Yoke of Stars is out!!
My new Birdverse novella Yoke of Stars is out from Tachyon today. I am super excited for this book.
In the School of Assassins, Stone Orphan waits for a first assignment. After their first kill, they will graduate, and attain the coveted cloth of bone. But instead of a commission, Stone Orphan gets an inquisitive linguist, Ulín. By turns, Stone Orphan and Ulín narrate tales of love, suffering, exile, and self-determination, and two wounded souls try to find hope in each other through the radical act of listening.
This book has translation, linguistics, a language with no verbs, shapeshifting serpents, fish communism, assassins, fallen stars (how else), despair and longing and deliverance through tea and listening. There’s so much to say about this book. It’s a book about exile and camaraderie and how translation reshapes us. It’s a book about trauma and healing. There’s a lot of trauma in it (CWs include domestic abuse, parental abuse, SA, bodily autonomy). Even though there’s a lot of trauma in it, I think it is a gentle book. At least, I intended it this way. Like most everything in Birdverse, this is a very queer book.
“This is a story about trauma and strife and magic, of stars that hold and bind and devour, and maybe, just maybe, it’s about the possibility of something else beyond the hurt and pain. The way the stories in the book touch and interweave, the way the characters in them tug and pull at each other, is beautifully done—and I love how deftly Lemberg pulls all the threads together into a complex, striking weave.”
—Maria Haskins, author of Wolves and Girls“An unforgettable queer fantasy novel about the power—good and bad—that our words hold.”
—Foreword
I hope you find this book meaningful.
Best places to order from:
Raven Bookstore: This wonderful indie bookstore is local to me. Please specify “signed” and I will sign and draw you a bird, too.
Amazon: there are so many problems with Amazon, but Amazon helps sell indie books. (affiliate link)
Bookshop: a cool way to support indies. (affiliate link)
Ask your local library to get it for you :) libraries awesome.
If you are so moved, I would appreciate a review/word of mouth anywhere you feel like leaving one. It’s difficult to sell strange queer books these days, and word of mouth is even more meaningful than before.
Upcoming launch events:
Launch Party at the Raven: in person in Lawrence, KS but it should be broadcast on the Raven Instagram. Tuesday, July 23, 2024, 7pm CDT
Virtual event at Texas A&M - this will be great and accessible online! Monday, July 29, 2024, 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT