Firethorn

Firethorn remembers little of her past; her parents a vague and teasing memory, but service in the Dame's household provides a more tolerable existence than that of most drudges. Beaten rarely and fed well, Firethorn is even permitted to learn herb lore, under the Dame's watchful eye. But her comfortable world is turned upside down when her old mistress dies, and the Dame's nephew arrives to claim his inheritance.

Her unusual looks and her god-favoured copper tresses soon attract dangerous attention from her new master and she is forced to run away into the Kingswood. After a year of solitude – relying on her knowledge of plants to survive – she emerges, indebted to the god who saved her life, and blessed, or cursed, with uncanny abilities.

On Upside-Down Day, when the lord of the manor drags the plough and his wife dresses as a peasant and waters the ground, everyone goes masked and couples with whom they will. On that day, Firethorn is chosen by a great knight. Such liaisons mean nothing, other than to swell the working population with some good noble blood the next year; but Sire Galan, bewitched by Firethorn, will not give her up, despite class boundaries, snobbery and threats from his powerful relatives. And so begins Firethorn's career as Galan's camp-follower or 'sheath' as the army marches to war – an insecure, despised, dangerous situation for any woman, especially one who has made many enemies…

"A fully realized world, full of grit and beauty, hungers of every kind, and gods who are either remote or meddlesome. She takes the time to let relationships develop and events unfold, giving us the sense of having lived and loved our way through Firethorn's world. Micklem makes a worthy bid to be ranked with Robin Hobb, Mary Renault, and George R. R. Martin as a brilliant creator of realistic, character-centered fantasy. My only complaint is that the second book isn't out yet." - Orson Scott Card

"This is a stark and splendid novel. But the most astonishing thing about it is the suppleness of the style - almost no one writes a first novel this graceful. I look forward to whatever she does next." - Robin McKinley