RASMUSSEN, Alis A.

(1958-)

   US writer whose first novel, The Labyrinth Gate (1988), is a tale of considerable interest, delineating a believably matrilineal fantasy world. The Highroad Trilogy - A Passage of Stars (1990), Revolution's Shore (1990) and The Price of Ransom (1990) - depicts in alighter vein the interstellar voyages of its young female protagonist, whose involvement in music is infectiously presented and whose search for a full life keeps the tale moving, albeit through markedly familiar venues; the third volume, which carries the maturing crew back from colonized space towards the old worlds, is the best. At this point in her career, reportedly unhappy with the nature and amount of promotion accorded her by her publishers, AAR began to write as by Kate Elliott, and under that name created a new series which followed on from the Highroad books; this sequence - the Sword of Heaven or Jaran sequence, comprising Jaran (1992), An Earthly Crown (1993), His Conquering Sword (1993) and TheLaw of Becoming(1994) - complicatedly embroils clans of alien warriors (the jaran), rite-of-passage subplots featuring younger women, human actors, all on an interstellar stage.

   JC