Alison Croggon's highly acclaimed fantasy The Gift is a captivating and lyrical story that takes readers deep into the world of the Books of Pellinor, "a great series of fantasy novels that will delight fans of Garth Nix." (The Bookseller) Perfect for readers of The Lord of the Rings, Ursula le Guin and Trudi Canavan, Alison Croggon's bestselling high fantasy novel is the first part of Maerad's compelling saga, as she begins to learn how to use her Gift to battle the dark forces that wish to destroy her. Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful Gift, a Gift that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfolds. Now she and her teacher, Cadvan, must survive a punishing and uncertain journey through a time and place where the dark forces they battle with stem from the deepest recesses of other-worldly terror.