Edward Willett - Shapers of Worlds Volume II

Edward Willett - Shapers of Worlds Volume II

Author: Alan Warren December 28, 2022 Duration: 47:35

Explore twenty-four imaginative tales crafted by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its second year, including international bestsellers and winners of every major award in the field as well as newer authors just beginning what promise to be stellar careers.


There are brand-new stories from Kelley Armstrong, Marie Brennan, Garth Nix, Candas Jane Dorsey, Jeremy Szal, Edward Willett, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Lisa Foiles, Susan Forest, Matthew Hughes, Heli Kennedy, Helen Dale, Adria Laycraft, Edward Savio, Lisa Kessler, Ira Nayman, James Alan Gardner, and Tim Pratt, plus fiction by Jeffrey A. Carver, David D. Levine, Carrie Vaughn, Nancy Kress, Barbara Hambly, and S.M. Stirling.


A woman seeking the power to see the evil hiding within others regrets receiving it. Letters written by a wizard in the past threaten a queen’s reign in the present. Competing for Earth, a human wrestler faces an alien shapeshifter in an interstellar tournament. A guide in Tibet must weigh the good of his people when asked to lead a westerner to the fabled realm of Shangri. An activist imprisoned for illegal genetic modification works with the materials at hand and the threads of the multiverse to make the world—a world, at least—a better place. A demonic agent sent to help a human turns the tables on his summoner.


Like the “cabinets of curiosities” created by collectors of the sixteenth century, Shapers of Worlds Volume II displays a varied array of thought-provoking delights: tales of humour and sorrow, darkness and light, and hope and despair that are full of adventure, full of life, and sometimes full of regret. There are stories set in alternate histories, in possible futures, near and far, and in the here-and-now, taking place on Earth, on distant planets, or in fantastic realms. All arise from the innate need of human beings to create, to imagine . . . to shape worlds.


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For over a decade, the House of Mystery radio show opened a door into the minds of the most imaginative authors in literature. What If? Science Fiction/ Fantasy Writers curates the very best of those conversations, hosted by Alan Warren. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's a deep exploration of the creative sparks behind otherworldly civilizations, magical systems, and the fundamental questions that define speculative fiction. Each episode lets you sit in on a genuine discussion, hearing directly from writers about how they build their universes, develop characters who feel real against impossible backdrops, and where they find their most extraordinary ideas. You'll get a sense of the person behind the pages, their influences, and the sometimes surprising paths that led them to craft the stories that shape our dreams of the future and reimaginings of the past. Tune into this podcast for a thoughtful and engaging archive that celebrates the arts of science fiction and fantasy writing, offering listeners a lasting connection to the voices that continue to push the boundaries of fiction and science.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What If?  Science Fiction/ Fantasy Writers
Podcast Episodes
V.S. Holmes - (Stars Edge: Nel Bently Book 4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:43
Without Earth, Nel has nowhere left to runHot-tempered Dr. Nel Bently is not cut out to save the world. After her last project ended in fire and death, Nel must put aside her distrust of just about everyone and embark on…
Kristi Charish - Owl and the Tiger Thieves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:40
Through no fault of her own, Alix has found herself essential to the fate of the world as we know it. She didn’t mean for this to happen—she was quite happy being merely the notorious antiquities thief, and ex-archeologi…
Jenna Greene - Renew [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:24
Haunted by memories of those left behind, Lexil and Finn are forced to venture back into the Wastelands.The Unclaimed Cities are not the idyllic setting Lexil, Finn, and Ceera thought it would be. This new land has chall…
Paul Bahou - Sunset Distortion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:28
Lazer is an almost made it, middle-aged guitarist who plays in an 80's hard rock cover band at a Sunset Strip dive bar. While not quite a rock star, he plays to a packed house nightly. His blissful inertia is disrupted o…
Nzondi (Ace Antonio Hall) - Oware Mosaic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:00
Decades after a cataclysmic nuclear war, Ghanaian scientists develop technology that store consciousness onto data orbs called retcons. Seventeen-year-old forensic specialist, Feeni Xo, is a Enhuman (a radiation-enhanced…
D.C. Gomez - The Traitor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:05
Witches, Demons, and Shifters are all landing in Salem. But who do you trust?Eric’s search for Rafael, the Order’s betrayer, is leading to a dead end. Running out of time, he decides to enlist the help of some old acquai…
Robert  J. Sawyer - Oppenheimer Alternative [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:13
Writing with “a sense of wonder that hasn’t prevailed since the days of Heinlein” (Books in Canada), best-novel Hugo and Nebula Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer brings you “a truly science-fictional work of alternate histor…
Pat Daily - Spark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:52
In his mother’s last letter, she wrote, “Find me. Save me.” And Will Kwan had heard those words before. He’d heard them in a video game.Solar Prime Augmented Reality Park, or SPARK, is a theme park for gamers: a sprawlin…