by Liz Williams
Alleghetta collected herself. ‘Very well. Perhaps it’s for the best.’ And that was all she said about the matter, then, or for some weeks afterward, at least in my hearing. I suddenly felt exhausted. ‘I’m going to bed,’ I said. ‘I don’t care what happens now.’
Canteley yawned. ‘I’m tired too.’
The majike nodded. I thought I caught a flicker of sympathy in her glance. Alleghetta clearly hadn’t slept, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. As I headed for the stairs, the majike caught my sleeve.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ she said, in an undertone. ‘We’ll look after you, Essegui. I’ll restore your soul to you, the missing parts.’
‘All right,’ I said. It had sounded more like a threat than a promise. I avoided looking at Shorn’s door as I passed it, as if she’d left some eldritch trace of herself, her unhappy spirit still in there, drifting. I shut the door of my own chamber with relief, to see that the red message light on the antiscribe was winking at me. So I went over to see what was waiting.
Hestia’s face floated onto the screen: tired, grainy, and deeply familiar. ‘Essegui?’ she said. ‘I’ve got something to tell you . . .’
WINTERSTRIKE
‘A rich, textured story of political intrigue on a far-future Mars . . . Winterstrike is beautifully written, seamlessly plotted and profound’
Guardian
‘Throughout a twisting, eerie novel, Williams’ prose is taut and detailed. Yet also velvety and dreamlike – a balancing act she sustains quite brilliantly.’
BBC Focus
‘If there were ever any doubt, Winterstrike confirms that Liz Williams is among the finest SF writers we have’
SFX
‘Dramatic stuff indeed and Liz Williams handles the complicated weaving of the story with skill . . . The real strength of the writing, however, lies in the worlds Williams creates . . . Exotic characters, intriguing locations and a twisting plot . . . a very impressive new series from one of British sci-fi’s most original authors’
SciFiNow
Terrific stuff and I can’t wait for the sequel. In fact, if I do have one quibble, it’s with the ending. I want to know what happens next. Right now.’
SFCrowsnest.com
BLOODMIND
‘A breathless, vivid, adventure that is thought-provoking on such subjects as the allure of violence, our need for myths, and what is “natural”’
The Times
‘It’s a further measure of her skill that Williams creates a killer who is both monster and wholly sympathetic . . . Williams is one of the most original and distinctive voices in British SF’
SFX
‘Williams’ forte is her depiction of driven characters in richly realised settings, and the complex unravelling of tangled motivations and agendas’
Guardian
‘Bloodmind is absorbing, intelligent, and well-written Science Fiction’
Starburst
Liz Williams is the daughter of a stage magician and a gothic novelist, and currently lives in Glastonbury. She received a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge, and her subsequent career has ranged from reading tarot cards on Brighton’s Palace Pier to teaching in central Asia. Her short stories have been published in Asimov’s, Interzone, The Third Alternative and Visionary Tongue, and she is the co-editor of the anthology Fabulous Brighton. Her novel Banner of Souls was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2006.
Also by Liz Williams
The Ghost Sister
Empire of Bones
The Poison Master
Nine Layers of Sky
Banner of Souls
Darkland
Bloodmind
The Snake Agent
The Demon and the City
Precious Dragon
The Shadow Pavilion
The Banquet of the Lords of Night and Other Stories
Acknowledgements
With special thanks to
Peter Lavery and Stef Bierwerth at Macmillan,
Shawna McCarthy,
everyone at the Milford workshop.
First published 2008 by Tor
First published in paperback 2009 by Tor
This electronic edition published 2010 by Tor
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-0-230-73851-5 PDF
ISBN 978-0-230-73850-8 EPUB
Copyright © Liz Williams 2008
The right of Liz Williams to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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