Book description
From acclaimed bestselling author Laura Anne Gilman comes a
unique and enthralling new story of fantasy and adventure, wine
and magic, danger and hope....
Once, all power in the Vin Lands was held by the prince-mages, who
alone could craft spellwines, and selfishly used them to increase
their own wealth and influence. But their abuse of power caused a
demigod to break the Vine, shattering the power of the mages. Now,
fourteen centuries later, it is the humble Vinearts who hold the
secret of crafting spells from wines, the source of magic, and they
are prohibited from holding power.
But now rumors come of a new darkness rising in the vineyards.
Strange, terrifying creatures, sudden plagues, and mysterious
disappearances threaten the land. Only one Vineart senses the danger,
and he has only one weapon to use against it: a young slave. His name
is Jerzy, and his origins are unknown, even to him. Yet his uncanny
sense of the Vinearts' craft offers a hint of greater magics within --
magics that his Master, the Vineart Malech, must cultivate and grow.
But time is running out. If Malech cannot teach his new apprentice the
secrets of the spellwines, and if Jerzy cannot master his own untapped
powers, the Vin Lands shall surely be destroyed.
In Flesh and Fire, first in a spellbinding new trilogy, Laura
Anne Gilman conjures a story as powerful as magic itself, as
intoxicating as the finest of wines, and as timeless as the greatest
legends ever told.
"A fresh and creative fantasy -- you'll never
look at a bottle of Chardonnay the same way again!" -- Karen
Miller, bestselling author of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology
Laura Anne Gilman is the author of the Cosa Nostradamus
books for Luna (the “Retrievers” and “Paranormal Scene Investigations”
series), a YA trilogy for HarperCollins, and numerous works of short
fiction. She also writes paranormal romances for Nocturne as Anna
Leonard, and her e-book novella Dreamcatcher was released in
August 2008. A former executive editor at NAL, Laura Anne is an
amateur chef, oenophile, and cat-servant. She lives in New York City,
where she also runs d. y.m. k. productions.
