Synopsis
Ages ago, in a mysterious event known as the Fall of Rainbow, the world lost all color. And now, a weak silver sun shines over a monochrome realm of infinite shades of gray....
In Tronaelend-Lis, glorious and decadent City of Dreams, of guilds and gods, courtesans and assassins, the Regent and Regentrix, sister and brother, rule a court of elegant debauchery, perverse desires, and secrets.
And into this wanton place comes Ranhéas Ylir, an eccentric and androgynous warrior woman, sworn to serve the mysterious Lord Elasand Vaeste, a man of impossible beauty, tormented by occult dreams and an unrequited love for a goddess.
Soon, loyal Ranhé is willing to fight for this one man unto death...
Meanwhile, another is willing to die for her.
But time is short for them all—out of the world's twilight rises a being of utter darkness, the one absolute source of black, whose armies approach, in an epic invasion, to claim forest and wilderness.
The only thing that stands between the darkness and the City of Dreams is an antique secret—a flicker of ancient memory of those who had once filled the world with an impossible thing called color...
Lords of Rainbow.
"Lords of Rainbow in particular, a stunning idea, fabulously employed—a book to submerge in!"
— Tanith Lee
"In a world devoid of color, the woman warrior Ranhé swears herself to a mysterious nobleman traveling to the exotic city of Tronaelend-Lis, the City of Dreams, where a decadent brother and sister rule as co-regents in the absence of the land's true ruler. When an evil being representing true Darkness threatens the safety of the colorless world, Ranhé is drawn into a spiritual journey in search of a legendary phenomenon known as Rainbow in an attempt to find a way to defeat the dark. The author of Dreams of the Compass Rose brings to life a unique fantasy world in which lost colors hold the key to salvation. Nazarian's fluid storytelling and vividly drawn characters make this unusual fantasy a good choice for most libraries."
— Library Journal
"Nazarian creates a unique civilization and populates it with heroic archetypes who stand on their own. Extravagant language reminiscent of Dunsany and even Tolkien adds to the legendary feel. . . . an innovative premise, consistent world-building, and appealing heroes mark this as the work of an emerging talent . . . readers may find themselves heralding a new star of fantasy fiction."
— Romantic Times Book Club
"To read Vera Nazarian's Lords of Rainbow is to be immersed in a dream, wandering through a wondrous, shifting landscape where the sun shines silver and the world is rendered in an infinite palette of subtle grays, filled with glimpses of sublime loveliness and glorious color."
— Jacqueline Carey, author of Kushiel's Dart
"...like all of Vera's stories—strange, poignant, and exquisite... her novel about a world without color—strange when what she writes is so colorful."
— Marion Zimmer Bradley
"Vividly described in rich prose that entrances like a magic spell, Lords of Rainbow will resonate with readers like the stories of childhood. It is not only prefaced with a lovely and accessible poem, it also reads like poetry. Thus, when taken as fable, there is much in this book to love. For in the end, we find a twisted Cinderella tale where an ugly, common girl can be elevated by noble spirit, and a city can be transformed by magic."
— Stephanie Dray, Strange Horizons
In Tronaelend-Lis, glorious and decadent City of Dreams, of guilds and gods, courtesans and assassins, the Regent and Regentrix, sister and brother, rule a court of elegant debauchery, perverse desires, and secrets.
And into this wanton place comes Ranhéas Ylir, an eccentric and androgynous warrior woman, sworn to serve the mysterious Lord Elasand Vaeste, a man of impossible beauty, tormented by occult dreams and an unrequited love for a goddess.
Soon, loyal Ranhé is willing to fight for this one man unto death...
Meanwhile, another is willing to die for her.
But time is short for them all—out of the world's twilight rises a being of utter darkness, the one absolute source of black, whose armies approach, in an epic invasion, to claim forest and wilderness.
The only thing that stands between the darkness and the City of Dreams is an antique secret—a flicker of ancient memory of those who had once filled the world with an impossible thing called color...
Lords of Rainbow.
Praise for... Lords of Rainbow
"Lords of Rainbow in particular, a stunning idea, fabulously employed—a book to submerge in!"
— Tanith Lee
"In a world devoid of color, the woman warrior Ranhé swears herself to a mysterious nobleman traveling to the exotic city of Tronaelend-Lis, the City of Dreams, where a decadent brother and sister rule as co-regents in the absence of the land's true ruler. When an evil being representing true Darkness threatens the safety of the colorless world, Ranhé is drawn into a spiritual journey in search of a legendary phenomenon known as Rainbow in an attempt to find a way to defeat the dark. The author of Dreams of the Compass Rose brings to life a unique fantasy world in which lost colors hold the key to salvation. Nazarian's fluid storytelling and vividly drawn characters make this unusual fantasy a good choice for most libraries."
— Library Journal
"Nazarian creates a unique civilization and populates it with heroic archetypes who stand on their own. Extravagant language reminiscent of Dunsany and even Tolkien adds to the legendary feel. . . . an innovative premise, consistent world-building, and appealing heroes mark this as the work of an emerging talent . . . readers may find themselves heralding a new star of fantasy fiction."
— Romantic Times Book Club
"To read Vera Nazarian's Lords of Rainbow is to be immersed in a dream, wandering through a wondrous, shifting landscape where the sun shines silver and the world is rendered in an infinite palette of subtle grays, filled with glimpses of sublime loveliness and glorious color."
— Jacqueline Carey, author of Kushiel's Dart
"...like all of Vera's stories—strange, poignant, and exquisite... her novel about a world without color—strange when what she writes is so colorful."
— Marion Zimmer Bradley
"Vividly described in rich prose that entrances like a magic spell, Lords of Rainbow will resonate with readers like the stories of childhood. It is not only prefaced with a lovely and accessible poem, it also reads like poetry. Thus, when taken as fable, there is much in this book to love. For in the end, we find a twisted Cinderella tale where an ugly, common girl can be elevated by noble spirit, and a city can be transformed by magic."
— Stephanie Dray, Strange Horizons
Release date: October 15, 2011
Publisher: Norilana Books
Print pages: 424
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