Gold Unicorn

The exciting sequel to the acclaimed Black Unicorn…

“A madly colorful and exuberantly fantastic tale.”—Locus

“Fast paced and action packed… It is sure to be a hit.”—Booklist

“Lee’s language is wonderfully descriptive and lyrical; and as usual, her female characters are real and compelling.” —Voice of Youth Advocates

Journeying across different lands, the young member Tanaquil and her familiar, a quarrelsome talking peeve, learn of the empress Veriam, who wishes to conquer from one sea to the next. Tanaquil is shocked to learn that the woman called “Conqueror” and “Child-Eater” is in fact her half sister, Lizra.

Remembering the powerful effect the black unicorn had on her people, Lizra has constructed a tremendous mechanical unicorn of gold as a symbol of her conquest.

The only problem is that it doesn’t work—and Lizra commands Tanaquil to make the steam-powered unicorn move. Now Tanaquil must choose between assisting in brutal conquest or risking the ire of her powerful sister.

Tanith Lee is one of the leading writers of her generation. Born and raised in England, she has traveled and read widely and can speak of a thousand lands in a million different worlds with a voice of authority. Dubbed “Princess Royal of Fantasy” by Dutch publisher Meulenhoff, Lee’s elegant science fiction, fantasy, horror, mainstream, and juvenile novels and short stories have earned her a huge following. Despite her many excellent forays into other fields, though, it is her fantasy novels that remain best known: titles such as Black Unicorn, Lycanthia, and Anackire.

Mark Zug was born in Indiana and raised in Yokahama, Japan, as an army brat. As a youth, he ingested Batman and Superman, Asimov and Tolkien. After high school he became a blue-collar rock musician but later returned to art in a fit of self-honesty brought on by solitude. He presently lives in Pennsylvania in something that looks like a castle, surrounded by beautiful country and lots of dull and dangerous people. Among his other projects is illustrating Harlan Ellison’s I, Robot screenplay, based on Isaac Asimov’s classic novel.