Savage barbarians enslave Aleytys, the wearer of the Diadem, as she sails the stars in her quest to find her truth and her history in this science fiction adventure. The second book in author Jo Clayton’s phenomenal Diadem science fiction space opera series continues the adventures of Aleytys, blessed and cursed by an alien power that has both marked and altered her, as she crosses the galaxy on an epic fantasy quest that rivals anything imagined by Andre Norton or C. J. Cherryh. When she donned the Diadem, Aleytys was changed forever. An artifact of tremendous power, it has given her psychic abilities beyond her comprehension or complete control, while making her a target of the distant, dangerous alien race that created it. However, survival for herself and her infant son is Aleytys’s first priority as she searches for a home and a history. Her quest has brought her to the barbarous planet Lamarchos, where she intends to aid her companions—the thief Miks Stavver, the native Kale, and the psychotic criminal mastermind Maissa—in the theft of a valuable cache of powerful poaku stones. Moving across the perilous alien landscape in the guise of a mystical healer, Aleytys cannot help but attract the attention of the local gods, who expect her to do their bidding. But neither godly intervention nor the Diadem’s awesome power can prevent the treacherous betrayal that will leave Aleytys stranded on this wild and dangerous planet—or save her from capture by the terrible zombie-like horde bringing chaos and horror to their world. Ingeniously melding science fiction space opera with fantastic invention, alien worlds and technologies with epic quest adventure, Clayton has created a unique universe of wonders and terrors. With her extraordinary Diadem Saga, she joins such acclaimed masters as Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, and Marion Zimmer Bradley in the pantheon of speculative fiction’s most revered science fantasists.

A young outcast gains remarkable psi-powers from a mysterious crown in this magnificent blend of space opera and epic fantasy quest. Jo Clayton opens wide the portals into an awe-inspiring galaxy of marvels and terrors with her Diadem Saga—an impressive combination of science fiction world-building and quest fantasy storytelling that rivals the classic works of Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffrey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton, and C. J. Cherryh—and introduces a “positive, aggressive, and interesting” heroine, the nomad Aleytys (Popular Culture). Within the breathtaking scope of her unique universe, “Clayton has the gift of creating believable aliens and alien worlds, and a lively, vivid, often lyrical style” (Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review). Diadem from the Stars: Abandoned by her space-traveling mother and forced to flee her superstitious primitive tribe, Aleytys discovers an alien crown of unimaginable power. Once the diadem’s great energy is transferred to her, it becomes an integral part of who she is and will be. But the diadem is stolen property, taken from a vengeful arachnid race—and Aleytys just became the most wanted woman in a dangerous universe. Lamarchos: On the barbarous planet Lamarchos, Aleytys is determined to do what it takes to survive and protect her infant son, even stealing a cache of powerful poaku stones. But despite the awesome power of the diadem, Aleytys falls victim to a treacherous betrayal and is pursued by a horde of zombie-like aliens. Irsud: Drugged and sold into slavery by the villain who stole her infant son, Aleytys must now serve as the hive queen of an alien insect/humanoid race on the planet Irsud, acting as a host body for the queen’s consciousness in a surgically implanted egg. With an enemy literally inside her, Aleytys must tap the power of the diadem to survive the ordeal and rescue her son.

Blending epic fantasy with space opera, Jo Clayton continues her classic Diadem series, the thrilling saga of resourceful nomad Aleytys. A true master of swords and sorcery adventure in outer space, author Jo Clayton rockets science fantasy into new heights of ingenious invention in the third installment of her sensational Diadem Saga. The torments that courageous young Aleytys has endured throughout her lifetime have only intensified since she first donned the alien Diadem, which permanently connected with her central nervous system to grant her astonishing psi abilities. But never before has she faced a greater—or graver—trial. Drugged and sold into slavery by the evil Maissa—the twisted villain who stole her infant son, Sharl—Aleytys must now serve the hive queen of an alien insect/humanoid race on the planet Irsud. She has been purchased to act as host body for the queen’s consciousness, which she is to carry in a surgically implanted egg. Facing a truly horrifying fate, Aleytys must submit to the nightmare now growing inside of her as, little by little, it attempts to take control of her body before devouring it completely. But Aleytys is determined to survive the ordeal by any means necessary, for a force even greater than the Diadem compels her: a mother’s undying love and need for vengeance. Irsud is a masterful feat of uniquely imaginative storytelling and world-building à la Andre Norton and C. J. Cherryh that seamlessly weaves fantasy and science fiction together, creating a breathtaking tapestry of alien worlds, beings, and cultures that is guaranteed to enthrall fans of both genres.

Abandoned on an alien planet, a young woman gains remarkable powers from a mysterious artifact, in the first installment of a sprawling, unforgettable science fiction saga. A magnificent combination of space opera and epic fantasy quest in the beloved science fantasy tradition of Andre Norton and C. J. Cherryh, author Jo Clayton’s masterful Diadem Saga begins with an unforgettable tale of destiny, self-discovery, survival, and an extraordinary young woman’s coming of age in a world that is not her own. Raised, but never loved, by the barbarian valley people of Jaydugar, a planet of two suns, young Aleytys has always known she did not belong. Abandoned by her space-traveling mother and barely tolerated by a superstitious primitive tribe fearful of divine reprisals, Aleytys is forced to flee for her life following the catastrophic appearance of a fireball in the sky. Guided by her absent mother’s journals, the young outcast must now journey alone across an unfamiliar world of perils in search of an escape from this planet that holds no hope for her future. But her pursuit of a spacecraft and the parent who inexplicably left her behind leads young Aleytys instead to the miraculous device that will determine her destiny. An object of unimaginable power—a magical technology stolen from a vengeful alien arachnid race determined to recover it at any cost—the Diadem instantly becomes an integral part of who and what Aleytys is and will be. Once its great energy is transferred to her she will never be free of it, and mastering the Diadem’s wonders is Aleytys’s only hope for survival now that she has become the most wanted woman in a dangerous universe. In an astonishing feat of science fiction world-building and quest fantasy storytelling that rivals the classic works of Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffrey, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, Clayton opens wide the portals into a magnificent galaxy of marvels and terrors with Diadem from the Stars, ushering speculative fiction fans into an unforgettable universe and series.

Set in the near future and inspired by the captivating myth of the warrior queen Califia, this brilliantly inventive novel tells the story of a small, peaceful community of women tucked away in a world gone mad. Only the elders of the Valley remember life the way it used to be…when people traveled in automobiles and bought food others had grown. When the male-to-female ratio was nearly the same. Before the bombs fell, and a deadly virus claimed the world’s men. Now civilization’s few surviving males are guarded by women warriors like Dian. When an unexpected convoy of strangers rides into her village, it is Dian who meets them, ready to do battle. To her surprise, the visitors come in peace and bear a priceless gift, whose arrival is greeted with as much suspicion as delight. It is up to Dian to discover their motive, in a journey that will cost her far more than she ever imagined, a journey from which she may never return.