“I want to hear the ring of steel. I want the call of a trumpet to fill my chest with pride. My strength was meant for more than sustenance.” – Fairy Harvest Ready to explore a new world—or ten? Wonders and Dragons: A Midwest Fantasy Sampler will whisk you away to distant shores and far-off peaks, introducing ten stories drawn from ten fantasy series, each by a different Midwestern author. Read them all and then discover the full series related to your favorites. Will you choose The Frostmarked Chronicles, where the intricacies of Slavic myth come to life? ODE: The Scion of Nerikan, where a lonely monster looking for a way to die meets a little girl who gives him a reason to live? First Immortals, where generations of a single family wrestle with the gift and curse of eternal life? The choice is yours. This year’s theme is high fantasy. Worlds of myth and magic separate from our own. And every story will come from an author in our beautiful Midwest. Contributors: Anthony Wedgeworth Brendan Noble Douglas Van Dyke Jr. Justin Rose Kimberly Grymes Kirsten Solberg M. R. Moraine + C. E. Linares R. M. Krogman Richard Sweitzer T R Nickel Curated by Justin Rose