TUESDAY, MAY 7, THROUGH MONDAY, MAY 13
EACH VOLUME OF THE TERMITE QUEEN WILL BE ONLY 99 CENTS
ON AMAZON KINDLE AND ON SMASHWORDS!
Purchase at these links:
I'm hoping that this special price will inspire some new readers to discover The Termite Queen and will give those who have read only v.1 an opportunity to get v.2 at a discount. Take advantage of this offer while you can, because I doubt it will come again soon!
And you can buy both volumes at once for the incredibly low price of $1.98! What else can you buy for $1.98 that will provide you with so many hours of stimulating reading?
Here is the description of v.2, which also covers v.1:
Volume Two
In The Termite Queen, v.1, the death of a specimen of intelligent giant termite impels a team of scientists to mount a new expedition to the alien planet where the specimen was captured. During the voyage out, the linguistic anthropologist Kaitrin Oliva and the expedition's chief, the entomologist Griffen Gwidian, fall in love and form a union, after which Prf. Gwidian begins to exhibit some troubling changes of mood and behavior. Meanwhile, on the alien planet, civil discord is brewing among the termites; Mo'gri'ta'tu, the Queen's Chamberlain, hatches a plot to murder the Holy Seer Kwi'ga'ga'tei, a plot foiled only by the sudden reappearance of the Flying Monster.
In Volume Two, the team arrives at the planet to a combative reception, but, aided by Kaitrin's insights into the termites' unique language, the "Star-Beings" and the Shshi are soon communicating and learning to know each other. The Shshi accept Kaitrin as a friend and even come to revere her as the Mother of her people. Meanwhile, Griffen's inexplicable insecurities escalate, while the dastardly Mo'gri'ta'tu continues to foment conspiracies. Ultimately, the two plotlines intersect in an explosive climax, after which the team must return to Earth and try to come to terms with what they have experienced.
Quotations from 5-star reviews:
v.1: "In the Termite Queen, author Lorinda Taylor takes the reader 1000 years into the future where planet Earth is radically changed by wars, pollution, revolutions, political upheavals, dark ages, and technology. Despite all, human society remains resilent and progressive. Humans remain human, with all their foibles and insecurities, striving for knowledge and understanding, having an abiding need for love. ... The inquisitive mind will find this an irresistible and intoxicating tale."
v.2: "Taylor gives just enough description of this far future world, its technology and history to set the stage; then lets her characters act out the story. It really is the story of people -- humans and off-worlders alike -- engaged in the whole gamut of sophont existence. From the highs of the quest for new knowledge to the depths of jealousy and hatred of what is not understood, Taylor gives us a well and rather tightly woven web of story. ... Altogether, I'd say that both volumes of Termite Queen constitute a good read and I highly recommend it."
In the 30th century, Earthers make first contact with an intelligent
lifeform called the Shshi, which evolved from termites. Following that contact,
the Champion of the Shshi, the Warrior Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, and the bard of the
fortress of Lo'ro'ra, Di'fa'kro'mi the Remembrancer, are moved to set off on a
quest to reach the sea, the existence of which was unknown to them until the
humans came. Joined by two Worker helpers, they head first for Ki'shto'ba's home
fortress of To'wak, where they find that the local Tyrant, who has long feared
Ki'shto'ba's power, is holding citizens of Lo'ro'ra prisoner. We learn of our
Champion's hatching (it has a twin) and of a Seer's revelations that Ki'shto'ba
was sired by the Sky-King and that it can be killed only under unusual
circumstances. Ki'shto'ba undertakes to ransom the prisoners by agreeing to
leave To'wak and perform twelve wonders before returning, thus freeing the
Tyrant from the fate of being killed by its more powerful sibling. The
Companions then set off again, joined by the twin A'zhu'lo and by a fifth
Companion, an outcast Worker named Za'dut, who is an outrageous trickster and
thief. Their journey takes them to the fortress of Thel'or'ei, which has been at
war with its neighbors for nine years over possession of a river ford.
Ki'shto'ba is duped into supporting Thel'or'ei, which in fact has committed an
unspeakable crime against the Shshi Way of Life. When Ki'shto'ba learns of this
crime, it renounces its oath and goes over to the other side. There, with the
help of Za'dut the trickster, plots are devised to steal Thel'or'ei's protective
talisman and to breach its impregnable walls. But with a crime so heinous and
with flawed local Champions who are either craven, cunning, or willful and
unpredictable, it is unlikely the outcome can be favorable ...
If you enjoy tales of high adventure and battles with strange monsters (with a
theme of sibling rivalry running through the mix), you will love The Storm-Wing!
At the end of v.1 (The War of the Stolen Mother), the Champion of the Shshi
(termite people) Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head and its Companions set out to cross the
dangerous Nu'wiv'mi Marsh on their way to visit a friend in the mountains. They
soon encounter and do battle with the Marsh Guardians -- huge sauro-avians that
attack from the air with beak, claw, showers of poisonous dung, and barbed
feathers. Ki'shto'ba lops off the leg of the King-Bird but fails to kill him,
with consequences that will prove ominous. The Quest is then diverted in a
southerly direction, where a fortress being terrorized by a water monster
requests Ki'shto'ba's aid. As a reward for slaying this creature, Ki'shto'ba is
granted the surname of Monster Slayer. Finally the Quest heads west, where the
Companions find themselves in the domain of the Marchers, a Shshi people ruled
by another great Champion. After an eventful sojourn among the Marchers, whose
Seer pronounces some disturbing prophecies regarding the Quest, the Companions
at last turn northward into Northern Nasute country. There they find that the
fortress of their friend Sa'ti'a'i'a is being invaded nightly by a monster that
resembles a primitive Shi. Ki'shto'ba kills this formidable enemy, only to find
it must also eliminate the monster's mother, who lives in caves under a lake and
is even more fearsome ...