Kate MacLeod writes both fantasy and science fiction. This book collects her nine previously published short stories as well as two new bonus stories. These tales span from Heian era Japan to the near reaches of space, from alternate world fantasies inspired by Babylon and Mohenjo-Daro to post-apocalyptic air ships that never touch the ground, from light-hearted fare like "Trifle" to the darker "On Desperate Seas", based on the ill-fated John Franklin Expedition.

This collection includes:
Blood and Ink
Oil Fire
Gardens of Wind
Seagull and Raven
Mother River
Tale of a Fox
Full Circle
On Desperate Seas
Trifle
The Onmyoji's Wife
Din Ba Din
(This short story appeared on the 2013 Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List, was given an honorable Mention in Gardner Dozois' The Year's Best Science Fiction: Tenth Annual Collection, and was recommended reading in Rich Horton's The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2014 Edition.)