Zettel, Sarah (1966– )
Although Sarah Zettel began writing stories for
fantasy and horror markets as early as 1990, her
first several novels were science fiction space ad-
ventures. It was not until 2002 that she turned to
book-length fantasy. Her next four novels were all
in that genre, however, and, like several other new
writers, she now appears to have moved to the
more lucrative fantasy market completely. The Sor-
cerer’s Treason(2002) is the first in the Isavalta se-
quence, which draws heavily on Russian and Asian
mythologies, and starts with Bridget, a woman
from our reality having visions of another world
and then encountering someone who claims to be
from there who tells her she is destined to save
that world. Although she is dubious, she is subse-
quently conveyed across the barrier between reali-
ties and only then learns that things are not
entirely as she was led to believe. The magic sys-
tem is unusual enough to be interesting in its own
right, and the protagonist is well drawn, although
the slow-moving plot in the opener is not a new
one. There is a battle over the succession to the
throne, various factions involved in the usual court
politics, and two opposing sorcerers.
The pace picks up considerably in Usurper’s
Crown(2003), although much of the conflict is
covert. Zettel adds a considerable dose of romance
as the interloper from our world becomes involved
with one of the sorcerers, but the focus remains on
the battle to control the empress through argu-
ment or magic. The sequence comes to an appar-
ent close with The Firebird’s Vengeance (2004).
Bridget discovers that her daughter, presumed
dead, is very much alive, but her joy is balanced by
the realization that this can be used as a weapon
against her. Nevertheless, she sets out to search
two realities in order to find her in an unusually
well done quest adventure.
Zettel’s commitment to fantasy appears to be
ongoing. Her latest series began with In Camelot’s
Shadow(2004), in which a young girl is befriended
by Sir Gawain and brought back to Camelot for
safety and shelter. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to
her, she is still under a spell of dark magic and is an
innocent agent of a dark power seeking to under-
mine King Arthur’s rule. The romantic elements
are more obvious this time but never become
sloppy or overly sentimental. In the sequel, In
Camelot’s Honor(2005), the battle spreads with
the revelation that Morgaine is the motive force
behind a plot against King Arthur and Camelot.
Additional titles in this series seem to be a distinct
possibility.400 Zettel, Sarah