Book excerpt: George R.R. Martin drew on Tolkien, who was inspired by William Morris, Medieval epics, and Norse mythology. This new collection of epic fantasy tales explores the classic themes of good vs evil, the low-born hero, and the arrogant overlord, and laced them with a taste of sorcery that reaches back to the early sources, and stirs them in with the brand new storytellers of today. This new title in our successful Gothic Fantasy Short Stories collection contains a fabulous mix of classic and brand new writing, with contemporary authors from the US, Canada, and the UK. Contemporary authors include Brian Bogart, Ramsey Campbell, Evey Brett, Leah Cypess, Kate Dollarhyde, Lucinda Gunnin, Joshua K. Haarstad, Anne Leonard, E.H. Mann, Alison McBain, Emily McCosh, Dan Micklethwaite, Wendy Nikel, Mary O'Donnell, Aimee Ogden, Cassandra Taylor, M. Elizabeth Ticknor and Nemma Wollenfang. These feature alongside classic stories by authors such as Andrew Lang, George MacDonald, William Morris, Edith Nesbit and Clark Ashton Smith.