Most Popular Books by Sherwood Smith

Brandon nyr-Arkad, the Emperor''s scapegrace youngest son, defies protocol and evades a ceremonial duty, an act punishable by death. He''s just ahead of an attack on the Panarchy of the Thousand Suns by Eusabian, a revenge twenty years in the making. Phoenix in Flight begins the five volume arc of Exordium, as Brandon discovers what happened to his home after he left, and he has to make a decision: stay an outlaw, or return and deal with the smoking ruins of his rejected world?

Set in the tumultuous, magic-filled history of Tribute and the Phoenix Feather quartet... In the second half of the story of sixteen-year-old Lan Renti''s rise to the phoenix throne begins literally in the air, as she returns to her ship of wanderers, crying hard after leaving the brother she sought for four years. But her brother sees her as a young girl needing protection-a traditional role. Ren begins a wandering life from one end of the Empire of a Thousand Isles to the other as she seeks to rescue her parents, unfairly imprisoned. It seems the only way to do that is to refashion the empire that has been riven by warring princes-in spite of vigorous objection by said princes. She is accompanied by Sagacious Blade, the talking sword, and a growing group of companions-leading to the discovery of romance. The conflict between tradition and revolution, the threat of chaos and the yearning for order, is embodied in Ren, who struggles to bring to a traditional world the chance to be heard for those long kept silent. From the fires of war the phoenix is reborn ... and this is her story.

The first in a series set in the world of the Phoenix Feather quartet, Tribute is inspired by the great Chinese epics such as Water Margin and Dream of Red Chamber as well as wuxia and xuanhuan series such as Nirvana in Fire and Joy of Life. Bu is twelve and near-sighted, an unwanted daughter sent to a music audition. If she fails, she''s on her own. Elderly Granny Zim, who knows that soon she must retire as head of the music academy, is fascinated by YinYin, a student who might not be human. YinYin and Bu become friends. Life is settling down when warships show up on the horizon. It''s the imperials, here to demand tribute. They take Bu, YinYin, and Granny Zim to a new, uncertain life in the troubled empire, where their only skill is their music. But Granny Zim knows that music is a knife without a hilt. Tribute takes the reader on an adventure from the human world to the realm of the transcendent, via friendship, love, and questions about power, responsibility, and what it means to be human.

Long-dormant magical forces are moving again in Sartorias-deles. In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived a first foray, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian who was born four thousand years ago. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come! But the world''s mages know it''s not the quiet of peace-it''s the stillness before the storm. At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as everyone is dealing with the fallout of the abortive attack. Rel the Traveler arrives back home to a surprise that has been awaiting him since he was first adopted, launching him on a personal quest. Jilo, the king who is not a king, finds what looks like dangerous magical texts and hands them off to his friend Senrid, young king of Marloven Hess, who is in the midst of wrestling with his warlike nation. When word gets out that these eight-hundred-year-old blood mage texts are in the ignorant hands of youngsters, all of Norsunder''s mages want them. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides. All the searches converge on Chwahirsland, furnishing new twists in the on-going saga of the alliance of young rulers . . .

The greatly anticipated final book in the Change series. In a world of mutant powers and deadly creatures, one small town faces its worst nightmare... In a single shocking night, Las Anclas is conquered. Voske rules the town, remaking it in his image. He brings Opportunity Day to Las Anclas, with its terrifying lottery of "Change or die." He forces Paco into the role of his son and prince, always watching him for signs of rebellion. And for those who escaped his net, he sends elite Changed soldiers to drag them back to be executed. Inside Las Anclas, Paco and Becky play a nerve-shattering game of cat and mouse, plotting a resistance under Voske''s eye. Outside the walls, Ross, Mia, Jennie, and Kerry desperately evade pursuit and try to free their town. And Felicite, alone, must face the choice she''s given up everything to avoid. In the darkness of defeat, can hope catch fire?

Set in the tumultuous, magic-filled history of the Phoenix Feather quartet... How did scholarly, modest Lan Renti, lowest ranking of the troubled imperial clan, rise to become the Sage Empress, first woman ruler in the long history of the Empire of a Thousand Isles? Aware of how the official records embellish (or sidestep) the truth, she''s determined to set the record straight. In this first of two volumes, she begins with her life in the imperial palace until the catastrophic injustice that flung her as a young teen into the dangerous world of the Warring Princes to seek her missing brother. Secret identities, a talking sword, and a friendship that might become something more, land her outside the law as a gallant wanderer. Only, what happens when "the law" becomes increasingly unjust? Ren grapples with that question as her first mission, supposedly simple, becomes fraught with wide-ranging consequences...

n this rewritten fourth volume of the series Exordium, the Panarchy is in shambles, coalescing at the military base Ares. Brandon has inherited not only this political tinderbox, but also must face the escalating threat from the invading Dol''jharians and their Rifter allies before they can power up the ancient artifact they call the Suneater. But moving with secret, deadly precision against Brandon is a traitor who will do anything for power. Meanwhile Brandon has fallen in love, but everyone thinks it''s with the wrong person. Space battles, political in-fighting, and personal struggles ramp up the stakes in this penultimate volume in the five book Exordium series.

In defeated Marloven Hess, two enemies, one a hunted king, the other the conqueror, duel for the soul of a conflicted teen. This short novel takes place afterThe Norsunder War: Ship Without Sails.

He wants only to rescue his father. But everyone wants a piece of him. The chase is on. Smith and Trowbridge describe the flavor of their five-book retro-futura space opera Exordium as a cross between early Star Wars and Dangerous Liaisons by way of the Three Stooges. With its fast-moving blend of humor and horror, of high-tech skiffy and the deep places of the human heart, Exordium launches the reader into a complex, multi-layered universe as Brandon nyr-Arkad, youngest son of the ruler of the Thousand Suns, abandons the life of Service planned for him and flees into the lawless Rift. In this revised sequel to The Phoenix in Flight, Brandon vlith-Arkad, is now heir to the Panarchy. He wants only to rescue his father, the Panarch. But everyone wants a piece of him. The Dol''jharians, who smashed the Panarchy and took his father prisoner. A Rifter pirate and her crew, who helped him escape a doomed planet-twice-and now wonder what to do about a royal prisoner with the price of ten planets on his head. And the remnants of the government of the Thousand Suns, for whom he''d at best be an inconvenience. And that''s before things go seriously pear-shaped. The chase is on, and unexpected detours await.Book 2 in the Exordium series Book 2 in the Exordium series

The second book in the thrilling post-apocalyptic series. In a world of mutant powers and deadly creatures, the most terrible danger of all is a man bent on vengeance... Against all odds, Las Anclas defended itself from Voske, the tyrant king of Gold Point. But he''s not done with Las Anclas. Voske wants revenge... and to use Ross''s unique power for himself. He kidnaps Ross and drags him to Gold Point. There Ross meets Kerry, Voske''s teenage daughter, who has been trained to be as ruthless as her father. While his friends in Las Anclas desperately try to rescue him, Ross is forced to engage in a battle of wills with the king himself...

From a young girl facing a life-threatening crisis at Lunar Camp to a crew of elderly women graced with the power of Greek gods, you''ll find an engaging and diverse range of science fiction and fantasy stories by women, about women.

"The purpose of this thesis is to execute a series of five ceramic wall reliefs. These reliefs will be made abstract through the use of symbols and will attempt to give connotative ecclesiatic meaning in church surroundings."--Abstract.

A biography of the newspaper editor who crusaded against corruption, established the Pulitzer Prize, and founded the School of Journalism at Columbia University.