Trickster's Queen

by Tamora Pierce

  Those interested in the historical sources of some of my ideas and conflicts may want to examine Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt and his placement of the Greek Ptolemies over the native Egyptians; William the Conqueror's arrival in England and its centuries of consequences; American slavery; the history of Tudor England during the childhood of Edward VI and the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; and the history of any power that invades a country that is not its own and attempts to keep it. As the Rittevons and Jimajens learn, it's hard to completely pacify a country when the bulk of the people who live there are opposed to being pacified.

  TAMORA PIERCE captured the imagination of readers more than twenty years ago with Alanna: The First Adventure. As of September 2004, she has written twenty-two books, including three completed quartets—The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and Protector of the Small—set in the fantasy realm of Tortall. She has also written the Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets. Her books have been translated into many different languages. Some are available on audio from Listening Library and Full Cast Audio. Tamora Pierce's fast-paced, suspenseful writing and strong, believable heroines have won her much praise: Emperor Mage was a 1996 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, The Realms of the Gods was listed as an “outstanding fantasy novel” by VOYA in 1996, Squire (Protector of the Small #3) was a 2002 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and Lady Knight (Protector of the Small #4) debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Trickster's Choice spent a month on the New York Times bestseller list and was a 2003 ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

  An avid reader herself, Ms. Pierce graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked at a variety of jobs and has written everything from novels to radio plays. Along with writer Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries series), she co-founded Sheroes Central, a discussion board about female heroes, remarkable women in fact, fiction, and history, books, current events, and teen issues. She now sponsors Sheroes Central and Sheroes Fans, helping to run it with her beloved Spouse-Creature and an administrative team of adults and teens.

  Tamora Pierce lives in New York City with her husband, Tim, a writer, Web page designer, and Web administrator, and their five cats, two birds, and various rescued wildlife.

  For more information, visit:

  www.tamora-pierce.com

  Sheroes Central at:

  www.sheroescentral.com

  TORTALL BOOKS

  BY TAMORA PIERCE

  The Song of the Lioness Quartet

  Alanna: The First Adventure

  In the Hand of the Goddess

  The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

  Lioness Rampant

  THE IMMORTALS QUARTET

  Wild Magic

  Wolf-Speaker

  Emperor Mage

  The Realms of the Gods

  Protector of the Small

  First Test

  Page

  Squire

  Lady Knight

  TRICKSTER'S CHOICE

  Copyright © 2004 by Tamora Pierce

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  www.randomhouse.com/teens

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Pierce, Tamora.

  Trickster's queen / Tamora Pierce.

  p. cm.

  SUMMARY: Aly fails to foresee the dangers that await as she uses her magic to safeguard Dove and her younger siblings, despite knowing that her thirteen-year-old charge might be queen of the Copper Isles when the colonial rulers are defeated.

  [1. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.P61464Tq 2004 [Fic]—dc22

  2004003120

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89053-6

  v3.0