more than just sidekicks. Animals can be heroes, too Found within are twenty stories of heroic action that focuses on the furries and scalies who have long been the unsung heroes pulling their foolish human buddies out of the fire, and often at great sacrifice-from authors both established and new, including Frank Creed, S. H. Roddey, and Steven S. Long. Whether you're a fan of Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Science Fiction, or just animal stories in general, this is the anthology for you So sit back, kick your feet up, and find out what it truly means to be the Hero's Best Friend. Featured in Hero's Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions: Joy Ward: "Toby and Steve Save the World" Frank Creed: "Dusk" Cassie Schau: "The Hunter's Boy" Steven Donahue: "Grit" Jason Cordova: "Hill 142" Herika R. Raymer: "Dook.." Essel Pratt: "Brothers." Lisa Hawkridge: "Ezra's Girl." S. H. Roddey: "Look What the Cat Dragged In." Steven S. Long: "The Wolf Sentinel" Laura Anne Ewald: "Memorandum" Cindy Koepp: "The Hat." Ian Hunter: "Scarheid in the Glisting." Steven Grassie: "The Masterless." David Wright: "Wind of Change" Renee Carter Hall: "The Emerald Mage.." Nick Bryan: "The Violet Curse.." Lillian Csernica & Kevin Andrew Murphy: "The Restless Armadillo." Douglas J. Ogurek: "Stuck on the Squigglybounce" Sheila Deeth: "Passage" Show less

The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the first volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Seelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the "good" faeries. But "good" and "evil" are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us. Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Seelie Court, from authors both established and new, including George S. Walker, Eric Garrison, and Alexandra Christian. But be warned: these faeries are nothing like Tinker Bell. Stories Included in Tales of the Seelie Court: "Extra-Ordinary" by BC Brown "Dead Fairy Doormat" by George S. Walker "Taggers" by Christine Morgan "Wormwood" by Alexandra Christian "The Harpist's Hand" by Steven S. Long "Sanae's Garden" by Chantal Boudreau "Mark of Ruins" by SD Grimm. "Birdie's Life at the School for Distressed Young Ladies" by JH Fleming "Cultivated Hope" by Jordan Phelps "Seelie Goose" by Eric Garrison "I Knocked Up My Fairy Girlfriend" by Brandon Black "The Body Electric" by Sarah Madsen. "The Last Mission" by Cindy Koepp. "The Beggar-Knight & the Lady Perilous" by Matthew A. Timmins. "The Filigreed Lamp" by Edward Ahern. "Keys" by Michael M. Jones "Like a Sister in the Proper Court" by Lisa Hawkridge "Gnome Games" by Saera Corvin "The Goat Man's Garden" by Marten Hoyle Be sure to also see A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court, for more tales of the Fey

The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the second volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Unseelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the "evil" faeries. But "good" and "evil" are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us. Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Unseelie Court, from authors both established and new, including Michael Shimek, Deedee Davies, and Nick Bryan. But don't be surprised if these faeries decide to play with their food. Stories included in Tales of the Unseelie Court: "In Plain Sight" by Rebecca Leo "The Wunderhorn" by David Turnbull "Treehouse" by Kim Smith "I'll Watch Over You" by Angeline Trevena "The Enemy of my Enemy" by Deedee Davies. "Maestro" by Nicholas Paschall "Prey of the Boggart" by Rony Blechman. "Fear of Little Men" by Mike Pieloor.. "Faerie Stories and the Bean Nighe" by Carmen Tudor.. "Gifts" by Michael Shimek.. "Djinn and Tonic" by S. Clayton Rhodes "The Bet" by Jodi Ralston... "The Fool and his Money" by Nick Bryan "The Yielding" by J. A. Ironside. "The Tamer of Beasts" by Doug Blakeslee.. "The Last Sword of Barrow Thorns" by Matthew A. Timmins "The Rose and the Dragon" by Steven S. Long "The Brothers Doran" by John A. McColley "Wonderland" by Stephanie Jessop Be sure to also see A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court, for more tales of the Fey