Covenant

Deviations #1

by Elissa Malcohn

TripStone hates to kill her gods but she must feed her people. An accomplished hunter in the Masari village of Crossroads, she is charged with the ritual slaying of the sacred Yata. Her comrade Ghost tries to end Masari dependence on Yata meat by performing experiments punishable by death. His jeopardy increases when he shelters a teenage runaway sickened by fasting. Their worldview shatters when they harbor a Yata woman raised to be livestock instead of a god. But Crossroads itself is imperiled. Hidden in the far woods, a secret Yata militia is preparing to alter the balance of power.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction

332 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2007

About the author

Elissa Malcohn was a 1985 John W. Campbell Award finalist for best new science fiction writer of the year, and made preliminary ballot for a 1989 Nebula Award. Her stories have appeared in Hugo Award winners Asimov's and Electric Velocipede , Bram Stoker Award winner Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet (Dark Scribe Press), IPPY Silver Medalist Riffing on Strings: Creative Writing Inspired by String Theory (Scriblerus Press), and elsewhere. Her story "Hermit Crabs" (EV #14) is on the recommended reading list in The Year's Best Science Fiction, 26th Annual Collection. Her novelette "Flotsam" (Asimov's, Oct./Nov. 2009) is on the recommended reading list in The Year's Best Science Fiction, 27th Annual Collection.

You can find her Deviations series as free e-book downloads on her website and in multiple formats on Manybooks and Smashwords. The complete series is now available for download here on Goodreads! Watch for forthcoming short fiction in the Raven Electrick Ink anthology Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy ; and for poetry in Mythic Delirium , Dreams and Nightmares , and the Dark Scribe Press anthology A Sea of Alone: Poems For Alfred Hitchcock. Her website contains more info, including blogs and social networking links.

When not writing, Elissa can sometimes be found crouched in compromising positions to photograph insects or standing up at open mics, where she sings extemporaneously and gives spoken word performances. She is honored and humbled to be a participating author in Operation E-Book Drop, delivering free e-books to service members in the coalition Armed Forces; Books For Soldiers (ships books and more to deployed military members of the U.S. armed forces); and Shadow Forest Authors (a fellowship of authors and supporters for charity, with a focus on literacy).

Reviews

[Liam || Books 'n Beards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather good - the concept of one race relying on another to survive, and the other accepting this and even ritualising the entire process is really neat. I'm surprised that the book is free, to be honest, as it really reads like a commercially released novel.

It isn't written entirely well - well enough to enjoy for sure, but there is some awkward writing here and there and the overarching story is a little bit scattered. There's a fair bit of - in my opinion - unnecessary sexualisation going on, which was the main thing that made it feel like a free eBook.

Nevertheless, enjoyable enough.

[Murray Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to believe that such a well-written book could be free. I didn't lose a moment of my reading time to my editing mindset as I have with other Creative Commons ebooks. Covenant is the story of two races locked in a fatally symbiotic relationship and the desperate attempts of rebels from each to break the cycle. The characters are engaging and the plot moves along with a good rhythm. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truthfully, I was not going to read this book, I was going to stop after then end of the first chapter. But what had happened was......I had to keep reading!
This was one of those books I was hoping someone I knew would read so we could have a discussion about it.
It was thought provoking, and controversial. The whole concept was well thought and very deep. On to part 2.
Make a movie about this....

[Lakisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of reading this book when the author first brought it to our writer's workshop group. I've been in love with the series ever since.

It starts out slow but trust me, sticking with it will open your eyes and perceptions about not only the world Elissa presents but also the world we live in today.

[E. Sabin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant work that not only tells a good story but raises many thought-provoking issues that will stay with the reader long after the book is read. It deals with matters of religion, of trust, of societal cooperation and societal conflicts, of tradition versus change, and much more. It is speculative fiction at its best.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of this story. It is drawing me in more and more!