“Packed with action and imagined worlds
and filled to the brim with sparkling detail”
NEWSWEEK
“A potent metaphor for the toleration of diversity”
NEW YORK TIMES
“A feast for those who like their fantasies dark”
LOCUS
This Alien Shore
It is the second stage of human colon-ization–the first age, humanity’s initial attempt to people the stars, ended in disaster when it was discovered that Earth’s original superluminal drive did permanent genetic damage to all who used it–mutating Earth’s far-flung colonists in mind and body. Now, one of Earth’s first colonies has given humanity back the stars, but at a high price–a monopoly over all human commerce. And when a satellite in earth’s outer orbit is viciously attacked by corporate raiders, an unusual young woman flees to a ship bound for the Up-and-Out. But her narrow escape does not mean safety. For speeding across the galaxy pursued by ruthless, but unknown adversaries, this young woman will discover a secret which is buried deep inside her psyche–a revelation the universe may not be ready to face… read more…
Crown of Shadows
In the first two volumes of her acclaimed Coldfire trilogy, C.S. Friedman introduced readers to the beautiful but treacherous world of Erna, where humanity has fought a desperate struggle for survival against the fae–a force of nature which responds to the human psyche, indiscriminately bringing to life a person’s most treasured dreams or hideous nightmares.
For more than a millennium now Erna’s humans have maintained an uneasy stalemate with the fae, with adepts and sorcerers working for their own profit while the demonic creatures who feed upon such efforts rapidly gain power and ambition. Now one of these demons, a Iezu called Calesta, has declared war on all of mankind. read more…
When True Night Falls
With her ground-breaking fantasy novel, Black Sun Rising, C.S. Friedman introduced readers to a world far-distant from Earth, a beautiful planet which at first appeared to be an ideal home for humankind. But the seismic activity which periodically took its toll of the world of Erna was only the most obvious of the trials with which the colonists would be faced. For there were other powers at work upon the planet, chief among them the fae–a terrifying force of nature with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, indiscriminately drawing forth a person’s worst nightmare visions or most treasured dreams and bringing them to life. For twelve centuries, humanity’s survival has been defined by its battle with the fae, but recently the ranks of the dark fae have begun to increase dramatically and unless something drastic is done to shift the balance, humanity may soon face a final terrifying descent into oblivion.
When True Night Falls returns to Erna at a crucial time in this undeclared war. Over the years, five attempts have been made to cross the planet’s greatest ocean and settle the lands in the east. But the Novatlantic Divide, riddled with active volcanoes and fae-born dangers, has apparently swallowed each expedition in its turn, leaving the fates of these explorers forever veiled in mystery. read more…
Black Sun Rising
Over a millennium ago, Erna, a seismically active yet beautiful world, was settled by colonists from far-distant Earth. But the seemingly habitable planet was fraught with perils no one could have foretold, and the colonists were soon caught in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a terrifying natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, drawing forth a person’s worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life.
Twelve centuries after fate first stranded the colonists on Erna, mankind has achieved an uneasy stalemate, and human sorcerers manipulate the fae for their own profit, little realizing that demonic forces which feed upon such efforts are rapidly gaining in strength. Now, as the hordes of the dark fae multiply, four people are about to be drawn inexorably together for a mission which will force them to confront an evil beyond their imagining, in a conflict which will put not only their own lives but the very fate of humankind in jeopardy. read more…
The Madness Season
He’d had so many names over the centuries, so many new identities that he could scarcely remember who he had originally been. Now his name was Daetrin, a name given by the alien conquerors of humankind, the Tyr.
Three hundred years had passed since the Tyr conquered the people of Earth as they had previously overcome numerous races throughout the galaxy. In their victory they had taken the very heart out of the human race, isolating the true individualists, the geniuses, all the people who represented the hopes, dreams, and discoveries of the future, and imprisoning them in dome colonies on planets hostile to human life. There the Tyr, a race which shared a unified gestalt mind, had left these gifted individuals to work on projects which would, the conquerors hoped, reveal all of humankind’s secrets to them. read more…
The Dreaming Kind
Two of the biggest names in the fantasy field have put together a unique collection of fantastical cat tales for friends of furry felines. Cats work a special magic in these stories from the future, from the past, and from dimensions people never dream of.
“The Dreaming Kind” was also later published in the collection Nine Lives (St. Francis Hospice, 2001).
In Conquest Born
The Great War between Braxi and Azea has gone on since the beginning of interstellar history, and will continue–some claim–to its end. Unable to achieve final victory, unwilling to accept defeat, both sides have devoted centuries to perfecting their martial capacity, each according to a unique tradition. In the Braxin Holding, the ruling Braxaná tribe draws upon ancient customs to create a warrior race as strong as it is ruthless, and utterly without human weakness. In the Azean Empire scientists race to perfect the human genome, and to unleash the psychic potential of the human mind against their implacable opponent.
Now two great generals have arisen, each determined to breach the stalement at any cost. And their obsession will soon spark a vendetta that will change the course of empires… read more…
