The Chains That You Refuse

&;What Bear has done...is create a world that is all too plausible, one wracked by environmental devastation and political chaos...she conducts a tour of this society&;s darker corners, offering an unnerving peek into a future humankind would be wise to avoid.&; &;Science Fiction Weekly

From Elizabeth Bear, 2005 John W. Campbell Best New Writer Award winner and author of the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Jenny Casey Trilogy: Hammered, Scardown, and Worldwired, comes The Chains That You Refuse, a collection of dazzling short fiction featuring twenty-one genre-bending stories and one poem, including the exhilarating and previously uncollected Jenny Casey origin story &;Gone to Flowers.&;

These scintillating and surprising tales, many never before collected or published, are drawn from inspirations as varied as Norse legends, Lovecraftian horrors, and the American murder ballad &;Stagger Lee,&; and showcase Elizabeth Bear&;s remarkable and imaginative storytelling talents. Whether set in a distant mythic kingdom, in modern-day Las Vegas, or in the far-future sunken city of New Orleans, Bear&;s enthusiastic narratives blur the lines between traditional speculative fiction, fantasy, horror, and fable with unflinching grace and wide-eyed wonder.

Whether you are already a fan of Elizabeth Bear or not, The Chains That You Refuse demonstrates, beyond a doubt, why David Brin called Elizabeth Bear &;a talent to watch.&;