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What's New (03/30/2008): The results for the 1000 Words V contest have now been posted. Thanks to everyone who participated!

(09/23/2006): I have added two new songs to the Box o' Stuff.

(9/16/2006) I've done a huge update to my El Goonish Shive fan-art page in the Pictures section. I've also added a Podcasts section to the Links page, and expanded my list of featured web comics. And look for a new 1000 Words contest to be announced soon!

Introduction

Hi folks! Welcome to Raven's Lair, my collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction. I got my start in the online community in 1996 as a member of TSA-Talk, a mailing list for fans and authors of transformation-related fiction. Even today you'll find that many of the stories here contain transformation themes of one sort or another, and the shared story universes featured at Raven's Lair owe their creation to the fine men and women who comprise the TSA-Talk community.

Even if you're not especially interested in transformation as a literary device, I hope you'll enjoy what you find here. Ultimately, regardless of the plot devices used, the stories you see here are about people facing extraordinary situations: sometimes with cowardice, sometimes with cynicism, and sometimes with heroism. Even the hardest sci-fi or the most surreal fantasy is ultimately about people -- and whether they have hair, fur, scales or feathers, whether they walk or swim or fly, whether they can turn into wolves or drink blood or shatter mountains with their minds, it is the trials and adventures of people that make a story worth reading. And here at Raven's Lair, you'll find a wide variety of people whose stories you can read and enjoy.

Descriptions of each of the story universes featured at Raven's Lair can be found on the Worlds page; if you've never read stories in these settings before, these descriptions will give you the background you need in order to make sense of the tales you'll find here. Some stories do not belong to a shared setting, and can be enjoyed immediately without going through any introductions. I hope you enjoy your visit!

--Raven Blackmane

Raven Image shown above is Copyright 1999 by Caribou. Used With Permission.
Raven Blackmane, the character, is Copyright 1996 by Raven Blackmane.
Text Copyright 1996-2005 by Raven Blackmane unless otherwise indicated.