The Uncertain Places

An ages-old family secret breaches the boundaries between reality and magic in this fresh retelling of a classic fairy tale. When Berkeley student Will Taylor is introduced to the mysterious Feierabend sisters, he quickly falls for enigmatic Livvy, a chemistry major and accomplished chef. But Livvy’s family?vivacious actress Maddie, family historian Rose, and their mother, absent-minded Sylvia?are behaving strangely. The Feierabend women seem to believe that luck is their handmaiden, even though happiness does not necessarily follow. It is soon discovered that generations previous, the Feierabends made a contract with a powerful, otherworldly force, and it is up to Will and his best friend to unravel the riddle of this supernatural bargain in order to save Livvy from her predestined fate.

Lisa Goldstein is the author of nine novels and two short story collections, including The Alchemist’s Door, Dark Cities Underground,?and Travelers in Magic. She has published dozens of short stories in magazines such as Interzone and Asimov’s SF and in anthologies including The Norton Book of Science Fiction and The Year’s Best Fantasy. Winner of?the American Book Award for The Red Magician, she has published two fantasy novels under the name Isabel Glass and is a founding member of the women’s speculative fiction cooperative, the Brazen Hussies.?She lives in Oakland, California.