In addition to working on the books in his new Bobby Dollar series, Tad has also written four new original short works — three are available now, and one more will be released in May. Two of his earlier stories have also been reprinted recently: one in a new fantasy anthology from John Joseph Adams, and the other featured as ebook-exclusive content in Lightspeed magazine.
(Click on a title to jump to that section.)
- “The Old Scale Game” Unfettered: New Tales by Masters of Fantasy. Ed. by Shawn Speakman. Grim Oak Press: May.
- Diary of a Dragon (chapbook). Subterranean Press: April.
- “The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story” Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond. Ed. by John Joseph Adams & Douglas Cohen. 47th North: February.
- “The Happiest Dead Boy in the World” Lightspeed Magazine February 2013 (Exclusive E-Book content). Reprint. January.
- “Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air” (audiobook). RIP-OFF! Ed. by Gardner Dozois. Audible: December.
- “The Burning Man” Epic: Legends of Fantasy. Ed. by John Joseph Adams. Tachyon Publications: October. Reprint.
“The Old Scale Game”
UNFETTERED: New Tales by Masters of Fantasy
Edited by Shawn Speakman. Cover Art by Todd Lockwood.
Shipping in May from Grim Oak Press
Limited Trade Edition (5,000 – 10,000)
Signed and Numbered Edition (Sold Out!)
UNFETTERED: New Tales by Masters of Fantasy is a fantasy anthology featuring 23 new stories from some of the best in the genre: Terry Brooks, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson, Jacqueline Carey, Tad Williams, Geno & R.A. Salvatore, Naomi Novik, Peter V. Brett, Daniel Abraham, Lev Grossman, David Anthony Durham, Peter Orullian, Blake Charlton, Eldon Thompson, Michael J. Sullivan, Robert V.S. Redick, Carrie Vaughn, Mark Lawrence, Kevin Hearne, Jennifer Bosworth, Todd Lockwood, and Shawn Speakman.
With the help of stalwart friends and these wonderful short stories, Shawn has taken the gravest of life hardships and created something magical. Unfettered is not only a fantastic anthology in its own right but it’s a testament to the generosity found in the science fiction and fantasy community—proof that humanity can give beyond itself when the need arises.
After all, isn’t that the driving narrative in fantasy literature?
Tad’s story: “The Old Scale Game”
See the complete TOC and read more here.
Pre-order your copy from Grim Oak Press here.
Diary of a Dragon
Print Edition Now Available from Subterranean Press
Cover and interior illustrations by William Eakin
Tad Williams’ clever new tale, Diary of a Dragon, is not only an ebook, it’s also a heavily illustrated chapbook printed in two colors throughout. US shipping is free for a limited time.
About the Book:
You hold in your hand a sacred trust-a dragon’s diary. My diary. And that trust has been horribly violated by that dreadful Princess Lillian, or you wouldn’t be holding it. My own personal diary, published for all to see! That human female has no shame.
I do, however. I do not wish my secrets spread about. Please, I beg you, put this book down now and walk away, kind browser. Respect an old dragon’s privacy. No matter what the princess thinks, these matters of violence, blackmail, and unnecessary romance are not for the eyes of others!
No, no, don’t even open it! Ignore the attractive illustrations and the shockingly true secrets of dragon life. You’ll be sorry.
All right, you won’t. But I will.
I hate princesses.
Limited Chapbook: 750 signed numbered trade paperbacks
Subterranean Press
ISBN: 978-1-59606-558-1
Length: 64 pages
Also available:
Kindle Edition
amazon.de (English)
“The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story”
OZ REIMAGINED: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond
Edited by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen. Foreword by Gregory Maguire. Cover and interior illustrations by Galen Dara.
Available now from 47North.
Return to the Oz simulation in Otherland with a new Orlando story, “The Boy Detective of Oz.”
Editors John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen have brought together leading fantasy writers to create the ultimate anthology for Oz fans—and, really, any reader with an appetite for richly imagined worlds. Some stories are dystopian… Some are dreamlike… All are undeniably Oz.
No stranger to Oz reinvention himself, Wicked author Gregory Maguire provides the foreword to these outstanding modern stories inspired by the enchanting Land of Oz.
Includes original stories by these authors: Dale Bailey, Orson Scott Card, Rae Carson, David Farland, C.C. Finlay, Jeffrey Ford, Theodora Goss, Simon R. Green, Kat Howard, Ken Liu, Seanan McGuire, Jonathan Maberry, Rachel Swirsky, Robin Wasserman, Tad Williams, Jane Yolen.
Each of the 15 stories are available as Kindle singles, each with its own lush, weird cover art by Galen Dara. Click here for samples of all the stories’ covers (io9 article).
Free Reads and Excerpts available on John Joseph Adams’ site here.
Get your copy:
Tad’s story, “The Boy Detective of Oz” (Individual Kindle Edition)
“The Happiest Dead Boy in the World”
Lightspeed Magazine, February 2013 (Exclusive E-Book content). Reprint.
Edited by John Joseph Adams
Lightspeed Magazine’s ebook-exclusive content this month is the novella “The Happiest Dead Boy in the World” by Tad Williams, featuring Orlando from the Otherland series.
The original story was first published in Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy (2003) an anthology edited by Robert Silverberg.
“Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air”
RIP-OFF! (audio)
Edited by Gardner Dozois and produced in partnership with SFWA – Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.
Audible: December 2012.
Publisher’s Summary:
In Rip-Off!, 13 of today’s best and most honored writers of speculative fiction face a challenge even they would be hard-pressed to conceive: Pick your favorite opening line from a classic piece of fiction (or even non-fiction) – then use it as the first sentence of an entirely original short story.
As a bonus, the authors introduce their stories, explaining what they ripped-off – and why.
Tad’s story: “Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air”
Released in audio-format only. See the full TOC and download your copy here:
Audible.com
Amazon.com
“The Burning Man”
EPIC: Legends of Fantasy
Edited by John Joseph Adams.
Tachyon Publications: October 2012. Reprint.
Acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams (Wastelands, The Living Dead) brings you seventeen tales by today’s leading authors of epic fantasy, including George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire), Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea), Robin Hobb (Realms of Elderlings), Kate Elliott (Crown of Stars), Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow & Thorn), Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle), and more.
“For newcomers and fans of the genre, this solid collection offers a strong sampler of short fiction by 17 masters and rising stars of epic fantasy. . . . An excellent showcase of epic fantasy at its best.” —Library Journal (December 2012)
See the full TOC here.
Visit the Free Reads page to read selections from the anthology.
Tad’s Memory, Sorrow and Thorn short story, “The Burning Man,” was originally published in LEGENDS I: Short Novels By the Masters of Modern Fantasy, edited by Robert Silverberg (1998).
Epic is now available at traditional brick-and-mortar stores nationwide, via online retailers such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com, or directly from the publisher, Tachyon Publications.