Candlemark & Gleam is known for finding exciting new voices. Yet an equally integral part of our vision is to give shuttles to bold experienced astrogators.

A talent I’ve always tracked closely is Melissa Scott, one of the brightest stars in the SFF firmament, a pioneering forerunner who opened new paths in the genre way ahead of trends. With a PhD in Comparative History from Brandeis, she has published more than thirty original novels, most with queer themes and characters. She is known for her remarkable world-building, has won a slew of awards, and most of her short stories (including two I elicited for The Other Half of the Sky and To Shape the Dark) have appeared in “Best of” compilations.

So I was thrilled when Melissa chose Candlemark as the launch pad for her mythic space opera Finders (the first of a planned series, Firstborn, Lastborn). I was equally thrilled when she sent me her epic fantasy novel, Water Horse. Atmospheric, cinematic, Water Horse is Elric meets The Fisher King, with the vividly drawn inhabitants of this universe seamless fusions of Elf & Dwarf. In it, we see how life might have been in Moria or Erebor, with water & wood to leaven stone, and original magic (oath-enforcing harps!). Here’s the appetite-whetting synopsis:

For the last twenty years, Esclin Aubrinos, arros of the Hundred Hills, has acted jointly with Alcis Mirielos, the kyra of the Westwood, and the rivermaster of Riverholme to defend their land of Allanoth against the Riders who invade from Manan across the Narrow Sea. He has long been a master of the shifting politics of his own people and his independently-minded allies, but this year the omens turn against him. The Riders have elected a new lord paramount, hallowed servant of the Blazing One, a man chosen and fated for victory.

The omens agree that Nen Elin, Esclin’s stronghold and the heart of Allanoth, will fall when a priest of the Blazing One enters its gates. Esclin needs a spirit-bonded royal sword, a talismanic weapon made of star-fallen iron, to unite the hillfolk behind him. But the same vision that called for the sword proclaimed that Esclin will then betray it, and every step he takes to twist free of the prophecies brings him closer to that doom.

You will agree that such a riveting work calls for a cover artist of equally potent talent. Today I get to share the haunting, evocative cover of Water Horse, created by Eleni Tsami (click twice on the image to embiggen). Eleni’s stunning, painterly work has graced several previous Candlemark efforts, including Melissa’s Finders.

Water Horse will launch on June 1. Come gather around our hearth fire to hear the tale sung!