Ragged Maps

Ragged Maps is a collection of short fiction by Ian R. MacLeod that moves freely across settings and eras. The stories reach from the far edges of deep space in "The Memory Artist" to the jungles of the Yucatan in "Lamagica", and from the odd suburbia of "Stuff" to a Vatican where a dying pope awaits deliverance in "Sin Eater".

The times vary as widely as the places. "The God of Nothing" is set in a mythic ancient city, while "Ephemera" and "The Fall of the House of Kepler" look toward post-human futures. Alternate pasts and warped presents appear in tales such as "Selkie", "The Mrs Innocents" and "The Chronologist". The collection also includes a new, long novelette, "Downtime", which imagines a near-future penal system. The remaining pieces are an introduction titled "Ragged Maps", "The Wisdom of the Group", "Ouroboros", "The Roads" and "The Visitor from Taured". Across the book the stories share vivid writing, strong characters and a sense of awe and surprise, taking the reader from cluttered attics and strange shorelines to star-spanning civilisations.

MacLeod is the author of seven novels and five short story collections that cover the whole range of fantastic fiction. His work has been widely anthologised and translated into many languages. He has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best novel, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History twice, the World Fantasy Award twice, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Locus Award for best first novel. He lives in the riverside town of Bewdley in England.

This edition from Subterranean Press is limited to 1,000 signed and numbered hardcover copies, with a dust jacket illustration by Dominic Harman.