With the help of the fine folks at Goodreads, we’re giving away a copy of The Very Best of Kate Elliott, a “collection [that] serves beautifully both as an introduction to Elliott and as a treat for fans who want more of her marvels.”

Visit Goodreads for all the details.

Strong heroines and riveting storytelling are the hallmarks of groundbreaking fantasy author Kate Elliott (Crown of Stars, Crossroads). Her long-awaited first collection showcases twenty years of her finest work. Captured here are many of Elliott’s previously out-of-print tales, four previously unpublished essays, and a brand new Crossroads story, “On the Dying Winds of the Old Year and the Birthing Winds of the New.”

Elliott’s bold adventuresses, complex quests, noble sacrifices, and hard-won victories shine in classic, compact legends. In “The Memory of Peace,” a girl’s powerful emotions rouse the magic of a city devastated by war. Meeting in “The Queen’s Garden,” two princesses unite to protect their kingdom from the blind ambition of their corrupted father. While “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” a chieftain’s daughter finds an unlikely ally on her path to self-determination.

Elliott’s many readers, as well as fantasy fans in search of powerful stories featuring well-drawn female characters, will revel in this unique gathering of truly memorable tales.

[STARRED REVIEW] “Elliott’s delightful first collection contains pieces set in the worlds of her major fantasy series—the Spiritwalker Trilogy, the Crossroads Trilogy, the Crown of Stars series,and the Jaran novels—as well as several standalone works and four essays about writing. No familiarity with any of the novels is required to understand the stories set in those worlds, but the existing settings lend depth, complexity, and intrigue to what might otherwise be simple tales. “Riding the Shore of the River of Death,” a bildungsroman about a young female horse-nomad who wants to be a warrior, benefit greatly from the depth of setting, as does the slapstick comedy “To Be a Man,” about a shape-shifting saber-toothed cat with an eye for the ladies. But the standalones especially shine, and the political intrigue and subtle humor that Elliott brings to the fascinating culture and government system of “The Queen’s Garden” make it perhaps the finest work in the book. This collection serves beautifully both as an introduction to Elliott and as a treat for fans who want more of her marvels.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The Very Best of Kate Elliott does an excellent job of displaying Elliott’s multi-faceted creativity, her huge talent for inventing a variety of worlds without ever sacrificing the sparkling little details in each one that make her writing so compelling.”
—Katherine Kerr, author of the Deverry Cycle

“Elliott (Cold Steel; Labyrinth of Stars) has built a career out of creating memorable worlds and populating them with strong, amazing women (and the men who love them). While the longer form gives her a bigger canvas, Elliott proves here she can make those same fantastic worlds and characters in short form…. Elliott excels at describing her brilliant worlds, employing a meticulous eye for the significant detail that illuminates a whole landscape.”
—Library Journal

“Intricate and enthralling. This really is the best of Kate Elliott.”
—Seanan McGuire, author of Rosemary and Rue

“Kate Elliot fits more rich and complex writing into her short pieces than many authors manage at novel length, tackling the social fabric of SF&F with clarity and grace.”
—Tanya Huff, author of the Keeper’s Chronicles and The Enchantment Emporium

“If you’re a fan of Kate Elliott’s fantasy novels, then you know she knows how to tell an epic. But remarkably Elliott is one of those rare writers who is also able to distill that sense of an epic fantasy novel into the short form. For fans of epic storytelling, this is a collection not to be missed.”
—John Joseph Adams, series editor of Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and editor of Lightspeed Magazine

“I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy fantasy and science fiction, but also people who want to expand their social consciousness. This is an excellent, enjoyable, thought-provoking book.”
—Snowflakes & Spider Silk

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The Queen’s Garden
• Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine
• Riding the Shore of the River of Death
• Sunseeker
• The Gates of Joriun
• Making the World Live Again
• Morlan
• With God to Guard Her
• A Simple Act of Kindness
• To Be a Man
• The Memory of Peace
• My Voice is My Sword

For more on The Very Best of Kate Elliott, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.