Book cover of The Element of Fire

Book description

The Element of Fire was first published in the US by Tor Books in 1993, and has been published in six languages. It was a finalist for the 1993 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award and a runner-up for the 1994 Crawford Award. This new edition has b

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Element of Fire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I stumbled on a used paperback copy of Martha Wells’ first book shortly after it came out in 1993. I was hooked on page one, which begins with a group of musketeers breaking into the home of a foreign sorcerer. From the moment of our main protagonist’s second line, “The point of it is to go and be killed where you’re told,” I knew I was going to adore this book.

The witty: Basically, everything from the banter to the convoluted court politics. The weird: brilliant use of magic that runs from wallpaper that tries to murder our heroes to…

If you love The Element of Fire...

Book cover of The Main Gate

The Main Gate by Yvonne Kjorlien,

Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.

Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…

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