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.