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A Business of Ferrets
A Business of Ferrets
A Business of Ferrets
Ebook353 pages5 hours

A Business of Ferrets

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In the decadent Empire of Bharaghlaf, the Scholar King Khethyran sits uneasily on the throne while in the Slums of his capital city an apprentice thief, Ferret, and her five young friends eke out a hand-to-mouth existence. When the beggar Owl disappears, Ferret and the others set out to learn his fate. Sold as a slave to the powerful House Ghytteve, Owl is destined to be the bait at the center of a complicated grab for power. But Owl, whose gifts as a Seer are just beginning to emerge, is far more than the helpless pawn he seems. As Ferret and her friends come closer to the truth, they too are inexorably drawn into the vicious intrigues of the Council Houses. Form the enigmatic longshoreman, Sharkbait, to the Emperor's foreign witch, the friends enlist a formidable and varied band of allies—and set out to beat the scheming nobles at their own, ruthless game.

"An engaging cast of characters plunge into a deadly court intrigue that masks a supernatural intrigue more dangerous still. From the slum kids to the Scholar King, Hilgartner creates heroes both great and small that drew me into her tale." -- Lois McMaster Bujold

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 25, 2015
ISBN9781311626257
A Business of Ferrets
Author

Beth Hilgartner

I grew up in Rochester, NY, where I started school long before there were personal computers (much less cell phones). I discovered reading and books at a very early age, but it wasn’t until I was in 5th Grade that it ever occurred to me to wonder about where all those amazing stories actually came from. (If I’d been asked where books came from, I would probably have rolled my eyes and said, “The library.”) But once I figured out that someone had had to write down those stories I found so compelling, it was only a very short step to deciding that I could (and should) do that myself. I promptly started writing my very first book: The War of the Sun and the Moon — the first book of a trilogy (I'd discovered Tolkien by 5th Grade, too); and I was off and running.Now, many decades later, I live on a dirt road in Orford, New Hampshire, with my husband, three very spoiled felines, and more gardens than I can reasonably take care of (though I have a great time trying!). We're a little more than half a mile from pavement, and while we have electricity, running water, central heating (well, and a wood stove), and fiber optic, there's no TV reception, radio reception is spotty, and there's no cell phone service. And I'm still writing.

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When beggar Owl is sold as a slave to a noble House, thief Ferret makes it her business to find out what has happened to her friend. But when you get involved in the sinister plots of noble families, they have a tendency to take it personally...A traditional fantasy, of thieves and temples and scheming nobles, but set above the general run of fantasies by its well-drawn characters. Even the secondary characters feel well-rounded. There's a nice contrast between the dangers of everyday life in the slums, and the polite and deadly plotting that takes place in the palace.'A business of Ferrets' is Young Adult in tone - no gory violence or explicit sex - with both gay and straight relationships sympathetically portrayed.This, and its sequel 'A parliament of Owls', is one my all-time favourite fantasies and comfort reads. It deserves to be better known amongst fans of light ,character-driven fantasy.

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A Business of Ferrets - Beth Hilgartner

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