Quatrain

//Quatrain// is an anthology featuring new and original short stories featuring Sharon Shinn's best-loved worlds, and once again reveals why Shinn is one of the best sf/f writers on the market. The anthology opens with //Flight//, which takes place in the world of the beautiful and fascinating angels. In it, Salome's worst fears come true when the angels she avoided for over a decade appear unexpectedly as guests in the home in which she works. Their appearance creates a grave conflict between Salome and her rebellious teenaged niece, and opens wounds Salome thought healed years ago. Next is //Blood//, which an indigo/gulden novel, which centers around gulden man Kerk, who hopes to find his mother, who escaped his abusive father years before. More social than any other story in the anthology, if not Shinn's entire booklist, the plight of abused women and children is the heart of this section, and Kerk's decision to use the best of his heritage is harrowing. //Gold// is third, and follows the spoiled but charming daughter of the characters from //Summers at Castle Auburn//, who is taken to a seductive land for safety during a civil war, and nearly loses the man she loves. Lastly is //Flame//, which is set in the Twelve Houses series. While culling a bit from the Salem Witch Trials, Shinn once again expresses social issues in a fantasy setting without dogma or judgment, and ends with a wonderful romance. //Quatrain// is perfect for those wanting more from Shinn's wonderful worlds. Reviewed by Angela Tate

QUATRAIN provides four novellas under one cover all set in her Twelve Houses world. She tells of Salome, who has been chosen as the lover of an angel and who has spent years atoning for her mistakes. Add a man's search for his long-lost mother, a princess sent to a kingdom for safekeeping, and a mystic's curse of loneliness and power and you have four distinct powerhouse reads perfect for any science fiction collection.

I like how the first story begins with "Finally the rain stopped", the second story begins with, "Finally the train stopped", the third story begins with "Finally Orlain stopped", the fourth story begins with, "Finally the pain stopped", and they all end with the word "home." Oh, and the stories are great, too.

As a Sharon Shinn fan, I have read all of her books. This book was a collection of four novellas set in backgrounds from Shinn's previous books. For me is was a delightful nostalgia trip, reminding me of why I lover her books so much. The four novellas: Flight: set in the world of Samaria before the events of Archangel (Samaria, Book 1) Blood: set in the world of Gulden's and Indigo's after the events of Heart of Gold Gold: set in the world of Summers at Castle Auburn tells the story of Corie's daughter Flame: set in the world of Gillengaria before the events of Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1) This is a lovely sample of Ms. Shinn's works. I hope that someday we get a full length novel either back in Samaria or in the Castle Auburn setting.

Sharon Shinn has written four delightful stories set in her own wonderful worlds. They give us a chance to go back to the settings of our favorite books. From Castle Autumn we get to visit Alora, and finally learn why it is so wonderful to those who are lucky enough to find it. We also visit Gillengaria where we have a visit with Senneth. The Twelve Houses are a delight and I enjoyed another chance to visit. We have a story of the Gulden, the Indigo and the Albino. A gulden boy searches for his mother. One of the women who escaped the marriage that held her to an abuser. The archangels have not changed and we have a short story of Raphel's excesses being exposed. The story is short and sweet, of love lost and found. Four stories and four wonderful adventures in our favorite worlds. Very good, I read it at one sitting, and was sorry when it ended.