Elvenbane - (Halfblood Chronicles) by Mercedes Lackey & Andre Norton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From Grand Masters Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton -- the landmark dragon-and-rebellion saga, revised, illustrated, and complete at last.

The elves rule a world where humans are property. The one thing they fear is a child who is not fully human.

For a thousand years the immortal elven lords have bred, collared, drugged, and discarded their human slaves at a whim. They fear revolt -- but they fear something else far more: a halfblood child born with gifts no slave should possess. The elves have a name for such children. Wizards.

They hunt them, execute them, erase them, because prophecy whispers that one of them will rise as the Elvenbane.

When Serina Daeth is cast into the desert for carrying her master's child, she dies giving birth beneath a merciless sun. Her daughter should have died with her. Instead the infant is found by Alara, a dragon shaman who saves the strange little creature on impulse and carries her home to the hidden lairs of the Kin.

Raised among dragons, named Shana, taught to believe she is one of them, the child grows into a girl with impossible gifts, dangerous questions, and a destiny no one fully understands. To the elves she is an abomination. To the dragons she may be a tool, a threat, or the key to remaking the world. And as Shana uncovers the truth of her birth, she is drawn toward a legacy of magic, vengeance, and freedom that could shatter elven rule forever.

Before a world can be freed, one girl must learn what she truly is -- and why so many would kill to keep her from becoming it.

An epic of dragon-raised wizards, immortal tyrants, and a long-prophesied rebellion, in the tradition of Anne McCaffrey's Pern. Elvenbane opens the complete four-book Halfblood Chronicles: newly revised and illustrated, and finished at last with the long-awaited finale.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE SERIES:

"One of the season's liveliest and, most appealing fantasy epics."--Publishers Weekly

"A brisk, glittering yarn that packs as much action, suspense, and twisting of conventions into one novel as many writers invest in whole trilogies."--Amazing Stories

"I came to this book with no expectations, other than to enjoy a book co-written by Mercedes Lackey. To say that I enjoyed it, is to say that a trip to the moon was a mere jaunt."--Goodreads User Review

"A splendid blend of the talents of two excellent storytellers!"--Anne McCaffrey

"The first half of this book is a perfect case study in how 'telling' versus 'showing' can be wildly entertaining. The authors took a lot of time to build this world... and I found myself devouring the pages."--Niki Hawkes, The Obsessive Bookseller

"A very entertaining premise."--Tim Scheidler, Fantasy Literature

"An intense fantasy that does not leave out the darkside...acknowledging that only a realm showing both bad and good can truly be fully developed."--ThriftBooks User Review

"An entertaining adventure."--Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR MERCEDES LACKEY:

"If you are in need of some literary chocolate when you're having a bad day, look no further than the works of Mercedes Lackey. Try at least one of her books and I'll bet you, like with any good chocolate, you'll want more!"--Fantasy Literature

"She has been called one of the 'most prolific science fiction and fantasy writers of all time."--Locus Magazine

PRAISE FOR ANDRE NORTON:

"She is a superb story-teller with a narrative pace all her own... Norton slowly unfolds a succession of images that first intrigue and finally engulf the reader."--The New York Times Book Review

"A titan in the world of fantasy novels"--The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is a New York Times bestselling author with nearly 150 books to her name. She began writing in her teens, developing her skills through fan fiction and later receiving mentorship from renowned author C.J. Cherryh. After moving to Oklahoma in the 1980s while working as a computer programmer, she published her first novel in 1985 and soon launched a prolific career. Her many series--including Valdemar, Elemental Masters, 500 Kingdoms, and Secret World Chronicles--have been translated into multiple languages, and she continues to be a major force in fantasy literature. Mercedes currently resides in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton in 1912, was a groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy author whose career spanned more than 70 years and over 130 novels, including the influential Witch World and Beast Master series. A former librarian, she became the first woman to receive both the Gandalf Grand Master Award and the SFWA Grand Master Award, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1997. Known for her vivid world-building and coming-of-age themes, her legacy continues through the annual Andre Norton Award for young adult speculative fiction named in her honor. Andre spent most of her working career in Tennessee and Florida. She died in 2005 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.