Synopses & Reviews
"The magic held me in its grip from the very first page. What a mysterious, sexy, and startling world Steiber has created. This book passed my ultimate test--
I didn't want it to end!"--R.L. Stine
"Gods, shapeshifting tricksters and mortal lovers form the intersecting facets of Ellen Steiber's A Rumor of Gems in a contemporary setting at once strange and familiar. Fans of urban fantasy -- and gem lovers everywhere--will enjoy it!"--Jacqueline Carey
"Steiber's prose is as multi-faceted, dazzling, and flawless as any gem."--Holly Black
"City and mountains, shapeshifters and fashion designers, the god of Love and the god of Thieves, intrigue and supernatural danger, A Rumor of Gems has them all--plus characters you really want to spend time with. A sophisticated and sensual treat."--Delia Sherman
"A compelling and original novel full of subtle and sometimes erotic magic. Alasdair and Lucinda are the real gems here, and the city of Arcato itself places Ellen Steiber in the company of authors such as M. John Harrison, whose richly imagined cities prove endlessly intriguing."--Gregory Frost
"Steiber's knowledge of gemstone lore makes for a rich and unusual fantasy background. I hope to see more of the city of Arcato!"-- Emma Bull
"The city of Arcato holds masks and shape-shifters, tricksters and true love, gods and dragons, and a glittering hoard of amethysts and topaz, rubies and moonstones. Steiber weaves her spell with all this and more, to create a beautiful, dazzling, magical novel."--Lisa Goldstein
Review
"Fans of urban fantasy--and gem lovers everywhere--will enjoy it!" Jacqueline Carey
Review
"Shapeshifters and fashion designers, the gods of Love and of Thieves, intrigue and danger, A Rumor of Gems has them all." Delia Sherman
Review
"Steiber's knowledge of gemstone lore makes for a rich and unusual fantasy background. I hope to see more of the city of Arcato!" Emma Bull
Review
"A fresh premise...a cast of unusual characters, and a rich "real world" setting that makes the tale credible and compelling." Library Journal
Review
"What a mysterious, sexy, and startling world. This book passed my ultimate test-- I didn't want it to end!" R.L. Stine
Review
"Steiber's prose is as multi-faceted, dazzling, and flawless as any gem." Holly Black
Synopsis
Enter the port city of Arcato: an old and magical town set somewhere in our modern world, a town where gemstones have begun to mysteriously appear . . . gemstones whose mystical powers aren't mere myth or legend but frighteningly real, casting their spells for good and ill. And the gemstones aren't all that's awry: gods and tricksters have also been loosed, sewing chaos in the streets of Arcato.
Caught in this maelstrom of magic and chance are four people whose lives become inextricably intertwined: Lucinda de Francesco, an embittered young woman who has no interest in falling under the influence of gods, gems, or any man; Alasdair, a shaman of sorts who can read and invoke the power of the stones; Sebastian Keane, an antiques dealer who pursues Lucinda with charm and persistence and other mysterious means; and Micheal Fortunato, an 11-year-old boy who--under the influence of gods and gems--may have become a killer.
A Rumor of Gems is a suspenseful, sexy story about the myths that linger in the shadows of our world. If you've ever been seduced by the beauty and power of gemstones, come find the magic at their heart.
Synopsis
The lives of four people become intertwined in the magical city of Arcato, an old port town somewhere in our modern world, a town where gemstones have begun to mysterious appear.
About the Author
Ellen Steiber is a consulting editor for the New York publishing industry and is also the author of many fine works of mythic fiction for children and adults.
Her stories make use of classic folk and fairy tale themes to explore distinctly modern concerns. Works in this vein include "The Fox Wife," based on Japanese myths (Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears); "In the Season of the Rains," based on Lilith myths (Sirens); "In the Night Country," based on a Grimm's fairy tale (The Armless Maiden), "The Cats of San Martino" based on an Italian fairy tale (Black Heart, Ivory Bones), "Argentine," based on Mexican Day of the Dead legends (The Essential Bordertown); and "The Shape of Things to Come," based on a Guatemalan folktale (The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, Vol. 14), and "Screaming for Faeries" (The Faery Reel). She is curently working on the sequel to A Rumor of Gems.
Ellen is also an accomplished writer of children's and Young Adult fiction, with numerous books to her credit, such as Shadow of the Fox, based on Japanese folklore, and The Raven Queen (in collaboration with Terri Windling), based on English faery lore. In addition, Ellen has written many popular series books over the years. She was a ghostwriter for a classic girls' mystery series (we're not allowed to tell you what it was due to the publisher's insistence on confidentiality), and she has written several X-Files novels for kids, based on the television program.
Raised in Newark and West Orange, New Jersey, Ellen attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; then moved to New York City where she worked in the publishing industry. As an editor of young-adult and middle-grade fantasy, she developed series by Bruce Coville, Sherwood Smith, Liz Rees, Suzanne Weyn, and Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald. More recently she edited the illustrated novel, The Katurran Odyssey, by Terryl Whitlatch and David Michael Wieger. In 1991 she fulfilled a long-standing dream and moved to the American Southwest. She now lives in Tucson, Arizona, where her interests include mythology and folklore, Anusara yoga, and ongoing research into the lore of gems and stones. For more information on A Rumor of Gems, please visit her website or her blog: Gemstone Cowgirl.