Grim Oak Press has announced the start of pre-orders for Unfettered, an impressive anthology that contains many of today’s most popular Fantasy writers.

• The Shade of Allanon by Terry Brooks (a Shannara tale)
• Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks (a precursor to the Word/Void trilogy)
• How Old Holly Came To Be by Patrick Rothfuss
• River of Souls by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (a Wheel of Time tale)
• The Old Scale Game by Tad Williams
• Martyr of the Roses by Jacqueline Carey (a precursor to the Kushiel series)
• Dogs by Daniel Abraham
• Mudboy by Peter V. Brett (a Demon Cycle tale)
• Nocturne by Robert V. S. Redick
• The Sound of Broken Absolutes by Peter Orullian (a Vault of Heaven tale)
• Untitled by Geno & R.A. Salvatore
• Keeper of Memory by Todd Lockwood (a Summer Dragon tale)
• Game of Chance by Carrie Vaughn
• The Lasting Doubts of Joaquin Lopez by Blake Charlton
• The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne (an Iron Druid tale)
• Select Mode by Mark Lawrence (a Broken Empire tale)
• All the Girls Love Michael Stein by David Anthony Durham
• Strange Rain by Jennifer Bosworth (an Struck epilogue tale)
• Unbowed by Eldon Thompson (a Legend of Asahiel tale)
• Untitled by Naomi Novik (a Temeraire tale)
• The Jester by Michael J. Sullivan (a Riyria Chronicles tale)
• The Duel by Lev Grossman (a Magicians tale)
• The Unfettered Knight by Shawn Speakman (an Annwn Cycle tale)

I’m disappointed to see that Sanderson’s contribution is potentially only an excerpt from his work on the Wheel of Time novels, especially after enjoying his recent novella, ‘Legion,’ so much, but I understand that having Sanderson’s name attached to the anthology (and Jordan, for that matter), is valuable, regardless of whether it’s new material or not. Speaking with both Speakman and Peter Ahlstrom, Sanderson’s assistant, it looks like there’s a possibility that ‘River of Souls’ isn’t just an excerpt, but either a new short story set after A Memory of Light or content cut from the final version of the novel, repurposed into a short story. Either way, because of ‘River of Souls’ Unfettered cannot be published until after the publication of A Memory of Light. Good news for Wheel of Time fans, I’d say. Similarily, both of Brooks stories are older shorts that I’ve previously read, but haven been difficult to find for years, so that’s good. Daniel Abraham has written quite extensively about his story, ‘Dogs,’ which is worth a read. Rothfuss’ contribution, from what I understand, isn’t a piece of fiction, but a poem. Other than that, it’s looking like a very lineup from some of today’s best writers. I’d list the stories I’m most interested in, but, really, I’d end up listing 75% of the anthology, and that’d just be goofy. It’s all good, people.

Speakman sheds some light on the anthology:

With the help of stalwart friends and these wonderful short stories, Shawn has taken the gravest of life hardships and created something magical. Unfettered is not only a fantastic anthology in its own right but it’s a testament to the generosity found in the science fiction and fantasy community—proof that humanity can give beyond itself when the need arises.

You can pre-order physical editions of Unfettered on the Grim Oak Press website. Be warned, though, they don’t come cheap! Unfettered is set to launch sometime in Spring, 2013.