Dragon Springs & Other Things

Dragon Springs & Other Things

A Short Story Collection Book I

By Raven Oak


This debut collection by multi-award-winning author and artist Raven Oak brings together fantastical stories from the past ten years of her career,  ranging from gothic and urban fantasy to post-apocalyptic and steampunk tales.

You’ll find coffee-drinking ghosts, ever-changing faces, elemental spirits who both protect and harm, assassins, magical pockets, and snarky creatures in these ELEVEN fanciful fictions. Dragon Springs & Other Things contains SIX never-before seen stories for your enjoyment, including two stories featuring fan favorite character, Ida, from Oak’s Boahim Trilogy.

STORIES INCLUDED: Mirror Me, Water the Fire, Alive, Learning to Fly, The Drive to Work, The Ringers, Cookie Man, Amaskan, Peace Be With You, Friend, The Snark, and Dragon Springs & Other Things.

AWARDS: 2023 UK Wishing Shelf Awards Finalist


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Praise

“Dragon Springs & Other Things makes me eager to read more from Ms. Oak. 4 Stars”
-- Long & Short Reviews
“…a mesmerizing debut collection by the talented author and artist Raven Oak. This captivating anthology combines a decade’s mystical tales, showcasing Oak’s versatility and mastery of various genres, including gothic and urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and steampunk…Raven Oak’s name is sure to be etched in the annals of literature as she continues to enchant audiences with her unparalleled storytelling prowess.”
-- Suzy Housley, Sr. Editor.
Midwest Book Review
“Featuring six new offerings together with earlier stories, the collection opens with ‘Mirror Me’, a detective noir of sorts—serial deaths around a homeless encampment. ‘Water the Fire’ unburies a first-person house exorcism, and a lady mercenary comes to fore in ‘Alive’ that has connections to Oak’s Amaskan stories, as does ‘Amaskan’. A looming wedding in ‘Learning to Fly’ also arrives with letters from a dead father in the pocket of his bride-to-be daughter’s dress. A novella appears in ‘The Ringers’, where a young girl finds herself yarning in a factory rather than in the academy of magic for which she’s destined… The stories here are not so much speculative as playful, with tantalising little bitsies of dragons, magic, sword and sorcery mashed with westerns, all collected into an imaginative smorgasbord of ‘why not?’”
-- Aurealis Magazine
Issue 161
“[About the story Peace Be with You, Friend:] A sweet and touching story of the end of the world and it’s (sic) last two living inhabitants, a starving dragon and a young girl. I loved their conversations and interactions down to the very end. 4 Stars”
-- Stephanie Hildreth
100 Pages a Day
“…well-written anthology of mixed fantasy and fantastical science fiction, with lovingly and heart-felt storytelling. 5 Stars.”
-- Elizabeth Guizzetti
Author of Accident among Vampires
“All the stories are delightful. Oak explores a wide range of subjects and styles in her storytelling…this collection is a wonderful read. 4 Stars”
-- Seattle Book Review
“This is my first time reading from the author, but it certainly will not be my last! 4 Stars”
-- Buttercup's Book Blog
“I loved this collection of short stories, and can’t imagine anyone not finding some that are just their cup of tea. Every tale held my interest and I loved the fact that the author explained how each one came to be. 5 Stars”
-- Liminal Fiction
“What I like about this author is her ability to find the magic in the ordinary and to weave stories that have hints of fairy tales in them. 5 Stars”
-- Jenn
Book Sirens
“A compelling and eclectic set of shorts with a futuristic feel to them. Very enjoyable…. The author is a strong writer who knows how to jam a lot in…[they] offers interesting and often thought-provoking plots in well-imagined, futuristic worlds. 4 Stars.”
-- The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
“…each story has a rich, cohesive magical or future setting, with mature, introspective and sympathetic characters. 5 Stars.”
-- Renaissance Writer
“...riveting anthology...[with] fascinating worlds that feel lived-in, distinct, and authentic....a sense of tension and intrigue [is] woven into the narratives that seeps into the reader's psyche as they constantly try to figure out what's coming next.”
-- Pikasho Deka
Reader's Favorite

Click to Read an Excerpt


Publisher: Grey Sun Press
Release Date: June 1, 2023
Cover Art: R. Oak

Awards: 2023 UK Wishing Shelf Book Award Finalist (This award is an all-genre fiction reader judged award)

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