What do you think?
Rate this book
Asphodel
Prison or Refuge?Nameless in a doorless tower graced with seven windows, she is imprisoned. Who is her jailer? What is her crime?After she discovers the secret of the seven windows, the nameless one, accompanied by two impossible companions, sets forth on fantastical journeys of exploration. But, for the nameless one, learning her name may not be a welcome revelation, and the identity of her jailer will rock the foundations of a tower that has come to be as much refuge as prison.
186 pages, Paperback
Published January 20, 2018
6 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Jane Lindskold
129 books654 followersJane Lindskold is the author of more than twenty published novels, including the eight volume Firekeeper Saga (beginning with Through Wolf’s Eyes), Child of a Rainless Year (a contemporary fantasy set in Las Vegas, New Mexico), and The Buried Pyramid (an archeological adventure fantasy set in 1880's Egypt).
Lindskold is also the author of the “Breaking the Wall” series, which begins with Thirteen Orphans, then continues in Nine Gates and Five Odd Honors. Her most recent series begins with Artemis Awakening, released in May of 2014. Lindskold has also had published over sixty short stories and numerous works of non-fiction, including a critical biography of Roger Zelazny, and articles on Yeats and Synge.
She has collaborated with several other SF/F writers, including Roger Zelazny, for whom, at his request, she posthumously finished his novels Donnerjack and Lord Demon. She has also collaborated with David Weber, writing several novellas and two YA novels set in his popular ”Honorverse.” She wrote the short story “Servant of Death” with Fred Saberhagen.
Charles de Lint, reviewing Changer, praised "Lindskold's ability to tell a fast-paced, contemporary story that still carries the weight and style of old mythological story cycles."[1] Terri Windling called Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls "a complex, utterly original work of speculative fiction." DeLint has also stated that “Jane Lindskold is one of those hidden treasures of American letters; a true gem of a writer who simply gets better with each book.”
Lindskold was born in 1962 at the Columbia Hospital for Women, the first of four siblings and grew up in Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Bay. Lindskold's father was head of the Land and Natural Resources Division, Western Division of the United States Justice Department and her mother was also an attorney. She studied at Fordham, where she received a Ph. D. in English, concentrating on Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern British Literature; she successfully defended her Ph.D. on her 26th birthday.
Lindskold lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband, archaeologist Jim Moore.
Lindskold is also the author of the “Breaking the Wall” series, which begins with Thirteen Orphans, then continues in Nine Gates and Five Odd Honors. Her most recent series begins with Artemis Awakening, released in May of 2014. Lindskold has also had published over sixty short stories and numerous works of non-fiction, including a critical biography of Roger Zelazny, and articles on Yeats and Synge.
She has collaborated with several other SF/F writers, including Roger Zelazny, for whom, at his request, she posthumously finished his novels Donnerjack and Lord Demon. She has also collaborated with David Weber, writing several novellas and two YA novels set in his popular ”Honorverse.” She wrote the short story “Servant of Death” with Fred Saberhagen.
Charles de Lint, reviewing Changer, praised "Lindskold's ability to tell a fast-paced, contemporary story that still carries the weight and style of old mythological story cycles."[1] Terri Windling called Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls "a complex, utterly original work of speculative fiction." DeLint has also stated that “Jane Lindskold is one of those hidden treasures of American letters; a true gem of a writer who simply gets better with each book.”
Lindskold was born in 1962 at the Columbia Hospital for Women, the first of four siblings and grew up in Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Bay. Lindskold's father was head of the Land and Natural Resources Division, Western Division of the United States Justice Department and her mother was also an attorney. She studied at Fordham, where she received a Ph. D. in English, concentrating on Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern British Literature; she successfully defended her Ph.D. on her 26th birthday.
Lindskold lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband, archaeologist Jim Moore.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 24, 2018
Another gift from the imagination of Jane Lindskold
I loved the characters. I loved the imagery. I loved the adventure. I loved the humor. I LOVED THIS STORY!
I read it all in one sitting. I was having so much fun, I didn't want it to end. The ending was beautiful and poignant with a hint of possible further adventures. I hope so!
I loved the characters. I loved the imagery. I loved the adventure. I loved the humor. I LOVED THIS STORY!
I read it all in one sitting. I was having so much fun, I didn't want it to end. The ending was beautiful and poignant with a hint of possible further adventures. I hope so!
January 3, 2019
This novella was different from the other Jane Lindskold books I have read. Different but still very good. I enjoyed her playful use of words and her wonderful descriptions. I am glad I bought a copy of this fable because I will want to read it again.
April 4, 2024
A nameless girl awakes to find herself in a tower with seven windows. Each window looks out into a different world with fantastical creatures, and through experimentation she finds herself able to enter those worlds and explore. She creates companions who come to life from paper and cloth, and they accompany her on these adventures.
For a mere 188 pages, this took me a long time to get through. Most of it felt like the author's wild rambling imagination let loose, and while the descriptions were fascinating, the fact that the stories went nowhere started to bore me. I suspected halfway through the book who this girl was and what the tower was, and this was borne out in the end. Once she had an actual goal the book started to interest me again, but honestly this was one I had to force myself to finish.
I had actually started this five years ago, got about a third of the way in and put it down. I had to start all over again as I could not remember anything about the story, and finally managed to get through it. I'm glad for the experience, but though the author is one of my favorites, this book is one I could do without.
For a mere 188 pages, this took me a long time to get through. Most of it felt like the author's wild rambling imagination let loose, and while the descriptions were fascinating, the fact that the stories went nowhere started to bore me. I suspected halfway through the book who this girl was and what the tower was, and this was borne out in the end. Once she had an actual goal the book started to interest me again, but honestly this was one I had to force myself to finish.
I had actually started this five years ago, got about a third of the way in and put it down. I had to start all over again as I could not remember anything about the story, and finally managed to get through it. I'm glad for the experience, but though the author is one of my favorites, this book is one I could do without.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews