Liz Williams

Novels and Collections:

The Poison Master — (2002) Publisher: Alivet, a professional alchemiston the run for murder, is sequestered in Ghairen's fortress laboratory, where she must find the one drug that can harm the Lords of the planet and topple their hierarchy. She is driven relentlessly to hone her skills in time — even though time itself is running out.

Nine Layers of Sky — (2003) Publisher: A former Soviet rocket scientist, Elena Irinovna now cleans office buildings — until she crosses paths with Ilya Muromyets. A remnant of Russia's glorious and fabled past, Ilya is an eight-hundred-year-old hero turned heroin addict, dreaming of a death that never comes. They are brought together by a strange artifact Elena has found, which offers a glimpse into another dimension, creating a dangerous breach in a world Elena only thought she knew... Ilya is no stranger to the unexplained. He's been hired by a mysterious organization to track down the artifact. But nothing prepares him for what it offers — or for a woman like Elena. Fighting their own inner demons as well as those from across the breach, Ilya and Elena embark on a harrowing trip between nations and worlds. And for the first time the man of myth and the woman of science discover that they have a dream to defend — and even die for...

Banner of Souls — (2004) Publisher: One of Spectra's most imaginative and talented authors now takes us on a phantasmagoric journey into a strange future fueled by haunt-tech: a technology which works by harnessing energy from of the realm of the dead. But who are the mysterious race known as the Kami who brought haunt-tech to earth? Saviors from another world, or something else entirely? And how does the child named Lunae who can manipulate time with a thought fit into the puzzle? It is up to the Martian warrior Dreams-of-War to answer these questions before life as she knows it comes to an end.

Banquet of the Lords of Night — (2004) Publisher: The stories featured in The Banquet of the Lords of Night have appeared in Asimov's, Interzone, Realms of Fantasy, and The Third Alternative, among others. The stories within the covers of The Banquet of the Lords of Night are varied in style and subject matter, but they are all powerfully written. From the breathtaking title story, "Banquet of the Lords of Night" about an Earth plunged into a world of darkness where light is against the law to the stunning "The Man from the Ministry" in which we learn the how far a mother will go where her family is concerned; Williams displays an astonishing breadth and variety of writing styles. Williams is equally at home writing galaxy-spanning science fiction like "Quantum Anthropology" as she is weaving a tale like "Adventures in the Ghost Trade" which incorporates demons, magic, the afterlife, and private detectives.