Flight of the Godkin Griffin

On the eve of her retirement from the army, Mistress Commander Angharad Godkin finds herself re-activated and directed to replace the governor of the newly conquered territory of Shraeven. With its multitude of diverse societies and religions, the province will not be easy to tame; but Angharad has thirty-four years of experience and is determined to succeed—even with the additional challenge of an ex-lover as her second-in-command.

However, what starts out as a seemingly predictable military challenge takes multiple unexpected turns at the hands of Shraeven's rebellious people, their unorthodox beliefs, and their capricious, demanding, and very tangible gods. Angharad quickly finds herself the central piece in a game being fought on too many levels, all of them very foreign to her nature and background.

But if she's being forced to play, she's going to play to win; and everyone may come to regret having gotten her into the game.

Flight of the Godkin Griffin is the first of a two-book series detailing Angharad's entry into Shraeven and her growing awareness of the challenges, both political and personal, that lie ahead of her. This fast-paced story will engage readers immediately through the character of Angharad, at once world-weary and a novice to this new world. The world itself displays the author's world-building talents at their best, and the plot weaves together some of the most basic human questions about the world and the forces that move it, both political and mystical. Angharad believes that her race is moving toward divinity by breeding many different species together; her own ten-species bloodline places her near the Godson in rank and makes her choice of mate difficult. But in Shraeven, there are many different and differing religions, and as she makes her way into the province, her own beliefs about love, divinity, and life itself will be challenged.

M.C.A. Hogarth (haikujaguar on Livejournal and Google) is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author, best known for her well-developed, intriguing worlds that have drawn comparisons to Ursula LeGuin. Flight of the Godkin Griffin introduces her readers to a brand new world.

Cover and interior art by the author.