(1888PressRelease)
June 14, 2009 - Long ago it was, yet not so long ago that I cannot remember…
Welcome to the magical, mysterious, heroic, tragic, and hauntingly familiar world of the Sidhe. In The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe, author Shannon Avery introduces the first new literary genre in decades. Marrying poetry, short fiction, and research, she draws on the worlds of speculative fiction, academic anthropology, poetry and ancient folklore to take readers on a mystical journey through the millennia-old culture of humanity’s closest cousins. The original tale of the Garden of Eden unfolds in epic poetry; a lonely “vampire” sings of her pain; the Sidhe Merlyn defies his Queen and his beloved to win one last battle and become the first of the Forsaken Ones. Through it all winds the lyrical artwork of fantasy artist Danae Bentley.
The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe is a collection of poems and stories divulging the most treasured tales of the culture created by writer and anthropologist Lea Ann Douglas. For over twenty years, Douglas has been weaving history, language, and characters of folktales from around the world to create the unique Sidhe culture. Drawing on the universal themes of myth and following in the tradition of such speculative fiction and fantasy writers as J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, and Frank Herbert, creator of the Dune series, Douglas’ Sidhe world illuminates the most fundamental questions about what creates a species and their values.
The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe represents some of the most ancient Sidhe songs (such as The Queen’s Rune, which traces back to the Second Age) as well as some of the most recent events of Sidhe lore (including the massacre by humans of an entire Sidhe village in 2001). With translations from the Sinti, the primary Sidhe language, and extensive footnotes on the material, Shannon Avery introduces readers to this rich, enchanting culture. The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe is The Hobbit of a new generation: the first portal into another world.
The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe emerges on bookshelves July 2, 2009 and will be available at: Bibliophile Bookshop, Prince Books, and Local Heroes in Norfolk, VA; Malaprops, Asheville, NC; The Book Lady, Savannah, GA; and on Amazon.com.
A Gala Book Release Party and Show will be held at the Colley Cantina on Colley Avenue in Ghent on Friday, July 3 at 8:00pm. Scheduled to perform are: Lea Ann Douglas; poet Lisa Flowers; poet Mary Franke; DJ Kat Marsh; recording artist Ty Marquis Smith; and poet Elizabeth Kirwin, performing lyrical ballads with the music of Liam Sckhot. Admission is free and open to the public. Books and Sidhe merchandise will be on sale. More information on upcoming appearances can be found at: http://www.cruinnaiu.com.
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