First published 1991
Moon Dawntreader rules Tiamat as the new Summer Queen after witnessing the death of the evil Snow Queen Arienrhod. The planet exists under two alternating civilizations due to the unstable Black Gate that controls access to the galactic Hegemony. Moon fights to save the gentle mer, sea creatures whose blood grants immortality to offworld hunters. She alone knows the mer serve as psychic connectors for galactic civilization, and their extinction will doom all human worlds. Stubborn Summer clans resist her reforms while treacherous Winter people plot her assassination. Her mate Sparks slides back into his old vices from his days as the Snow Queen's assassin. Even her children Ariele and Tammis turn against her, corrupted by Arienrhod's lingering influence. Meanwhile, Inspector BZ Gundhalinu discovers ancient starflight technology that bypasses the Gates entirely. Once driven mad by his love for Moon, he now obsesses over reuniting with her. A crimelord prepares to unleash Reede Kullervo on Tiamat, a brilliant psychotic killer with no memory or morals, possessed by an unimaginable secret and orders to destroy everything Moon cherishes.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, fantasy, political-thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Tiamat, Black Gate, Hegemony
Period: Alternating Civilizations
671 pages · Hardcover · Warner Books
Content warnings: violence