Spirit Dance

AURORA AWARD WINNER from a multi-award winning author.

The Heroka are an ancient race of shape shifters, drawing their powers and vitality from their animal totems.

Gwyn Blaidd, a Heroka of the wolf totem, has been a recluse ever since a deadly battle years ago with the Tainchel, the covert government agency that hunts the Heroka--a battle that cost him the only woman he ever loved.

But when Gwyn is asked by the head of the Heroka to stop an old friend from killing a powerful logging baron, it begins a chain of events that will force Gwyn to again confront the Tainchel--and his own dark past.

REVIEWS

“...a vivid and wonderfully written tale about Native Canadian spirits, in the vein of Thomas King.” —Challenging Destiny

"The characters are intriguing and the story beguiling. I would like to read more about these characters." —SF Crowsnest Book Reviews

"...an [example of] the author’s ability to place the possible and impossible side by side to excellent effect in an action packed story." — Hellnotes

"... an adventurous tale that's propelled by character drama ... If this was a Hollywood movie, this would be your blockbuster film, complete with adrenaline-pumping action, expensive special effects, and even a sex scene or two to lure in a mainstream audience." —Speculative Fiction Reviews

"...draws on North American Indian myths, particularly the idea of shapeshifters... Smith once more creates a credible and sympathetic protagonist." —The Fix

“...a shape-changer story interweaving First Nations and Celtic elements, in a manner reminiscent of Charles de Lint.” —The International Review of Science Fiction

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

"Doug Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and he's also the most prolific. His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think." --Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author

"One of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction." --Library Journal

"A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice." --Charles de Lint, award winning author

Douglas Smith is an award-winning Canadian author of speculative fiction, with over a hundred short story publications in thirty countries and twenty-five languages.

His work includes the urban fantasy novel, The Wolf at the End of the World, and the collections Chimerascope and Impossibilia, as well as the translated fantasy collection, La Danse des Esprits (France). 

Doug has won Canada's Aurora Award three times, and has been a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Bookies Award, Canada's juried Sunburst Award, and France's juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.

A multi-award winning film based on Doug's story "By Her Hand, She Draws You Down" will be released on DVD this year, and other films based on his stories are in the works. Doug's website is smithwriter.com and he tweets at twitter.com/smithwritr.