The Lotus Kingdoms are at war, with four claimants to the sorcerous throne of the Alchemical Emperor, fielding three armies between them. Alliances are made, and broken, many times over-but in the end, only one can sit on the throne. And that one must have not only the power, but the rightful claim.
Mrithuri Rajni stands as the chief claimant to the Peacock throne now, but she and her empire remain a prize to be taken unless she gets an heir. She has her allies-her cousin Sayeh, a dragon, a foreign wizard, a fearsome automaton, and the Dead Man-but the throne has the final say. And if it rejects her, the price is death.
About the Author :
ELIZABETH BEAR was the recipient of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer in 2005. She has won two Hugo Awards and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for her short fiction. Bear lives in South Hadley, MA.
Review :
A Locus Magazine 2022 Recommended Reading List pick!
Praise for The Lotus Kingdoms
"Elizabeth Bear sweeps the reader into a world of ravishing detail."--Huffington Post
"The Eternal Sky trilogy is one of the great fantasy epics of the last decade, and Bear triumphantly returns to that setting."--Library Journal, starred review
"With a glorious and dramatic story, Bear begins a stunning new series set in the same world as her Eternal Sky trilogy." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Captivatingly different in style and substance than Bear's previous trilogy but no less vivid, absorbing, and thrilling. In an overcrowded field, another entry that stands head and shoulders above nearly everything else." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Amazing worldbuilding, gloriously precise prose, and excellent pacing."--Tor.com
"The plot hews closely to the whole band-of-rogues-assemble-to-fight-stronger-band-of-foes . . . Bear noodles around that trope like a jazz master and takes the story to some interesting places . . ."--Locus
"This is a promising beginning indeed for an epic . . . and it will no doubt be a magnificent journey."--Booklist
"Clever and beautifully written."--Elitist Book Reviews
"A thoughtful, richly complex, humane work eloquently told and elegantly constructed."--Fantasy Literature
"Enchanting."--The Illustrated Page
