Maxima Library

What we do for one another is a mystery.

At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

With a deft hand and a blazing imagination, fantasy writer Walton mixes genres to great effect. Elements of fantasy, science fiction, and coming-of-age novels combine into one superlative literary package that will appeal to a variety of readers across age levels. After engaging in a classic good-magic-versus-bad-magic battle with her mother that fatally wounds her twin sister, 15-year-old Morwenna leaves Wales and attempts to reconnect with her estranged father. She was sent to boarding school in England, and her riveting backstory unfolds gradually as she records her thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a series of journal entries. An ominous sense of disquiet permeates the nonlinear plot as Morwenna attempts to avoid a final clash with her mother. In addition to casting an irresistible narrative spell, Walton also pays tribute to a host of science-fiction masters as she peppers Morwenna’s journal with the titles of the novels she devours in her book-fueled quest for self-discovery.

Morwenna Phelps, qui préfère qu’on l’appelle Mori, est placée par son père dans l’école privée d’Arlinghust, où elle se remet du terrible accident qui l’a laissée handicapée et l’a privé à jamais de sa soeur jumelle, Morganna. Loin de son pays de Galles natal, Mori pourrait dépérir, mais elle découvre le pouvoir des livres, notamment des livres de science-fiction. Samuel Delany, Roger Zelazny, James Tiptree Jr, Ursula K. Le Guin et Robert Silverberg peuplent ses journées, la passionnent. Alors qu’elle commence à reprendre du poil de la bête, elle reçoit une lettre de sa folle de mère : une photo sur laquelle Morganna est visible et sa silhouette à elle brûlée. Que peut faire une adolescente de seize ans quand son pire ennemi, potentiellement mortel, est sa mère. Elle peut chercher dans les livres le courage de se battre.

Ode à la différence, journal intime d’une jeune fan de science-fiction qui parle aux fées, Morwenna est aussi une plongée inquiétante dans le folklore gallois. Ce roman touchant et bouleversant a été récompensé par les deux plus grands prix littéraires de la science-fiction, le prix Hugo (décerné par le public) et le prix Nebula (décerné par un jury de professionnels). Il a en outre reçu le British Fantasy Award.

The Nebula Awards Showcase volumes have been published annually since 1966, reprinting the winning and nominated stories in the Nebula Awards, voted on by the members of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America(R). The editor selected by SFWA’s anthology committee (chaired by Mike Resnick) is two-time Nebula winner, Catherine Asaro.

This year’s volume includes stories and excerpts by Connie Willis, Jo Walton, Kij Johnson, Geoff Ryman, John Clute, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Ferrett Steinmetz, Ken Liu, Nancy Fulda, Delia Sherman, Amal El-Mohtar, C. S. E. Cooney, David Goldman, Katherine Sparrow, E. Lily Yu, and Brad R. Torgersen.

“Featuring writing of the highest quality in the genre, this compilation is certain to appeal to those demanding imaginative fiction.”

“Essential fare for short story aficionados, even though some of the contents have appeared in other collections.”

Editor Catherine Asaro is a two-time Nebula Award winner and bestselling novelist of more than twenty-five books, as well as a dancer, teacher, and musician. She is a multiple winner of the Readers’ Choice Award from Analog magazine and a three-time recipient of the RT BOOKClub Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Her soundtrack Diamond Star, for her novel of the same name, is performed with the rock band Point Valid. She is a theoretical physicist with a PhD from Harvard and teaches part-time at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Visit her at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro.