"Energetic... different and above-average." —Kirkus

“An even stronger book than the first… Absorbing, the kind of book one reads in gulps and cannot put down.” —Andre Norton

In the Middle Kingdoms, the royal magics that protect the Four Realms are failing. As the immaterial defenses wane for lack of a rightful ruler on Arlen's throne, the Goddess's ancient enemy the Shadow moves to destroy all It can of the re-established realms of humankind.

Spurred northward over the Highpeaks by Its malice, the dread Reaver armies prepare to bring about the destruction of lands already weakened by years of treachery and war. All that stands against them is a tiny, hunted alliance of wanderers and exiles determined to restore a King to Arlen's throne and stop the Shadow at any cost.

One of these is Segnbora: homeless warrior and loremistress, now on the run with friends and supporters of Arlen's exiled prince, her sometime lover Freelorn. Some of her fellow-supporters are more dangerous than others—especially the innocent and unpredictably deadly fire elemental Sunspark, who’s trying hard to understand the quirks of humankind without burning everyone to cinders in the process. But most dangerous of them all is Freelorn's true love, Herewiss, the first man in a thousand years to master the blue Flame of Power... now a target of the Shadow's undying enmity.

That enmity also spills over onto Segnbora, thrusting her into a terrifyingly intimate relationship with one of the Middle Kingdoms' gigantic and mysterious Dragons—powerful beyond belief, but also alien beyond human understanding. Segnbora must battle the dragon Hasai for control of her mind while Herewiss's and Freelorn's joined fates lead their group across the Kingdoms, into the first moves of the apocalyptic war that will set Arlen's true heir on his throne… or see their world destroyed.

The Door Into Shadow continues the critically-acclaimed "Tale of the Five", a series that has become a classic of LGBTQ fantasy both for its groundbreaking expansion of the genre and its unforgettable characters.The Door Into Shadow is now available both here and at Amazon. Use the widgets in the margin to make your choice! (Need advice on choosing a format / loading ebooks to your reader or app? Check our sideloading guide.)

Reader advisory: This novel contains adult / mature themes and situations set in a sexually diverse and inclusive culture.