Dystopian.
Biology shapes reality…
One woman’s mythic search for self-realization in a distant tomorrow…
Her sensuality was at the core of her world, her quest beyond the civilized stars.
Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler.
High Couch of Silistra
The Silistra Quartet Book 1
By Janet Morris
Genre: Epic Dystopian SciFi Fantasy
“Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure.” – Charles N. Brown, Locus Magazine
“The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in tomorrow’s universe” – Frederik Pohl
I was high-couch in the greatest house of pleasure in the civilized stars.
“We are all bound,” is the great truth of Silistra: Bound by biological necessity and genetics, the men and women of Silistra struggle to sort Nature from Nurture – where Nature always wins. Welcome to Silistra, a glimpse of a far distant future wherein a civilization proclaims the greatest feat an individual can perform is to produce one child, yet distrusts the sciences that brought them to verge of extinction.
Here women and men coexist uneasily in a society ravaged by war, technology, and infertility, each vying for power, each seeking dominion over one another. Be warned, if your tastes run to simplistic plots, throbbing organs, swooning damsels or kick-boxing women in men’s armor, Silistra may be too challenging. Feminists, misogynists, misanthropes, or fans of political diatribe, this is not the book for you.
High Couch of Silistra, first of the notorious Silistra Quartet, brings us to a realm where thought alters probability, where creativity is inextricably linked to the urge to own and dominate, and where the universe itself is amenable to a focused mind.
Rooted deeply in humanity’s mythic past yet unaware of the planet Earth, High Couch of Silistra begins one woman’s mythic quest for self-knowledge – with surprising results.
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I am Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, former Well-Keepress of Astria on the planet Silistra. I have begun three times to tell this story, and three times I have been interrupted. This, then, the fourth attempt, will surely prove successful.
Perhaps you have heard of Silistra, the planet that was catalyst to the sexual revolution in the year twenty-two thousand, seven hundred and four Bipedal Federate Standard Time, or of the Silistran serums that lengthen life and restore vitality in virtually any bipedal life form, or perhaps you have at some time contracted the services of a Silistran telepath, or a precognitive, or a deep reader. It is possible that you have in your own home the scintillating, indestructible web-cloth woven by our domestic arachnids, or have seen holograms of our golachits, those intelligent builder-beetles who exude from their mouths a translucent, superhard substance called gol and create from this gol, under the guidance of the chit-guards, the formidable and resplendent structures in which we live and work.
And perhaps you have seen no web-cloth, no gol, never been ill, and are not interested in sex. If so, you may never have heard of Silistra.
I carry Silistra in my mind’s eye, here under this alien sun. In my mind alone can I look out the east window of my beloved exercise hall in Well Astria and see the sun’s rising burst upon the jewel-like towers and keeps of the Inner Well and a thousand rainbows arc and dance in the greening sky.
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created, orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet in the 1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies in Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this landmark series. The third edition is the Author’s Cut edition, newly revised by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.
Janet said: ‘People often ask what book to read first. I recommend “I, the Sun” if you like ancient history; “The Sacred Band,” a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; “Lawyers in Hell” if you like historical fantasy set in hell; “Outpassage” if you like hard science fiction; “High Couch of Silistra” if you like far-future dystopian or philosophical novels. I am most enthusiastic about the definitive Perseid Press Author’s Cut editions, which I revised and expanded.’
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What is something unique/quirky about you?
I breed Morgan horses. I consult with Morgan breeders to help them choose breeding combinations to achieve a desired result.
I am also a song writer; I play bass guitar with my husband Chris who sings and plays guitar. We have an album on MCA records. Look for Christopher Crosby Morris on Soundcloud or N1M.com
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I wrote my first novel, High Couch of Silistra in 1975; a friend sent it to an agent who chose to represent me; I had already written the second book in the Silistra Quartet and my agent told me not to disclose that until they finalized the contract for the first one. When the publisher learned of the others, Bantam Books bought the succeeding three. When the fourth book was published, the series already had four million copies in print. Suddenly I was a novelist specializing in environmental, gender, historical and political subjects. In the process, Chris became my editor and ultimately a co-writer. Since then, we have co-authored many books.
Who is your hero and why?
Heraclitus of Ephesus, a pre-socratic philosopher, whose Cosmic Fragments foreshadow our knowledge of reality and how to perceive it. Among his precepts is the statement that change alone is unchanging. I’ve worked Heraclitus’ fragments in here and there throughout our books.
Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
All of them. I write cinematically, our books are vivid adventures I undertake without knowing the destination. I, the Sun, The Sacred Band, and Outpassage are particularly suited to film. The Threshold Series is a feast of opportunities for today’s special effects creators.
What inspired you to write The Silistra Quartet?
The Silistra Quartet was a unique departure for me and it included issues of women’s rights in the 70’s before Handmaid’s Tale.
Convince us why you feel High Couch of Silistra is a must read.
The Silistra series in which High Couch of Silistra is book 1 blazed a new trail in science fiction and fantasy, many critics saying that I had created a new pantheon of warrior women giving rise to heroines like Xena. Today it is more important than ever for everyone to accept women in leadership roles and I would like to think we had something to do with gaining them more recognition.
Who designed your book covers?
Most of my covers, including High Couch of Silistra, are realized by Roy Mauritsen, a gifted graphic artist.
Advice to writers?
As for advice to writers, here is all I know: write the story you want to read. Start at the beginning, go to the end, and stop. Seriously. From start to finish you must inhabit the construct in a manner that makes the reader choose to continue; if I, as the writer, can’t feel what it’s like being there, my readers can’t either. So close your eyes, look at your feet where they are standing on the story’s ground; tell me what you see. Tell me what you hear. Ask at the end of each paragraph ‘what happens next?’. If you lose touch with it, wait until you’re back inside it. Tell the story that comes to you, and from you, to me.
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I enjoyed the excerpt. Sounds like a good story.
I hope to have the pleasure of reading this book.
Great cover!
Looks like a good read
Sounds like one that will keep me interested and reading for sure.
Hi Heather – At Perseid, we are totally dedicated in keeping you interested and reading. We even have a special proprietary font and layout to make it easy for your eyes to flow over the pages. Come check out Janet Morris at her best in High Couch of Silistra. :)
I can tell from reading the excerpt that I would enjoy this book!
Thank you for sharing it.
This sounds like an interesting read.
Different from my usual reading but sounds like an interesting book.
Sounds like a great book.
A nice looking story here.
Sounds like a interesting read
this sounds really good
Not too sure about this, but will probably read it because I like her writing.
Hi Carol – Don’t know which of Janet’s books you’ve read, but High Couch was her first and highly controversial at the time. Your comment intrigues us and we’re sure you’ll be far from disappointed with this ground-breaking work. :)
The excerpt is interesting. Thanks for sharing it.
Great cover
Sounds like a great read.
I really appreciate how much depth you’ve gone into in this post. The examples you’ve provided have been incredibly helpful in clarifying the key points, and I love how you’ve presented the material in a way that’s both informative and easy to follow.
Hi Clemmie – Wow. This is by far the longest and nicest comment we’ve ever gotten on High Couch of Silistra. As long as we’ve been telling stories, we’ve hoped to attract readers like you who take time to give us this sort of precious feedback. :)
This sounds like a really interesting book.
Looks very exciting Do you write in a daily journal?
Hi Heather – No, we are always listening for the voices of our characters as they act and react to the challenges they encounter. That sort of writing doesn’t lend itself to a journalistic approach, but we encourage any writer to record the sorts of events in their lives that make for a good story. :)
Interesting
Looks like a good story.
This is an interesting combination of genres. The cover help set the tone for the books!
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
The book details are intriguing. Thank you for the giveaway!
interesting
The book sounds very interesting. Thanks!
I like the book details.
Sounds good!
This looks like a great read! thank you
Do you have any advice for new writers?
It really sounds like this will be an interesting read. Good luck on the book.
Do you have a favorite space to your writing space?
This book sounds like a great read.
This sounds like a well-writted and thought out book. I haven’t read a good dystopian book in a while.
Good luck on your latest release.
looks like a great book!