Jo Walton is a bit of a new thing. Her first novel was published in the fall of 2000, and the third part of it is due out in October of 2001. Yes, you heard me right-- the first two parts are published in one book, the third part comes out in a separate volume. It is no more a sequel, however, than Fall of Hyperion is a sequel to Hyperion. Both are examples of one book that just gets two covers out of convenience.

The titles you need to know are The King's Peace, which is already out, and The King's Name, which is Urdo. Er, forthcoming.

If you like the Arthurian legend, then you must read this book. If you like strong female characters, you also must read this book. I have never been utterly fascinated by the Round Table and so forth, and I have read too many things where people have hoped that putting a sword in a female's hand will make her a Strong Female Character and no other effort needs to be made (besides the fact that I just don't care about the gender of characters so long as they're interesting and well written), and yet I really enjoyed this book, too. So there are many other reasons to read it, too. You'll find it shelved in fantasy, but I never really noticed the fantasy in it as much as the history. Walton has a very calm approach to the fantastic in this book, and is very matter-of-fact about it, giving the book a feel that is nothing like other books you might think to compare it to. And anyway, chances are this one is better.

On the other hand, you can satisfy your curiosity about Jo Walton online, as well. She has her own website, which links to several bits of her writing that are online. My absolute favourite, however, has to be her Fairy Story. It is probably the most perfect fairy story I've ever read, and it's a shame there aren't more like it, says me.

Mail me. Go home.