Falsely accused of sabotage, Jakkin and Akki are left to certain death in the wilderness of the planet Austar IV but, with the aid of five baby dragons, manage not only to survive but also to gain unusual powers and insights

In these twenty-eight magnificent tales, which include two Nebula Award winners, Jane Yolen puts a provocative spin on familiar storybook worlds and beloved fairy tale characters One of the most acclaimed and honored authors in science fiction and fantasy, Jane Yolen has been called "the Hans Christian Andersen of America" for her brilliant reimagining of classic fairy tales. In her first collection of short stories written for an adult audience (after...

"Fantasy icon Jane Yolen (The Devil's Arithmetic, Briar Rose, Sister Emily's Lightship) is adored by generations of readers of all ages. Now she triumphantly returns with this inspired gathering of fractured fairy tales and legends. Yolen breaks open the classics to reveal their crystalline secrets: a philosophical bridge that misses its troll, a spinner of straw as a falsely accused moneylender, the villainous wolf adjusting poorly to retirement....

"Snail, a midwife's apprentice in the Unseelie Court, meets Prince Aspen, a Seelie prince being held as a hostage in order to prevent a war. In thinking that they are stopping the war, they instead trigger one"--

A young apprentice wizard saves the wizard's training hall by trusting and believing in himself