Mercedes Lackey

Excalibur came to Michael, told him he was King Arthur reborn, and showed him all the good he could do in the world. It is said that those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it. What about those who do remember?

When a dragon storms the castle, what should a (virgin) princess do?Why, turn to her studies, of course! But nothing practical-minded Princess Andromeda of Acadia finds gives a definitive solution. The only Traditional answer, though, is soothing the marauding dragon by a virgin sacrifice. Things are going fairly smoothly with the lottery--except for the women chosen, of course--until Princess Andromeda herself is picked!But facing down the dragon doesn't go quite as planned, and now, with the h... more info>>

Just because Bachman's World was back-of-beyond of nowhere, and even the most conservative of military planners thought their insistence on having an on-planet defense force to be paranoid in the extreme, that did not negate their right to have it. The law was on their side. But a creative military bean-counter found a cheap solution. Instead of sending the requested Reserve battalion, he sent one man and an outmoded Bolo.

Tayksa n'ha Elayna though being King Varzil's personal guard at court was boring, until a petitioner arrived with a truly unusual problem and she became part of the solution.

A pragmatic engineer discovers that just because something looks like a cardboard box doesn't mean that it is one.

Diana Tregarde and her partner Andre reluctantly attend a romance writers' convention and discover that the most unlikely people can cast spells. And a spell cast by someone who has no idea what she's doing can be extremely dangerous...

When Dick White set out to discover the origins of the ship's new cat, he certainly never expected to find himself involved with the Drug Interdiction group of the Patrol.

The Compact prohibits any weapon "beyond the arms' reach of the one who uses it." So, are arrows lawful? Varzil may not like it, but Tayksa n'ha Elayna thinks this is a valid question. And he needs her help; someone is trying to kill him.

The Captain thought that their shipscat would be an asset at the trade negations, so he ordered Dick to bring her with them. Dick had warned her repeatedly not to hunt on this planet, but what cat ever does what a human tells her to?

Are we saved by faith or by good works? And if, as Saint Paul said, we have been saved through faith, does anything else matter? As long as we repent our sins, God will forgive us--won't he?

Alberich's new horse had been stolen from the enemy--but it wasn't the only thing stolen.

Tarma was the sole survivor of her clan, bound on a fatal quest for vengeance, when she encountered the sorceress Kethry. Could the two of them do together what neither could do alone?

Two girls from very different backgrounds are sent on a quest, only to discover that they are both seeking--or being sought by--the same thing.

Chali's clan came to the town in peace, to trade. Clan Skaht of the Horseclans came to raid, but was deterred by the peace-banners. Then the son of the local king decided to promote himself, by patricide and regicide, and everything changed.

In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale....Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella--until fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! So she set out to make a new life for herself. But breaking with "The Tradition" was no easy matter--until she got a little help from her own fairy godmother. Who promptly offered Elena a most unexpected job....Now, instead of sleeping in the chimney, she has to deal wit... more info>>

Forget diamonds--a teddy bear is a girl's best friend.

Tarma and Kethry came to town looking for a meal, something cold to drink, and a chance to rest from their travels in the summer's heat. For the "bard" Leslac, however, this wasn't nearly heroic enough for his next ballad. And the town had a Wicked Overlord, so surely his heroes would want to do something about that--wouldn't they?

Aleksia, Queen of the Northern Lights, is mysterious, beautiful and widely known to have a heart of ice. No one would seek her wisdom except as a last resort. But when she's falsely accused of unleashing evil on nearby villages, she realizes there's an impostor out there far more heartless than she could ever be. And when a young warrior following the Tradition disappears, leaving his sweetheart and mother to fear the worst, Aleksia's powers are needed as never before. Now, on a journey through ... more info>>

Kethry encounters Mara, an old schoolmate from White Winds--and discovers that Mara, who didn't learn much about magic at school, has discovered another source of magic, one powerful enough to kill both her and Kethry.

Nigel Peters spent most of his life defusing bombs, which is not a common career choice. But his reason for choosing this career was even less common, perhaps even unique.

Hippie Tom Stone insists on giving away his pharmaceutical products, but his beloved's father feels firmly that any prospective son-in-law must have an income. So now Tom must find a way to convince Herr Edelmann that he is worthy of Magdalena's hand.

As a normal human, Glenda was a failure, with nothing left to live for. But when she hid from a street gang in the yard of a "haunted" house, she discovered that she was not a normal human and that there was a new life waiting for her.

Political correctness can be carried too far--you can give everyone equal rights, but that's a very different thing from making everyone equal.

Tarma and Kethry follow a Hawkbrother's bond-bird into a nest of firebirds--and a woman who seeks to enslave them all.

Three enchanting stories set during the magical winter solstice. "Moontide" by Mercedes Lackey: In an isolated land where the lure of the "Moontide" leads to shipwrecks, a woman is torn between obeying her father or her king. When she chooses to follow a Fool, she discovers magic she'd never expected...at a price that might be too high. "The Heart of the Moon" by Tanith Lee: Clirando, a warrior priestess unready to face the powers trapped within her, struggles under the curse of a dead comrade u... more info>>