Southern Fire,Used

Product Description Their coming had not been written in the stars, and no augury had foretold the terror they would bring. The first sign was the golden lights of the beacons, a clear message from every southern isle that a calamity had befallen them.Daish Kheda, warlord, reader of portents, giver of laws, healer and protector of all his manyislanded realm encompasses, must act quickly and decisively to avert disaster. But the people of the Aldabreshin Archipelago not only fear magic, they've abjured it. So what defense can Kheda offer against the threat of a dark magic that threatens to overrun every island of his domain?A new tale from the writer who has already gathered many fans with the five volumes of her Tales of Einarinn, Southern Fire is an engrossing epic of magic, intrigue, culture, and politics, in a fantasy setting as colorful as the south seas, as bracing as the ocean wind, and as alluring as the hint of spices in the air of an exotic port. Review "When a talented writer makes fiction seem like history, the book becomes an event. The world Juliet McKenna has created within the Aldabreshin Archipelago is carefully developed, layer upon layer, giving it the reality which is the hallmark of outstanding fantasy. She writes very visual prose, enabling the reader to see every scene in great detail. Her characters are colorful and believable; love them or hate them, you won't forget them. I certainly won't. Kheda, Risala, Dev, and many others linger in my mind, awaiting the continuation of their story."Morgan Llywelyn on Southern Fire"Juliet McKenna is too intelligent to deliver a dour extruded plotcoupon quest, the type of series to which the deathly phrase 'In The Grand Tradition of The Lord Of The Rings' is applied in a desperate attempt to conceal its essential lack of ideas: she's the thinking fantasy reader's writer, and the stuff she writes is dangerously addictive."Charles Stross on Southern Fire "British author McKenna, already known for her Tales of Einarinn series, is bound to earn plenty of new fans with her U.S. hardcover debut. . . .An original and intriguing setting, impressing worldbuilding and compelling writing set McKenna's work apart form a field thick with far less ambitious fantasy works. Fans of Rosemary Kirstein and Robin Hobb will enjoy this book." Publishers Weekly on Southern Fire "Juliet McKenna's world creation is deeply textured and strongly resonant of the middle ages without sounding like Tolkien rehashed. Her characters are welldeveloped, strongly motivated, admirable, and yet have a normal array of human weaknesses. I find her work engrossing."David Farland on Southern Fire About the Author JULIET E. McKENNA lives in West Oxfordshire with her husband and children. This is her sixth novel. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter OneNo omens of earth or sky, just tranquillity. I couldn't ask for a better welcome home.The sun was all but set among serene bands of golden cloud untroubled above an unruffled sea. Down in the lagoon far below, Kheda could see the little boats of his fishermen heading out for their night's work, the weather set fair. The great galley that had brought him back to this island at the heart of his domain rode calmly at anchor. Closer to shore, the first lamps were being lit above the floating frames hung with nets that gathered fingerfish for smoking above fragrant herbs. Standing high above, on the roofless platform at the top of the circular stone tower, Kheda was too far away to hear the banter of his people idling about their work on the shore.It'll be the usual jokes and debates about whether to settle to mending nets or making gourds into new buoys. Chances are they'll opt to spend the evening with their families and friends instead. We're not so different, highest to lowest, Daish Reik always told me that.At that recollection of his father's wisdom, Kheda yielded to the desire to greet