Grimoire: A Grim Oak Press Anthology For Dragonsteel Nexus 2024

by Shawn Speakman, Kat Ogden, Michael J. Sullivan

In 2013, a newly launched Grim Oak Press published the Unfettered Phoenix Comicon Exclusive, an early edition of the award-winning anthology that featured only short stories by authors who attended the convention. The result was a book that fans could purchase and have signed by Terry Brooks, Kevin Hearne, Peter Orullian, Brandon Sanderson, and Shawn Speakman. It is now regarded by collectors as one of the most difficult Grim Oak releases to find.

With this first volume of Grimoire, Grim Oak Press has revived the idea with a twist to celebrate Brandon Sanderson’s amazing convention, Dragonsteel Nexus 2024, and created an exciting new anthology. Read Jason Denzel’s magical-realism story about visiting the home of Robert Jordan. Discover how superhero teams recruit new talent with Fonda Lee. Learn the price that a husband is willing to pay to keep his wife safe in a tale by Zack Argyle. Fight the dangers lurking within as well as beneath Seattle by way of Kat Ogden. Embrace the end of civilization as we know it through Robin Hobb. Struggle against the cost of peace with Michael J. Sullivan. All alongside several more stories, each as different and wondrous as the next.

Like the spell books of centuries past, Grimoire offers magic through its ten collected tales. Each one will enchant you in its own way.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2024

About the author

Shawn Speakman grew up in the beautiful wilds of Washington State near a volcano and surrounded by old-growth forests filled with magic. After moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, he befriended New York Times best-selling fantasy author Terry Brooks and became his webmaster, leading to an enchanted life surrounded by words.

He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.

He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.

Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average rating: 3.5/5 🌟

Individual ratings:

3 🌟 The Season of the Dead Girl by Kat Ogden: about mermaids and murder

4 🌟 Traditions by Michael J. Sullivan: The Lottery, but with dragons

5 🌟 Five Silver Rings Zack Argyle: experiencing the loss of your partner

2 🌟 Welcome to the Legion of Six by Fonda Lee: contemporary superheroes and job interviews

3 🌟 A Taste of Flesh Eldon Thompson: a princess is reminded of her true nature

4 🌟 The Sound of Broken Absolutes by Peter Orullian: a magic system about music and song written in alternating POV

5 🌟 The Shadowed Blade by J. A. Andrews: a magical, peaceful healer and a power-hungry warrior king meet on the moor

2 🌟 Finding Robert Jordan by Jason Denzel: interviewing and meeting your favourite author

4 🌟 Harbinger by Robin Hobb: an old lady wishes for humanity to diminish significantly and hears/sees things no one else does

3 🌟 The Dragon and the Steel by Shawn Speakman: The Lottery and dragons, AGAIN, but with more action

[Zack Argyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely biased 5 stars.

My contribution, a little story called Five Silver Rings, holds a special place in my heart, and I'm glad it found a beautiful home here in the Grimoire!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Si2Au · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting mix of stories ranging from Urban Fantasy to the Fairy Tale-esque.

[Deann]

Shadowed Blade by JA Andrews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️