Christie S’aranth has survived assassins, dodged accusations of witchcraft and murder, and travelled from the Barrens to the Brown Tower. Now her time on Orthe is ending. Torn between her duty to the Dominion and her love of the Southland, she must decide where her loyalties lie…
read-along
Christie survived the Barrens and is reunited with her Orthean allies at the winter court in Peir-Dadeni. But while her enemies slide free of the claims against them, Christie once again finds herself accused of a terrible crime. Mistrustful, fearing for her life, she goes back on the run…
With Crown permission to tour the telestres, Christie settles in to Roehmonde to try and convince them of the benefits of off world contact. But Roehmonde has domestic problems that technology can’t solve, and it soon becomes clear that anything that promotes change poses a threat to stability…
You know I can’t resist a read-along. It was SciFiMonth that first lured me into one, and it’s a tradition I’m delighted to continue. This year, we’re reading Mary Gentle’s Golden Witchbreed, a classic of cut-throat politics and cultural tensions as a junior diplomat gets out of her depth on the dangerously compelling world of Orthe.
As war sweeps across Terre d’Ange, Phèdre and Joscelin face one last challenge: to bring Ysandre enough allies to stop Waldemar Selig in his tracks. But even as bitter enemies make common cause against a greater threat, some friends prove faithless…
Questions are dangerous, for they have answers. Phèdre, Joscelin and Hyacinthe are despatched to find Queen Ysandre’s betrothed – but the Long Road is haunted by secrets. As the value – and the cost – of the dromonde becomes clear, they will all wrestle with the price of duty…
One of the joys of SciFiMonth is a big buddy read. For our classic read-along, I’d like to introduce you to Golden Witchbreed, an epic of knife-edge (and knifepoint) diplomacy, beguiling world-building and cultural tension as humanity tries to persuade the post-apocalyptic world of Orthe to open its doors to the galaxy.
Epic adventure, acute peril, looming disaster, reputational damage and… is that a sniff of romance? It’s week four of Kushiel’s Dart and everybody needs a hug. Everybody. Okay, okay, maybe not Waldemar Selig.
It’s a strange way to keep someone alive, that’s all I’ll say. Just as Phèdre finally learns his secrets, Delaunay’s careful schemes come apart, plunging her into a nightmare of blood and ruin…
That which yields is not always weak. After Phèdre’s debut, offers flood in from the powerful for a night with Delaunay’s anguisette and the Spider is proven right: people let slip secrets in their passions. But it is gentle Alcuin who will take the greatest risk…
All knowledge is worth having and Phèdre nó Delaunay is willing to pay a terrible price in its pursuit. Raised as a courtesan, her rare gift is to experience pleasure in pain, attracting powerful patrons with dark urges. Trained as a spy, she will seek to uncover their secrets. But knowledge can be dangerous…
A state visit by the forcefully impressive Great Avar is the cue for social events, family gossip and alcohol-fuelled discussions that could have international ramifications. But as the hunt for the former Emperor’s murderers narrows in on the culprits, how to talk to goblins at parties may be the least of Maia’s worries…
As winter deepens in Cetho, Maia fumbles through social engagements and retreats from matters of government, beset by feelings of inadequacy. There are hints the people behind the titles are less daunting than they seem, but the lonely Emperor needs friends as much as allies…
The newly-crowned emperor must bury his family and face his court. Surrounded by spite and self-interest, it sometimes seems that Maia can’t do anything right: but surely someone will appreciate his compassionate heart?
Until yesterday, Maia Drazhar was the youngest, least-loved, half-banished hobgoblin son of the Emperor of the Elflands. Today, everything will change. But are the Elflands ready for a goblin emperor?
