The Grand Ellipse
by Paula Volsky
from Spectra
Paula Volsky, author of The White Tribunal, returns with a spectacular saga of adventure and intrigue, romance and rebellion — beginning with a wondrous discovery that could forever alter the fate of the free world....
In the modern, civilized republic of Vonahr, the need for magic seems a thing of the past. But soon the Vonahrish will find that magic is their only hope — for an imperialistic race of fanatics, intent on conquering the world, now masses on Vonahr’s borders.
Vonahr’s slim chance for salvation lies in a nearby neutral kingdom, where a brilliant savant has conjured up the ultimate weapon: Sentient Fire, a miraculous flame that responds to the command of its maker.
Low Hetz’s mad, flamboyant king refuses to relinquish the secret — so the desperate government of Vonahr sends the exquisitely beautiful adventurer Luzelle Devaire to turn his head and change his mind. But to gain an audience, Luzelle must win the Grand Ellipse, a test of endurance, ingenuity, and valor....
Illusion
by Paula Volsky
from Spectra
Okay, it's a retelling of the French Revolution, but there's magic in this story. You know what's going to happen by page 3, though some of the particulars differ. The familiar-seeming background makes the sorcery-touched story that much more engrossing. Read this for Volsky's wonderful fillips of detail, which make her story live and breathe, and read it for her engaging characters: Eliste's education in the gilded palace of the Beviaire and in the streets of Shereen, Dref Zeenoson's rise, ingenious Uncle Quinz's illusions. But watch out: it's nearly impossible to stop reading this absorbing, densely-plotted novel, and that's the real magic.
The Gates of Twilight (Bantam Spectra Book)
by Paula Volsky
from Spectra
In a fragile alliance, the natives are stirring uneasily under their foreign rulers. Rebellion is brewing, and at the heart of the conflict lies the bloody and powerful cult of the god Aoun, whose followers will stop at nothing to rid their land of alien domination. So civil servant Renille vo Chaumelle, scion of a proud, conquering line mingled with native blood, is conscripted as a spy and ordered to penetrate the fortress-temple known as the Fastness of the Gods. There he is to discover the secrets of the priests of Aoun and - if the chance presents itself - assassinate the lead priest, named in legend as the god's own son. But in the holiest depths of the temple, Renille finds there is more to the cult than his superiors suspect - far more than they will ever believe. What he learns leads him to the beautiful princess Jathondi, daughter of the native ruler, who is fated to be the crux of a violent confrontation between the fanatic followers of a flesh-hungry god and their arrogant overlords. Together, Jathondi and Renille must brave a whirlwind of revolution and apocalyptic magic that could shatter a nation, and open the long-sealed portal between heaven and earth.
The White Tribunal (Bantam Spectra Book)
by Paula Volsky
from Spectra
Magic is entirely forbidden in Upper Hetzia, a town scarred by the Sortilegious Wars.  Those who are suspected of practicing magic are executed in the infamous White Tribunal.  Tradain liMarchborg lost his father to the White Tribunal, and now seeks vengeance.  He pawns his soul to conjure powers that will allow him to avenge his father's death and returns to the capital city of Lis Folaze.  There, Tradain falls in love with Glennian liTarngrav, who has a different agenda.  Their union could redeem a nation or cost them their lives.
The Curse of the Witch-Queen
by Paula Volsky
from Del Rey
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