Forged in Blood

The first story takes place in feudal Japan and the book continues in chronological order into the future of Williamson's Freehold universe.

Five of the stories are wholly or partly by Williamson and the rest by other authors, including Larry Correia, Tony Daniel and Tom Kratman.

[1] Mark Lardas of the Galveston Daily News praised the authors for creating a coherent anthology while attempting "something original [by] telling a story through an object."

[3] The story "Thicker than Blood" by Kacey Ezell was selected for inclusion in the anthology The Year's Best Military and Adventure SF, Volume 4, published in June 2018.

The story went on to win the Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF Readers’ Choice Award announced at Dragoncon on September 1, 2018.