happy official release day

Now available: Elizabeth Bear’s Ink and Steel

Read a sample: Prologue | act i, scene 1

“Elizabeth I rules England in the “iron world” of humanity; the other realm, of Faerie, claims Queen Mab as monarch. Both worlds exist in symbiosis, but each world is threatened by treachery from within. When Elizabeth’s personal spy, poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe, is murdered, his ability to weave sustaining magics into his plays is lost. His replacement, rival William Shakespeare, possesses talent but lacks magic. In order to save England, Faerie intervenes, raising Marlowe as Mab’s servant — and Shakespeare’s teacher. The latest installment in Bear’s historical fantasy series featuring an Earth infused with magic as well as machinery both explores the fertile literary movements of the Elizabethan era and reveals the origins of the Promethean age. The author’s mastery of period detail and her ability to interweave literature and politics while bringing to life some of history’s most beloved and problematic characters make this a welcome addition to any library.” — Library Journal

Novels of the Promethean Age:
Blood and Iron (June 2006)
Whiskey and Water (July 2007)
Ink and Steel (July 2008)
Hell and Earth (August 2008)

Yay for The Stratford Man! I still remember the box (with the sheep drawn on it) that held the version of this that has become the two volume set being released this summer. Many incarnations later — long may she reign….