When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of civil war. There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin, a secretive order of storytellers and mystics, the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic. File Under: Fantasy [ A Rough Start | Trial of Queens | First Kill | Infinite Worlds ]

About the Author
Foz Meadows is a genderqueer author, blogger, essayist, reviewer and poet. In 2014, she was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer for her blog, Shattersnipe; she is also a contributing writer for The Huffington Post and Black Gate, and a contributing reviewer for A Dribble of Ink, Strange Horizons and Tor.com.

Reviews

"This is the portal fantasy I've spent my whole life waiting for."
-Liz Bourke for Tor.com

"So this was basically all the things I'd enjoyed about portal fantasies as a younger reader, with the dubious gifts the suck fairy might have bestowed either questioned or removed."
-Ann Leckie

"I very much enjoyed this. The main character falls out of our world into a life-changing adventure, with compelling characters and a fascinating world. I can't wait to read the next book."
-Martha Wells, author of The Books of Raksura and The Murderbot Diaries

"An Accident of Stars' interwoven, beautifully rendered cultures are filled with rich details, complex family bonds of all kinds, and deeply layered politics. To enter Kena and the surrounding lands is to be irrevocably and powerfully changed. Foz Meadows has created an epic adventure unlike any I've read before."
-Fran Wilde, Nebula- and Norton-nominated author of Updraft and Cloudbound

"A portal fantasy for grownups, with grit and realism, and characters I loved from the first page."
-Trudi Canavan, author of the Black Magician trilogy

"Fantasy readers who appreciate strong characters and excellent worldbuilding will immerse themselves in this tale."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

"It's quite lovely... The main strength of this is its cast, which walks off the page - there's characters of all ages, all walks of life and all sexual orientations-and its gut punch ending."
-Aliette de Bodard, , Nebula Award-winning author of The House of Shattered Wings

"Reminiscent of Ursula K LeGuin, An Accident of Stars will take you to a lush, magical new world."
-Laura Lam, bestselling author

"An Accident of Stars is anchored in dozens of complex women, driven by the rooted, deep relationships they have with each other. It's a wonderful, rich, feminist book, and I loved it."
-B R Sanders, author of Ariah

"This fabulous story bowled me over with a compelling blend of intimacy, danger, twisty politics, believably imperfect characters, and a fascinatingly complex universe."
-Kate Elliott, author of Black Wolves and Cold Magic

"Richly imaginative world building with delightfully complex and diverse characters; a joy to read!"
-Ann Lemay, videogame writer

"The sophistication, thematic ambition and range of viewpoint characters make this a mature work of fantasy."
-BFSA

Book Information
ISBN 9780857669957
Author Foz Meadows
Format Paperback
Page Count 456
Imprint Angry Robot
Publisher Watkins Media Limited