Home, a place where we belong and are safe and loved. Home, the house in which we grew up, a neighborhood, a culture, even a country. Home is a state of mind, it is a place of the heart, and in the heart. Finding home, coming home, and bringing home the one we love is a journey, a journey that can be a dangerous adventure. For the lovers in these stories, adventures can include quests and fighting dragons and demons, past and present, physical as well as mental and emotional. Rocket launchers need to be dodged, the Wild Hunt needs to be outrun. For some of the lovers here, home has been lost, or they have been forced to leave, as is too common for LGBT+ youth. In this collection queer positive speculative fiction stories, explore the idea of what and where home is in the lives of these lovers. Will they survive their quests, defeat their monsters? Will they find a place to call home?

October moonlight shone clearly on the solitary tree, draped with gray moss, scarred by lightning and warped by wind, looking like a venerable warrior, whose long campaign was nearly done; and underneath was posted the guard of four. Behind them twinkled many camp-fires on a distant plain, before them wound a road ploughed by the passage of an army, strewn with the relics of a rout. On the right, a sluggish river glided, like a serpent, stealthy, sinuous, and dark, into a seemingly impervious jungle; on the left, a Southern swamp filled the air with malarial damps, swarms of noisome life, and discordant sounds that robbed the hour of its repose. The men were friends as well as comrades, for though gathered from the four quarters of the Union, and dissimilar in education, character, and tastes, the same spirit animated all; the routine of camp life threw them much together, and mutual esteem soon grew into a bond of mutual good fellowship. Thorn was a Massachusetts volunteer; a man who seemed too early old, too early embittered by some cross, for though grim of countenance, rough of speech, cold of manner, a keen observer would have soon discovered traces of a deeper, warmer nature hidden, behind the repellent front he turned upon the world. A true New Englander, thoughtful, acute, reticent, and opinionated; yet earnest withal, intensely patriotic, and often humorous, despite a touch of Puritan austerity.

An original short fiction anthology set in Mercedes Lackey's bestselling world of Valdemar-featuring heroic Heralds and their horselike companions-and including an all-new novella by Lackey herself, as well as stories by masters such as Mickey Zucker Reichert, Judith Tarr, Tanya Huff, and others.

Bret Harte's 'The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales' is a collection of short stories that transport readers to the rugged landscapes of the American West during the mid-19th century gold rush era. Known for his vivid descriptions and ability to capture the essence of the frontier lifestyle, Harte's prose not only entertains but also provides a glimpse into the complexities of human nature. The stories in this collection explore themes of love, loss, redemption, and the harsh reality of life in the Wild West. Harte's writing style is characterized by rich detail and a keen sense of storytelling that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. This literary work serves as a valuable contribution to the Western literary canon, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of the early settlers in America's untamed territories. Bret Harte's personal experiences as a journalist and miner in California undoubtedly influenced his writing, allowing him to authentically portray the spirit of the frontier in his tales. 'The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales' is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of human nature against the backdrop of the Wild West.