--- title: Dust & Divinity: Ink of Ages Volume Two source: https://www.worldhistory.org/static/book-dust-and-divinity/ format: machine-readable-alternate --- # Dust & Divinity: Ink of Ages Volume Two [![Dust & Divinity book](https://files.worldhistory.org/Images/IOA2%20cover%20mockup%20transparent.png)](https://go.whe.to/dust-amazon-hardcover "Dust & Divinity") **Ink of Ages Fiction Prize was created to celebrate genres we love: historical and mythology-inspired fiction, and everything in between. Many if not all of these stories show such strong imagination for character and setting that they give the experience of being immersed in a different time.** [*Dust & Divinity*](https://go.whe.to/dust-amazon-hardcover "Dust & Divinity") features twenty-five winning and shortlisted stories from the 2025 Ink of Ages Fiction Prize, an international short story contest organized by World History Encyclopedia and sponsored by Oxford University Press. Mesopotamian tablets, ancient Egyptian murder, Norse tales of magic, and the discovery of a lost shoe all serve as inspiration for just a few of these stories. Our writers take us from the valleys of South Wales to Pakistan’s Lake Saif-ul-Malook, from Polish salt mines to the foothills of Chinese mountains. Murder, betrayal, death, and disaster meet hope, resilience, and a sprinkle of humor. In the face of despair, at least there’s family (when they’re not conspiring against you), music, art, dogs, and Danish pastries. What endures when everything else has turned to dust? Available Now ------------- The book is available in several formats in multiple shops. ### Hardcover $19.99 / €17.49 / £14.99[Amazon](https://go.whe.to/dust-amazon-hardcover "Dust & Divinity") [Barnes & Noble](https://go.whe.to/dust-barnes-n-noble-hc "Dust & Divinity") ### Paperback $12.99 / €11.49 / £9.99[Amazon](https://go.whe.to/dust-amazon-paperback "Dust & Divinity") [Barnes & Noble](https://go.whe.to/dust-barnes-n-noble-pb "Dust & Divinity") ### eBook $7.99 / €6.99 / £5.99[Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/collection/2138220?view=expanded) [Amazon Kindle](https://go.whe.to/dust-kindle "Dust & Divinity") [Google Play Books](https://go.whe.to/dust-googlebooks) [Apple Books](https://go.whe.to/dust-applebooks) Adult Prize ----------- - ***Zannanza*** by Anna McHugh – First Prize Inspired by the murder of Zannanza, the Hittite prince who was requested as a husband by a widowed Egyptian Queen anxious not to be forced into a marriage with an ambitious member of the Egyptian nobility. She was likely the widow of Tutankhamun. - **Møya** by Senthan Thomas Sivasangar – Second Prize Inspired by Møya i Ulveham, an old Norwegian myth spread via folk ballads in the 18th and 19th centuries across the Norwegian county of Telemark. - **Shining Light** by Richard Garcka – Third Prize Inspired by the construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the importance of dealing with work-related stress. - **Federico** by João Costa – Highly Commended Inspired by the Spanish Civil War. - **The Deluge** by Abaan Zaidi – Highly Commended Inspired by Tablet 11 of the Epic of Gilgamesh, also known as the Flood Tablet. - **The Diary** by Matt Roberts Inspired by a diary that Matt found belonging to his grandfather, who was one of the volunteers to help moments after the Aberfan disaster. - **The Salamander of London** by Peter Hankins Inspired by coming across the Cellini anecdote while reading about the Great Fire of London and the search for its cause. - **The Sound of Salt** by Will Reardon Inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. - **Bog Child** by Mairi McCurdy Inspired by an old-fashioned child’s shoe found in a bog in Donegal. - **Encrusted** by Michael Kowalczyk-Barker Inspired by Wieliczka salt miners in southern Poland. - **To End a Nightmare** by Miriam Culy Inspired by the Black Death. - **Fidelity** by Morna Sullivan Inspired by the writing and illustrations, particularly one of a dog, in the Book of Kells. - **A Mountain God's Dilemma** by Paul Burdick Inspired by the life story of the author's mother escaping Nazis in Germany during World War II. - **Echoes of Hunger and Hope** by Moira Lee Pellehan Inspired by the brutal reality of people’s lives during the Great Famine of the mid-1800s in Ireland. Youth Prize ----------- - **To Forget** by Sophia Campbell – First Prize Inspired by Native American residential schools and the forced assimilation programs of the 19th and 20th centuries. - **The Defeat of the Emperor** by Cassandra Hughes – Second Prize Inspired by the author's research on Napoleon for school. - **Maidens, Men and Raging Seas** by Prisha Roy Mahapatra – Third Prize Inspired by selkies from Celtic and Norse folklore. - **Shattered Souls, Eternal Light** by Faaris Jamali – Highly Commended Inspired by folklore about Lake Saif-ul-Malook in Kaghan Valley, Pakistan. - **The Weaver** by Jenna Davis – Highly Commended Inspired by the story of Arachne. - **The Land We Dreamed Of** by Tatiana Randjelovic Inspired by the US's Western expansion. - **Wedding Flowers** by Emily Peters Inspired by the marriage of Hera and Zeus. - **The Magic of Myth** by Yau Inspired by the stories of Nüwa, the goddess of nature in Chinese mythology. - **The Tortured Artist** by Iris Inspired by the life of Vincent van Gogh. - **The Spinster** by Somya Jain Inspired by the Greco-Roman myth of Arachne and Athena. - **The Secret of the Louvre** by Kayla Williams Inspired by the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911. About Ink of Ages ----------------- The Ink of Ages Fiction Prize is World History Encyclopedia’s international short story competition, supported by Oxford University Press. The competition welcomes submissions of historical fiction and mythology-inspired fiction in two main categories – adult and youth – and maintains its commitment to accessibility by remaining free to enter, whilst offering professional-level judging and support. **[*Echoes & Origins*](https://amzn.to/4tMx0gD) is the first published volume of the competition, featuring the winning and shortlisted stories from 2024, while [*Dust & Divinity*](https://go.whe.to/dust-amazon-hardcover) includes the best stories from 2025.** Comments from the Judges ------------------------ > “These are wonderfully vivid time capsules and mythological dreamscapes, transporting readers to unexpected places in just a few well-crafted pages.” > Stefan Vranka, Oxford University Press > “I was blown away by the high standard of writing in the youth category. The writing was generally mature, innovative, well researched and a pleasure to read” > Wendy Orr, Author