Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harlot’s Ruse | 1986 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 2 | The Silver Mountain | 1986 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 3 | Druid’s Blood | 1988 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 4 | Yesterday We Saw Mermaids | 1992 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 5 | The Sherwood Game | 1995 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 6 | Child of the Eagle | 1996 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 7 | Temping Fate | 2006 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
| 8 | Threads and Flames | 2010 | Esther M. Friesner | Buy |
Esther M. Friesner’s standalone novels cover a wide range of fantasy, humor, and historical fiction, published between 1986 and 2010. Friesner holds a PhD from Yale and won two Nebula Awards for Best Short Story, and her longer fiction shows the same mix of intelligence and wit that made her short work successful.
The early novels lean toward comic fantasy and alternate history. Harlot’s Ruse (1986) and The Silver Mountain (1986) are adventure fantasies, while Druid’s Blood (1988) reimagines Victorian England as a land of functioning magic. Yesterday We Saw Mermaids (1992) takes a more literary approach. The Sherwood Game (1995) puts Robin Hood into a virtual reality setting, and Child of the Eagle (1996) is an alternate history of Rome.
Her later standalone work shifts direction. Temping Fate (2006) is a young adult comedy about a temp agency that places workers with Greek gods. Threads and Flames (2010) is a historical novel set in the immigrant neighborhoods of early 1900s New York, ending with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The range across these eight books gives a sense of how wide Friesner’s interests run, from broad comedy to genuine historical drama.