The Black Queen

In the fifteen years of Arianna’s rule on the Black Throne, Blue Isle enjoyed peace. Until a powerful reminder of the past resurfaces to threaten the family, the Fey, and the entire world. With diverse and compelling characters and a richly imagined world, Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s brilliant storytelling illuminates the dangers wrought by a thirst for power that continues to resonate in the all-too-real world of today.

As the heirs to the Black Throne struggle against the weight of the powers driving them to destinies they abhor, this heartbreaking masterpiece furthers the story of the Fey as well as Rusch’s place as the greatest storyteller of our time.

“A very good, very large fantasy...nicely done and with a particularly satisfying and unexpected resolution.”

—Science Fiction Chronicle on The Sacrifice

“Rusch’s greatest strength…is her ability to close down a story and leave the reader feeling that the author could not possibly have wrung any more satisfaction out of the piece.”

—The Kansas City Star

“Kristine Kathryn Rusch integrates the fantastic elements so rigorously into her story that it is often hard to remember she is not merely recording the here and now.”

—Science Fiction Weekly

“Whether [Rusch] writes high fantasy, horror, sf, or contemporary fantasy, I’ve always been fascinated by her ability to tell a story with that enviable gift of invisible prose.  She’s one of those very few writers whose style takes me right into the story—the words and pages disappear as the characters and their story swallows me whole…. Rusch has style.”

—Charles de Lint