The Serpent

It is the first of a series following the travels of a naive girl-child goddess set in a harsh land. In the ancient forgotten world of prehistory, a girl is born. For the last seventeen years the Dictatress, her mother, has kept her imprisoned in an isolated tower. When she is released, it is with one condition: she must seduce the snake-scaled Zerd, the general of an evil occupying army, and stab him to death.Why it's on the listThis fantastic story of love, jealousy, and sudden death is unlike anything you have ever read. It grips the imagination from start to finish. Cija, our resilient protagonist, is a purely original character who defies classification. She is not alone in this book, as we come across other memorable figures who are not easily understood. The story itself is sometimes comic and tragic, but also a rousing adventure. There is lust, love, suffering, and cruelty. Gaskell is an extremely skilled writer, and even when she works in stereotypes she manages to make it interesting. The Serpent remains one of the best fantasy/romance genre books ever written. It is creative, imaginative, and packs a punch.Read if you likeFantasy by, for and about an unusual woman.