Lorina Stephens

Susan MacGregor

There is nothing new in the world except the history we do not know. Alchemy and Artifacts (Tesseracts Twenty-Two) is a collection of twenty-three amazing stories based on historical artifacts combined with fantastic historical fiction. The stories meld culture, concept and incident into a rich collection of 'what if' speculations that provide warnings yet revel in the cultural celebrations we continue to observe today. They are the touchstones that resonate with all who listen to and learn from the past. For, once the instigators are dead, the wars ended, and the political machines decayed, only artifacts remain. And it's through these cultural artifacts that we glimpse the possibility of what may have occurred in the past and may yet occur in the future. You are invited to delve into the motivations behind the events of the past, the quests for power, the fights against repression, and the sacrifices to a greater cause -- human dramas that reflect the worst and best of who we are -- to see what satisfaction comes from sudden insight and awe. Featuring works by these Canadian writers: Colleen Anderson, Lara Apps, Leslie Brown, Katherine Cameron, Chris Patrick Carolan, Geoff Gander & Fiona Plunkett, Bev Geddes, Mary-Jean Harris, Geoffrey Hart, Kate Heartfield, R. W. Hodgson, Kurt Kirchmeier, Jason Lane, Halli Lilburn, Cat McDonald, Tony Pi, Mike Rimar, Bianca Sayan, Holly Schofield, Michael Skeet, Erik Jon Spigel, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, Michal Wojcik The stories in Alchemy and Artifacts (Tesseracts Twenty-Two) nourish those who wander in today's wilderness, and who, without the benefit of the past, are destined to plunge blindly along a path of ignorance, destroying all that has been, everything that is true and beautiful and that which nourishes our global community.

Alchemy and Artifacts (Tesseracts Twenty-Two)

Based upon a true tragedy that occurred in the village of Hornings Mills, Ontario, Canada, Shadow Song is set amid the economic ruin that occurred to so many emigres and British pensioned officers of the 1830s. It is full of psychological and cultural contrasts of two cultures at odds with one another, and an intimate familiarity with the geography of the novel, from the immigrants' miserable landing stage at Grosse Isle into the dark reaches of Lake Superior's North Shore.What the Media Say: Lorina Stephens has proven herself an engaging author. The (Hanover) Post The book Shadow Song is as diverse as the woman who wrote it. Susan Doolan The Barrie Examiner It is often the case with contemporary Canadian authors that they have a tendency to punctuate their novels with long, psychological dissertations on mundane subjects. It's as if they feel that each everyday occurrence is fraught with deep sociological undertones. Shadow Song, fortunately, is free of such meanderings. It has a good economy of words and each paragraph contains vital information. Dan Pelton Orangeville Citizen

Shadow Song

A new collection of 10 fantastica short stories by Lorina Stephens. Darkness and light. Wonder and sorrow. The ambiguity, sometimes, of reflected illumination: Dreams of the Moon. In this new collection of both previously published and new short fiction, Lorina presents a progression from darker, sometimes horrific stories which explore religious mythology, mental health, and the beloved dead, to the more light-hearted explorations of spirit guides and illustrations made manifest.

Dreams of the Moon

Based upon a true tragedy, Shadow Song is set amid the economic ruin that occurred to so many émigrés and British pensioned officers of the 1830s. It is full of psychological and cultural contrasts of two cultures at odds with one another, and an intimate familiarity with pioneer and Ojibwa culture.

Sylvio spent the past decade banished from Simare's court, stripped of land, ancestral home and title.And now, after a decade, he is called back to the capitol, summoned by his Prince whom he suspects is a patricide and insane. His very life is in danger and with it the country he has served through all his days.

From Mountains of Ice

Kate Heartfield

Holly Schofield

Lara Apps

Chris Patrick Carolan

Leslie Brown

Kurt Kirchmeier

Colleen Anderson

Katherine Cameron

Geoff Gander & Fiona Plunkett

Bev Geddes

Mary-Jean Harris

Geoffrey Hart

R. W. Hodgson

Jason Lane

Halli Lilburn

Cat McDonald

Tony Pi

Mike Rimar

Bianca Sayan

Michael Skeet

Erik Jon Spigel

Liz Westbrook-Trenholm

Michal Wojcik

Tesseracts Twenty-Two

Alchemy and Artifacts

Tine is detective, bureaucrat, family member, an Active agent of the Interplanetary Criminal Investigation Bureau on a planet with no crime and a physiological barrier to travel or immigration. Tine is also a monster: a hooved, troll-like person looked down upon by any of the galaxy's aesthetes who even know that his people, the Caliban, exist at all. When his boss sends him, at Tine's great personal cost, to investigate a disappearance on a planet renowned for the beauty of its dreamweavers and the dreams they create, Tine is an intruder in Paradise: ugly, base, fallible, vulnerable, principled—and ultimately forced to go far beyond his mandate to solve the crime and bring about some semblance of Justice. Or he might die trying, an exile despised by almost all around him. Lorina Stephens's scientific detective fantasy is an allegory of a person out of place who brings their anchor with them in the form of deep strength and clarity of character. Tine, the monster who can be nothing else but his pure Self, is brought face to face with Others whose selves prove to be masking the monstrous. Justice, we discover, requires cleverness, understanding and sacrifice—and Tine the Caliban must exert all three beyond his utmost in his journey toward the truth. In the process, both Tine and the reader re-assess what is ugly and what is beautiful, what is dross and what is worthy.

Caliban

Lorina Stephens

Books

Your next favorite book is out there