Part of the Fiction River series:
- Fiction River: Alchemy & Steam
- Fiction River: Sparks
- Fiction River: Tavern Tales
- Fiction River: Editor's Choice
Thirteen stories that blend science and magic into alternate history, edited by Kerrie L. Hughes, featuring Diana Benedict's "Pennies for Portents": After their parents die, Francie Wolcott and her genius younger brother Rooney are left penniless, with nothing but the fortunetelling automaton he built. To get Rooney to their uncle in San Francisco, they join a carnival heading west, using the automaton as an attraction to pay their way. All goes well at first — until Francie learns how big and complicated the world really is.
"Pennies for Portents" grew into Diana Benedict's novel Perils for Portents.