Shadowbridge, by Gregory Frost, $13.95. Shadowbridge is a world of islands connected by bridges. Stories make a different kind of bridge, and Gregory Frost brings Shadowbridge to life with delightful series of stories within stories.

Leandra grew up orphaned on a backwater island with her uncle, a fish monger so low on the social ladder he believes arranging her marriage to the village idiot will be a step up. What it does is force Leandra to run away.

Leandra’s father was a famous puppeteer. She had been learning puppetry from Soter who has preserved her father’s puppets. He also keeps secrets about the true fate of her mother and father.

Soter is the town drunk but he knows how to arrange things for a traveling storyteller. He returns to the job he did with Leandra’s father when he helps her escape.

Leandra gathers more stories as she and Soter travel over bridges from town to town. Leandra’s story is one of the many stories in a book about storytelling and filled with many examples.

The story of Diverus is a substantial novella of the cruelty and mysterious beauties of Shadowbridge. Diverus was sold by his parents and chained as a beggar hoping to be gifted by the gods. When his gift appears worthless he is sold again as a servant in an exotic brothel. When he finds his gift he becomes a traveling companion with Leandra and Soter.

There are mysteries of gods visiting people, or the sea dragon that approached Leandra when she most needed it. There are mysteries left unresolved for the second half of the two-part series, but there are many stories here to provide a closure for the book to stand alone.

Queen of Dragons, by Shana Abe, $18. There is no end in sight to the dragon books that keep coming out. Denver writer Shana Abe’s variation of dragons can turn into smoke and seep through cracks and keyholes as well as be humans or giant flying creatures.

Maricara is the teenage ruler of a once mighty family of dragons who act like old vampire lords out of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” When Maricara comes to the attention of a British family of dragons they make her and her kingdom an object of conquest.

The British had long decided that Kimber Langford, the alpha of the family, would marry Maricara. They didn’t inform her of this but she refuses before the subject is raised.

Maricara goes to England to warn the Langfords about the hunters who are stalking all the dragul. It’s a visit filled with distrust and inevitable romance.

The dragons’ nature leads to a mix of drawing-room comedy and lust. They can turn to smoke and move at will but they never have any clothing when they turn human again so they hide behind curtains, or don’t bother hiding.

“Queen of Dragons” is certainly a romance novel but also succeeds as well-written fantasy.

Looking Glass, by James R. Strickland, $14.95. Flying Pen Press is a Denver-based small publisher that has issued several science fiction novels by local authors.

“Looking Glass” is an enjoyable cyberspace mystery.

Shroud leads network security for OmniMart in Denver, which is now part of Canada. One morning her team is massacred in a quick, brutal attack that rewires the computer jacks in their brains.

Shroud is ordered to leave the case alone but investigates it anyway. She is confined to a wheelchair but is a master of movement through cyberspace when she is jacked in.

“Looking Glass” is a little heavy with computer jargon at times but that only makes for small glitches in a fast paced thriller.

Fred Cleaver is a freelancer who writes regularly on new science fiction releases.

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