“Sure, you can sleep with me,” she said, with a small, cool smile. “But only after I’m dead.” A thrilling short story set in Singapore Three, the home of Inspector Chen.

A collection of 19 stories personally selected by the author, including two original to the collection, tales that draw aside the veils of mundane reality to reveal the hidden truths of this world and beyond. Stories that transport the reader from the icy Mars of Winterstrike to the searing deserts of Kazakhstan; from the exotic streets of Inspector Chen's Singapore Three to the forgotten waterways and hidden courtyards of Venice. Liz Williams writes science fiction with the rich textures of the very best fantasy, and fantasy with the sensibilities of high-end science fiction. She reveals the world around us in subtly different shades and portrays other realms with a vividness that defies doubt.

3 • Editorial (Albedo One, #20, 1999) • essay by uncredited 4 • Necrochip • \[Detective Inspector Chen\] • short fiction by Liz Williams 8 • An Actor Prepares • short fiction by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre 12 • Looking Backward at an Alien Future - Patricia Anthony Revisited • essay by Robert Neilson 14 • An Interview with Patricia Anthony • interview of Patricia Anthony • interview by Robert Neilson 21 • Mercy's Children • short fiction by Patricia Anthony 31 • The Schism • short fiction by Ceri Jordan 34 • The 'mazing Adventures of Captain Cadwallader • short fiction by Noel K. Hannan 34 •  The 'mazing Adventures of Captain Cadwallader • interior artwork by Frazer Alex Irving

In such novels as The Poison Master, Empire of Bones, and Nine Layers of Sky, Liz Williams sparked readers' imaginations by creating worlds at once strange and familiar. Now this bold new writer brings her best short fiction together in one stunning collection. The stories featured in The Banquet of the Lords of Night have appeared in Asimov's, Interzone, Realms of Fantasy, and The Third Alternative, among others. The stories within the covers of The Banquet of the Lords of Night are varied in style and subject matter, but they are all powerfully written. From the breathtaking title story, "Banquet of the Lords of Night" about an Earth plunged into a world of darkness where light is against the law to the stunning "The Man from the Ministry" in which we learn the how far a mother will go where her family is concerned; Williams displays an astonishing breadth and variety of writing styles. Williams is equally at home writing galaxy-spanning science fiction like "Quantum Anthropology" as she is weaving a tale like "Adventures in the Ghost Trade" which incorporates demons, magic, the afterlife, and private detectives. "Williams' unique cross-genre voice is a reinvigorating one for SF, fantasy and horror." Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF—and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. This month, w have original science fiction by Carrie Vaughn ("Crazy Rhythm") and Taiyo Fujii ("Violation of the TrueNet Security Act"), along with SF reprints by Tony Daniel ("Life on the Moon") and Mary Robinette Kowal ("The Consciousness Problem"). Plus, we have something a little different this month. We'll have fantasy reprints by Liz Williams ("Adventures in the Ghost Trade") and William Alexander ("Ana's Tag"), but instead of two original fantasy short stories, we have a single fantasy novelette by Andrea Hairston ("Saltwater Railroad"), which is about twice the length of a regular LIGHTSPEED story. So, although you are getting three stories instead of four this month, the novelette is the length of two full-length short stories, so you're still getting the same amount of fiction. We hope you enjoy this minor deviation from our usual offerings, and rest assured we will return to our regularly scheduled programming next month. All that plus spotlights on our authors and cover artist, as well as a feature interview with Kelly Link, and the latest installment of our book review column. And for our ebook readers, we also have reprint of the novella "Dapple," by Eleanor Arnason, and a pair of novel excerpts, including a selection from Dark Orbit, by Carolyn Ives Gilman, and Wylding Hall, by Elizabeth Hand.

Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent - the detective in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations. Chen has several problems: in addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's own vice officers, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, to investigate the illegal trade in souls. Political pressures both Earthly and otherworldly seek to block their investigations at every turn. As a plot involving both Singapore Three's industrial elite and Hell's own Ministry of Epidemics is revealed, it becomes apparent that the stakes are higher than anyone had previously suspected.

The second Detective Inspector Chen novel (after Snake Agent) returns us to Singapore Three. A mysterious murder sends Chen and his demonic partner Zhu Irzh on the trail of a conspiracy between hell and one of the heavenly hosts. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Detective Inspector Chen and Zhu Irzh are given a major assignment to escort an emissary from Heaven on a diplomatic mission to Hell. Zhu tries to dodge his demonic family’s overtures, but ends up embroiled in Hell’s political intrigues. At the same time, a young boy born to ghostly parents in Hell is sent to live with his grandmother in Singapore Three. The boy, Precious Dragon, is being chased by Hell’s most dangerous creatures and ends up being the key to unlock the mystery that is quickly spiraling out of control. Chen and Zhu find themselves in the middle of a struggle much bigger then they can fully comprehend, and when the dust finally settles, neither heaven nor hell will be the same.

Detective Inspector Chen is back! The Snake Agent returns in The Shadow Pavilion, the fourth Detective Inspector Chen novel from Liz Williams. When Chen’s partner, the demon Seneschal Zhu Irzh, disappears, Chen must enlist all of his allies and assets in order to locate him. Meanwhile, Zhu Irzh finds himself trapped in an unfamiliar jungle Hell, stalked by a rogue demon lord and his harem of tigress demons. An assassin from between worlds targets Mhara, the new Emperor of Heaven. And a beautiful starlet holds a deadly secret... From the strange streets of Singapore Three to the rough and tumble world of Bollywood, where money flows fast and emotions flare even faster; from the realms of the Celestial to the haunts of the Infernal and all the spaces in between, The Shadow Pavilion delivers the thrills, excitement, and near-future occult action fans have come to expect.

Tasked with retrieving the Book before it can alter reality, Chen crosses paths with his former partner, Zhu Irzh who is in hot pursuit of the Iron Khan, an evil, homicidal immortal intent on conquering Asia by any means. While Chen and Zhu are otherwise occupied, Inari—Chen’s demon wife—is whisked away by forces intent on revenge against Chen and ultimately, the Emperor of Heaven.

A Detective Inspector Chen Novel The final (for now) Chen novel, to finish the story threads that have been building over the previous books: the tension between Heaven and Hell with Earth in the middle; some mysteries about the badger teakettle; Jhai and Zhu Irzh's marriage, and Chen and Inari's baby.