In Wings of Joy, author, scientist, musician and artist Anne Harlan Prather introduces readers to the Starmasters--her contribution to the long tradition of stories about pilots with mysterious abilities. Like Cordwainer Smith's go-captains, Frank Herbert's Guild steersmen and Ann Aguiere's Jumpers, the Starmasters move starships at hyperlight speeds through the mysterious Beyond by means of a rare gift. But their gift is constrained by stark limitations. Not for these pilots are the consolation of retirement, the relief by copilots, or the stability of a home planet. Even the long life afforded others by rejuvenation treatments is denied them--unless they bow to their gift and fly.Meet Caryssa, the daughter of Renaissance faire show people. She longs for a place as an entertainer--or for life in the Enclaves. Then a mysterious patron comes to hear Caryssa, and the teen-ager's life is turned upside-down by a double dose of opportunity.Zephaniah's career has been haunted for nearly fifteen years by the consequences of thoughtless words and practical jokes carried out when he was barely out of his teens. Yet he carries on, bound by his flight gift to wander the Galaxy while the legacy left him by his family awaits his discovery.Youngest daughter of the Radiant Empire's royal house, Ariella has embraced the role of the Commoner Princess, helping her family to keep in touch with the issues faced by the common folk. A master of disguise and subterfuge, she embraces her various roles, even when the roles might require that she risk her life to do what's right.The eighteen stories in this innovative anthology are infused by Prather's scientific background, her 35+ years of teaching, and her love of history. This is character-driven science-fiction that explores all the dimensions of the kind of piloting gift that has captured readers since Mark Twain wrote Life on the Mississippi.
About the Author: Author, scientist, artist and musician, Anne Harlan Prather earned a Ph.D in botany from the University of Washington and a bachelor of music performance from Wheaton College. A science fiction connoisseur for over 40 years, Anne has studied science fiction writing with best-selling author Madeline L'Engle and short-story author Vance Aandahl. As a singer, song-writer, harper and guitarist, Anne is a recording artist and the author of over 100 songs, many of which have science fiction themes, and several of which are featured in her debut Sci-Fi anthology, Wings of Joy. In addition, she is the author of Mystic Intersections, an art book of her photography and digital art that chronicles her journey from congenital blindness to functional sight. Anne has been a pioneer throughout her life. She was the first blind student to be mainstreamed into her local public school district. She was the first woman to receive a guitar performance degree from Wheaton College. She has spent her life balancing substantial limitations with a wide range of interests and accomplishments. Her diverse experiences lead her to write Wings of Joy, a series of tales about people with an extraordinary gift--the ability to move starships through galaxies at hyperlight speeds--and their search for meaning and purpose in a future history that spans more than 1000 years.Anne's Starmasters are pioneers to their core--the only pilots who can survey the galaxy for new worlds. Yet they are ordinary people in an extradordinary future who discover they have a compelling gift. As they navigate new lives as Starmasters, they find this gift is both a burden and a joy. These stories are filled with universal human experiences, which many of Anne's readers have said mirror their own. As such, the stories in Wings of Joy can be enjoyed by a diverse audience.Sourdough Jackson hails from Sitka, Alaska. She has a Masters in History, chiefly studying naval history. A retired computer programmer, she has spent her whole career in civil service. She began reading science fiction as a child of six, starting with Jules Verne. As an adult she has been involved with the Denver Area Science Fiction Association in various capacities and also been involved with filking, convention committees, and fanzine publishing. She met longtime Denver fan Gail Barton at a convention, and they married in 1978. She has written a monthly column on classic science fiction, That Old Science Fiction, in DASFAx, the association's newsletter, and published the essays as a book of the same title. Torpedo Junction is her debut novel.