In a world that is in constant shifting, where mountains can change to plains and then to lakes, Talyn is the Hunter for the Caisah, and a wreck of a once-proud person. She has lost her people, the Vaerli, and her soul working for the man who destroyed her people. All unknowing, she carries within her a Kindred, a chaos creature from the center of the earth that wants to help bring the Vaerli back to power. However, she has lost the ability to communicate with it. Little does the Hunter know that salvation is looking for her, and it wears the face of gentleness and strength. Finn is a teller of tales who carries his own dreadful secret. He sets out to find answers to his path but ends up in the city of Perilous and Fair where he meets Talyn. He knows the danger and yet is drawn to her. Their fates are bound together. Meanwhile, the Hunter's lost brother Byre is searching for his own solution to the terrible curse placed on the Vaerli. He sets forth on a treacherous journey of his own, which will intersect in the most unlikely place with that of Talyn and Finn. The ramifications of this encounter will be felt by all the people in Conhaero, from the lost Vaerli to the Caisah on his throne. From the Trade Paperback edition.ReviewWeaving a tale of a world on the cusp of physical and social upheaval, Ballantine tells a story of mighty magics, pacts made and broken, betrayal, sacrifice and redemption. Hunter and Fox is a worthy feat of world-building, with Ballantine cleverly giving new clothes to old fantasy tropes... - The Miami Herald ...she has more to offer than the usual fantasy author. A very complex back story is partly revealed in this book...and the characters have more nuance than in most stories set in pre-industrial worlds with plenty of magic...it's possible Ballantine will continue to take her characters, and readers, in unexpected directions... -Mercury News I find Ms. Ballantine characters to be some of the most believable, memorable, driven characters in fiction today. She is a harsh mistress and one should never become too attached to any of her creations as I personally believe that none of her characters are sacrosanct. Hunter and Fox is no different in this regard. -View From Valhalla *...a fascinating new sword and sorcery fantasy using the metaphor of chaos to explore questions of human identity....Writing in a rich prose style, Philippa Ballantine has created some memorable characters who must explore who they are and decide what they can become. --Tulsa Book Review * Ballantine draws readers into a fascinating new world, peopled by characters you will genuinely care about. In this first volume of the Shifted World series, she draws from classic fantasy traditions but makes them wholly her own. This world is literally alive, mountains shifting up out of plains with little warning...Talyn is a heroine to cheer for and treasure. -RT Book Reviews About the AuthorNew Zealand author Philippa Ballantine, is a fantasy writer and podcaster. Her multiple series--Books of the Order, the Shifted World, and the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (co-written with her husband Tee Morris)--span many speculative fiction genres. Her works have won an Airship, a Parsec, and a Sir Julius Vogel Award. They have also appeared in the Locus Bestseller list, and been in the Goodreads Top Science Fiction books of 2011. She currently resides in Manassas, Virginia with her husband, her daughter, and a mighty clowder of cats. Visit her online at pjballantine.com or follow her on Twitter @PhilippaJane.

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