Jane Yolen’s award-winning story about an alien civilization forever changed by the incursion of human social scientists and a mysterious ancient prophecyThe year is 2132 when members of the Anthropologist’s Guild set down on the planet Henderson’s IV, or L’Lal’lor as it is known to the native population. Charged with the nonintrusive study of alien cultures, the crew discovers a society containing no love or laughter. It is, instead, centered around death—a world of aristocratic and common folk in which grieving is an art and the cornerstone of life. But the alien civilization stands on the brink of astonishing change, heralded by the discovery of Linni, the Gray Wanderer, a young woman from the countryside whose arrival has been foretold for centuries. And for Anthropologist First Class Aaron Spenser, L’Lal’lor is a place of destructive temptations, seducing him with its mysterious, sad beauty, and leading him into an unthinkable criminal act.Told from the shifting viewpoints of characters both alien and human, and through records of local lore and transcripts of court martial proceedings, Cards of Grief is a thoughtful, lyrical, and spellbinding tale of first contact. It is a true masterwork of world building from Jane Yolen, a premier crafter of speculative fiction and fantasy.

Three silver buttons...three magic wishes Once there was Melinna, a mermaid who loved a prince. She shed her tail, walked painfully upon the land, and followed him up the hundred steps to his father's hall. There she gave him a coat with three silver buttons that had come from the depths of the sea. These three buttons had the power to grant wishes, but only if twisted in a special way, and always with consequences....The prince, too enamored of himself to return Melinna's love, took the coat, but did not listen to Melinna's words. And the secret of the Magic Three was lost. Now Melinna is Dread Mary, the sea witch who sings sailors down to their deaths in the cold, sunless sea. Her only passion is for the buttons that shine on dead men's coats--until her icy heart is melted by the plight of Sianna, a poor button maker's daughter. It is Sianna who discovers the power of the three wishes, Sianna who must choose whether to use them--and face the consequences....