Nine Layers of Sky (32 page)
Don’t miss the next riveting novel by Liz Williams
Banner of Souls
Far-future Earth is a flooded, shattered world. Its history is lost, and it is governed by the iron hand of the Martian Matriarchy. And the last thing one of the infamous Martian warriors wants to do is to return to this troublesome world to safeguard a young girl from an unknown threat. But even in a world where children are force-grown in garden laboratories, Lunae is no ordinary child. Instead, her extraordinary heritage has left her with the ability to alter time. So now Dreams-of-War must travel to the half-ruined city of Fragrant Harbour, where Lunae lives. And when an assassin comes to Lunae’s home of Cloud Terrace, Dreams-of-War, Lunae and the kappa are forced to flee to the flooded northern islands of what was once Japan.
But Lunae goes missing en route, and Dreams-of-War finds a dubious ally in the form of Yskatarina: a mutated woman from the world of Nightshade. Now, stripped of her rank and her armor, Dreams-of-War struggles to return to the plains of Mars to discover the truth about Martian rule over Earth, and the nature of the intrigues that lie behind it . . . In her inimitable style, Liz Williams crafts yet another tale packed with exotic details, absorbing characters, and fascinating socio-political explorations that should continue to cement her reputation as one of SF’s hottest new talents.
Coming in Fall of 2004
About the Author
Liz Williams is the daughter of a stage magician and a Gothic novelist, and currently lives in Brighton, England. She received a Ph.D. in philosophy of science from Cambridge and her career since has ranged from reading tarot cards on Brighton pier to teaching in Central Asia. She has had short fiction published in
Asimov’s, Interzone, The Third Alternative
, and
Visionary
Tongue
, among other publications, and is coeditor of the recent anthology
Fabulous Brighton
. She is also the current secretary of the Milford UK SF Writers’ Workshop.
Nine Layers of Sky
is her fourth novel. She is currently working on her fifth.
ALSO BY LIZ WILLIAMS
The Ghost Sister
Empire of Bones
The Poison Master
NINE LAYERS OF SKY
A Bantam Spectra Book / September 2003
Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2003 by Liz Williams
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address: Bantam Books, New York, New York.
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eISBN: 978-0-307-41824-1
v3.0