The dark and alluring first novel in New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s beloved Black Jewels series introduces Jaenelle Angelline, a witch with astonishing power and a dangerous destiny, and Daemon Sadi, the lethal Warlord Prince born to be her lover.   Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions.  Now the Dark Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence—and corruption.   Whoever controls the Queen controls the darkness. Three men—sworn enemies—know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love—and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining... Anne Bishop's debut novel, Daughter of the Blood , is like black coffee--strong, dark, and hard on delicate stomachs. Within the Blood (a race of magic-users), women rule and men serve, but tradition has been corrupted so that women enslave men, who seek to destroy their oppressors. Female children are violated before they can reach maturity; men are tortured and forced to satisfy witches' sexual appetites. Bishop's child heroine, Jaenelle, is destined to rule the Blood, if she can reach adulthood. Her power is hidden; her family believes her mad. Saetan, High Lord of Hell and most powerful of the Blood males, becomes Jaenelle's surrogate father and teacher. He cannot protect her outside Hell, where he rules. She refuses to leave Terreille, risking herself to protect or heal other victims of violence. Can Daemon, Saetan's estranged son, keep her safe from the machinations of the evil High Priestess? Or will he lose his battle to control his destructive urges and endanger her? Readers may find some aspects of Bishop's world confusing; not least that most of the good guys live in Hell. But her protagonists are compelling, sympathetic characters who overcome terrible adversity. If you like Anne Rice or Laurell K. Hamilton, try this one. --Nona Vero The prophecy of a coming Queen destined to shake the foundations of the Dark Kingdom heralds a war of intrigue and Machiavellian politics as three rivals seek control over the innocent young girl fated to ascend to greatness. Lavishly sensual and overtly erotic, Bishop's fantasy debut features a richly detailed world based on a reversal of standard genre cliches of light and darkness. Fans of Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series may appreciate this adults-only series opener. Large libraries may want to consider for their fantasy collections. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. “[The Black Jewels] series...has long been celebrated for its dark sensuality and focus on female characters....[the books] remain crucial foundations of the romantasy genre and paved the way for what followed.”—Paste Magazine Praise for Daughter of the Blood “A terrific writer...the more I read, the more excited I became because of the freshness of [her] take on the usual high fantasy setting, the assurance of [her] language, all the lovely touches of characterization that [she slips] in so effortlessly.”—Charles de Lint   “Darkly mesmerizing...[a] fascinating, dark world.”— Locus “Lavishly sensual...a richly detailed world based on a reversal of standard genre cliches.”— Library Journal “Vividly painted...dramatic, erotic, hope-filled.”—Lynn Flewelling “Intense...erotic, violent, and imaginative. This one is white-hot.”—Nancy Kress   “A uniquely realized fantasy filled with vibrant colors and rich textures. A wonderful new voice, Ms. Bishop holds us spellbound from the very first page.”— RT Book Reviews   “Mystical, sensual, glittering with dark magic.”—Terri Windling, coeditor of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror “Dark, morbid, sinister, and yet it holds you completely fascinated and spellbound by its beauty...One of the most original and readable books in the fantasy genre.”—The 11th Hour New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop is a winner of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award, presented by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, for the Black Jewels series. She is the author of the Novels of the Others—including Etched in Bone , Marked in Flesh , Vision in Silver , Murder of Crows , and Written in Red —and Lake Silence , Wild Country , and Crowbones , which are set in the world of the Others. She lives in Upstate New York. PROLOGUE   Terreille I am Tersa the Weaver, Tersa the Liar, Tersa the Fool. When the Blood-Jeweled Lords and Ladies hold a banquet, I’m the entertainment that comes after the musicians have played and the lithesome girls and boys have danced and the Lords have drunk too much wine and demand to have their fortunes told. “Tell us a story, Weaver,” they yell as