New Releases by Sherwood Smith

The final book in the Phoenix Feather and Sagacious series, Sagacious Blade brings the story full circle. It would be difficult to find two boys more unlike. Friendly, animal-loving Ki Mek, youngest of a sprawling family of gallant wanderers, was born with Essence talent-much to the dismay of the Kis, who only believe in the skills of their blades. Je Tai, the scholarly, reclusive only son of a subsidiary branch of the lofty Ji family, is on his way back to the school where he is studying divination. The two are swept overboard in a terrible storm, and end up made slaves by the western empire, age-old enemies of the Thousand Islands Empire. They escape into adventures martial and magical until they and those they love are swept up in a war spanning two empires. With the aid of Sagacious Blade, both will learn the costs of power...

The greatly anticipated final book in the Change series. In a world of mutant powers and deadly creatures, one small town faces its worst nightmare... In a single shocking night, Las Anclas is conquered. Voske rules the town, remaking it in his image. He brings Opportunity Day to Las Anclas, with its terrifying lottery of "Change or die." He forces Paco into the role of his son and prince, always watching him for signs of rebellion. And for those who escaped his net, he sends elite Changed soldiers to drag them back to be executed. Inside Las Anclas, Paco and Becky play a nerve-shattering game of cat and mouse, plotting a resistance under Voske's eye. Outside the walls, Ross, Mia, Jennie, and Kerry desperately evade pursuit and try to free their town. And Felicite, alone, must face the choice she's given up everything to avoid. In the darkness of defeat, can hope catch fire?

In this romantic fantasy set in the same world as Crown Duel, Flian is an ordinary princess who would rather be left with her music, but gets abducted not once, not twice, but three times. What is a civilized princess to do? Especially when she canâ¿¿t tell which prince is the hero and which the villain!

Set in the tumultuous, magic-filled history of Tribute and the Phoenix Feather quartet... In the second half of the story of sixteen-year-old Lan Renti's rise to the phoenix throne begins literally in the air, as she returns to her ship of wanderers, crying hard after leaving the brother she sought for four years. But her brother sees her as a young girl needing protection-a traditional role. Ren begins a wandering life from one end of the Empire of a Thousand Isles to the other as she seeks to rescue her parents, unfairly imprisoned. It seems the only way to do that is to refashion the empire that has been riven by warring princes-in spite of vigorous objection by said princes. She is accompanied by Sagacious Blade, the talking sword, and a growing group of companions-leading to the discovery of romance. The conflict between tradition and revolution, the threat of chaos and the yearning for order, is embodied in Ren, who struggles to bring to a traditional world the chance to be heard for those long kept silent. From the fires of war the phoenix is reborn ... and this is her story.

Set in the tumultuous, magic-filled history of the Phoenix Feather quartet... How did scholarly, modest Lan Renti, lowest ranking of the troubled imperial clan, rise to become the Sage Empress, first woman ruler in the long history of the Empire of a Thousand Isles? Aware of how the official records embellish (or sidestep) the truth, she's determined to set the record straight. In this first of two volumes, she begins with her life in the imperial palace until the catastrophic injustice that flung her as a young teen into the dangerous world of the Warring Princes to seek her missing brother. Secret identities, a talking sword, and a friendship that might become something more, land her outside the law as a gallant wanderer. Only, what happens when "the law" becomes increasingly unjust? Ren grapples with that question as her first mission, supposedly simple, becomes fraught with wide-ranging consequences...

The first in a series set in the world of the Phoenix Feather quartet, Tribute is inspired by the great Chinese epics such as Water Margin and Dream of Red Chamber as well as wuxia and xuanhuan series such as Nirvana in Fire and Joy of Life. Bu is twelve and near-sighted, an unwanted daughter sent to a music audition. If she fails, she's on her own. Elderly Granny Zim, who knows that soon she must retire as head of the music academy, is fascinated by YinYin, a student who might not be human. YinYin and Bu become friends. Life is settling down when warships show up on the horizon. It's the imperials, here to demand tribute. They take Bu, YinYin, and Granny Zim to a new, uncertain life in the troubled empire, where their only skill is their music. But Granny Zim knows that music is a knife without a hilt. Tribute takes the reader on an adventure from the human world to the realm of the transcendent, via friendship, love, and questions about power, responsibility, and what it means to be human.

The Sartorias-deles series culmination is here!The last book in the long series that began with Inda, continued through the Rise of the Alliance, Crown Duel, and The Norsunder War, comes at last to a resonant, deeply satisfying conclusion in Antiphony.Liere has attained the home she always longed for, though there are compromises: her children are scattered through the world, and she scarcely has time to adjust to her new life before she must use her dyr to prevent war. While elsewhere in the world, Chwahirsland is, at long last, reshaping itself to take place on the world stage. Not everyone is happy to see that.A hidden identity revealed, with repercussions resounding across three continents-a wanderer visits the most sophisticated court in the world, and everything stops-anomalies turn up. Meaning what? Or more importantly, when?The postwar saga reaches a milestone as individual lives as well as countries find new melodies and harmonies. While, unaware, the small grace notes hint at great change?

The war is over, all but the cleanup. And the emotional recovery, with its scars both visible and invisible. Liere Fer Eider learns on the run how to become a queen, while Andri adjusts to life this side of the law. Senrid, in devastated Marloven Hess, has to straight-arm a rage-filled populace into peace. While on a faraway mountain Detlev at last oversees the rebuilding of his school for training re-emerging psychic powers after four millennia. . A few years pass, and everything seems to be settling into the new norm--until Liere wakes from a drugged sleep to an enemy who offers an impossible choice.

The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems.Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them-but all those quests turn . . . sideways. And deadly.Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. A pair of brothers, one on each side, begin a duel of wit and danger.And Jilo, the nerdy son of a lowly sergeant who has been singlehandedly striving to save the once-great Chwahir nation from an insane king, crosses a continent to carry a message-the easiest quest of all-with utterly unforeseen results.

In defeated Marloven Hess, two enemies, one a hunted king, the other the conqueror, duel for the soul of a conflicted teen. This short novel takes place afterThe Norsunder War: Ship Without Sails.

Nobody sane wants war, but what happens when war comes to you?In this first volume of The Norsunder War, the allies we met in The Rise of the Alliance series are faced with the news that their border has been invaded. For Atan, Queen of Sartor, preserving lives and knowledge come before fleeing to safety. Jilo of Chwahirsland risks his life to resist the return of an evil king. And for Senrid of Marloven Hess, it means fighting for every bloody inch against a combined army whose might hasn't been seen for eight hundred years.Do they endure? Resist? How do they fight back?While one the run, they may discover that even when life is most dire, there is still hope . . .

In this fantasy of manners we have two displaced young kings, one shopkeeper's daughter who went away an ugly duckling and returns five years later a beautiful and highly skilled swan, and a young queen who is master of all she surveys . . . until she isn't. The result is the last summer of love and adventure on the eve of cataclysm. The Wicked Skill, from a poem by John Donne, duels and dances with discovery of the many facets of love-set against a background of revolution, one conducted through manners, the other by swashbuckling youths who think life is a game . . .

The last installment of The Phoenix Feather martial arts epic, which readers are acclaiming as a spiritual cousin to The Goblin Emperor, puts the entire Afan family in action. Once hiding on an obscure island, the elders are drawn into empire affairs, the parents, in seeking their children, as the emperor seeks them. Muin's skills as a commander brings him to prominence in a terrible battle. Yskanda, imperial prisoner, transcends political boundaries through art-and comes to grip with his talents.Prince Jion, once a powerless wanderer, comes into his own as his beloved Ari inspires the world as Firebolt, before the two of them together face the most terrifying enemy of all. Inspired by the great Chinese epics such as Water Margin and Dream of Red Chamber as well as wuxia and xuanhuan series such as Nirvana in Fire and Joy of Life, the four volumes of this story sweep from the imperial military academy to wandering martial artists, from the poetic philosophizing of imperial courtiers to the everyday affairs of an innkeeper-and from the human world to the realm of the transcendent, before racing to a triumphant close.

The young allies are still recovering from earlier events when they discover they have been infiltrated by the enemy. Meet Detlev's boys.

The three Afans are on different paths: Muin rising in the army, Yskanda still an imperial prisoner, and their sister has become the hero Firebolt. With both sides after her . . .

Long-dormant magical forces are moving again in Sartorias-deles. In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived a first foray, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian who was born four thousand years ago. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come! But the world's mages know it's not the quiet of peace-it's the stillness before the storm. At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as everyone is dealing with the fallout of the abortive attack. Rel the Traveler arrives back home to a surprise that has been awaiting him since he was first adopted, launching him on a personal quest. Jilo, the king who is not a king, finds what looks like dangerous magical texts and hands them off to his friend Senrid, young king of Marloven Hess, who is in the midst of wrestling with his warlike nation. When word gets out that these eight-hundred-year-old blood mage texts are in the ignorant hands of youngsters, all of Norsunder's mages want them. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides. All the searches converge on Chwahirsland, furnishing new twists in the on-going saga of the alliance of young rulers . . .

All hunts converge on Chwahirsland, furnishing new twists in the on-going saga of the alliance of young rulers . . .

In this next volume of the epic martial arts adventure the children of the exiles and of the emperor test the boundaries of imperial power and intrigue.

Twenty-five years ago a pair of lovers ran from an angry prince and washed up on an island where they took on new identities.Their eldest child, a natural martial artist like his father, seems destined for great things. The second son is an artist and a dreamer, and Mouse, the youngest-used to wearing her brothers' clothes while trotting at their heels-is regarded by everyone as a third brother.All three were raised to keep their parents' secret, but in this first volume they discover that children have their own paths, and parents cannot hold them back, especially when an omen drops out of the sky . . .

"A generation ago, a sworn bodyguard and a reluctant bride fled an angry prince, married in secret, and vanished. That prince is now the emperor, with a very long memory. In this next volume of the epic martial arts adventure, the children of the missing pair are now making their way in the world under assumed names, hoping to avoid the emperor's wrath while following their special Talents. The eldest son Muin is rising the ranks of the army. The second son Yskanda, a remarkable painter, is a prisoner in the lethal, silken cage of the imperial court. The youngest Ryu, disguised as a boy, studies martial arts and the mysterious Essence power while leading the Redbark Sect that fights for justice for commoners. Her closest companion hides dangerous secrets of his own. Meanwhile the emperor's own children test the boundaries of royal power and intrigue, stirring ripples that threaten guilty and innocent alike."--Cover, page 4.

Lilah is bursting with questions. Why are the local kids outside the palace so ragged? Why do they hate her? Why does her older brother Peitar--heir to their cold, controlling uncle, the king--write so many secret letters, and WHY won't anyone tell her what the revolutionary slogan 'slam justice' means? She disguises herself to find out. For the first time she makes friends, and meets the heroic young revolutionary leader, Derek.Then revolution breaks out.Lilah and her new friends become spies in order to help Peitar and Derek, who have been swept into the middle of unrest and danger.While no one on either side could have predicted that Lilah would be key to the new meaning of slam justice.

Untested young rulers must cooperate to protect their world from the magical threat of the mysterious kingdom of Norsunder in a new epic fantasy trilogy set in the same world as the popular Inda series. Long-dormant magical forces are moving once again in Sartorias-deles. Agents of Norsunder, a mysterious bastion of incredible dark power, have reappeared in the world, amassing resources and sowing instability. But with numerous nations led by young rulers brought too early to their thrones, the world is hardly ready to defend itself. Atan is still uncomfortable with her new queenship, gained after her country was freed from a Norsundrian enchantment that left it frozen outside time for a century. Senrid strives to establish rule of law, after deposing his brutal and cruel uncle, seeking to exert control over rebellious jarls and a distrustful military academy. Jilo never expected the responsibility of leading his nation, but when its dictator vanishes after a Norsundrian attack, Jilo finds himself stepping into the power void, taking the reins of a country so riddled with dark magic that its citizenry labors for mere survival. Clair and CJ lead a band of misfits against magical threats that overshadow their tiny country, including a direct incursion from the Norsundrians. Those in power are not the only individuals working to subvert the plans of Norsunder. Liere, a young shopkeeper’s daughter, battles her own debilitating insecurities to live up to her reputation as a former savior of the realm. Hibern, a mage’s apprentice, must act as a liaison between national leaders, negotiating politics still foreign to her. Rel, a traveling warrior, stirs powerful allies to action encourages common folk to take up arms. These leaders soon realize that any significant victory against Norsunder will require an alliance between their nations. Yet good intentions may fracture in the face of personal grudges, secrets, and inexperience. As the Norsundrian attacks become bolder, the members of this tenuous alliance must find ways to trust one another and bind themselves together—lest they fail to defend against a host that has crushed entire worlds.

The dramatic conclusion to the Lhind young adult fantasy series!When Lhind's beloved Hlanan is taken by Shinjan slavers, she leaves her self-imposed exile to rush to the rescue. But first she must face a dragon, and learn world-changing truths about herself.Meanwhile, halfway across the world, imprisoned Hlanan labors to liberate fellow slaves of the evil Shinjan empire.Before they meet again, both must explore the difficult dimensions of honor, trust, and love.Failure means death. Success, bringing down two murderous tyrants-and forever changing the world.

Lhind has been on the run all her life.Stealing what she needs, using magic for disguise, she never stays anywhere long. Lhind even has secrets from herself, for she has few memories, and those are troubling. But life is good until she gets caught by Rajanas the warrior-prince, Thianra the bard, and Hlanan the scribe.And that's when adventure begins, because someone very powerful wants them all dead. As they evade pursuit and work to uncover their enemies, Lhind struggles with the invisible bonds of friendship and trust, while Hlanan begins uncovering her secrets one by one. Then she finds that he has secrets, too.This young adult fantasy with a dash of romance takes place in the same world as A Posse of Princesses and the Wren series.

In a time of rising danger, women go to war, and ghosts walk the walls...A few years have passed since Danet and Arrow found themselves rulers of a disintegrating kingdom. They managed to establish peace as their children reach adulthood, but threats from the border become raids, aided by vicious brigands. The two princes, Noddy and Connar, newly emerged from the military academy, are dispatched to patrol the troubled area until they find themselves under attack.Their loyalty to one another is strong, but what happens when one brother discovers a taste for war and the other a loathing for it? Matters of marriage and love tangle up with the menace of war. But the greatest threat of all comes when the world's strongest army faces enemies from within. This is the concluding half of an epic story of politics, war, family and magic in the beloved world of Sartorias-deles.

Magic—danger—and the thrill of the chase! Experience the rush of racing across rooftops with thieves—or the desperation of fleeing an assassin who knows you a little too well. From the fish market of a tropical island sultanate, to the monster-filled alleys of a steampunk London, to a land where souls take different forms as they rise or fall through the layers of the world, this collection of chase scenes and vignettes set in nine distinctive worlds will leave you spellbound. Find unexpected allies, unshakeable enemies, sudden twists and turns, and always the swiftness of the chase—whether you’re on the hunt, or racing for your life. This sampler includes an exclusive bonus scene set during the events of Tea Set and Match by Casey Blair, available for free online, and a scene from an unpublished novel by Rachel Neumeier not available anywhere else. The excerpts by Intisar Khanani, Raf Morgan, P. Djèlí Clark, Sherwood Smith, Joyce Chng, Melissa McShane, and Andrea K. Höst are from longer works that are available for sale at all major retailers.

In a time of change and danger, peace sparks to war, and sons become daughters... It's nearly a century after the death of Inda, the unbeatable Marlovan commander. This is the first half of an epic story of politics, war, family and magic in the beloved world of Sartorias-deles.