
Part of Series
Black Dogs: The House of Diamond is the first of two volumes chronicling the adventures of young Lyra, sole survivor of the massacre of her family's estate. Along with a wandering dog-soldier, she is swept up on a mission for the elven nation of Anu'tintavel in its war against a powerful sorcerer. With the help of a pair of female elves, a scout and a warrior, the frightened, bookish girl discovers new talents and confidence that make her a key player in the elves' conflict. With wry wit and offbeat humor, Black Dogs builds a fully imagined world (both physical and metaphysical) that deftly sidesteps fantasy clichés. It is sure to appeal to longtime fantasy devotees as well as readers looking for a strong female adventure story.
Author

Ursula Vernon, aka T. Kingfisher, is an author and illustrator. She has written over fifteen books for children, at least a dozen novels for adults, an epic webcomic called “Digger” and various short stories and other odds and ends. Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, studied anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state. Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where she works full-time as an artist and creator of oddities. She lives with her husband and his chickens. Her work has been nominated for the Eisner, World Fantasy, and longlisted for the British Science Fiction Awards. It has garnered a number of Webcomics Choice Awards, the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, the Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Literature, the Nebula for Best Short Story, the Sequoyah Award, and many others.