If you’re a longtime visitor of this site, you’re probably aware of just how much I love Patricia A. McKillip’s writing, particularly her novels The Changeling Sea and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, which are two of my favorite books ever. Given that, I am delighted to have one hardcover copy of the upcoming 50th anniversary edition of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld to give away, courtesy of Tachyon Publications.
Available in both hardcover and digital formats on February 29, this new edition of the beloved World Fantasy Award–winning novel contains art by Stephanie Law and an introduction by Marjorie Liu.
Of course, it also contains the beautifully written story of Sybel, a mage who inherited a menagerie of legendary animals and became entangled in human affairs after years spent in seclusion. Imaginative and timeless, it’s a novel about power, choice, love, and hate that explores shadows of the soul and becoming what one fears most, yet it does not feel grim despite delving into these topics. With its elegant prose, fairy tale feel, and lovely moments of quiet humor, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a masterpiece of fantasy.
About THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD
(Special 50th Anniversary Edition):
“Rich and regal.” —The New York Times
New introduction by Marjorie Liu (The Tangleroot Palace)
New illustrations by Stephanie Law (Shadowscapes)Fifty years ago, the soon-to-be celebrated young author Patricia A. McKillip (the Riddle-Master trilogy) penned the tale of an iron-willed young sorceress. Brought vividly to life by McKillip’s gorgeously lush prose, Sybel is powerful and resourceful, yet headstrong and flawed. Sybel and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld continue to enrapture new generations of readers and writers.
Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no-one outside her gates. In her exquisite stone mansion, she is attended by exotic, magical beasts: Riddle-master Cyrin the Boar; the treasure-starved dragon Gyld; Gules the Lyon, tawny master of the Southern Deserts; Ter, the fiercely vengeful falcon; Moriah, feline Lady of the Night. Sybel only lacks the exquisite and mysterious Liralen, which continues to elude her most powerful enchantments.
But when a soldier bearing an infant arrives, Sybel discovers that the world of man and magic is full of both love and deceit, with the possibility of more power than she can possibly imagine.
| Patricia A. McKillip was the beloved author of twenty-seven fantasy novels, including The Riddle-Master of Hed, Harpist in the Wind, Ombria in Shadow, Solstice Wood, and The Sorceress and the Cygnet. She received the inaugural World Fantasy Award for The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and later received the World Fantasy lifetime achievement award. She was also a three-time Mythopoeic Award winner. Her more recent works included the novel Kingfisher and the collection Dreams of Distant Shores. |
Giveaway Rules: To be entered in the giveaway, fill out Fantasy Cafe’s Forgotten Beasts of Eld Giveaway Google form, linked below. One entry per household and the winner will be randomly selected. Those from the US are eligible to win. The giveaway will be open until the end of the day on Friday, February 23. The winner has 24 hours to respond once contacted via email, and if I don’t hear from them after 24 hours has passed, a new winner will be chosen (who will also have 24 hours to respond until someone gets back to me with a place to send the book).
Please note email addresses will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winners. Once the giveaway is over all the emails will be deleted.
