(Click on the image to see it in its full glory)

When I first donned my editor’s hat in earnest, I envisioned the Feral Astrogators anthologies: The Other Half of the Sky (2013) and To Shape the Dark (2016). In mid-June of 2020 they will be joined by a third sibling, Retellings of the Inland Seas.

Today I’m thrilled to share the haunting, evocative cover that Eleni Tsami has created for the youngest feral astrogator. Eleni’s stunning artwork has graced previous Candlemark efforts.

Retellings of the Inland Seas re-imagines Mediterranean and Black Sea stories in SFF contexts: from a Minoan exodus through wormholes to Furies on Mars, from space Argonauts to Imazighen and Scythian warrior queens. It’s a wish to honor my own roots, and also an expression of my desire to reclaim ageless foundational myths that are considered declassé common property because of long, casual handling that has flattened their echoing depths. The just-launched collection Fates and Furies by Christine Lucas is the boon companion of Inland Seas.

As a reminder here’s the TOC of Inland Seas. Most gratifying is that, with no urging from me, each contributor chose a distinct tale to transmute:

Retellings of the Inland Seas

Ancestral Campfires, Eternal Beacons — Athena Andreadis
Into the Wine-Dark Sea — A.M. Tuomala
Sirens — Melissa Scott
Hide and Seek — Shariann Lewitt
The Sea of Stars — Genevieve Williams
Between the Rivers — Judith Tarr
Calando — James L. Cambias
One Box too Many — Christine Lucas
The Fury of Mars — F. J. Doucet
Out of Tauris — Alexander Jablokov
Little Bird — Kelly Jennings
Wings — Elana Gomel
The Crack at the Border — Dimitra Nikolaidou
Unearthing Uncle Bud — Athena Andreadis