Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the fifth book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series continues the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity

The long-dreaded cataclysm is about to descend on the world as the lost land of the Aoi returns to the Earth from which it was cast forth millennia ago. And though Liath has at last found her way back to Earth, she knows disaster will soon follow her. Yet just how little time remains to avert humanity’s destruction she discovers to her horror only when she learns that her brief stay in the bespelled land has actually kept her from her family and allies for nearly four years.

In that time, Sanglant has mobilized an army and journeyed to the land of the griffins, intent on forging an alliance to stand against the forces which are determined to rework the spell that originally exiled the Aoi and their lands from the world.

Alain, caught up by Liath as she makes her way back to her own world and time, has been returned to the present bereft of all that matters to him. And though for a while he finds refuge in a monastery, he is soon condemned to a terrible fate. His only hope of rescue lies with the Eika leader Stronghand, who has begun a campaign of conquest into the human lands.

And even as these diverse forces struggle to avert total ruin, the mathematici, led by Anne and Hugh, strive to re-create the original spell which exiled the ancient Aoi, neither knowing nor caring that their magical workings could tear their world apart….

Praise for the Crown of Stars series:

“In the Jaran series, Elliott proved herself good at setting up conflict on a grand scale…. Here she creates a complex fantasy world with intriguing parallels to European history, colorful characters, and plenty of action and magic.” —Locus
 
“The saga’s world is extremely well built, its pacing is brisk enough to keep the pages fluttering…. This certainly could become one of the best multivolume fantasies—fans, take note!” —Booklist

“Elliott has a gift for creating grim, dark settings as well as swashbuckling action scenes (both magical and material) worthy of Rafael Sabatini. This is a splendid piece of intelligent entertainment.” —Publishers Weekly

“A solidly engrossing addition to a worthwhile series.” —Kirkus

“Kate Elliott, an excellent fantasist, writes lush and lyrical scenes and uses her characters to scale down cosmic events to a human scale.” —Midwest Book Review

“Ms. Elliott continues to weave an elegantly intricate tapestry of full-bodied characters who will fascinate and intrigue readers up to the very last page.”—Romantic Times Magazine (now RT Reviews)

“Strong plotting, thorough world building and sound characterization and character development make this novel a must-purchase for those collections that have invested in the rest of the series.”—VOYA

“Elliott has created a world with depth and color and peopled it with a large cast of characters, all poised on the brink of a cataclysmic conclusion.”—SF Chronicle

“This is a very good climax to a very long series…. The writing is clear and excellent, the universe is interesting, the politics and warfare believable.”—SFRevu

“Elliott has developed as real a fantasy realm as any writer working in the genre, and the very complexity of the story contributes to its verisimilitude.”—Chronicle