A sprig of Jack and the Beanstalk + a wink of Sleeping Beauty + myths of a magical world’s creation = the heartsong of Wilderhark heard closer than ever before…
Everything in the barn was in motion. The grain swirled through the air in a golden cyclone. Twirling in the center of it all, smiling and laughing with delight, was Jackillen, a stout wooden staff a whirring blur in his hands. The spinning staff stirred the air, holding the grains aloft, and rapidly rapped out again and again, beating the wheat as it whirled past.
The late afternoon sunlight slowly waned as the implausible scene continued until, upon some variation of Jackillen’s extraordinary dance, the wheat rode the air into the harvest sieve, the edible grain separating from the unwanted chaff. Then at last, his work completed, Jackillen let the air go still and lowered himself to one knee, visibly fatigued, but just as visibly pleased. […] Jeromey stared at the boy in silence for another moment before remarking, “Most people can’t do that, you know.” Jackillen grinned, the color of his eyes brighter and more erratic than ever. “Oh, yes, I never doubted that. But I am not most people: I’m Jackillen Gant.” He leapt to his feet and breezed through the doors past his father, turning to add in casual afterthought, “I can do anything, you know.” Born into a world his heart knows as beneath him,
an extraordinary boy becomes a man of music, hopeful that someday he’ll find a way higher. As the first day dawns, a world comes awake, order and disorder striking a dangerous balance. Under the stars, a princess and tailor trade age-old lore, little dreaming of the future that could trap them in the past. All of it in, around, and far above the timeless trees of Wilderhark, the forest whose secrets reveal themselves slowly, if ever at all. Tales of beginnings. Tales of quests for belonging. Most of all, tales of true love. Once upon a time, you knew something of Wilderhark’s tales. Now for the stories that fall in between. |
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The Sky-Child and Other Stories (A Wilderhark Tales Collection)
"The characters are fun, the stories are wildly engaging, and as always, the prose is every bit as magical as the fairy tales of old. ... You won’t want to miss this book!"
– Eve Jacob, author of How Does It Not Eat Bees?
“Original and fresh, just different enough to keep readers on their toes. [These stories] take bits and pieces of their fairy tale roots without becoming ensnared in them. Shipley blends happily-ever-afters with lingering sadness and hints of a deeper history, leaving the reader to wonder ‘yes, but what now…’ And that’s a very pleasant place for a reader to be, especially when there are more books to read.”
– Jocelyn Koehler, fantasy author
“A charming collection of short stories! If you've ever longed for some more background on your favorite Wilderhark characters, this collection will delight and satisfy! -From a Dedicated Lute Fangirl”
– Chelsea de la Cruz, reader
"The characters are fun, the stories are wildly engaging, and as always, the prose is every bit as magical as the fairy tales of old. ... You won’t want to miss this book!"
– Eve Jacob, author of How Does It Not Eat Bees?
“Original and fresh, just different enough to keep readers on their toes. [These stories] take bits and pieces of their fairy tale roots without becoming ensnared in them. Shipley blends happily-ever-afters with lingering sadness and hints of a deeper history, leaving the reader to wonder ‘yes, but what now…’ And that’s a very pleasant place for a reader to be, especially when there are more books to read.”
– Jocelyn Koehler, fantasy author
“A charming collection of short stories! If you've ever longed for some more background on your favorite Wilderhark characters, this collection will delight and satisfy! -From a Dedicated Lute Fangirl”
– Chelsea de la Cruz, reader
"One of the most charming reads I've had in a long time, and highly recommended for anyone with a love for the whimsical and magical!"
– The Black Hound's Daughter
"As far as creation tales go for a fictional world, this instantly ranks one of my top favorites."
– Flame Writer
"Seamlessly woven together in perfect order, this Wilderhark Tales collection can stand proudly next to any of the novellas. ... D. E. Shipley's prose is beautiful and melodic...her characters as lovable and exasperating as ever, (you know I'm looking at you, Lute-and a fine view it is, too)..."
– Tirzah Duncan, author of Cry of the Nightbird
– The Black Hound's Daughter
"As far as creation tales go for a fictional world, this instantly ranks one of my top favorites."
– Flame Writer
"Seamlessly woven together in perfect order, this Wilderhark Tales collection can stand proudly next to any of the novellas. ... D. E. Shipley's prose is beautiful and melodic...her characters as lovable and exasperating as ever, (you know I'm looking at you, Lute-and a fine view it is, too)..."
– Tirzah Duncan, author of Cry of the Nightbird
Buy the Paperback! / Buy the eBook! (Kindle) (Nook)
"The Sky-Child" on Goodreads! / Related Pinterest Board: The Heart Knows Its Home / Music: "(If I Can) Never Be Whole"
"The Sky-Child" on Goodreads! / Related Pinterest Board: The Heart Knows Its Home / Music: "(If I Can) Never Be Whole"
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