The Warrior's Tale (The Far Kingdoms, Book 2)

I, Amalric Emilie Antero, put quill to linen on this, the second candleday of the Harvest Month, in the tenth year of the Time of Lizard. I swear on the heads of my descendants all I write is true. I beseech thee, My Lords and My Lady, to look with favor upon this journal. Fire, light the way through dim memory. Water, nourish the fruit of my thoughts. Muse, look with kindness on my poor skills and grant me words worthy of the tale I tell. The tale of my travels to the Far Kingdoms. And what I found... This edition features a new introduction by Chris Bunch.

This edition features a new introduction by Chris Bunch.

"What might have been a standard nautical fantasy patterned on the Odyssey reveals itself to be a charmingly subversive lesbian feminist romp about a group of women warriors who battle wizards, demons, pirates and sexism on land and at sea. Narrator Captain Rali Emilie Antero of the Maranon Guards is in charge of a legion of women who train rabidly, fight ferociously and swear off sex with men. Typically, they've been forced to stay home in Orissa and be showpiece soldiers, but after they disembowel a raging demon in front of the entire city, they are awarded a place of honor in the upcoming battle with the rival city of Lycanth. Adventure abounds as the women sail uncharted seas, searching for the Archon, or sorceror, who is determined to destroy them and rule the world. This lighthearted novel (sequel to The Far Kingdoms; Rali is the sister of that novel's hero) turns several of the standard fantasy conventions topsy-turvy. There's the twist, for example, by which Rali, after heroically saving a local princess from drowning, enters into a sweaty romance with her-just one more winsome moment in a book brimming with whopping good fun. Author tour." -- Publishers Weekly

"As commander of the all-female Maranon Guard, Rali Emilie Antero must defend the city of Orissa. When sorcerous magics threaten the city, Antero receives orders to pursue the malevolent wizard across uncharted seas, returning only when her quarry is defeated. The Odyssey-like voyage of Antero and her companions lends a picaresque quality to this sequel to The Far Kingdoms (Ballantine, 1994). While not graphic or gratuitous, the authors' forthright portrayal of lesbian relationships may limit the audience for this fast-moving and involving fantsy adventure. Recommended." -- Library Journal