Shadow Over Avalon
By
C. N. Lesley
Following two threads of time, CN Lesley’s fresh take on the Arthurian tales of old delivers the perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy.
Beyond the mists of time, a dying warrior binds his soul to his sword with an oath to protect his people. His shade rides with the Wild Hunt while he waits for the call of greatest need, but when it comes, he doesn’t know it is a lie.
In the undersea city of Avalon, Arthur nears the end of his acolyte training. But he doesn’t want to spend his life serving the Archive, he wants to fight side by side with the air-breathing people to defeat the predators who are determined to ensure their own survival no matter the cost.
Ashira, War Maid princess of the surface-world, is ready to sacrifice her life to defend her kin, but when she is betrayed she must choose whether to die with honor or become one of the creatures her kinsmen fear and loathe. Fortune twists in the strongest hands. This is no repeat; this is what happens next.
Shadow Over Avalon will be released 31 October by Kristell Ink.
About The Author
Elizabeth Hull, writing under the by line of C.N.Lesley, lives in Alberta with her husband and cats. Her three daughters live close by. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth likes to read and to paint watercolors. She is also a keen gardener (despite the very short summers) and now has a mature shade garden. Once a worker in the communications sector, mostly concentrating on local news and events, she now writes full time, and fusses over her cats. She was senior managing editor of FlashMe Magazine and now is assistant flash fiction editor for Abyss and Apex.
Links
C. N. Lesley on Amazon (UK and US), (Shadow Over Avalon is available for pre-order)
Editorial Review
BY JEANNE HASKIN, Author of ‘Love, War and Magic’, Artema Press
Author C.N. Lesley’s second novel, Shadow Over Avalon is an exquisite science-fantasy that portrays a world divided with masterful skill and detail. Undersea is the city of Avalon, a place of technology and manipulative experimentation in psi powers and genetics. It is Arthur’s birthplace and, if he does not defy the Seers who control him, it will be his prison.
Arthur’s hope lies in a woman of the surface world, a Gold Band War Maid named Ashira, who means nothing to her father, but will come to mean everything to her husband and the Earth’s resistance movement. Against creatures in deep space, whose food supply is the human herd, surface-dwellers like Ashira, who are ignorant of their function and unaware of their enemy, stand no chance of survival if they are found to possess psi powers. The sentence for this is unmaking—an assault on one’s very being—a torture so cruel and inhuman that those who survive as Outcasts must bond together for survival.
Except Ashira’s fate is to move between both worlds. Undersea and above-ground, she is the liaison between two powers that together could change Earth’s future. More importantly, her strong will and militant determination are the catalyst for Arthur’s own development much more than he can know.
But unbeknownst to both, there is a third player in this war: a shadow man who haunts Arthur’s dreams, as only one manifestation of who he truly is. It is the secret of this being—and Arthur’s need to unravel its intrigue—that will determine who is left standing and whether Arthur’s long-ago promise to fight mankind’s greatest battle will be foiled or fulfilled.
Inspired by literature’s most-loved King, this novel remains true to his purpose yet breaks every boundary to portray his challenge in the future. In all aspects, from the brilliant characterization to the warriors’ undying courage, this story is a journey like no other. Brought to life with breathtaking prose that is emotive and compelling, this book, like its inspiration, is destined for the halls of legend.
C. N. Lesley’s previous novel, Darkspire Reaches, will be free between 21 October and 8 November.
ROSS HARRISON 