Product Description

Elizabeth Moon is back with the fourth adventure in her bestselling fantasy epic. Moon brilliantly weaves a colorful tapestry of action, betrayal, love, and magic set in a richly imagined world that stands alongside those of such fantasy masters as George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb.

The unthinkable has occurred in the kingdom of Lyonya. The queen of the Elvesknown as the Ladyis dead, murdered by former elves twisted by dark powers. Now the Ladys half-elven grandson must heal the mistrust between elf and human before their enemies strike again. Yet as he struggles to make ready for an attack, an even greater threat looms across the Eight Kingdoms.

Throughout the north, magic is reappearing after centuries of absence, emerging without warning in family after familyrich and poor alike. In some areas, the religious strictures against magery remain in place, and fanatical followers are stamping out magery by killing whoever displays the merest sign of iteven children. And as unrest spreads, one very determined traitor works to undo any effort at peaceno matter how many lives it costs. With the future hanging in the balance, it is only the dedication of a few resolute heroes who can turn the tides . . . if they can survive.

Praise for

Its easy to become fully immersed in, and absorbed by, the narrative: [Moons] great strength lies in the patient accumulation of telling detail, yielding an extraordinarily rich picture of the worlds politics, philosophy, military structure, history, magic and alien cultures, where men and women stand as equals even in force of arms.

Thoughtful and deeply character driven, full of personal crises as heartbreaking and hopeful as any dramatic invasion . . . Moon deftly avoids big literary explosions, preferring instead a slow boil that builds pressure without relief. There are plots within plots, but the complex story is never confusing. Fantasy fans will be delighted by this impressive foray.(starred review)

Praise for Elizabeth Moon

This is an excellent series, and is particularly well done. [Elizabeth Moon is a] consistently entertaining writer, and this book lives up to her standards.

Moons characters navigate an intricate maze of alliances and rivalries. . . . Close attention to military detail gives the action convincing intensity.on

A triumphant return to the fantasy world she created . . . No one writes fantasy quite like Moon.on