P. C. Hodgell’s latest high fantasy novel is the sequel to Seeker’s Mask, which in turn follows God Stalk and

Dark of the Moon (collected in the Meisha Merlin omnibus Dark of the Gods).

These are the chronicles of Jamethiel Priest’s-bane, otherwise known as Jame, as she struggles to find a place in a

universe full of danger, intrigue, and more than a bit of downright lunacy. The current novel’s title To Ride a Rathorn,

comes from the Kencyr phrase that refers to someone attempting something insane, but it is too dangerous for them

to stop. The reference is also to a certain young rathorn (think of an armor-plated, carnivorous unicorn with a nasty

temper) who is after Jame for killing his mother and about to catch up with her.

At Tentir, Jame faces cut-throat competition and finds even more buried, poisonous family secrets. Not only is

the Caineron heir sent to humiliate her, but a charming Ardeth Highborn arrives hell-bent on seducing her. Then

too, what is she to make of the mysterious White Lady who haunts her dreams, or of the growling monster that

prowls Tentir’s hallways and is said to eat young cadets for breakfast? For she is learning Tentir has secrets of its own,

and it is fighting for its soul. Under political pressure that threatens to compromise its independence, it looks to its

Commandant, an honorable man; but also a Caineron. As the college tests Jame, so she tests it. “Some things need to

be broken.”