For Hades Publications publisher Brian Hades, dealing with the mystery and illusion of fantasy and science fiction was gained second (and sleight-of) hand.

“When I was between the ages of seven and 14, I had a professional act that was booked out. I went out and made money for the family, that sort of thing,” he reminisces. “It was just a good kind of stand-up-and-perform act. No big illusions — all parlor and stage tricks.”

Hades Publications publishes science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction under three imprints: Tesseract Books, Under the Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, and Absolute XPress. In 2009, 10 years since Hades started in the field, his company is now one of Canada’s leading publishers of genre fiction, credited to Hades’ hard work and dedication to promoting authors.

“We decided to go big or get out,” he says. “We made it a full-time endeavour. It’s more than full-time when it comes to the job; we’ll start early in the morning and go late at night. It’s a lifestyle, really, when you think about it. We like books, we like authors, and we like telling the stories.”

Entering its 10th year, Hades and company are celebrating its aluminum anniversary with a swanky semi-formal soiree at the Venturion Art Gallery Saturday, June 13. Featuring readings from Calgarian Randy McCharles and Hugo Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer, the event promises fancy dress, fine food and a whole lot of fantastical fiction.

“We’ve been doing this event for 10 years now,” says Hades. “ We used to do it in libraries, but last year we did it in a fire hall. Now this year we’re doing it at the Venturion. We’re expecting around 80 to 120 [guests] this time around.”

While Hades’ two career paths may seem disparate, there is a surprising connection. The company’s novels — like the best magicians — are meant to spark the imagination and instill wonderment about the world around us.

“I always think it’s interesting that I come from a family of magicians which deals with magic, fantasy and illusion and I’m publishing books on science fiction, which is fantasy and illusion,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve not really fallen too far away from my roots. It’s just a different performance venue, that’s all.”