Blood and Iron

by Elizabeth Bear

Roc, 432 pp, $14.00

For centuries human mages of the Prometheus Club and the forces of Faerie have battled over the destiny of Earth with neither side able to gain the upper hand. This is subject to change. For a new factor has entered the field. She is known as the Seeker, the spellbound servant of the Faerie Queen. She has kidnapped human children for her mistress’s pleasure for ages, unable to free herself and reclaim her humanity.

Her latest prey is a Merlin. He is not a wielder of magic. He is magic, enough magic to tip the scales of power. The Prometheus Club and the Rivals from Faerie are striving to win the power of the limitless magic of the Merlin. Seeker must persuade the Merlin to her cause or risk losing more than just the future of Mankind.

These are not sweet little fairies that dance on flowers. Bear takes everything we thought we knew about Faerie and twists it into shapes and colors we never dreamed. Tightly written, the reader is drawn into a real world war with characters like Seeker being as real as your next door neighbor [or maybe more so.]. Hang on for an emotional ride as one individual tries to change the world as she knows it. There is a reason Bear was 2005's Campbell Award winner. It wasn’t a fluke. Worth not only a read, but a place on your shelves. - Pam Allan