Winterlong Series by Elizabeth Hand

It is big and it is worth praising . ...Winterlong is a dense, graceful, bullying book of great length and much skill; it is a live tale, told in a live voice, by an author of muscle and drive and ambition; it shows the depth of talent available in science fiction. -- John Clute, "The Washington Post" Elizabeth Hand's darkly sensual debut novel took the science fiction and general reading public by storm and now, seven years later, it is available again in a handsome trade paperback edition... moreIt is big and it is worth praising . ...Winterlong is a dense, graceful, bullying book of great length and much skill; it is a live tale, told in a live voice, by an author of muscle and drive and ambition; it shows the depth of talent available in science fiction. -- John Clute, "The Washington Post" Elizabeth Hand's darkly sensual debut novel took the science fiction and general reading public by storm and now, seven years later, it is available again in a handsome trade paperback edition. Heralded as a considerable stylistic and imaginative accomplishment, as noteworthy in its way as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, by "People" magazine, Winterlong explores the disturbing remains of humanity irrevocably altered by genetic engineering run amok.Amid the ruins of a once great city, a girl and her beautiful long-lost twin brother are drawn to the seductive voice of a green-eyed boy whose name is Death. Together they must journey through a poisoned garden filled with children who kill and beasts that speak--all the while resisting the evil that compels them to join in a nightmare ritual of blood that will unleash the power of the ancients and signal the end of humanity. less

Four centuries after the Third Shining the Orsinas rule absolute in the domed city-state of Araboth. A fortress built at the ocean's edge, Araboth protects its citizens from the presumed horrors of Outside. But now the predictions of Araboth's collapse seem near fulfillment. As the Prince of Storms gathers Outside, amidst a giddy atmosphere of decadent ritual inside, four will come together in one last hope for survival... moreFour centuries after the Third Shining the Orsinas rule absolute in the domed city-state of Araboth. A fortress built at the ocean's edge, Araboth protects its citizens from the presumed horrors of Outside. But now the predictions of Araboth's collapse seem near fulfillment. As the Prince of Storms gathers Outside, amidst a giddy atmosphere of decadent ritual inside, four will come together in one last hope for survival. Prisoner and privileged alike, this small group - Hobi, a boy on the brink of manhood; Reive, a green-eyed visionary; Tast'annin, a deathless warrior; and Nefertity, an android built in the time long before the dark days - will face the opening gates to welcome the raging Æstival Tide. In a stunning feat of the imagination Elizabeth Hand takes us once again into a world shaken by forces of devastating evil, sustained by a fragile ray of hope. Breathtaking in its invention, mesmerizing in the telling, Æstival Tide is the intoxicating sequel to the highly praised Winterlong. less

With her first two books, critically acclaimed Elizabeth Hand is developing into one of Spectra's most important authors. Now she weaves a shattering tale of an asteroid about to crash into Earth and the people who hold the key to surviving the cataclysm.

Elizabeth Hand’s thrilling Winterlong Trilogy, in one stunning volumeSet in the surreal, post-apocalyptic City of Trees, Winterlong centers on Wendy Wanders, a girl who can tap into the dreams and emotions of the people around her, and her long-lost twin brother, Raphael, a seductive, sacred courtesan to the City’s decadent elite. During their voyage, they encounter man-made and godlike monstrosities—both hideous and gorgeous—in their effort to stop an ancient power from consuming all... moreElizabeth Hand’s thrilling Winterlong Trilogy, in one stunning volumeSet in the surreal, post-apocalyptic City of Trees, Winterlong centers on Wendy Wanders, a girl who can tap into the dreams and emotions of the people around her, and her long-lost twin brother, Raphael, a seductive, sacred courtesan to the City’s decadent elite. During their voyage, they encounter man-made and godlike monstrosities—both hideous and gorgeous—in their effort to stop an ancient power from consuming all.In Aestival Tide, Araboth—the city that was once home to an advanced society—is now a shadow of its former self. As the once-in-a-decade Aestival Tide approaches, the formerly great dome teeters on the brink of its own destruction. And in Icarus Descending, open war rules both the earth and sky, and Wendy finds herself joining the rebel forces as they wait for the mythical and mysterious Icarus to turn the tide of the rebellion. less