Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
Watchtower, the first book in the award-winning THE CHRONICLES OF TORNOR series by Elizabeth A. Lynn, follows the tale of a young prince — why is he called a prince when his father is a lord? I have no idea. This bothered me through the whole book — who has to fight against a usurper to regain his lands.
Watchtower is frequently included on lists of feminist and gay SFF. It does deal with an underlying homoerotic tension between the prince and his soldier, and the other two main characters are of ambiguous gender — saying more would spoil the unfolding of that plot. Compared to books today I doubt either of these issues would raise an eyebrow. After reading it, I surely didn’t consider this to be a shining example of feminist literature. We’ve come a long way, baby, right?
I had a ... Read More
Snow White, Blood Red edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Snow White, Blood Red was the first of Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's adult fairy tale anthologies. The series later developed into a treasure trove of beauty, horror, humor, brightness, darkness, and above all, terrific writing. Here, though, many of the authors seem to have focused on the "adult" rather than on the "fairy tale," on sex and gore rather than on the archetypal power of the tales.
Most of the stories in this collection are filled with visceral, often nauseating, violence. There is also a lot of sex. Now, normally I don't mind sex in books. But this isn't erotic sex; it tends to be twisted, sadistic sex, often rape. The sexual content, rather than being erotic, feels like a further extension of the violence. There's a bit too much gross-out, a bit too much shock value, and not enough that is ... Read More
More books by Elizabeth A. Lynn
The Dragon Books — (1998-2003) Publisher: The author’s first novel for fifteen years and the beginning of a series of DRAGON titles, which offers a tale of sorcery, magic and hatred as two brothers fight to overcome one another and win a kingdom, with unexpected consequences.
Stand-alone novel:
A Different Light — (1978) In a future world, cancer has been all but eradicated. Jimson Alleca can live another 20 years with drugs and a peaceful lifestyle — if he stays in space-normal. But he’s willing to risk it all to make the jump into the Hype, the shimmering “not space” for one year among the stars. From two-time World Fantasy Award Winner Elizabeth A. Lynn.
The Sardonyx Net — (1981) Captured trying to recover his stolen property, Starcaptain Dana Ikoro is arrested and sentenced to ten years of slavery on the slave world of Chabad. There could be crueler masters than Rhani Yago, the beautiful and powerful aristocrat. Dana forges a dangerous bond with his master — and discovers that on a world where drugged criminals are used as slaves, rebellion may be the highest form of love.
The Silver Horse — (1984) Ages 9-12. Publisher: 11 year old Susannah follows her brother and his beautiful silver horse to the Land of Lost Toys, where she finds herself in the middle of a fantastic adventure.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPECULATIVE FICTION BY ELIZABETH A. LYNN.
(1946- )
