Most Popular Books by Kate Elliott

“An absorbing read, for anyone who enjoys sci fi, fantasy, blending of the two, excellent characters, Elliot’s previous work, or dang good storytelling. Or all of the above.” —Nerds in Babeland “This is a great collection, a fun collection, an important collection, a highly recommended collection. The Very Best of Kate Elliott is the very best that genre fiction can offer.” —Book Smugglers Kickass heroines and riveting storytelling are the calling cards of groundbreaking author Kate Elliott (Crown of Stars, Crossroads, Court of Fives). Her long-awaited first collection showcases twenty years of her finest stories. Captured here are many of Elliott’s previously out-of-print tales, four previously unpublished essays, and a brand new Crossroads offering, “On the Dying Winds of the Old Year and the Birthing Winds of the New.” Elliott''s bold adventuresses, complex quests, noble sacrifices, and hard-won victories shine in classic, compact legends. In “The Memory of Peace,” a girl’s powerful emotions rouse the magic of a city devastated by war. Meeting in “The Queen’s Garden,” two princesses unite to protect their kingdom from the blind ambition of their corrupted father. While “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” a chieftain’s daughter finds an unlikely ally on her path to self-determination.

You never stop worrying about your kids, even when they''re adults. Kate Elliott''s action-packed The Keeper''s Six features a world-hopping, bad-ass, spell-slinging mother who sets out to rescue her kidnapped adult son from a dragon lord with everything to lose. It’s been a year since Esther set foot in the Beyond, the alien landscape stretching between worlds, crossing boundaries of space and time. She and her magical traveling party—her Hex—haven’t spoken since the Concilium banned them from the Beyond for a decade. But when she wakes in the middle of the night to her grown son’s cry for help, the members of her Hex are the only ones she can trust to help her bring him back from wherever he has been taken. Esther will have to risk everything to find him. Undercover and hidden from the Concilium, she and her Hex will be tested by false dragon lords, a darkness so dense it can suffocate, and the bones of an old crime come back to haunt her. There are terrors that dwell in the space between worlds. Also Available by Kate Elliott: The Crossroads Series 1. Spirit Gate 2. Shadow Gate 3. Traitors'' Gate Unconquerable Sun Servant Mage Furious Heaven At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the final book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series concludes the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity In the wake of the cataclysm that has reshaped the very lands, Sanglant is struggling to legitimize his own rulership and Liath’s status as his wife and consort, even as others are leaguing against him…. The Aoi are carrying out random attacks on the humans and implicating Sanglant as their leader…. While Liath, searching for forbidden magics, is unexpectedly beset by enemies she may not be able to withstand…. Stronghand is on a march of conquest that will inevitably lead into the heart of Sanglant’s realm…. Adelheid has made an unholy alliance with the treacherous Antonia, who, with the deadly galla at her command, is prepared to strike at Liath, Sanglant, or anyone who threatens her plans…. Sabella and Duke Conrad have also marshaled their forces and are moving to seize the crown from Sanglant…. And Alain must take his own stand against the Lady of Battles if he is to have any hope of redeeming this war- and magic-torn world….

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the first book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series chronicles a world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity It begins with civil war.... For though King Henry still holds the crown of Wendar, his reign has long been contested by his sister Sabella. There are many eager to flock to her banner, and there are ways to make even the most unwilling lord into a weapon pointed at the heart of Henry’s realm. Torn by internal strife, Wendar also faces deadly raids from the north by an inhuman race, the Eika. And now terrifying portents are being seen; old ruins restored to life under the light of the full moon and peopled by the long-vanished Lost Ones; dark spirits walking the land in broad daylight. And suddenly two innocents are about to be thrust into the middle of the conflict. Liath, who has spent her early years fleeing from unknown enemies, is a young woman with the power to change the course of history if she can only learn to master her fear and seize what is rightfully hers. While Alain, a young man who may find his future in a vision granted by the Lady of Battles, must first unravel the mystery of who he is—whether the bastard son of a noble father, the half-breed child of an elfin lord, the unwanted get of a whore, or the heir to a proud and ancient lineage. For only when he discovers the truth can he accept the destiny for which he was born. Liath and Alain, each trapped in a personal struggle for survival, both helplessly being drawn into a far greater battle, a war in which sorcery not swords will determine the final outcome, and the land itself may be irrevocably reshaped by the forces unleashed....

Fantasy-roman.

The bestselling author of Court of Fives sets off the Highroad trilogy with “a fast-paced space opera with a likable, courageous female protagonist” (Library Journal). Willful as well as physically brave, Lily Ransome is dissatisfied by the options available to her on Unruli: She can either join her family’s lucrative mining business or begin procreating. When Heredes, her beloved martial arts instructor, tutor, and father figure, is kidnapped by alien bounty hunters, Lily spurns the expectations of her home planet and ventures into space to find him. Befriending a persecuted minority class of humans called the Ridani, she becomes involved in an intergalactic rebellion and finds love in an unexpected place—as well as true strength within herself. A Passage of Stars is the first book of the Highroad trilogy, which continues with Revolution’s Shore and The Price of Ransom.

From one of the genre''s finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle. It is the dawn of a new age. . . The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy. Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can''t be trusted, who can you trust?

In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott''s first bestselling young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. Jessamy''s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom''s best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal''s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes''s family apart, she''ll have to test her new friend''s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the third book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series continues the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity It is a crucial time in the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, a moment when even one wrong decision can tilt the balance of events into total disaster. For Sanglant—King Henry’s son—and Liath—the woman he loves—the offer of both a haven from their enemies and the chance for Liath to study the ancient lore with those who claim her as their own, seems like the answer they have been seeking. But no place can truly be safe for them. Both their lives and their love will be at risk when they are forced to choose which pathway each will follow—lured by the equally strong demands of politics, forbidden knowledge, and family. Liath, born with a dangerous power beyond her control, is torn between her longing for Sanglant and the child they are about to have and the call of sorcery, which can open the way into the land of the Aoi, the Lost Ones. And even as Liath struggles with magic’s seductive spell, Sanglant’s Aoi mother returns to the mortal world, seeking the son she abandoned as a babe. As the fates of kingdoms shift with the changing fortunes of those caught up in the dangers of both civil war and continuing attacks by the nonhuman Eika and the Quman invaders, time is running out for Liath, Sanglant, King Henry, and the people of Wendar and Varre. For the time of cataclysm is fast approaching—and no one can foretell who will survive—or rule—when it is over….

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the sixth book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series continues the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity The lost land of the Aoi has returned at last to the earth from which it was cast forth millennia ago. And as tsunamis, earthquakes, and firestorms reshape the very land and seas, darkness descends everywhere. With the war for empire disrupted, all sides must regroup. And though the battle for survival must be the primary focus of all concerned, there are always those eager to seize power, no matter at what cost. Though King Henry demanded with his last breath that Prince Sanglant accept his crown, many may refuse to honor the dying king’s wish. Liath, Sanglant’s wife, has been excommunicated and unless he agrees to put her aside, his own aunt, Mother Scholastica, is threatening to interdict Sanglant and all who follow him. And though he and Liath long to search for their missing daughter, Blessing, the demands of statecraft hold them hostage to Sanglant’s newly constituted court. Henry’s wife, Adelheid, is determined to regain control of their empire. But she has let Antonia proclaim herself the new skopos, the Holy Mother who rules over all of the church. And Antonia has already proved herself an extremely dangerous ally. The Aoi are divided between those who seek only to rebuild and warriors determined to claim revenge against the humans. Stronghand, too, is consolidating his gains for his combined Eika/Alban empire, bent on further conquests, drawn in part by the bond he still shares with Alain. And even as Liath seeks out the forbidden magic that could bring back the light of day, new alliances are forming and old ones being abandoned. Only time will tell who—if anyone—will emerge triumphant as cultures, religions, and races clash in the ultimate struggle for control of this strange new world….

The stunning sequel to Spirit Gate

Furious Heaven is Kate Elliott''s highly anticipated sequel to the thrilling space adventure Unconquerable Sun! The Republic of Chaonia fleets, under the joint command of Princess Sun and her formidable mother, Queen-Marshal Eirene, have defeated and driven out an invading fleet of the Phene Empire, though not without heavy losses. But the Empire remains undeterred. While Chaonia scrambles to rebuild its military, the Empire’s rulers are determined to squash Chaonia once and for all. They believe their military might is strong enough to defeat the enemy, but they also secure a secret alliance with a deadly religious sect skilled in the use of assassination and covert ops, to destabilize the republic. On the eve of Eirene’s bold attack on the rich and populous Karnos System, an unexpected tragedy strikes the republic. Sun must take charge or lose the throne. Will Sun be content with the pragmatic path laid out by her mother for Chaonia’s future? Or will she choose to forge her own legend? Can she succeed despite all the forces arrayed against her? Also by Kate Elliott The Sun Chronicles Unconquerable Sun Furious Heaven Young Adult Novels by Kate Elliott Court of Fives Court of Fives Poisoned Blade Buried Heart At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In this thrilling sequel to World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott''s bestselling young adult debut Court of Fives, a girl immersed in a high-stakes competition holds the fate of a kingdom in her hands. Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives--the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes''s only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the change to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on her traveling party puts Jes at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos--the prince she still loves--is fighting against their country''s enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal''s life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion....She must become a warrior.

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the second book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series chronicles a world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity Sanglant—the Prince of Dogs, King Henry’s bastard son; though believed dead by all who could succor him, he is being held captive in the city of Gent by Bloodheart, the Eika warlord. Cursed by his mother’s blood with an inability to die, he struggles to maintain the last shreds of his sanity in the hope rescue may yet come…. Liath—now a King’s Eagle, and still grieving over Sanglant, she strives to unlock the secrets of the past while seeking to evade the traps set for her by an obsessively ambitious man. But even a post in King Henry’s court offers her little protection from those determined to claim the forbidden knowledge she has hidden…. Alain—raised in humble surroundings but now proclaimed a Count’s heir, he is increasingly troubled by visions of the enemy he befriended and the Lady of Battles who he’s sworn to serve. A man who desires nothing more than peace, he is about to be thrust into the heart of war with the Eika…. Fifth Son—least favored child of Bloodheart, he has returned to the lands of his own people to build an army to do his father’s bidding. If he survives this mission, he will become a force to be reckoned with…. And even as King Henry continues his progress through his troubled realm, defeating rebellious lords and gathering their promises of troops to use at Gent, Sanglant, Liath, Alain, and Fifth Son are fighting their own battles against almost overwhelming odds. Only time will tell who will prove triumphant as all are caught up in the dangers and turmoil of a world at war.

A woman seeks her destiny among a clan of nomadic warriors trapped in interstellar intrigue: “Absorbing . . . There should be more SF like this” (Jo Walton). In the past, humans were the dominant star-traveling species in the universe—until the Chapalil came, conquered, and absorbed the Earth into their intergalactic empire. One of the only humans ever granted nobility by the Chapalil, Charles Soerenson once led a failed rebellion against the alien overlords. Now his sister, Terese, has abandoned her homeworld, impelled by a broken heart to seek a new life among the worlds her brother rules. On Rhui, a planet off-limits to interstellar voyagers, Tess inadvertently stumbles upon a dangerous Chapalil conspiracy—and only the timely arrival of the Jaran saves her from near-certain death in the wilderness. A tribe of nomadic humans roaming the plains of Rhui, the Jaran have long forgotten their ancient Earth history and heritage. Intrigued by their world and their ways, Tess shares an immediate emotional connection with Ilya, the Jaran’s brilliant, charismatic leader, a man of extraordinary passion and vision. But despite her growing loyalties to this proud chieftain and his people, Tess must take care. For Ilya’s ambitions threaten to trigger violent planetary upheaval. And the Jaran have been chosen to play an unwitting role in a plot that could have powerful repercussions far beyond the nomads’ volatile world. The first book in Kate Elliott’s acclaimed Novels of the Jaran, this masterful science fiction classic combines rich characterization and world-building with adventure, intrigue, and romance. It is both a magnificent introduction to a compelling universe and a stellar standalone reading experience. Jaran is the first volume of the Novels of the Jaran, which continue with An Earthly Crown, His Conquering Sword, and The Law of Becoming.

DIVDIVIn the second book of Kate Elliott’s Novels of the Jaran, Tess Soerensen is pulled between two powerful men—her brother and her husband—and their competing revolutions/divDIV/divDIV On the planet Rhui, the nomadic tribes of the jaran are uniting the settled cities of their homeland one by one. Their charismatic leader, Ilya Bakhtiian, has his loyal wife by his side, but there is something about her he doesn’t know: Tess Soerensen is a human. And not just any human—back home, her brother, Charles, led an unsuccessful revolt against the all-powerful Chapalii empire. Even though Charles was later made a duke in the Chapalii system, his revolutionary bent has not faded, and he is traveling to Rhui to locate Tess and uncover precious information about a past insurgency. Charles’s insistence that Tess join him is as strong as Ilya’s reluctance to part with his beloved wife—and neither considers that Tess may have her own plans for the future. As three fiercely independent spirits struggle for a solution, the fates of both the human race and the jaran hang in the balance./divDIV /divAn Earthly Crown is the second volume of the Novels of the Jaran, which also include Jaran, His Conquering Sword, and The Law of Becoming. /div

Cat Barahal and her beloved cousin Bee think they have reached a safe place to shelter. But the Cold Mages who are conspiring to take them prisoner are closing in. The warlord who hopes to conquer all Europa is convinced their destiny is to aid him, whether they want to or not. And the man Cat was forced to marry is back, as vainly arrogant and annoyingly handsome as ever. Worst of all, as Hallows'' Night approaches, powers hidden deep within the spirit world are rising. Cat must seek allies against these threats and figure out who to trust, for if she makes the wrong choices, she''ll lose everything. Only one thing is certain. When Hallows'' Night comes the Wild Hunt will ride- and it feeds on mortal blood.

The Guardians of justice in the world of the Hundred endeavor to protect a precarious peace that is further threatened by a traitor with Imperial ambitions.

An exiled captain returns to help the son of the king who died under his protection in this rich and multi-layered first book in an action-packed new series. Twenty two years have passed since Kellas, once Captain of the legendary Black Wolves, lost his King and with him his honor. With the King murdered and the Black Wolves disbanded, Kellas lives as an exile far from the palace he once guarded with his life. Until Marshal Dannarah, sister to the dead King, comes to him with a plea-rejoin the palace guard and save her nephew, King Jehosh, before he meets his father''s fate. Combining the best of Shogun and Vikings, Black Wolves is an unmissable treat for epic fantasy lovers everywhere.

The fantastic conclusion to the Spiritwalker trilogy! Trouble, treachery, and magic just won''t stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother''s murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her. And Cat, her cousin Bee, and her half-brother Rory, aren''t even back in Europa yet, where revolution is burning up the streets. Revolutions to plot. Enemies to crush. Handsome men to rescue. Cat and Bee have their work cut out for them.

A Locus Award Finalist! “An absolute gem of a story... I loved it.” —S. A. Chakraborty In Kate Elliott''s Servant Mage, a lowly fire mage finds herself entangled in an empire-spanning conspiracy on her way to discovering her true power. They choose their laws to secure their power. Fellian is a Lamplighter, able to provide illumination through magic. A group of rebel Monarchists free her from indentured servitude and take her on a journey to rescue trapped compatriots from an underground complex of mines. Along the way they get caught up in a conspiracy to kill the latest royal child and wipe out the Monarchist movement for good. But Fellian has more than just her Lamplighting skills up her sleeve... At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Transported to a magical world, a young couple must find a labyrinth city’s hidden treasure to return home in this novel from the author of Crown of Stars. With marriage comes change, and for Sanjay and Chryse, that change is literally world altering. After their wedding reception, they accidentally drop a gift—a pack of special tarot cards—onto an elevator floor. The cards scatter, the lights go out, and all at once, they find themselves transported to Anglia. It’s a strange parallel world not unlike Victorian England, but matriarchal in nature and shaped by powerful sorcery. While fleeing a riot in the streets, the pair is rescued by aristocrats Julian and Kate, the first of many new friends and adventures. To get home, they must find a treasure in the labyrinth city of Pariam—a quest that becomes ever more daunting as it attracts the attention of the evil Princess Blessa. Wonderfully conceived and full of memorable characters, The Labyrinth Gate is vibrant fantasy on every level.

New York Times bestselling author Kate Elliott brings us a thrilling new science fiction adventure set in a rich universe full of political intrigue with Unconquerable Sun. Download a FREE sneak peek today! GENDER-SWAPPED ALEXANDER THE GREAT ON AN INTERSTELLAR SCALE Princess Sun has finally come of age. Growing up in the shadow of her mother, Eirene, has been no easy task. The legendary queen-marshal did what everyone thought impossible: expel the invaders and build Chaonia into a magnificent republic, one to be respected—and feared. But the cutthroat ambassador corps and conniving noble houses have never ceased to scheme—and they have plans that need Sun to be removed as heir, or better yet, dead. To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war. Take the brilliance and cunning courage of Princess Leia—add in a dazzling futuristic setting where pop culture and propaganda are one and the same—and hold on tight: This is the space opera you’ve been waiting for. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott''s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. Jessamy''s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom''s best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal''s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes''s family apart, she''ll have to test her new friend''s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

The heart-pounding finale to World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott''s captivating, New York Times bestselling young adult series--now available in paperback! Choose between your parents. Choose between your friends. Choose between your lovers./DIVDIVChoose who you are. On the run from the murderous King Nikonos, Jessamy must find a way for her beloved Kalliarkos to take his rightful place on the throne. Only then can he end the oppression of the Commoners by their long time Patron overlords. But Kal''s rise to power is fraught with manipulation and shocking decisions that make Jes question everything they promised each other. As their relationship frays and Jes''s family and friends beg her for help, will she cast Kal and her Patron heritage aside? Will she finally join--even lead--the rebellion that had been burning among the Commoners for years? This explosive finale of World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott''s Court of Five series forces Jessamy to confront an inescapable truth: with or without her, the revolution has begun.

Following the events of An Earthly Crown, the jaran conquest of Rhui intensifies as rebel hearts simmer with conflicting loyalties Across Rhui, the jaran have been taking over towns and bending all non-jaran to the law of their rule. With Ilya Bakhtiian in charge, the nomadic fighters are now preparing an assault on the royal city of Karkand. But within the campaign, another struggle looms. Ilya’s wife, Tess, is not from Rhui, but from Earth, and her brother, Charles, is a duke of the empire that includes Rhui, even though he once instigated a rebellion against it. Still driven by thoughts of a human revolt, Charles travels to Rhui for key information about the past, hoping to bring back his sister—his only heir. Does she want to passively abide by either man’s plan for her, though, and is any challenge to the ancient and mighty Chapalii realistic? His Conquering Sword is the third volume of the Novels of the Jaran, which begin with Jaran and An Earthly Crown and conclude with The Law of Becoming.

In Tira Virte, art is prized for its beauty and as a binding legal record of everything from marriages to treaties. Yet not even the Grand Duke knows how extraordinary the Grijalva family''s art is, for certain Grijalva males are born with the ability to alter events and influence people in the real world through that they paint. Always, their power has been used for Tira Virte. But now Sario Grijalva has learned to use his Gift in a whole new way. And when he begins to work his magic both the Grijalvas and Tira Virte may pay the price.

With the Gathering Storm, the long dreaded cataclysm is about to descend on the world as the lost land of the Aoi returns to the earth from which it was cast forth into the aether millennia ago. And though Liath has at last found her way back from the land of the Aoi, she knows that disaster will soon follow her. Yet just how little time remains to avert humanity''s destruction she discovers to her horror only when she learns that her brief stay in the bespelled land has actually kept her from her family and her allies for nearly four years.

In this “delightful SF adventure,” plucky interstellar adventurer Lily Ransome faces off against a despotic empire (Locus). Lilyaka Hae Ransome grew up on the colonized planet of Unruli. Strong-willed and with a warrior’s spirit, she broke free of her preordained life as part of a privileged mining family, choosing instead to venture into space in search of her missing martial arts instructor and mentor, Heredes. The journey took her into the maw of an explosive revolution where she became involved in an intergalactic rebellion and found love in an unexpected place—as well as true strength within herself. Now, as a tyrannical empire flexes its muscle in the universe, Lily and the charismatic, not-quite-human Hawk must band together with a motley crew of unforgettable characters, engaging in a conflict in which honor, love, and freedom are all at stake. Revolution’s Shore is the second book of the Highroad trilogy, which begins with A Passage of Stars and concludes with The Price of Ransom.

Alain becomes caught in the middle of an ancient conflict between humankind and the Cursed Ones, while Liath is kidnapped by strange alien creatures and forced into a difficult trial in a land of exile.

This gorgeous romance from World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott is a prequel to Court of Fives, the epic story of Jessamy and her struggle to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. Kiya is a Commoner who has just arrived in the bustling city of Saryenia. Esladas is a member of the Patron ruling class and determined to prove himself in the army. His plans are disrupted by the outgoing and beautiful girl who sells him fruit in the market, though, despite the fact that neither of them speaks a word of the others language. Brief conversations and stolen moments together soon become something more, but when their divided cultures clash, Kiya and Esladas must decide if their blossoming love is worth becoming outsiders for the rest of their lives. Read the beginning of their legendary love story in this Court of Fives companion novella!

A reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson’s original fairytale, Kate Elliott''s “The Tinder Box” tells the story of a witch at the heart of an incipient rebellion—and all of those to come. “One spark. Two sparks. Three. This is what it takes to ignite a revolution.” At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Representations of first contact—the first meetings of European explorers and Native Americans—have always had a central place in our nation’s historical and visual record. They have also had a key role in shaping and interpreting that record. In Framing First Contact author Kate Elliott looks at paintings by artists from George Catlin to Charles M. Russell and explores what first contact images tell us about the process of constructing national myths—and how those myths acquired different meanings at different points in our nation’s history. First contact images, with their focus on beginnings rather than conclusive action or determined outcomes, might depict historical events in a variety of ways. Elliott argues that nineteenth-century artists, responding to the ambiguity and indeterminacy of the subject, used the visualized space between cultures meeting for the first time to address critical contemporary questions and anxieties. Taking works from the 1840s through the 1910s as case studies—paintings by Robert W. Weir, Thomas Moran, and Albert Bierstadt, along with Catlin and Russell—Elliott shows how many first contact representations, especially those commissioned and conceived as official history, speak blatantly of conquest, racial superiority, and imperialism. Yet others communicate more nuanced messages that might surprise contemporary viewers. Elliott suggests it was the very openness of the subject of first contact that allowed artists, consciously or not, to speak of contemporary issues beyond imperialism and conquest. Uncovering those issues, Framing First Contact forces us to think about why we tell the stories we do, and why those stories matter.

From World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott comes a thrilling companion novella that links Poisoned Blade and Buried Heart, the final two books in the enthralling Court of Fives series. Bettany has always been an outsider in her family: the angry one, the wild one, the daughter who refused to accept the dominance of her Patron father''s people over her Commoner mother. When her family is torn apart by a vengeful lord, Bettany makes a dangerous choice to accompany their household servants being transported to the mines, hoping she can keep them from suffering a fate worse than death. Their only chance lies with a stuffy foreign doctor who may be able to help them escape, but can Bettany trust him? Her instincts tell her there is much more to this man than meets the eye. Read the untold story of what happened to Jessamy''s missing twin sister in this beautifully written companion novella to the New York Times bestselling Court of Fives!