BOOKWRAITHS REVIEWS

Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear return with the third book in their Iskryne trilogy, AN APPRENTICE TO ELVES (A Tor Hardcover, $26.99, On-Sale: October 13, 2015). The third collaboration between renowned fantasy writers Bear and Monette, the trilogy began with A Companion to Wolves, and continued in The Tempering of Men. Separately, Bear and Monette have been nominated for and won the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and Locus awards – among others. Together, they have created the world of the Iskryne, a warrior culture with telepathic wolf companions.

AN APPRENTICE TO ELVES picks up the story of Alfgyfa, a young woman who has been raised in the Wolfhall by her father, Isolfr. The warrior culture of Iskryne forbids many things to women-and most especially it forbids them bonding to one of the giant telepathic trellwolves. But as her father was no ordinary boy, Alfgyfa is no ordinary girl. Her father has long planned to send his daughter to Tin, a matriarch among the elves who live nearby, to be both apprentice and ambassador, and now she is of age to go.

Publishers Weekly declares that Bear and Monette “have boldly created a fascinating world that begs further exploration” and RT Book Reviews points out that “Monette and Bear each excel at creating unique worlds… It’s no surprise that this joint effort combines their strengths into something extraordinary.” The third book from this stellar team is the perfect place to dive into their fascinating world.

“But even with magic, the problems are real. War, gender, relationships, social status, all are issues that are struggled with by these characters. While it is a story of the fantastic, it is the people in it that makes Apprenticed To Elves work.”
— San Francisco Book Review

About the Authors:

SARAH MONETTE is the acclaimed author of Mélusine and The Virtue as well as award-nominated short fiction. Born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (one of the secret cities of the Manhattan Project), she studied English and Classics in college, obtaining a M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature. She collects books, and her husband collects computer parts, so her living space is the constantly contested border between these two imperial ambitions.

ELIZABETH BEAR was born on the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, but in a different year. This, coupled with a childhood tendency to read the dictionary for fun, led her inevitably to penury, intransigence, the mispronunciation of common English words, and the writing of speculative fiction. She lives in Massachusetts with a Giant Ridiculous Dog. Her partner, acclaimed fantasy author Scott Lynch, lives in Wisconsin. The recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, she has also won two Hugo Awards for her short fiction, a Sturgeon Award, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel.

Praise for the Iskryne series:

Every bit as absorbing as the first volume, The Tempering of Men is compelling and intensely readable. Told from multiple perspectives, the characters are well-drawn and distinct, especially Brokkolfr and Amma, his amusingly maternal wolf-sister. Monette and Bear each excel at creating unique worlds when writing solo fiction, so it’s no surprise that this joint effort combines their strengths into something extraordinary.

— RT Book Reviews, Top Pick

The meticulously crafted setting and powerful, often moving rendition of characters and relationships-human and nonhuman alike-result in a brutal and beautiful novel about the meaning of honor. …the authors have boldly created a fascinating world that begs further exploration.

— Publishers Weekly, starred review on A Companion to Wolves

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

The people over at TOR have been nice enough to provide one hardcover copy of An Apprentice to Elves for this giveaway. North American residents only.

To enter all you have to do is send an email message to bookwraiths@gmail.com with “Apprentice to Elves Giveaway” in the subject line and give me your best snarky comment about elves. You know you have some.

Next Sunday I will draw the winning name and notify them via email. If the winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, I will draw another name, then rinse and repeat until I find someone who wants this wonderfully vivid fantasy novel