In this electrifying finale to Kate Elliott's Novels of the Jaran, the fight against the alien Chapalii empire comes to an exhilarating end.
Charles Soerensen is the human who dared to take on the powerful Chapalii empire. When his plot for a revolt failed, instead of being punished he received a high-ranking title and authority over a whole system of planets-but this did nothing to change his revolutionary inclinations.
In this final book, the story of Tess, Ilya, and Charles comes to its stunning conclusion as new generations get involved in the intrigue, Earth's exiled jaran people resurface, and the Chapalii overlords make one last, unexpected move.
Following the events of An Earthly Crown, the jaran conquest of Rhui intensifies as rebel hearts simmer with conflicting loyalties.
Across Rhui, the jaran have been taking over towns and bending all non-jaran to the law of their rule. With Ilya Bakhtiian in charge, the nomadic fighters are now preparing an assault on the royal city of Karkand. But within the campaign, another struggle looms. Ilya's wife, Tess, is not from Rhui, but from Earth, and her brother, Charles, is a duke of the empire that includes Rhui, even though he once instigated a rebellion against it.
Still driven by thoughts of a human revolt, Charles travels to Rhui for key information about the past, hoping to bring back his sister-his only heir. Does she want to passively abide by either man's plan for her, though, and is any challenge to the ancient and mighty Chapalii realistic?
The nomadic tribes of the jaran are uniting the settled cities of their homeland one by one. Their charismatic leader, Ilya Bakhtiian, has his loyal wife by his side, but there is something about her he doesn't know: Tess Soerensen is a human.
Back home, her brother, Charles, led an unsuccessful revolt against the all-powerful Chapalii Empire. Charles's insistence that Tess join him is as strong as Ilya's reluctance to part with his beloved wife and neither considers that Tess may have her own plans for the future. As three fiercely independent spirits struggle for a solution, the fates of both the human race and the jaran hang in the balance.
In the wake of the cataclysm that has reshaped the very lands, Sanglant is struggling to legitimize his own rulership and Liath's status as his wife and consort, even as others are leaguing against him . . .
The Aoi are carrying out random attacks on the humans and implicating Sanglant as their leader . . .
While Liath, searching for forbidden magics, is unexpectedly beset by enemies she may not be able to withstand . . .
Stronghand is on a march of conquest that will inevitably lead into the heart of Sanglant's realm . . .
Adelheid has made an unholy alliance with the treacherous Antonia, who, with the deadly galla at her command, is prepared to strike at Liath, Sanglant, or anyone who threatens her plans . . .
Sabella and Duke Conrad have also marshaled their forces and are moving to seize the crown from Sanglant . . .
And Alain must take his own stand against the Lady of Battles if he is to have any hope of redeeming this war- and magic-torn world . . .
In the past, humans were the dominant star-traveling species in the universe-until the Chapalil came, conquered, and absorbed the Earth into their intergalactic empire.
One of the only humans ever granted nobility by the Chapalil, Charles Soerenson once led a failed rebellion against the alien overlords. Now his sister, Terese, has abandoned her homeworld, impelled by a broken heart to seek a new life among the worlds her brother rules.
On Rhui, a planet off-limits to interstellar voyagers, Tess stumbles upon a dangerous Chapalil conspiracy-and only the timely arrival of the Jaran saves her from near-certain death. A tribe of nomadic humans roaming the plains of Rhui, the Jaran have long forgotten their ancient Earth history and heritage. Intrigued by their world and their ways, Tess shares an immediate emotional connection with Ilya, the Jaran's brilliant, charismatic leader.
But despite her growing loyalties to this proud chieftain and his people, Tess must take care. For Ilya's ambitions threaten to trigger violent planetary upheaval. And the Jaran have been chosen to play an unwitting role in a plot that could have powerful repercussions far beyond the nomads' volatile world.
Non-stop action, space battles and intrigue abound in the second in a galactic-scale, gender-swapped space opera trilogy inspired by the life of Alexander the Great.
The Republic of Chaonia, under the joint command of Princess Sun and her formidable mother, Queen-Marshal Eirene, has defeated and driven out an invading fleet of the Phene Empire, although not without heavy losses. But the Empire remains strong and undeterred. While Chaonia scrambles to rebuild its military, the Empire's rulers are determined to squash Chaonia once and for all – by any means necessary.
On the eve of Eirene's bold attack on the rich and populous Karnos System, an unexpected tragedy strikes the republic. Sun must take charge or lose the throne. Will Sun be content with the pragmatic path laid out by her mother for Chaonia's future? Or will she forge her own legend despite all the forces arrayed against her?
Reviews for the Sun Chronicles:
'Epic starship battles, court intrigue and Machiavellian betrayals' Guardian
The lost land of the Aoi has returned to the earth from which it was cast forth millennia ago. And though the battle for survival must be the primary focus, there are always those eager to seize power.
Though King Henry demanded that Prince Sanglant accept his crown, many may refuse to honor the dying king's wish. Liath, Sanglant's wife, has been excommunicated and unless he agrees to put her aside, his own aunt, Mother Scholastica, is threatening to interdict Sanglant. And though he and Liath long to search for their missing daughter, the demands of statecraft hold them hostage to Sanglant's court.
Henry's wife is determined to regain control of their empire. But she has let Antonia proclaim herself the new skopos. And Antonia has already proved herself a dangerous ally.
The Aoi are divided between those who seek to rebuild and warriors determined to claim revenge against the humans.
Stronghand, too, is consolidating his gains for his empire, drawn in part by the bond he still shares with Alain.
And even as Liath seeks out the forbidden magic that could bring back the light of day, new alliances are forming and old ones being abandoned. Only time will tell who will emerge triumphant.
The long-dreaded cataclysm is about to descend on the world as the lost land of the Aoi returns to the Earth from which it was cast forth millennia ago. And though Liath has found her way back to Earth, she knows disaster will soon follow her. Yet just how little time remains to avert humanity's destruction she discovers to her horror only when she learns that her brief stay in the bespelled land has actually kept her from her family and allies for nearly four years.
In that time, Sanglant has mobilized an army and journeyed to the land of the griffins, intent on forging an alliance to stand against the forces which are determined to rework the spell that originally exiled the Aoi and their lands from the world. Alain, caught up by Liath as she makes her way back to her own world and time, has been returned to the present bereft of all that matters to him. And though for a while he finds refuge in a monastery, he is soon condemned to a terrible fate. His only hope of rescue lies with the Eika leader Stronghand, who has begun a campaign of conquest into the human lands.
And even as these diverse forces struggle to avert total ruin, the mathematici, led by Anne and Hugh, strive to recreate the original spell which exiled the ancient Aoi, neither knowing nor caring that their magical workings could tear their world apart . . .
Far beyond the borders of Wendar and Varre, Alain, Liath, Sanglant, and King Henry must make their separate journeys, following twisting roads which will nevertheless lead them all to one fated moment in time . . .
Alain is caught in a desperate struggle for survival even as he finds himself unwittingly drawn into the heart of an ancient conflict between humankind and the Cursed Ones . . .
Liath faces her most difficult trial in a land of exile. Only there can she hope to discover her true parentage and the nature and extent of her unique powers . . .
The bastard prince Sanglant is determined to seek out his father, King Henry, and bring warning of the conspiracy of sorcerers who've sworn to put an end to the Aoi, the Lost Ones-no matter how much destruction may be unleashed by their workings of magic . . .
But King Henry's attention is on the throne of Aosta and the imperial crown, unclaimed for two generations. Even as a Quman army ravages the Wendish countryside, Henry marches south, ignoring the pleas of his beleaguered subjects . . .
And as the tides of war and magic wreak havoc across the lands, the great Cataclysm, long foretold in the stars, draws inexorably closer . . .
The Wild Hunt is stirring - and the dragons are finally waking from their long sleep... Cat Barahal was the only survivor of the flood that took her parents. Raised by her extended family, she and her cousin, Bee, are unaware of the dangers that threaten them both. Though they are in beginning of the Industrial Age, magic - and the power of the Cold Mages - still hold sway. Now, betrayed by her family and forced to marry a powerful Cold Mage, Cat will be drawn into a labyrinth of politics. There she will learn the full ruthlessness of the rule of the Cold Mages. What do the Cold Mages want from her? And who will help Cat in her struggle against them?
The fantastic conclusion to the Spiritwalker trilogy! Trouble, treachery, and magic just won't stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother's murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her. And Cat, her cousin Bee, and her half-brother Rory, aren't even back in Europa yet, where revolution is burning up the streets. Revolutions to plot. Enemies to crush. Handsome men to rescue. Cat and Bee have their work cut out for them.
Cat Barahal and her beloved cousin Bee think they have reached a safe place to shelter. But the Cold Mages who are conspiring to take them prisoner are closing in. The warlord who hopes to conquer all Europa is convinced their destiny is to aid him, whether they want to or not. And the man Cat was forced to marry is back, as vainly arrogant and annoyingly handsome as ever. Worst of all, as Hallows' Night approaches, powers hidden deep within the spirit world are rising. Cat must seek allies against these threats and figure out who to trust, for if she makes the wrong choices, she'll lose everything. Only one thing is certain. When Hallows' Night comes the Wild Hunt will ride - and it feeds on mortal blood.
