His hounds howled and burned as they chased down one of the monstrous creatures. It was this wish the Erlking sought that fateful night. Almost impossible to catch.īut if you should be lucky enough, or skilled enough, to capture such a prize, the god will be forced to grant a wish. This is the only night when the great gods are forced to take their beastly forms. This year was different, for an Endless Moon only occurs when the winter solstice coincides with a bright moon in all its fullness. The wild hunt had emerged, but this year they were not only seeking lost souls and aimless drunkards and naughty children who had risked misbehaving at a most inopportune time. The sky was slate gray and a blizzard was being heralded across the land by the chilling howls of the hounds, the thunder of hooves. Or, I should say, the true beginning was in the beforetimes, when monsters roamed freely outside the veil that now separates them from mortals, and demons sometimes fell in love.īut for our purposes, it started during that Endless Moon.

Our story began on the winter solstice nineteen years ago, during a rare Endless Moon. Certainly not the curse.īut I should start at the beginning. I know some will try to blame him, but he had little to do with it.Īnd I want to be clear that it wasn’t entirely my fault, either. The first thing you ought to know is that it wasn’t my father’s fault. I will tell you the tale, how it happened in truth. Want to read the prologue of Marissa Meyer's latest? We've got you covered.All right. Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever. Love isn't meant to be part of the bargain. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid.

The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. When one of Serilda's outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

In Gilded, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Marissa meyer gilded