covers & correspondence

[ellenkushner]

julianyapwrites:
I have been requested to ask you "how can I get copies of Swordspoint and The Fall of Kings with the beautiful black and white, pen-and-ink drawing covers pictured on her website?"

Those are actually the title pages of the recent Bantam editions of each of those books! The interior design in all of Bantam's "Riverside" books is just lovely, and really captures the spirit of each book. So I put them up on the website.

I just got my copy of Locus with Faren Miller's excellent review! So glad! The review isn't in the online version of the magazine, I guess. But it's good - too long to copy here, but "The book starts out with a light tone suitable for one of Shakespeare's comedies (seasoned with dashes of Dumas and Regency romance) [....] but it develops into something considerably darker. While readers familiar with Swordspoint may pick up on the ominous elements more quickly, Kushner provides enough backstory to orient newcomers. Then she gets down to the heart of the matter, cranking up the levels of distress and animosity, sexuality and anger, to reach a pivot point where the two plot threads join. [....] Although the Lord and the Duke - both remarkable characters, especially the latter - have been embroiled in bouts of psychological infighting, back-stabbing and survival of the wounded over the course of many years, the girls must learn to navigate this dangerous milieu without a great deal of guidance from their elders. It makes for a thrilling tale that's more than just a thriller or a melding of quasi-historical fantasy with the comedy of manners. You may race through it in one or two prolonged sessions of page-turning, but its effect will linger long afterward."

Faren can sure turn a nice phrase when she wants to! And she's the one every author I know wants to have review them in Locus. She's been doing such excellent work for years! Why doesn't anyone ever make her GoH at a convention??!

Finally, I'm sorry I have not yet replied to everyone's very nice and useful replies to my previous posts - Hotel Chateau Riverside has been rather full lately, and guests are so distracting! I have been reading and enjoying, and will write back, I promise. Meanwhile, thanks again for your kind and entertaining and most welcome words.

Comments

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adored Privilege of the Sword, as did my wife. And for us to both agree on a fantasy book is a rare and beautiful thing.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Now you've got me really curious: What are two of your wife's favorite fantasy novels, and two of yours?

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

I guess that depends on if you're talking fantasy, or urban fantasy... it's easier for us to agree on urban fantasy (where my two favorites are, no questions about it, Pamela Dean's Tam Lin and Emma Bull's War For The Oaks). I lean towards Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and a whole slew of other authors. Older favorites include Midori Snyder's The Flight of Michael McBride, and your own Thomas the Rhymer (my favorite piece dealing with that particular Tom o' Legend). And I reserve a special fondness for Mercedes Lackey's Arrows of the Queen.

My wife is currently claiming Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon and Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking.
Apparently, Privilege of the Sword is right up there, though, almost beating out Dead Witch Walking. She's also fond of Mercedes Lackey's early and later work.

It boils down to the fact that she prefers romantic comedies, and I prefer SF/Fantasy, and we overlap mostly in urban fantasy with a little spillover. She doesn't do regular(ish) fantasy as much as I do, and almost never SF.

Sorry for the complicated answer, but with a couple that reads as much as we do, there's no such thing as an easy answer to a question like "favorite books" :>

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

Hi, Ellen:

Just this AM finished PRIVILEGE OF THE SWORD, and am in the process of digesting in order to discuss with others / review. Very much enjoyed it, and hope to be able to tell you so in person at WorldCon.

Maryelizabeth

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

You sound like the Perfect Couple to me!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I am thrilled! Since my memory is just awful, please be aggressive about (re-)introducing yourself at WorldCon - I'd love to hear what you thought of it - and do let me know if you post a review. I'm also excited to see that Mysterious Books is in San Diego - I'm working on a new performance/radio project with some musicians who are about to move there, so I hope I'll be getting out there sometime this year - maybe we can plan a bookstore event for whenever that is? Yay!

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

I don't think we've met, or at least for any extended length of time, although I can't be sure, becasue I believe we have a number of friends in common. :) In any event, looking forward to visiting in Anaheim, and I'll hook you up with our Events Coordinator who does the in-store stuff with great pleasure!

[tayefeth.livejournal.com]

I may have to buy a copy of all three of the Riverside books, which is problematic, because all of my bookshelves are already two-deep. Good books cause such trouble...

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

...but would you want to be marooned on a desert island without them?

[tayefeth.livejournal.com]

If I'm ever marooned on an island without interlibrary loan, I'm doomed.:-)

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

Sorry we never managed to cross paths in Anaheim.

Please do let us know when you think you'll be in San Diego -- you can reach me at publicitymg at gmail dot com for store stuff... :)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I stopped by your booth, but on the wrong day! Sorry to miss you. I'll definitely be in touch - meanwhile, thanks for your - I must now rush out and buy FLY BY NIGHT, which looks just up my alley! Are you guys OK with copies of TPOTS? I know they were hard to get for awhile, there . . . .

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

We sold out of TPOTS at WorldCon, and I believe are a) still waiting on restock which is on its way for the Bantam edition and b) hoping to get the Small Beer Press edition Real Soon Now...

I think you will be delighted with FLY BY NIGHT, BTW.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I got to see the first copies of the SBP edition at a signing in Seattle last week - I think you'll be very pleased with it! Let me know if you'd like me to sign bookplates or anything.