Servants of War

by Larry Correia & Steve Diamond

Valhellions

by Tim Akers

Weird World War IV

edited by Sean Patrick Hazlett

At the End of the Journey

by Charles E. Gannon

Blood and Whispers

by A.C. Haskins

The Jupiter Knife

by D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey

Little People!

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

In January of 2011 we started posting free short stories we thought might be of interest to Baen readers. The first stories were "Space Hero" by Patrick Lundrigan, the winner of the 2010 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest, and "Tanya, Princess of Elves," by Larry Correia, author of Monster Hunter International and set in that universe. As new stories are made available, they will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of short stories for 2021.

As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books.

APPLESEED: A Founder Effect Legend by Robert E. Hampson
Latuda’s Lady in White by Aaron Michael Ritchey
Misfits by A.C. Haskins
All Orca Go to Heaven by Joelle Presby
The Paoshi Puzzle by James L. Cambias
Of Shadows and Caves by David Weber and Richard Fox
Salvage Judgment by G. Scott Huggins
Murder in Space by Les Johnson
The Man Who Would be Dracula by Simon R. Green
Shattered Trust by Dave Bara
Echoes of Meridian by M. Elizabeth Ticknor
The Rot’s Last Laugh by Charles E. Gannon
Fire-Bright Rain by Jane Lindskold
From Every Storm a Rainbow by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

EVEN GHOSTS NEED HELP FROM A CUNNING MAN. A new novel in the Cunning Man series from Dragon Award-nominated author D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Hiram and his son Michael are dowsing a well in Eastern Utah when they hear a cry of help from the ghost of a small boy, torn to pieces by wild animals. Before they can even begin to look into that tragedy, however, a prosperous local rancher is murdered right before their eyes.

In an attempt to both help the ghost and find the killer, Hiram and Michael must navigate an eccentric cast of characters that includes failed bank robbers, a seductive fortune-teller, an inept sheriff, a crazy prospector, and a preacher with an apocalyptic grudge against the Roosevelt administration.

The mystery, however, isn’t just in the hearts of men. There’s an astrological puzzle that Michael, now his father’s apprentice, must solve. Meanwhile, the murderer is moving slowly against Hiram and Michael, forcing them into a trap from which there is no escape.

Breaking Silence

by Mercedes Lackey and Cody Martin

Future War

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Tyger Bright

by T.C. McCarthy

Penric's Progress

by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Jupiter Knife

by D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey

Straight Outta Dodge City

edited by David Boop

Gun Runner

by Larry Correia and John Brown

EVEN GHOSTS NEED HELP FROM A CUNNING MAN. A new novel in the Cunning Man series from Dragon Award-nominated author D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Hiram and his son Michael are dowsing a well in Eastern Utah when they hear a cry for help from the ghost of a small boy, torn to pieces by wild animals. Before they can even begin to look into that tragedy, however, a prosperous local rancher is murdered right before their eyes.

In an attempt to both help the ghost and find the killer, Hiram and Michael must navigate an eccentric cast of characters that includes failed bank robbers, a seductive fortune-teller, an inept sheriff, a crazy prospector, and a preacher with an apocalyptic grudge against the Roosevelt administration.

The mystery, however, isn’t just in the hearts of men. There’s an astrological puzzle that Michael, now his father’s apprentice, must solve. Meanwhile, the murderer is moving slowly against Hiram and Michael, forcing them into a trap from which there is no escape.

1636: The China Venture

by Eric Flint and Iver P. Cooper

The World

Albion Series, Book 2
by John Grant

Weird World War III

edited by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Target Rich Environment, Volume 2

by Larry Correia

Earthdoom!

by John Grant and David Langford

Sassinak

by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon

The Cunning Man

by D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey

The Valkyrie Protocol

by David Weber and Jacob Holo

The demons of the Great Depression are real. The cunning man is here to fight them.

Hiram Woolley is a cunning man.

A witch is someone whose craft is malevolent, someone who curses you. A cunning man is the person who is master of the lore necessary to defend you against witches, and against other evil powers.

Hiram is also a widower and a beet farmer, who learned his occult lore from his Grandma Hettie. Grandma Hettie raised Hiram on her farm; she said her prayers in German, sang the Psalms to secret melodies, and knew the special properties of stones. In the 1930s, with the western United States sunk in deep depression, Hiram and his adopted son try to help the poor—delivering food, helping the unemployed find jobs, digging out collapsed wells, and settling family disputes.

Behind the played-out farms and failed businesses, Hiram finds demons, curses, sorcerers, and unatoned wrongs. Bags of groceries and carpentry won’t be enough—to truly help the poor, Hiram will have to turn to Grandma Hettie’s magic.

The Best of Jerry Pournelle

by Jerry Pournelle
Edited by John F. Carr

Conflict of Honors

by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Council of Fire

by Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt

1636: The Flight of the Nightingale

by David Carrico

The Cunning Man

by D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey

The Valley of Shadows

by John Ringo and Mike Massa

It’s the depths of the Depression, and a mining town in Utah is shut down. Something has awakened underground, and now a monster roams the tunnels. Along comes Hiram Woolley. Hiram is a man with mystical abilities derived from the commonsense application of Scot-Irish folk wisdom and German Braucher magic. He possesses an arcane Bloodstone that allows him to see a lie the moment it is spoken. Behind the played-out farms and failed businesses are demons, curses, sorcerers, and unatoned wrongs. Bags of groceries and carpentry won’t be enough this time.The job will take a man who has known sorrow. A man who has known war. A man of wisdom. A man of magic. The job will take a Cunning Man.

In January of 2011 we started posting free short stories we thought might be of interest to Baen readers. The first stories were "Space Hero" by Patrick Lundrigan, the winner of the 2010 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest, and "Tanya, Princess of Elves," by Larry Correia, author of Monster Hunter International and set in that universe. As new stories are made available, they will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of short stories for 2019.

As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books.

The Testimony of the Traitor Ratul by Larry Correia
Today I Remember by Martin L. Shoemaker
Extracurricular by Wm. Mark Simmons
Waiting for the Talisman by P.C. Hodgell
Voodoo Magic by Robert Buettner
Burners by Matt McHugh
Treason Properly by J.J. Cragun
Talk Girl by Wil McCarthy
Weeping Willikers by Aaron Michael Ritchey
A Visit to the Galaxy Ballroom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Next Giant Leap by Patrick Chiles