Author(s): Annie March; Dee Taylor-Graham (Maps by); Yilian Basser (Illustrator); Franziska Stern (Cover Design by); Kjell Erskine (Illustrator); Kim Hayers (Designed by); Lorna Howarth (Guest Editor)

Sci-fi & Fantasy

'Firebird Rising' is set seven light years from Earth and four hundred years in the future on the planet Thalassa El-Loha La'Hazhva, where war and patriarchy are all but extinct, and humankind is learning to decentre itself and live in ecozoic reciprocity with all life - from mycorrhiza to mammoths - while still cleaning up the ordure of the Anthropocene age. Meriel, the heroine of 'Butterfly's Children', is now an apprentice at the College of Navigators in Cyr in the Archipelago. The story follows both her ongoing search for belonging and her true name, and her struggles to come to grips with her own shadow, personified as Neghrezy, the Dark Goddess; and as the Firebird, catalyst of transmutation and rebirth. The story's metaphysical dimension is embodied in Lucy, intergalactic unicorn and soothsayer; and in Silky, Meriel's kin-sister, para-phocomelic, creative and clairvoyant child. Favourite players from 'Butterfly's Children' - Isabella, Dwember, Glimmer, Ceren, Yalaktagalika and the cat Ambrosius - are interwoven with new characters: particularly Kuru Kuye Khabriz Tamazzaq, formidable mistress mariner; ex-camel-drover and now ship's cook, Jukey; and Yax Hollerion, mage and weaver. First contact with Sequoia y'q'Allyrian Helios, formerly Earth, is a strong theme. Sailing ships and the sea are beloved characters in their own right. The third book of the trilogy, 'Windflower', will be published in 2025-6.