Damselblossom

Winterlands

by Barbara Hambly

A novelette of 12,000 words, sequel to Hambly's Winterlands (Dragonsbane) series. When a visiting wizard calls at Alyn Hold with the news that the region is about to be attacked by a horrible monster, John Aversin, Dragonsbane and Thane of the Winterlands, and his wizardly partner Jenny Waynest, are much less upset than the Silver Mage thinks they should be. The Silver Mage demands that the whole countryside turn out to kill the Kraken once and for all; John points out that it would involve fewer casualties if everyone simply moved out of its way for the three days (out of 150 years) during which it comes ashore, easily determined by the behavior of the matriarch pig Damselblossom. When the Silver Mage insists upon a showdown, John begins to suspect his motives.

Genres: Fantasy

36 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2015

About the author

aka Barbara Hamilton

Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.


"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly

Reviews

[William Leight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unable to get publishers to pay for her to write new books in the (excellent) fantasy series she wrote in the '80 and '90s, Hambly has instead done her best to keep the fans of those series happy by writing short stories set in the universes she created. If they don't create new narrative arcs, they at least give us the chance to visit with favorite characters, and that describes "Damselblossom" to a T. Set in the Winterlands, the title character of this story is a pig, which probably tells those who've read the Winterlands books enough to guess that the book is about the horse sense of John and Jenny winning the day, and so it proves. There's not really anything new here, or even something that might point to something new, the way that "And Pretty Maids All in a Row" suggested that Antryg still had some issues stemming from his relationship with Suraklin to be worked out, but it's nice to see John and Jenny again. Winterlands fans will enjoy it: everybody else should go read "Dragonsbane" right now.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh gosh, I've missed John and Jen and all the assorted others here! Cool story!

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

in making my way through the long list of novellas which Ms. Hambly has published for Kindle, I've found that they are very enjoyable in general, but this one is among the best.

You have to have read the existing published novels (in this case the Winterlands books) to have any idea what's going on in the background of the world and the characters.

Damselblossom, named after one of the more perceptive characters, features a set of villagers who look like they could be featured on today's news, if they had pickup trucks, rifles, and cowboy hats rather than ponies, hoes, and lice-infested cloaks (I'm extrapolating). They are wryly described and believably infuriating. It also features some particularly gorgeous description of a sea-monster that turns out to be more mysterious than expected. Aversin and Jenny appear as their usual engaging selves. Highly recommended.

[Erin (PT) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find I don't really know what to say about this story. I liked it, I enjoyed it, but I don't think it's Hambly's best and I don't think it's super memorable. But it was fun. Worth the time and money.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novelette (12,000 words) For fans (like me!) of Hambly's Dragonsbane/Winterlands books starring Lord Aversin and Jenny Waynet. Pleased to discover this story. I was tickled by the idea of pig magic.