Song of the Lioness

Alanna of Trebond may be a girl of noble birth, but she will not be sentenced to the life of a well-mannered young lady. Alanna dreams of becoming a knight of the realm of Tortall, and neither her gender nor her father’s orders will stop her. Though Alanna’s father is preparing her twin brother, Thom, for the path to knighthood, he dreams of studying sorcery. To forge their own destinies, the two hatch a cunning plan: Alanna will disguise herself as a boy and take Thom’s place while he learns the art of magic.

Alanna’s journey continues, now as a squire to Prince Jonathan, the heir to the throne. But Jonathan is more than just her prince. He is also her best friend. No one else knows the secret she’s been keeping for years: to them, Alanna is Alan, a boy pursuing knighthood like any other young man of his rank.

Now a knight of Tortall, with her gender no longer a secret, Alanna embarks on her next adventure to the edge of the realm. Captured for the crime of trespassing, Alanna is sentenced to a duel to the death. But the Woman Who Rides Like a Man is not so easy to kill. Though the duel is won, the battle is just beginning. When Alanna is named the Bazhir people’s first female shaman, she is tasked with training her successors. But first, she must overcome their fears of magic, for the sake of all Tortall.

With brilliant new livery to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this ground-breaking high fantasy series, Alanna the Lioness – the first woman knight – rides again. Forty years on from first publication, The Song of the Lioness Quartet retains its warmth, adventure and steel, sealing this coming-of-age tale as a timeless masterpiece.