They have worked behind the scenes of society for centuries, protecting humans from threats beyond their understanding. They are The Shadow Council, and these Archives are the stories of their members and adventures throughout recorded history. From folk heroes to monsters out of darkest nightmare, the Shadow Council Archives explore the world beyond mundane understanding. Vivienne du Lac and Nerissa Waldemar—a.k.a. la belle dame sans merci and the lamia—have been living among the elite of Tarrytown for quite some time, undetected but for the trail of goats in their wake (one must eat, after all). But just as their eccentricities begin to raise eyebrows, a dark evil arises, intent on murder. They meet a with a young woman named Christabel Crane and a group of bumbling cultists calling themselves the Circle of Iapetus, who beg for help combating the creature. As they plunge deeper into the mysteries surrounding the New York elite, old flames rekindle, and old grudges, too. Vivienne and Nerissa agree to help fend off the darkness, but will spilled blood mean the end of their reform? And if not, at what cost?
Author
Natania Barron is a writer with a penchant for the speculative; she is also an unrepentant geek. Her work has appeared in Weird Tales, EscapePod, The Gatehouse Gazette, Thaumatrope, Bull Spec, Crossed Genres, Steampunk Tales, Faerie Magazine, and in a number of anthologies. Her work often incorporates Victorian aesthetics with magic and science fiction, treading between genres whenever possible. Her first novel, Pilgrim of the Sky, debuted in 2011. She has since published a music fiction novel (ROCK REVIVAL), a trilogy of novellas set in early 20th century high society with monster heroines (THESE MARVELOUS BEASTS), and her Arthurian retelling QUEEN OF NONE is set to release December 2020. Natania is also the founder of The Outer Alliance, a group dedicated to queer advocacy in speculative fiction. Natania holds a BA in English/Writing from Loyola University Maryland and an MA in English with a concentration in medieval literature from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In her spare time she cooks, bakes, drinks wine, crochets, plays guitar and ukulele, and enjoys nature. She lives in North Carolina with her family.
