has been writing for both markets since the late
1980s. Her very early books for children are of
minimal interest, but her first adult novel, The
Shining Falcon(1989), is an engaging traditional
story of a kingdom whose ruler is missing and in
whose absence evil magic threatens to hold sway.
The Horse of Flame(1990) is equally impressive,
the story of an immortal but evil sorcerer trapped
in a mortal body and determined to seize power.
Child of Faerie, Child of Earth(1992), for young
adults, is also somewhat out of the ordinary, the
story of a young fairy who defies his family when he
falls in love with a mortal girl, with not always pre-
dictable consequences.
Somewhat similar, although for adults, is A
Strange and Ancient Name(1993), in which a half-
human fairy prince undertakes a quest in the world
of mortals. In Windleaf(1993), again for young
readers, a bored young prince rescues a fairy
princess, complicating matters for both families. A
young man who wishes only to be left in peace is
caught between conflicting oaths, one to humans
and one to fairies, in King’s Son, Magic’s Son
(1994), one of the best of her books for adults. The
Shattered Oath(1995) and its sequel, Forging the
Runes(1996), are to date her most impressive ac-
complishments, the story of an elf who is banished
to the world of humans during the days of the
Vikings and who makes a place for himself in this,
to him, completely alien society. Son of Darkness
(1998) is also excellent, the story of a woman from
our world who discovers that there are magical in-
trusions in her life and that her destiny is not en-
tirely in her own hands.
Sherman also collaborated with Mercedes
LACKEYfor three fantasies, Wheels of Fire(1992),
set in the Serrated Edge series, Castle of Deception
(1992), a Bard’s Tale book, and A Cast of Corbies
(1994), set in the Bardic Voices sequence. The
Chaos Gate(1994) by Sherman alone is also in the
Bard’s Tale series, the story of a wizard who gives
up his powers to become a mere bard, although he
is forced to come out of retirement to battle an in-
sidious evil. Rachel the Clever and Other Jewish Folk-
tales (1993) consists of retellings of magical
legends. She has also written two novels about
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both collaborations with
Laura Ann Gilman, and a considerable number of
short stories, including “The Old Woman Who
Created Life” (1995), “A Question of Faith”
(1999), and “The Case of the Headless Corpse”
(2004), the latter a very amusing magical murder
mystery.Shetterly, Will(1955– )
Will Shetterly made his debut with the pleasant if
unremarkable Cats Have No Lord(1985), a blend
of mystery and quest story in which a group of
elves tries to solve a riddle and finds themselves
opposed by an evil force. His next, Witch Blood
(1986), uses a very similar scheme of conflict, al-
though in this case the protagonist is a human ma-
gician who begins to master his powers just in time
to avoid being destroyed by a gaggle of villains.
Both novels are light entertainments with nothing
to distinguish them, and it was only with The Tan-
gled Lands(1989) that Shetterly began to demon-
strate the potential for more interesting work, an
innovative adventure set in a fantasy land that is
also a kind of computer-driven virtual reality.
Along with his wife, fellow fantasy writer
Emma Bull, Shetterly edited a shared world series
of original anthologies that began with Liavek
(1985) and ended after the fifth volume, Festival
Week(1990). It is not surprising therefore that
Shetterly himself wrote in another shared world,
the Borderlands series created by Terri Windling, a
magical half-world that acts as the bridge between
our reality and another where magic works. His
first novel in that setting, Elsewhere (1991), is
much better than his previous work, even though
it is ostensibly for young adult readers. The protag-
onist is a human runaway who wanders into this
nebulous region and makes a new life for himself.
Shetterly then expanded a short story into a se-
quel, NeverNever(1993), this time concentrating
on a teenager’s efforts to find a cure for the curse
that changes him periodically into the shape of a
wolf. His efforts cause him to cross paths with an
exiled fairy prince, and the interaction of the two
is very nicely handled.
His subsequent work has not measured up to
those two novels, however. Dogland(1997) is a like-
able but undistinguished contemporary fantasy that
is admirable in its efforts to deal with the subject ofShetterly, Will 317