Five Star is pleased to publish Speaking with Angels, the first ever short-story collection by Michelle West. Within these twelve stories are heroes, both real and imagined, characters so real it seems they're sitting beside you, and themes and emotions so resonant that they speak to every fantasy reader. With a new introduction by Tanya Huff, and story notes by Michelle herself, this new collection brings together early and recent work by a master of fantasy. Among the stories are: Winter . . a disenchanted young man makes a deal with the Devil; Hunger . . . a man is haunted by the ghost of a child at Christmas, and in order to be free of her, he must uncover the truth about her death; Four Attempts at a Letter . . . an alternate history comprised of three partial letters, and a final legacy written by acting Prime Minister Golda Meier shortly after the death of Ben Gurion; and the title story To Speak with Angels . . . a saint makes his final journey across the fractured landscape of hell itself to ask Lucifer a single question that has always troubled him. Michelle West lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and two children.