Book description
Atop a twisting, canyon-climbing road, a witch lurks in a fortress
built strong enough to keep out dragons and ogres. In an enchanted
village, a young orphan is maturing into a beautiful woman. A young man
seeks adventure in the big city after running away from his family and
their small farm. Now a strange and terrible prophecy will set off a
chain of events that will bring these three together, in a tale of
heroism, romance and an age-old battle. But this is not the fantasy
world you expect. The Place of Power is manned by strange, robotic
creatures who leak radiation. The Archetypal Village knows what is
expected of it, as do the inhabitants. In the city, gangs battle with
guns and bombs. And the prophecy may lead to death for all. Prequel to
the widely-acclaimed THE WATERS RISING, this is a powerful and
engrossing fantasy tale from Sheri S. Tepper. Sheri S. Tepper is the
author of several resoundingly acclaimed novels, including THE MARGARETS
and GIBBON'S DECLINE AND FALL both shortlisted for the ARTHUR C. CLARKE
AWARD, A PLAGUE OF ANGELS, SIDESHOW and BEAUTY, which was voted BEST
FANTASY NOVEL OF THE YEAR by readers of LOCUS. She is one of the few
writers to have titles in both the SF and Fantasy Masterworks lists.
