Most Popular Books by Nicola Griffith

Widely acclaimed as a novelist, here Nicola Griffith displays her power, precision, and clarity of thought in multiple modes and forms. Known for her gorgeously supple prose that soars effortlessly over genre boundaries, Griffith is also an incisive essayist whose ground-breaking, data-driven work on gender bias in the literary ecosystem sparked self-searching conversations worldwide. In this heady mélange of essays, poems, art, and stories—some seen here for the first time—the author makes foundational assertions about love versus ownership (“Wife”), advocates for the writer as explorer (“Branding: It Burns”), and points out the gaping hole in our literary landscape where we’d expect to find disability fiction (“Overwriting the Old Story”). These and other public-facing essays are followed by four powerfully intimate poems. Returning to prose, Griffith immerses us so seamlessly in her viscerally imagined fiction that we feel how it is to be hurled like light through the stars in “Glimmer,” hunted through the urban alleys of “Cold Wind” during a holiday blizzard, swept along irresistible currents of “Down the Path of the Sun,” and, in “Many Things in Dumnet,” a novella published here for the first time, brought ashore as a stranger to land where something is very wrong. Finally, “Otherwise Unremarkable,” series editor Nisi Shawl''s interview with the author, teases out sometimes startling and always satisfying answers to questions on power, activism, immigration, cognitive poetics, and art.

From cult phenomenon to award-winning literary sensation, "the sexiest action figure since James Bond" (Seattle Weekly) returns in an exhilarating new thriller. It doesn''t matter how well trained you are, how big, how fast, how strong; there will always be someone out there bigger or faster or stronger. Always. That''s what Aud Torvingen teaches the students in her self-defense class. But the question is whether Aud really believes this lesson herself-and if not, what it will take for her to learn it. Aud has trained herself to achieve a fierce, machine-like precision, in hand-to-hand combat as well as life. But in Always she is abruptly confronted with the limits of her own power. Her self-defense classes spin violently out of her grasp and, still reeling from the consequences, she embarks on a seemingly simple investigation of Seattle real estate fraud that pulls her into something far more complicated and dangerous than she had imagined.

WINNER OF THE LAMBDA AND NEBULA AWARDS • Left for dead and with her identity literally shattered, a woman must navigate a shadowy world of crime and deception to reinvent herself and confront her past. She awoke in an alley to the splash of rain. She was naked, a foot-long gash in her back was still bleeding, and her identity implant was gone. Lore Van Oesterling had been the daughter of one of the world’s most powerful families . . . and now she was nobody, and she had to hide. Then out of the rain walked Spanner, predator and thief, who took her in, cared for her wound, and taught her how to reinvent herself again and again. No one could find Lore now: not the police, not her family, and not the kidnappers who had left her in that alley to die. She had escaped . . . but the cost of her newfound freedom was crime and deception, and she paid it over and over again, until she had become someone she loathed. Lore had a choice: She could stay in the shadows, stay with Spanner . . . and risk losing herself forever. Or she could leave Spanner and find herself again by becoming someone else: stealing the identity implant of a dead woman, taking over her life, and creating a new future. But to start again, Lore required Spanner’s talents—Spanner, who needed her and hated her, and who always had a price. And even as Lore agreed to play Spanner’s game one final time, she found that there was still the price of being a Van Oesterling to be paid. Only by confronting her family, her past, and her own demons could Lore meld together who she had once been, who she had become, and the person she intended to be. . . .

Daughter of a poisoned prince and a crafty noblewoman, quiet, bright-minded Hild arrives at the court of King Edwin of Northumbria, where the six-year-old takes on the role of seer/consiglieri for a monarch troubled by shifting allegiances and Roman emissaries attempting to spread their new religion.

Winner of the ADCI Literary Prize Winner of the L.A. Times Ray Bradbury Prize Finalist for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novel Finalist for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel Finalist for the HWA Gold Crown Award for Historical Fiction "[A] queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era."—Los Angeles Times "A pleasure to follow [and] a lovely flexing of Griffith’s strengths in short form." —The New York Times Book Review “Spectacular—I''ve been waiting years for this book to exist.” —Maria Dahvana Headley, author of Beowulf: A New Translation "If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It''s a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home." —Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered A Shelf Awareness Best of the Year pick A Vulture Best Fantasy of the Year pick She left all she knew to find who she could be . . . She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon. With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home. The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith’s Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we''ve longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Winner of the Lambda and Tiptree Awards • “A knockout . . . Strong, likable characters, a compelling story, and a very interesting take on gender.”—Ursula K. Le Guin Change or die. These are the only options available on planet Jeep. Centuries earlier, a deadly virus shattered the original colony, killing the men and forever altering the few surviving women. Now, generations after the colony lost touch with the rest of humanity, a company arrives to exploit Jeep—and its forces find themselves fighting for their lives. Terrified of spreading the virus, the company abandons its employees, leaving them afraid and isolated from the natives. In the face of this crisis, anthropologist Marghe Taishan arrives to test a new vaccine. As she risks death to uncover the women’s biological secret, she finds that she too is changing—and realizes that not only has she found a home on Jeep, but that she alone carries the seeds of its destruction. . . . Ammonite is an unforgettable novel that questions the very meanings of gender and humanity. As readers share in Marghe’s journey through an alien world, they too embark on a parallel journey of fascinating self-exploration. “A powerful story of connection, allegiance, and obligation. Read Nicola Griffith’s book—and keep an eye out for her name in the future.”—Vonda N. McIntyre “A marvelous blend of high adventure and mind-boggling social speculation.”—Kim Stanley Robinson

From the author of Hild, a fierce and urgent autobiographical novel about a woman facing down a formidable foe So Lucky is the sharp, surprising new novel by Nicola Griffith—the profoundly personal and emphatically political story of a confident woman forced to confront an unnerving new reality when in the space of a single week her wife leaves her and she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Mara Tagarelli is, professionally, the head of a multimillion-dollar AIDS foundation; personally, she is a committed martial artist. But her life has turned inside out like a sock. She can''t rely on family, her body is letting her down, and friends and colleagues are turning away—they treat her like a victim. She needs to break that narrative: build her own community, learn new strengths, and fight. But what do you do when you find out that the story you''ve been told, the story you''ve told yourself, is not true? How can you fight if you can''t trust your body? Who can you rely on if those around you don''t have your best interests at heart, and the systems designed to help do more harm than good? Mara makes a decision and acts, but her actions unleash monsters aimed squarely at the heart of her new community. This is fiction from the front lines, incandescent and urgent, a narrative juggernaut that rips through sentiment to expose the savagery of America''s treatment of the disabled and chronically ill. But So Lucky also blazes with hope and a ferocious love of self, of the life that becomes possible when we stop believing lies.

Named a Best Book of the Year by Vox and Autostraddle Making a much-anticipated return to the world of Hild, Nicola Griffith’s Menewood transports readers back to seventh-century Britain, a land of rival kings and religions poised for epochal change. Hild is no longer the bright child who made a place in Edwin Overking’s court with her seemingly supernatural insight. She is eighteen, honed and tested, the formidable lady of Elmet, now building her personal stronghold in the valley of Menewood. But old alliances are fraying. Younger rivals are snapping at Edwin’s heels. War is brewing—bitter war, winter war. Not knowing whom to trust, Edwin becomes volatile and recalls his young advisor to court. There Hild begins to understand the true extent of the chaos ahead—and realizes she must find a way to navigate the turbulence and fight to protect both the kingdom and her own people. She will face the losses and devastation of total war, and then must summon the determination to forge a radically different path for herself and her people. In the valley, her last redoubt, Hild draws strength from the fierce joy she finds in the natural world, as, slowly, her community takes root. She trains herself and her unexpected allies in new ways of thinking, learning what it means to gather and wield true power. And she prepares for one last wager: risking all on a single throw for a better future. In the last decade, Hild has become a beloved classic of epic storytelling. Menewood exceeds it in every way.

“I can’t rave enough about The Blue Place. It just slayed me.” —Dennis Lehane "If Jack Reacher had a sister, she''d be Aud Torvingen . . . he would love her, but he''d be a little scared of her, too." ―Lee Child Aud Torvingen is a rangy six-footer with eyes the color of cement and the tendency to hurt people who get in her way. Born in Norway, a land of ice and snow, she now lives in Atlanta, luxuriating in the lush heat and brashness, gliding easily between the worlds of the elegant elite and the criminal underbelly, beautiful and functional as a folded razor. On an April evening between thunderstorms, Aud turns a corner and collides with a running woman. She catches the scent of clean, rain-wet hair, thinks, Today, you are lucky, and moves on—and behind her a house explodes in a tiger lily of flames. When Aud turns back, the woman is gone. But the woman, Julia, returns, seeking Aud’s protection in a deadly international game of art forgery, drugs, money laundering, and murder. But Aud knows danger. When danger sits opposite and offers you the dice, you should walk away. Danger loads the dice, it cheats. But for Julia, Aud will play—and risk losing herself in that cool blue place where everything slows to crystal clarity and violence is bliss . . . The first book in Nicola Griffith’s beloved Aud trilogy, The Blue Place reshapes the noir suspense novel into something refreshing and excitingly new.

"Razor sharp." —New York Times ""If Jack Reacher had a sister, she''d be Aud Torvingen . . . he would love her, but he''d be a little scared of her, too." ―Lee Child Aud Torvingen returns—against her better instincts—scarred, heartbroken, changed, but tougher and rougher than ever. Raw with grief, Aud Torvingen wants nothing to do with the world. She is rebuilding a log cabin in the middle of the Appalachians, refusing the efforts of anyone who wants to reach her. Until Dornan, Aud’s only real friend, asks her to track down his runaway fiancée, Tammy. Aud has no love for or faith in Tammy, but she feels obliged to help—and first on the streets of New York City, and then deep in the woods of Arkansas, she finds herself up against Karp, a sociopath so artful that the law can’t touch him. Fortunately, Aud has no love for or faith in the law, either—she prefers other tools. But perhaps even more dangerous to Aud than Karp are Aud’s own demons. As arresting as a razor at the throat, Nicola Griffith’s Stay is a ferocious masterpiece of literary noir, a stunning juxtaposition of beauty and brutality. In its pages Griffith fuses Aud’s steely moral authority with a new, ever-evolving emotional depth.

“Spectacular—I''ve been waiting years for this book to exist.” —Maria Dahvana Headley, author of Beowulf: A New Translation "If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It''s a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home." —Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered Download a FREE sneak peek today! She left all she knew to find who she could be . . . She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon. With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home. The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith’s Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we''ve longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"Cold Wind", by Nicola Griffith, is a dark fantasy tale about a woman who enters a Seattle bar on a cold wintry night in the midst of the Christmas holidays, searching for something...or someone. "Rich description here. One thing about a writer like Griffith, I can read an opening like this with complete confidence there won’t be a glittery vampire in the bathroom."--Locus At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Gemeinsam mit ihrer magisch begabten Mutter wächst sie tief in den Wäldern auf. Immer wieder suchen Visionen sie heim, Visionen von einem See, der ein Geheimnis birgt und ein Versprechen. Als sie einen Reisenden von Artos erzählen hört, dem König von Caer Leon, weiß sie, dass ihre Zukunft an seinem Hof liegt. Und so löst sie den Bund mit ihrer Mutter und reitet mit einem gestohlenen Jagdspeer und einer geflickten Rüstung los. Sie wird Lust und Liebe kennenlernen und Kämpfe bis auf den Tod. Sie wird sich mit Kriegern und Zauberern messen, und sie wird die Welt verändern – ihre eigene Welt und die vieler anderer. Diesem kleinen Buch gelingt Erstaunliches: Es verleiht einer mythische Vergangenheit neue Bedeutung und öffnet uns die Augen für eine Welt, in der wir frei atmen und frei denken können.

Archaeologist-turned-looter Matthew Carse is flung back in Mars'' history by the sword of a fallen god, where he allies with the Sea Kings and their psychic allies against the tyrannical people of the Serpent.

Sie erwacht auf der Straße im strömenden Regen, ohne Kleidung, ohne Identität. Lore van de Oest war die Tochter eines der mächtigsten Männer auf dem Markt für Biotechnik – jetzt ist sie ein Niemand, ihre Existenz wurde in den weltweiten Daten-Netzen gelöscht. Auf der Flucht vor unbekannten, erbarmungslosen Verfolgern nimmt sie die Hilfe einer Frau an, deren illegale Geschäfte Lore in die dunkel schillernde demi-monde Europas führen. Doch den Schatten ihrer Vergangenheit vermag sie auch dort nicht zu entfliehen... Untiefen – ein spektakulärer Science-Fiction-Roman der Autorin von Ammonit und Der blaue Ort, ergänzt um ein Essay, welches die Entstehung des Romans eingehender beleuchtet.