Ken Scholes

The setting is a fantasy world with a little bit of magic in form of artifacts. The wisdom is stored in a big library. The book starts with the annihilation of the city where this library and most academics reside. This changes the society completely. Consequently 5 parties making war, forging alliances, and try to rule the new world. It is unclear who is responsible for the destruction of the city, but after some time the truth is revealed. This changes the constellation of power.

"Wonders abound with the winter holidays. Yuletide brings marvels and miracles both fantastic and scientific. Christmas spirits can bring haunting holidays, seasonal songs might be sung by unearthly choirs, and magical celebrations are the norm during this very special time of the year. The best stories from many realms of fantasy and a multitude of future universes, gift-wrapped in one spectacular treasury of wintertime wonder"--Page 4 of cover. Introduction / -- Paula Guran The best Christmas ever -- James Patrick Kelly Go toward the light -- Harlan Ellison If dragon's mass eve be cold and clear -- Ken Scholes Pal o' mine -- Charles de Lint The Nutcracker coup -- Janet Kagan How the Bishop sailed to Inniskeen -- Gene Wolfe Dulce domum -- Ellen Kushner Julian : a Christmas story -- Robert Charles Wilson Loop -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch The Christmas witch -- M. Rickert Wise men -- Orson Scott Card The night things changed -- Dana Cameron Home for Chrstmas -- Nina Kiriki Hoffman A Christmas story -- Sarban A woman's best friend -- Robert Reed Christmas at Hostage Canyon -- James Stoddard The winters solstice -- Von Jocks Newsletter -- Connie Willis.

Exhalation / Ted Chiang -- Shoggoths in bloom / Elizabeth Bear -- Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the angel / Peter S. Beagle -- Fixing Hanover / Jeff VanderMeer -- The gambler / Paolo Bacigalupi -- The dust assassin / Ian McDonald -- Virgin / Holly Black -- Pride and Prometheus / John Kessel -- The thought war / Paul McAuley -- Beyond the sea gates of the Scholar Pirates of Sarsköe / Garth Nix -- The small door / Holly Phillips -- Turing's apples / Stephen Baxter -- The New York Times at special bargain rates / Stephen King -- Five thrillers / Robert Reed -- The magician's house / Meghan McCarron -- Goblin music / Joan Aiken -- Machine maid / Margo Lanagan -- The art of alchemy / Ted Kosmatka -- 26 Monkeys, also The abyss / Kij Johnson -- Marry the sun / Rachel Swirsky -- Crystal nights / Greg Egan -- His master's voice / Hannu Rajaniemi -- Special economics / Maureen F. McHugh -- Evidence of love in a case of abandonment / M. Rickert -- From Babel's fall'n glory we fled / Michael Swanwich -- If angels fight / Richard Bowes -- The doom of love in small spaces / Ken Scholes -- Pretty monsters / Kelly Link.

The ancient past is not dead. The hands of the Wizard King still reach out to challenge the Androfrancine Order, to regain control of the magick and technology that the monks sought to understand and claim for their own.

Summer, 1546. King Henry VIII is slowly, painfully dying. His Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle; whoever wins will control the government of Henry's successor, eight-year-old Prince Edward. As heretics are hunted across London, and the radical Protestant Anne Askew is burned at the stake, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry's sixth wife, Matthew Shardlake's old mentor, Queen Catherine Parr. Shardlake, still haunted by events aboard the warship Mary Rose the year before, is working on the Cotterstoke Will case, a savage dispute between rival siblings. Then, unexpectedly, he is summoned to Whitehall Palace and asked for help by his old patron, the now beleaguered and desperate Queen.