The Bone Queen (49 page)

In the grim Northern Plateau, where vendetta holds sway and wizards enforce the code of blood and vengeance, corruption of minds and of nature go hand in hand. Lina has witch’s powers but they cannot guard her against the enigmatic, brooding force of Damek, with whom she is besotted.

A wild, passionate story of possessive desire and destructive longing, inspired by the timeless classic
Wuthering Heights.

“This is a lyrical and rewarding story… It raises complex issues about the rights of Indigenous peoples, environmental degradation and the impact of Western society in ways that are engaging and thought-provoking.”
Books+Publishing

Simbala is a Keeper, the latest in a long line of women who can read the Book to find answers to people’s questions.

When developers begin to poison the River on which Simbala’s village relies, the Book predicts change. But this does not come in the form they expect; it is the sympathetic foreigner who comes to stay who inflicts the greatest damage of all.

Alison Croggon is the acclaimed author of the high fantasy series The Books of Pellinor, as well as
Black Spring
, a fantasy reworking of
Wuthering Heights
, and
The River and the Book
. Alison is an award-winning poet whose work has been published extensively in anthologies and magazines internationally. She has written widely for theatre, and her opera libretti have been produced all around Australia. Alison is also an editor and critic. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, the playright Daniel Keene.

For more information about Alison, visit:
www.alisoncroggon.com
or follow her on Twitter:
@alisoncroggon

The Books of Pellinor

The Bone Queen

The Gift

The Riddle

The Crow

The Singing

Black Spring
The River and the Book

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.

First published in Great Britain 2016 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ

Text © 2016 Alison Croggon
Cover illustration © 2016 Christopher Gibbs
Maps drawn by Niroot Puttapipat

The right of Alison Croggon to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-4063-6923-6 (ePub)

www.walker.co.uk