Kate Elliott
She
is currently writing the epic fantasy series, Crown of Stars, set in a vaguely
alternate-history European landscape. The first volume, King's
Dragon, was a 1997 Nebula Award finalist for Best Novel. Subsequent
novels include Prince of Dogs, The Burning Stone, Child of Flame,
and The Gathering Storm. She is currently at work on the sixth
and final volume, to be titled Crown of Stars.
"Kate Elliott published
her first novel with DAW Books in 1992. Her Novels of the Jaran, set in
a speculative future, follow the changes in the culture of the nomadic people
known as the Jaran after their first contact with the technologically more
advanced society of Earth.
The
author has described Jaran, the first in the series, as "Jane Austen
meets Genghis Khan" in a science fiction setting. Jaran was on both
Locus Magazine's Recommended List and VOYA's Best of Science Fiction, Fantasy
and Horror Lists for novels published in 1992. Subsequent novels in the
Jaran series are The Sword of Heaven (published in two volumes) and
The Law of Becoming.
In
addition to her science-fiction novels she is the co-author, together with
writers Melanie Rawn and Jennifer Roberson, of the bestselling fantasy novel
The Golden Key, which was a 1997 World Fantasy Award finalist.
She has also
published short stories in the field in various anthologies.
Jaran
Jaran
Jim Burns
|
An Earthly Crown
Jim Burns
|
His Conquering Sword
Jim Burns
|
The Law of Becoming
Jim Burns
|
Jaran
A young
woman comes of age in an alien world where she is both a player and a pawn
in an interstellar game of intrigue and politics, in which the ultimate
prize may be freedom for humankind - or extinction.
An Earthly Crown
The second
Novel of the Jaran returns readers to the world of Rhui at a time when the
nomadic jaran people, led by Earth-born Tess and her jaran husband Ilya,
are sweeping across the planet on a campaign of conquest. But more important
is the battle for control which is about to be waged between Ilya and Duke
Charles - who is also Tess's brother.
His Conquering Sword
As the
jaran tribes prepare to subjugate the royal city of Karkand, their leader,
Ilya Bakhtiian, must deal with an important domestic issue and make peace
with his wife and her brother.
The Law
of Becoming
This
fourth novel in Kate Elliott's richly detailed and compelling series about
the Jaran skillfully weaves together many new strands in this worlds-spanning
tale of conquest and rebellion.
Novels of Jaran
Crown of Stars
Cover Art by Jody Lee
King's Dragon
|
Prince of Dogs
|
The Burning Stone
|
Child of Flame
|
The Gathering
Storm
|
In The Ruins |
Crown of Stars
|
King's Dragon - Review
Set in
a world where bloody conflicts rage and sorcery holds sway, both human and
other-than-human forces vie for supremacy. In this land, Alain, a young man
seeking the destiny promised him by the Lady of Battles, and Liath, a young
woman gifted with a power that can alter the course of history, are about
to be swept up in a world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity.
Prince of Dogs - Review
"Prince
of Dogs" returns readers to the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, and
the intertwined destinies of: Alain, raised in humble surroundings but now
the Count's heir; Liath, who struggles to unravel the secrets of her past
while evading the traps set for her by those seeking the treasure she hides;
Sanglant, believed dead by those who could save him, but actually a prisoner
in the city of Gent; and Fifth Son, who now builds an army to do his father's
bidding-or his own.
The Burning Stone - Review
In the
third volume of this astonishing Nebula Award-nominated fantasy series, the
many plot strands created in the first two novels become more tightly interwoven-as
the time of the cataclysm nears when people and places long sundered by
magic will once again reside in the same time and universe...
The Child of Flame - Review
Child of
Flame takes us far beyond the borders of the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar
and Varre as Alain is drawn into the heart of an ancient conflict between
humankind and their dread enemy, the Cursed Ones; Liath faces her most difficult
trial in a land of exile; and Sanglant struggles to reach Henry with a warning
about the conspiracy of sorcerers who have sworn to put an end to the Aoi-no
matter how much destruction may be unleashed by their workings of magic....
The Gathering Storm
As earthly
and supernatural forces gather to overthrow all King Henry has fought for,
Alain and Liath come to realise their twin destinies. Between them they
hold the key to secrets which could yet save Henry's realm, but even they
may be powerless should the Cursed Ones return.
In The
Ruins
The long-awaited
cataclysm has reshaped the very land and seas, and disrupted the war for
the empire. Now all who have survived the return of the spell-exiled Aoi
lands must find a way to mend their shattered territories and take a stand
against their enemies in a power struggle that may forge new alliances-or
doom them all.
Crown of Stars
King Henry's
kingdom has been ravaged by internecine warfare, in a conflict that has
been both long and bloody. Furthermore, the spell holding the exiled Ashioi
from the world has failed, and the land, ravaged by the fury of their return,
is only now showing signs of recovery. Sanglant is struggling to legitimise
his leadership as the returned Ashioi are planning war, and Stronghand has
begun a march of conquest into the heart of Sanglant's realm. Adelheid and
Antonia have made an unholy alliance, and Sabella and Duke Conrad are moving
to seize Sanglant's crown. Cultures, religions, and races are clashing in
what will be the ultimate struggle for control of this strange new world.
What can I possibly say about the
"Crown of Stars" series? Well worth the wait for the last two books.
The first ones I read at the library. Maybe this is the telling point
- with my limited book budget, I went out and bought them - in hard cover.
I've have since re-read the series twice. Anyone who says seven books
is too long is -excuse my French - talking out of their ass.
Crossroads
Spirit Gate
Michael Kaluta
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Shadow Gate
Michael Kaluta
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Traitors'
Gate
Michael Kaluta
|
Spirit
Gate
Elliott's
elaborate first entry in a projected seven-book fantasy series introduces
a once prosperous but now lawless land called the Hundred. Its godlike Guardians,
who dispense justice, have disappeared; the eagle-riding Reeves, who have
kept the peace, have lost authority; and a mysterious, ruthless new force
preys on the towns and inhabitants of the Hundred and neighboring empires.
But after years of dissolute behavior, a Reeve named Joss is regaining his
will to defend his land. Meanwhile, Outlanders Captain Anji; his resourceful
bride, Mai; and his well-trained band of Qin soldiers come to the Hundred
by necessity.
Shadow
Gate
Marit, an
eagle-riding reeve, awakens as a spirit three years after her death and slowly
realizes she's become one of the nine Guardians, protectors of justice who
wield god-given powers. Soon Marit discovers that some of her fellow Guardians
lead forces plaguing the land, while others hide or resist. Meanwhile, among
the living, war rewrites the social order, and those of different religions
and homelands make common cause. Qin soldier, Anji and his troubled,
lonely wife, Mai; Marit's former lover, reeve marshal Joss; and Kirya, a
tribal warrior who sells herself into slavery to protect her brother. Each
must balance cultural imperatives with a broader view of justice, and survival
with mercy. The human dilemmas grip the reader right through to the abrupt
final cliffhanger.
(2nd
book is much more exciting than the first. I'm definitely going to
continue to read this series)
Traitors' Gate
In the darkness of war and destruction, forces gather to
reclaim the peace: Those immortal Guardians who still serve justice seek a
means to end the devastating reign of one of their own; a hired outlander
army struggles to halt the advance of the horde that has despoiled vast lands
and slaughtered countless people in its murderous wake, while still guarding
against a burgeoning threat from an aggressively expansionist empire; and
the eagle reeves who have long been the only law enforcers of the Hundred
struggle to reorganize after a devastating massacre has decimated their numbers.
But even as these forces give hope to those who would live in peace, a terrible
danger looms: a traitor with Imperial ambitions, the most dreaded, least anticipated
threat of all.
In the unfolding drama of political upheaval and violent change, nothing
is certain, as alliances dissolve and power shifts with the unpredictability
of a desert sandstorm.
The Golden Key
The youngest and greatest member of a family of master painters
whose art has the power to change reality, Sario Grijalva violates the family
tradition of using the power for good, initiating a pattern of treachery
and betrayal.
Reading this book is the method by which I found Kate Elliott. It's
a great story. Well worth the read.
Kate Elliot's Website
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