Palmatier, Joshua

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Palmatier, Joshua

PERSONAL:

Born in Coudersport, PA. Education: Pennsylvania State University, B.S., M.A.; Binghamton University, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

CAREER:

Writer, novelist, and educator. Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven, instructor in mathematics. Former mathematics instructor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomberg.

WRITINGS:

The Skewed Throne, DAW Books (New York, NY), 2006.

The Cracked Throne, DAW Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Novelist Joshua Palmatier is a university instructor in mathematics and the author of two well-received fantasy novels, The Skewed Throne and The Cracked Throne. In The Skewed Throne, Varis is a teenage girl, orphaned at age six, who has survived the ravages of an unearthly fire that swept through her home city of Amenkor. This peculiar White Fire destroyed much of the life she knew, and now Varis ekes out a precarious and dangerous existence in the Dredge, the market area near the slums of Amenkor. The White Fire has left her with a peculiar gift, however: the ability to see innocence and guilt in people, with innocence colored a muted gray and guilt a bright red. To survive, Varis learns to kill and steal, which brings her into conflict with royal guardsman Erick. Eventually, her cunning and intelligence elevate her from life in the Dredge, as she becomes a bodyguard for a rich merchant. Even as she attempts to climb out of the miserable existence she has known, however, Varis finds herself drawn back to Amenkor and an unknown destiny in the city's skewed throne. Palmatier "succeeds admirably in passionate, if simplistic, prose to sketch a heartfelt portrait of Varis" in a book that stands as a "solid, earnest effort," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

In The Cracked Throne, Varis has risen to the powerful position of Mistress of Amenkor, where she occupies the Skewed Throne. As ruler of Amenkor, she has access to the stored memories and intelligence of all previous heads of the troubled city. Varis has made an ally of Eryn, the city's previous mistress, even though the woman might well be insane. With the help of Eryn and a few loyal guards, Varis faces the possibility of a devastating food shortage as winter approaches. To solve the crisis, she must determine what or who has been attacking the merchant ships bringing much-needed supplies to the city. The story "grips the reader with a swift-moving tale of political intrigue and economic survival," noted a Publishers Weekly contributor.