The Serpent Sea: Volume Two of the Books of the Raksura

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Nominated for the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Series

Moon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like hes found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.
In this followup to The Cloud Roads, Martha Wells returns with a world-spanning odyssey, a mystery that only provokes more questions and the adventure of a lifetime.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Reviews

Praise for The Serpent Sea and The Books of the Raksura
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. Wells is a master worldbuilder.The New York Times

Wildly original world-building, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. Its that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesnt go where ten thousand others have gone before.N. K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Truly inventive and stunningly imaginative world building perfectly melded with vivid, engaging characters make the Books of the Raksura one of my all-time favorite science-fiction series.Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series

Using its alien protagonist to explore the politics of gender and belonging, this is a fascinating read for SF readers looking for something out of the ordinary.Publisher's Weekly

The Serpent Sea is a wonderful and spellbinding sequel to The Cloud Roads, which was one of the best fantasy books of 2011. It gloriously continues the saga of the shapeshifting Raksura.RisingShadow.net

"That raritya completely unique and stunning fantasy world.Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear

Martha Wells writes fantasy the way it was meant to bepoignant, evocative, and astonishing. Prepare to be captivated 'til the sun comes up.Kameron Hurley, author of The Mirror Empire and God's War

With these books Wells is writing at the top of her game, and given their breadth, originality, complexity, this series is showing indications it could become one of the landmark series of the genre.Adventures Fantastic

An imaginative world of engaging characters . . . the dramatic battles, tough decisions, and character dynamics shine through.Publishers Weekly

Martha Wells' Raksura books are dense, and complex, with truly amazing world building, and non-human characters who are quite genuinely alien, yet still comprehensible and sympathetic.Kelly McCullough, author of the WebMage series and the Fallen Blade novels
Praise for The Serpent Sea and The Books of the Raksura
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. Wells is a master worldbuilder.The New York Times

Wildly original world-building, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. Its that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesnt go where ten thousand others have gone before.N. K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Truly inventive and stunningly imaginative world building perfectly melded with vivid, engaging characters make the Books of the Raksura one of my all-time favorite science-fiction series.Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series

Using its alien protagonist to explore the politics of gender and belonging, this is a fascinating read for SF readers looking for something out of the ordinary.Publisher's Weekly

The Serpent Sea is a wonderful and spellbinding sequel to The Cloud Roads, which was one of the best fantasy books of 2011. It gloriously continues the saga of the shapeshifting Raksura.RisingShadow.net

"That raritya completely unique and stunning fantasy world.Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear

Martha Wells writes fantasy the way it was meant to bepoignant, evocative, and astonishing. Prepare to be captivated 'til the sun comes up.Kameron Hurley, author of The Mirror Empire and God's War

With these books Wells is writing at the top of her game, and given their breadth, originality, complexity, this series is showing indications it could become one of the landmark series of the genre.Adventures Fantastic

An imaginative world of engaging characters . . . the dramatic battles, tough decisions, and character dynamics shine through.Publishers Weekly

Martha Wells' Raksura books are dense, and complex, with truly amazing world building, and non-human characters who are quite genuinely alien, yet still comprehensible and sympathetic.Kelly McCullough, author of the WebMage series and the Fallen Blade novels

Author Bio

Martha Wells is the author of more than a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Ile-Rien series (The Death of the Necromancer), the Murderbot Diaries series (All Systems Red), and the Books of the Raksura (The Cloud Roads). Her work has won the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards, been nominated for the Nebula and Compton Crook awards, and been published in eight languages. Wells lives in College Station, Texas.