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
|

Shadow Gate
Michael Kaluta
|
Traitor's Gate
(2009)t
|
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)
The Golden Key
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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