Thin Red Tales

O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes," when the drums begin to roll..

-Rudyard Kipling, "Tommy"

From the first time a group of  savages looked at each other, gathered into a formation, and then said, "Hey, let's go together to swipe that guy's food..." Humanity has sought to settle its differences by force. Whether for possessions, deities, land, or the sheer love of violence, organized conflict has been the Fates' playground. Chaos and chance provide fertile ground for multiple "What if?" paths, and Thin Red Tales brings you several expert portrayals of things that could have happened, had Ares's whims been different.

Prefer your mayhem to be up close and personal, with foes' thrusting blades under arrows' shade? You'll love Rob Howell's "Here We Must Hold." Want that with ancient Latin and legions? Dragon Award nominee Sarah Hoyt ("To Save the Republic") and bestselling author William Webb ("Broken Oath and Shadowed Blades") will scratch your Roman Empire itch.

If you're more a fan of enemies being close enough to see but not in each other's personal space? NYT Bestseller Kevin J. Anderson, Sidewise Award Nominee Lee Allred, Colorado Book Award finalist Kevin Ikenberry, and newcomer Daniel Kemp bring you short stories from the Napoleonic era through the Age of Iron.

"But what if I really enjoy imperial angst but I have an allergy to black powder?" Thin Red Tales also gives you stories by Sidewise, Dragon, and Prometheus Award Winner S.M. Stirling, Sidewise Award Nominee William Stroock, and bestselling author Joelle Presby that cover both World Wars. Small wars against the backdrop of nuclear holocaust also get their due, as bestselling authors Peter Grant, Justin Watson, and editor James Young all provide Cold War-era stories that round out this take on alternate conflicts. 

Bottom line: whether you like your alternate warfare served by the edge of a blade or delivered from several kilometers, Thin Red Tales has fiction for you. With its mix of new stories and previously published favorites, this second Arc of Ares anthology reflects the war god's capriciousness from the dawn of time. So, grab your pilum or your sidearm, as you're about to be entertained.

Editor's Note: Also includes excerpts from James Young's Dispatches from Valhalla, an alternate history short story collection.