The Golden Sword

The battle of the sexes is never over... Biology rules reality... She had the power to create planets. The sixty carved bones of the Yris-tera foretold her ancient fate. Her heritage of power took her beyond time and space and stole from her the one man she loved. Enslaved on the planet Silistra tomorrow's most beautiful courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods. ON A PLANET DESPERATE FOR POPULATION, WOMEN HOLD THE KEYS TO POWER. But power brings enemies. Estri, holder of Silistra's highest office, never suspected the intrigues moving against her...until her rivals attacked. Her betrayal toppled more than a single well-Keepress. Estri's enemies threatened all of Silistra. Their plan: to reveal the planet's precious secret secret of extending life in exchange for off-world technology -- the technology which decimated Silistra's population long ago. "Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure." -- C. Brown, Locus The amazing and exotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in tomorrow's universe." -- Frederik Pohl. "The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is in Janet Morris' Silistra series: High Couch of Silistra (originally entitled Returning Creation), The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, and The Carnelian Throne." -- Anne K. Kaler, "The Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine."