Swords and Spaceships for April 20

Two witches–one imprisoned since birth, the other the daughter of the queen–make an alliance to take down a common enemy, ensuring revenge for one and survival for the other. But the chase is long and the violence intoxicating, and each will go to extreme lengths to get what she wants.

Derek is the most loyal, attentive employee that the big box store LitenVärld has ever had. But when he dares to take his first sick day, his manager questions his dedication to the job. His only shot at getting back into the good graces of management is to take a special inventory shift… with a team of four other people who look and sound eerily like him. (Full disclosure: Nino and I have the same agent.)

Delta has lived her life with a mysterious, unreadable map branded on the skin of her back. To the person who can decipher it, the map promises to lead to a paradise called Verdant, an impossible dream in the dusty wasteland they all come home. When Delta’s village is attacked by a would-be dictator, she has little doubt what he’s looking for–but it’s still up to her to rescue her family.

Determined to save her daughter Krushita from being used to secure the Burning Throne, Queen Aqreen takes her and flees across the Red Desert. But the Red Desert is famed as a place of danger even before the added fact that Aqreen’s husband is vengeful and can summon demonic legions at will. In a great game of mortals and demigods, Krushita’s growing powers may tip the balance.

Melaine has a rare gift that allows her to infuse raw magic into lodestones that she can sell for the use of other people. But keeping no magic for herself is a one way journey to an early grave, and she’s determined to make a better life. She turns to the Overlord, the mysterious ruler of their land, and finds him a husk of his former self. He’ll take her on as his apprentice–if she supplies him with lodestones.