Banner of Souls
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- USD 11.99
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- USD 11.99
Publisher Description
In the distant future, Earth is dominated by a Martian matriarchy known as the Grandmothers. Males are virtually unknown, and reproduction is a matter of industry. These experts in genetic engineering have bred a messiah, Lunae, who can bend time to her will. But when killers from a rival planet are dispatched to destroy her, the Grandmothers order a Martian warrior, Dreams-of-War, to protect the young savior. Dreams-of-War's guardianship leads to powerful revelations—not only the mystery behind Lunae's true purpose and the reason she's being stalked by assassins, but also the long-forgotten secrets of humanity's first contact with aliens.
An atmospheric blend of fantasy and science fiction, Banner of Souls was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Publishers Weekly declared Liz Williams "an author to watch," and Booklist observed that "the world Williams has created is endowed with great depth and a satisfyingly inventive history."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Williams's (Nine Layers of Sky) talent for intricately moody world-building may have taken her a bit too far in this postapocalyptic vision of the struggle to preserve what is human. In the far future, when the only males are dangerous "men-remnants" hunted by Martian warriors, and women are not born but made, what counts as human is far different from what we would think today. On the planet Nightshade, a mysterious clan of humans has joined with aliens to become stranger still. The women of Earth and Mars mainly know of the sinister doings on Nightshade through the use of "haunt-tech" powerful objects possessed by spirits of the dead. While Lunae, an Earth girl with special gifts, tries to manipulate time and save humanity from an unnamed threat, an experimental woman, Yskatarina Iye, is sent from Nightshade to destroy her and the warrior Dreams-of-War sets out from Mars to protect her. Within this universe there are a great many grand, creepy creations, such as weather-controlling Dragon Kings and the murderous scissor-women. Readers who aren't put off by the mind-bending oddness of Williams's universe will find themselves rapidly flipping the pages, though they may feel let down by the decidedly convenient ending.
