instance_of the merchant and the alchemist's gate
The ___MASK90___ ( Medieval Latin : " superntrlis ": " supra " " above " + " naturalis " " natural ", first used : 1520  1530 AD ) includes all that cannot be explained by ___MASK9___ or the laws of nature , including things characteristic of or relating to ghosts , gods , or other ___MASK90___ beings , or to things beyond nature . Ted Chiang ( born 1967 ) is an American ___MASK9___ fiction writer . His ___MASK26___ name is Chiang Feng - nan (  ). ___MASK91___ fiction , also known as popular fiction , is plot - driven fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary ___MASK91___ , in ___MASK52___ to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that ___MASK91___ . ___MASK91___ fiction is generally distinguished from " literary fiction ". Screenwriting teacher Robert McKee defines " ___MASK91___ conventions " as the " specific settings , roles , events , and values that define individual genres and their subgenres ". These conventions , always fluid , are usually implicit , but sometimes are made into explicit requirements by publishers of fiction as a guide to authors seeking publication . There is no consensus as to exactly what the conventions of any ___MASK91___ are , or even what the genres themselves are ; assigning of works to genres is to some extent arbitrary and subjective . Speculative ___MASK25___ is a broad umbrella ___MASK91___ denoting any narrative ___MASK25___ with supernatural or futuristic elements ; this encompasses the genres of science ___MASK25___ , fantasy , horror , alternative ___MASK62___ , magic realism , and superhero ___MASK25___ , as well as combinations of the previous genres . It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities , technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships , or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements . The term ' s popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein , who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay , although there are prior mentions of speculative ___MASK25___ , or its variant " speculative literature ". ___MASK91___ ( or ; from French " ___MASK91___ " , " kind " or " sort ", from Latin " ___MASK37___ " ( stem " gener -"), Greek  , " gés ") A ___MASK81___ is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level . Commonly , in the United States , this is set at $ 50 million , after returns and discounts . Small presses are also defined as those that publish an average of fewer than 10 titles per year , though there are a few who manage to do more . Suspense is a feeling of pleasurable fascination and excitement mixed with apprehension , tension , and anxiety developed from an unpredictable , mysterious , and rousing source of ___MASK46___ . The term most often refers to an audience ' s perceptions in a dramatic work . Suspense is not exclusive to fiction . It ___MASK85___ operate whenever there is a perceived suspended ___MASK2___ or a chain of cause is left in doubt , with tension being a primary ___MASK24___ felt as part of the situation . ___MASK9___ fiction ( often shortened to SF , sci - fi or scifi ) is a ___MASK91___ of speculative fiction , typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology , space travel , ___MASK10___ travel , faster than light travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . ___MASK9___ fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations , and has been called a " literature of ideas ." It usually avoids the supernatural , and unlike the related ___MASK91___ of fantasy , historically science fiction stories were intended to have a grounding in science - based fact or theory at the ___MASK10___ the story was created , but this connection is now limited to hard science fiction . ___MASK25___ is the ___MASK30___ for any story or universe derived from imagination  in other words , not based strictly on ___MASK62___ or fact . ___MASK25___ can be expressed in a variety of formats , including writings , live performances , films , television programs , animations , video games , and role - playing games , though the term originally and most commonly refers to the narrative forms of literature ( see " literary " fiction ), including the novel , novella , ___MASK53___ , and play . ___MASK25___ constitutes an act of creative invention , so that faithfulness to reality is not typically assumed ; in other words , fiction is not expected to present only characters who are actual people or descriptions that are factually true . The context of fiction is generally open to interpretation , due to fiction ' s freedom from any necessary embedding in reality ; however , some fictional works are claimed to be , or marketed as , historically or factually accurate , complicating the traditional distinction between fiction and non - fiction . ___MASK25___ is a ___MASK30___ or category , rather than a specific mode or genre , unless used in a narrower sense as a synonym for a particular literary fiction form . The Merchant and the Alchemist ' s Gate is a fantasy novelette by Ted Chiang originally published in 2007 by Subterranean Press and reprinted in the September 2007 issue of Fantasy & ___MASK9___ Fiction . It won the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novelette . Burton is a ___MASK58___ in Genesee ___MASK79___ in the state of Michigan and a ___MASK59___ of Flint . The population was 29 , 999 at the 2010 census , making Burton the second largest ___MASK58___ in Genesee ___MASK79___ . A chapbook is an early type of popular ___MASK36___ printed in early modern Europe . Produced cheaply , chapbooks were commonly small , paper - covered booklets , usually printed on a ___MASK96___ sheet folded into books of 8 , 12 , 16 and 24 pages . They were often illustrated with crude woodcuts , which sometimes bore no relation to the text . When illustrations were included in chapbooks , they were considered popular prints . Fantasy is a ___MASK25___ ___MASK91___ set in an imaginary universe , often but not always without any locations , events , or people from the real world . Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element , theme , or setting . Magic and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds . Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science ___MASK25___ and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes , respectively , though there is a great deal of overlap between the three , all of which are subgenres of speculative ___MASK25___ . Subterranean Press is a ___MASK81___ publisher in Burton , Michigan . Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction , primarily horror , suspense and dark mystery , fantasy , and science fiction . In addition to publishing novels , ___MASK53___ collections and chapbooks , Subterranean also produced a quarterly publication called " Subterranean Magazine ", specialising in short fiction and edited by William Schafer ; it had also an online direct seller . In addition to trade editions , the company produces collector ' s and limited editions . These books are issued with author signatures , in both numbered and lettered states , and are produced using high - grade book papers and bindings with matching slipcases and traycases .