To begin the Pride Month Extravaganza on Tor.com at Queering SFF, I’d like to talk about a forthcoming book that perfectly balances the old with the new—sort of what we’re going for, this month!—and that’s Point of Knives, a novella of Astreiant, by Melissa Scott. Point of Knives is the first new story set in the fantastical world of Astreiant since more than a decade ago, and is the first penned solely by Scott after the passing of partner Lisa A. Barnett in 2006.
Fans of queer speculative fiction are likely familiar with the novels between which Point of Knives takes place: Point of Hopes (1995; discussed by Jo Walton here) and Point of Dreams (2001), both originally published by Tor and returning to print from Lethe Press. Lethe has brought the out-of-print classic back to life with a lovely new edition of Point of Hopes, followed by this novella (to be released in July) and a new edition of Point of Dreams in the fall.
In Point of Knives, there’s a mystery to solve—but underneath and around that mystery is the growing, complicated relationship between Nicolas Rathe and Philip Eslingen that began in Point of Hopes and had already flourished by the opening of Point of Dreams. This novella fleshes out the interval, offering readers insight into the inner workings of both Astreiant and the novels’ protagonists.
[A review.]