The Golden Princess — S.M. Stirling

The New York Times bestselling author of "The Given Sacrifice" begins a new saga -- with a new generation of heroes -- set in the universe of the Change....

Princess Orlaith, heir to Rudi Mackenzie, High King of Montival, now wields the Sword of the Lady -- and faces a new enemy. Fortunately, she also has a new ally in Reiko, Empress of Japan, who has been pursued to America by a conquering army from Asia.

To combat their mutual foe, Orlaith and Reiko embark on a quest to find the fabled Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutting Sword, one of the three great treasures of the Japanese Imperial House. But the road to Kusanagi lies beyond the mega-necropolis of the City of Angels -- and their relentless enemy will stop at nothing to prevent them from succeeding.

For across the Pacific, the great arc of land that stretches from the dark kingdom of Korea to the realm of Capricornia in Australia is threatened by war. Now all the survivors of the Change must choose sides....