Fire Sanctuary [Mass Market Paperback]

Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1986

Rising like a phoenix from the embers of an abandoned scientific expedition, the people of Nuala are the definition of survivors. They have fought back against the deadly radiation levels of their beautiful, dangerous world. Nualans have battled frightening mutations, genetic shift, and the highest rate of infertility in the Axis Republic. Their reward is a society based on tolerance, compassion, and cultural diversity, descendants who can sense a lie (and a few who can heal by touch) -- and a bonanza of the rarest platinum group metal in the known galaxy.

Balanced on the border between the Axis Republic and the Fewha Empire, ruled by a constitutional monarchy, the small Nualan system counters its low birth rate by sending out its children to search for mates to expand the planetary gene pool. Some Axis citizens choose Nuala. One, a decorated soldier named Moran, is about to marry a Nualan princess.

But heirs to power and wealth have enemies, both homegrown and interstellar. There are those who would kill to keep an Axis warrior from marrying a Nualan . . . and those who think it's the perfect smoke screen to keep anyone from noticing where the border is about to shift.

Nuala means survival. Survival against all odds, all enemies, all fortune.

They're going to have to prove it.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In the beginning Katharine Eliska Kimbriel was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New SF/Fantasy Writer.  Katharine's work has long straddled the line: "too literary to be commercial, too commercial to be literary" - she has a list of itinerant occupations to prove it.

Published novels include the historical dark fantasies NIGHT CALLS and KINDRED RITES.  On the science fiction side you will find FIRE SANCTUARY, FIRES OF NUALA, and HIDDEN FIRES, stand-alone tales which take place on the same planet.

Katharine is managed by a Burmese cat and a handful of gargoyles. Her occasional hobbies have included ballroom dancing, brewing beer, antique roses and macrobiotic cooking.

Go to her web site for the most recent info; she posts at her Live Journal blog (Alfreda89) which runs downhill to Facebook, My Space and other points east.  She is a member of Book View Cafe, and books and info may also be found there.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Popular Library Questar; 1st edition (October 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0445202750
• ISBN-13: 978-0445202757
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,246,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my favorite books!, April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Sanctuary (Mass Market Paperback)

I have loved this book for a long time and I'm sorry to see that it is out of print. I actually stole (borrowed) my mother's copy so that I could read it for the umpteenth time. The characters are stong and compelling, the plot is deep and twisting, and the setting - oh wow! I was not surprised to find out that the author has an art degree! The world of Nuala is painted with words as rich as any pigments imaginable. From the moment we meet the outworlders journeying to Nuala for a "holiday" we are swept up in intrigue, mystery, romance, and danger. The entire book is rich in culture, religion and politics that are not of our world, and yet are familiar because they are so totally human. If you are a fan of sci-fi/fantasy and are looking for something that will suck you in, this is it. Offworld soldiers Moran and Lyte are visiting Nuala for a festival and so that Moran can see his betrothed, Ronuviel, a member of the ruling house of Atare. But the offworld federation has warned Lyte of possible danger, there is a plot afoot to topple the house of Atare, and the second in line for the throne is insane. When the front lines of the war with the Fewha shift, political survival takes a back seat to the saving of lives, and Nuala is changed forever. I highly recommend this book (as if that weren't clear already!) so start looking in those used bookstores!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can i have some more please?, December 22, 2004

By 

S. Bonewald (Austin Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire Sanctuary (Mass Market Paperback)

I greatly enjoyed this series not just this book. Her depth and understanding of human nature and social politics really shines through. I had to read one right after the other... I devoured the series and felt bad when I realized there was no more to eat!

She may not like the comparison but these to me this series is a strange and beautiful blending in my head of Dune and Andre Norton.

Now we just need to see more work from her again!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! I've reread it several times, and loved it!, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Sanctuary (Mass Market Paperback)

I've reread this book many times, and always find something new. Katherine has developed a new culture and world, one I love visiting in her books. Her story is thought provoking. I found this story open minded, intricate, and with wonderful characters. Thanks for sharing your story with me, Katherine!