Banner of Souls Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Praise

  Acknowledgments

  The Ghost Herd

  CHAPTER 1 - Mars

  CHAPTER 2 - Nightshade

  CHAPTER 3 - Mars

  CHAPTER 4 - Earth

  CHAPTER 5 - Mars/Earth

  Cloud Terrace

  CHAPTER 1 - Earth

  CHAPTER 2 - Nightshade

  CHAPTER 3 - Earth

  CHAPTER 4 - Nightshade

  CHAPTER 5 - Earth

  CHAPTER 6 - Mars

  CHAPTER 7 - Earth

  Memnos

  CHAPTER 1 - Mars

  CHAPTER 2 - Earth

  CHAPTER 3 - Mars

  Fragrant Harbor

  CHAPTER 1 - Mars/Earth

  CHAPTER 2 - Earth

  CHAPTER 3 - Earth

  CHAPTER 4 - Earth

  CHAPTER 5 - Earth

  The Fire Islands

  CHAPTER 1 - Earth

  CHAPTER 2 - Earth

  CHAPTER 3 - Earth

  CHAPTER 4 - Earth

  CHAPTER 5 - Mars

  CHAPTER 6 - Earth

  CHAPTER 7 - Earth

  CHAPTER 8 - Earth

  CHAPTER 9 - Mars

  CHAPTER 10 - Earth

  CHAPTER 11 - Earth

  CHAPTER 12 - Earth

  CHAPTER 13 - Earth

  CHAPTER 14 - Earth

  CHAPTER 15 - Earth

  CHAPTER 16 - Earth

  The Temple

  CHAPTER 1 - Elsewhere

  CHAPTER 2 - Earth

  CHAPTER 3 - Earth

  CHAPTER 4 - Elsewhere

  CHAPTER 5 - Earth

  CHAPTER 6 - Elsewhere

  CHAPTER 7 - Earth

  CHAPTER 8 - Elsewhere

  CHAPTER 9 - Earth

  CHAPTER 10 - Elsewhere

  CHAPTER 11 - Earth

  The Crater Plain

  CHAPTER 1 - Mars

  CHAPTER 2 - Earth

  CHAPTER 3 - Mars

  CHAPTER 4 - Mars

  CHAPTER 5 - Mars

  CHAPTER 6 - Mars

  CHAPTER 7 - Mars

  Winterstrike

  CHAPTER 1 - Mars

  CHAPTER 2 - Mars

  CHAPTER 3 - Mars

  CHAPTER 4 - Mars

  CHAPTER 5 - Mars

  CHAPTER 6 - Mars

  CHAPTER 7 - Mars

  CHAPTER 8 - Mars

  CHAPTER 9 - Mars

  CHAPTER 10 - Mars

  CHAPTER 11 - Mars

  CHAPTER 12 - Mars

  CHAPTER 13 - Mars

  CHAPTER 14 - Mars

  CHAPTER 15 - Mars

  Epilogue

  BE SURE NOT TO MISS - Darkland

  About the Author

  ALSO BY LIZ WILLIAMS

  Copyright Page

  For Peter Garratt

  Further praise for Liz Williams

  BANNER OF SOULS

  “A marvelous book, a vivid adventure infused with a baroque and haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the last page is turned. This is futuristic fiction as the Brothers Grimm might have penned it.”

  —K.J. Bishop

  “In Banner of Souls Liz Williams has created a vast and baroquely textured vision of a far future solar system that bears comparison to Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, a gothic feast for the imagination that places her in the first rank of visionary science fiction writers.”

  —Charles Stross

  “Liz Williams is this generation’s answer to Margaret Atwood and Sheri Tepper. Her work—nuanced, evocative, and consummately literate—charts a compelling course for feminist SF in the 21st century.”

  —Chris Moriarty

  NINE LAYERS OF SKY

  “A scientist and a mythological hero who is alive and well in the 21st century find new love and help alter two worlds in this character-driven, romantic sci-fi adventure. . . . The book’s primary attraction lies in its portrayal of Russia’s multifaceted soul. Williams does a wonderful job of describing the character of a place through the people who inhabit it and through the manifestations of their dreams. A difficult book to describe, this work will nonetheless satisfy readers with its rich settings and mythological power.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A great adventure and a love story. Grade: A-.”

  —Rocky Mountain News

  “Outstanding . . . a novel that is a pleasure to read, well worth thinking about and much more than satisfying on almost every level. Liz Williams is now four for four—all of her books are simply superb.”

  —Contra Costa Times

  “Liz Williams may be one of the most sheerly evocative writers working in SF today, and in Nine Layers of Sky she brings the landscape of modern-day Central Asia into sharp focus. Its paradoxes are vividly portrayed, in all their beauty and corresponding ugliness. . . . Nine Layers of Sky is all about dreams, in fact, individual and collective ones—the idealism at the root of communism, humanity’s ardent desire to touch the stars, the conflicting national aspirations of the different peoples who inhabit Central Asia. Despite its apparent trappings of fantasy, this book is pure science fiction, a dream in its own right and intriguing in both its cultural speculation and the depth of the empathy it will arouse in readers for its principal characters. A journey through the heart of a terrain both worldly and unfamiliar to Western readers, Nine Layers of Sky is not to be missed. This is a beautiful book— thoroughly enjoyable and particularly refreshing in its treatment of a setting rarely touched in current fiction.”

  —SciFi.com

  “Bantam’s publicists have promoted Liz Williams’ books (The Poison Master, Empire of Bones and The Ghost Sister) pretty strongly over the last couple of years. I’ve even glanced at a couple of them. Now I’m going to have to dig down in my stacks and look for those earlier novels, so I can see if they’re anywhere near as neat as Nine Layers of Sky. . . . Quite a worthwhile read. If the incoming lets up, I intend to read more of Ms. Liz’s work.”

  —San Diego Union-Tribune

  “Liz Williams has the ability to create an entirely different sense of place with each book she writes [and possesses] a keen eye for cultural conditions.”

  —Kansas City Star

  “Outstanding . . . offers rousing adventure and memorable characters, but what distinguishes it most is the way it interweaves the stuff of legend, dark fantasy, grim-yet-hyper Dostoyevskian literary ‘realism,’ and science fictional utopia/dystopia into one extraordinarily seamless fabric, mingling eras, modes and places. . . . Here Liz Williams truly fulfills her early promise. Don’t let this one pass you by.”

  —Locus (Faren Miller)

  “No one can ever accuse Liz Williams of being stuck in a rut. She paints a tale of broken dreams, fills it with action heroes for drama’s sake, and asks us to feel their pain. If nothing else, we will understand the former Soviet Union far better after reading this book. But we shall surely be well entertained as well.”

  —Emerald City

  “An exotic cross between the harsh realities of the former Soviet Union and Russian legends brought to life . . . Nine Layers of Sky is a book about lost dreams set in a land where both the spiritual and material dreams have been lost. Blends science fiction, fantasy and horror with the feel of Alfred Hitchcock. . . . for an exciting chase.”

  —Denver Post

  “At first, it is hard for the reader to tell exactly what kind of novel Nine Layers of Sky is—thriller, fantasy, science fiction, perhaps horror? It has elements of all those genres at various points in the narrative, but Williams’s prose style is smooth and assured, the blend seamless. She is both an excellent storyteller and a poetic one. . . . The marriage of plot and setting here is perfect�
�the theme of unlikely companions finding hope in a bleak landscape may be an ancient one, but it has rarely been handled this well. Nine Layers of Sky is Williams’s fourth novel, and I’ll be searching for the other three and waiting for everything that follows.”

  —Los Angeles City Beat

  THE POISON MASTER

  One of Publishers Weekly’s Best of 2003 in Mass Market

  “Liz Williams’s two previous novels, The Ghost Sister and Empire of Bones, were sophisticated tales of cultural confrontation. The Poison Master strikes out in a new direction, less easy to categorize and in some ways more challenging. Yet ... I always felt that I was in good hands.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  “The book’s various cultures and characters are fascinating, but what makes this story unusual is its historical breadth and its consideration of the spiritual and supernatural. Part alien adventure and part existential exploration, this top-notch tale establishes Williams as an author to watch.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “The Poison Master is only Liz Williams’ third book, but it shows why she is a talent to watch. ... What sets Williams apart is her ability to create a distinct world with each book she writes. Not an easy feat.”

  —Kansas City Star

  “The chances Williams has taken here and her confident handling of a wide range of material promises much for her future novels [and] should assist her in climbing up the ladder to bestsellerdom.”

  —BookPage

  “The cosmos according to Liz Williams in her third novel is a strange place that defies our conception of modern physics and cosmology. ... Williams’ Latent Emanation and its sister worlds are bold, exotic backdrops against which colorful characters can undergo thrilling adventures with a philosophical subtext. ... Williams joins A. A. Attanasio and China Miéville as one of the best contemporary practitioners of a kind of imaginative literature that fuses the intellect of SF with the heart of fantasy.”

  —SciFi.com

  “A quirky, mystical SF novel that mixes elements of Jane Austen, Jack Vance, and the Kabbalah.”

  —Locus

  “Emulates both Gene Wolfe and John Crowley... reminiscent of Jane Austen and Jack Vance ... the alien settings are richly realized, the characters are affectingly quirky, the romance is peculiar enough to intrigue.”

  —Locus (Nick Gevers)

  “An elegantly, finely constructed science fantasy ... a kaleidoscope in which our world is transformed into a place of strange irradiated beauty.”

  —Fantasy & Science Fiction

  “A fast-paced adventure with a culture far more interesting and unusual than most portrayed in SF, and her likeable, conflicted main character gives the book a definite advantage over its competition.”

  — Chronicle

  “Williams handles her complex story with masterful skill. The Poison Master is both big in scope and tensely claustrophobic.”

  —Talebones

  “A fascinating novel which combines the breathless excitement of a good space opera with the kind of thoughtful philosophizing one might find in a harder SF book. Sublime ... Williams’book is of a rare breed and should not be passed over lightly. It enters your system like cocaine sniffed from the thighs of a virgin and leaves you coping with far fewer debilitating social consequences. It’s a cocktail of styles, flavored by the fruits of an astounding imagination. My advice? Roll up and take a hit today. It’s addictive.”

  —SFCrowsnest.com

  “Williams was recently feted by Gwyneth Jones (in Locus) for rediscovering the planetary romance. Now, there’s a claim to fame! Certainly her new novel, The Poison Master, is gothic in form and Jacobean in parts of its plot. It’s also a bloody good read. ... Williams improves book by book and may become something very special.”

  —SFX

  EMPIRE OF BONES

  “Deals with the difficulty—and necessity—of communicating across cultural boundaries ... savvy and satisfying.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  “Reading Liz Williams’s Empire of Bones is a total immersion in a marvelously realized future. Her insight into the culture of colonization, in which humans are the colonized, is both immediate and challenging.”

  —Sheri S. Tepper

  “Crafted and polished science fiction, with an involving cast of characters—easily strong enough never to be upstaged by the astonishing and ingenious plot, sets and technology.”

  —Tanith Lee

  “Williams has written an intelligent tale of caste conflicts and communication, without preaching or using expository messages. She simply lets Empire of Bones tell its own intriguing story.”

  —Kansas City Star

  “[A] thoughtful and elegantly written story of self-discovery amid the ruins of social and environmental decay. Set in a near-future India, this tale ... offers an intriguing glimpse into an important culture.”

  —Library Journal

  “Williams is an obvious acolyte of Ursula K. Le Guin. There is vividness and deep thought here, a lively pace of ideas and plotting; and by raising so dramatically the crucial agenda of the Third World’s anguished yet burgeoning future, its need to abandon once and for all the crippling baggage of the past, Liz Williams performs a thoroughly useful futurological service.”

  —Locus (Nick Gevers)

  “Liz Williams, who debuted just last year with The Ghost Sister, now proves with her second book that she possesses enough talent and ambition to leap to the forefront of the next generation of SF writers.... Williams brings firsthand experience of India to the page, and the result is a fresh, believable and exotic setting and characters, thickly described and full of import. ... She will soon rank as one of the brightest new stars in the 21st-century SF firmament.”

  —Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com

  “Liz Williams ... gives her best on Empire of Bones— and her best is pretty darned good. . . . Fascinating . . . well-crafted ... Williams has a wonderful knack for keeping all the balls in the air and the pages turning. As in her first novel, The Ghost Sister (also highly recommended), Williams explores the obligations and dangers of great power; but here she also grapples with the necessity for freedom and its cost.”

  —Contra Costa Times

  “It would not surprise me were Empire of Bones to be hailed as an important work of feminist sf. It certainly should be hailed, and I recommend it very highly as one of the most interesting works of sf I have read in quite a while.”

  —New York Review of Science Fiction

  “A fast-paced science fiction thriller that shows what could happen when First Contact occurs. The homeworld of Rasasatra’s politics, culture and social structure is crafted in such intricate detail it feels as if Liz Williams is a native social anthropologist. Yet the talented writer never slows down the action while providing characters, both human and alien, that are believable and understandable inside the strong plot. ... A great novel.”

  —Allscifi.com

  THE GHOST SISTER

  “A fine example of modern science fiction ... detailed, engrossing and real ... The virtue of this novel is Williams’ ability to force the reader to confront fundamental questions about life, religion, technology, feminism, idealism, do-goodism, and free will. The Ghost Sister shows how high the ... science fiction ‘literary’ bar has been raised. ... A very impressive effort, and an amazing feat as a first novel.”

  —Chronicle

  “Williams addresses difficult moral and ethical questions in a compelling novel concerned with genetic engineering and a people’s struggle to transcend their limitations.”

  —Booklist

  “Reminiscent of Ursula Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness ... This is the sort of SF one wishes there could be more of ... A thought-provoking, lyrical read.”

  —Interzone

  “When the time came to compile the shortlist for the Philip K. Dick Award for best original paperback, it was only right that The Ghost Sister was
among the final six; a book that gives readers so much to think about should be rewarded. ... Just keep your wits about you and your senses at their sharpest, because here, only the strong survive.”

  —SF Site

  “Breath-taking in its elegance ... confounds expectations while at the same time surpassing them.”

  —Infinity Plus

  “Outstanding novel! I couldn’t bear to put it down. I snarled at each interruption. Liz Williams has crafted a very believable world for her first novel, populated it with believable characters, and told a story that kept me turning pages all night.”

  —Aphelion

  “A brilliant novel. It does what the best genre novels should do. It poses questions about life and how to live it that have no easy answers and never pretends to provide a single one. Williams is an author to watch, and I’ll not be surprised if I see this novel shortlisted for any number of awards.”

  —Wavelengths

  Acknowledgments

  With thanks to

  my editor Anne Groell

  my agent Shawna McCarthy

  everyone in the Montpellier Writing group and the Cantonese Writing group

  everyone at Milford

  Tanith Lee, for all her support

  Mark Roberts, for the shark monkey

  and to Jay Caselberg for the pangolin and much else besides

  The Ghost Herd

  CHAPTER 1

  Mars

  Dreams-of-War was hunting the remnants of men on the slopes of the Martian Olympus when she came across the herd of ghosts. The armor bristled at the approach of the herd, whispering caution into her ear, and at first Dreams-of-War thought that it was warning her against the presence of men—hyenae, perhaps, or vulpen, or others of the Changed. She wheeled around, activating the hand-spines of the armor, but there was nothing there. The cold, tawny slopes rolled into the distance, empty of everything except scrub and the sparse desert life that congregated around the canals and sinks. Far on the horizon, the column of Memnos Tower pointed upward, just visible now against a darkening sky. Dreams-of-War frowned. The armor remained alert, porcupine spikes forming and reforming as she moved.

  “What?” Dreams-of-War said aloud, impatiently.

  “There is someone here,” the armor said. Sometimes it spoke with the voice of the warrior who had first imprinted it, but sometimes the voice sounded more akin to that of Dreams-of-War herself. That was the trouble with haunt-tech; one was never sure whether one was imagining things. But perhaps one could expect no less from something that had been granted by aliens.