The Steerswoman

Blurb

The Steerswoman is a 1989 fantasy/science fiction novel by Rosemary Kirstein. It follows the journey of Rowan, who is a Steerswoman in an age that is just beginning to gain technology and advancement, though most don’t understand it and those who do hoard the knowledge amongst themselves. A Steerswoman is a traveling scholar looking to supplement as well as share their knowledge. They are required to answer any question put to them by anyone and in turn, any question they ask must be answered, or the questioner will be placed under a ban where no Steerswoman will ever answer a question from them again. If they lie about an answer, same thing. There are two groups that commonly pay little attention to the Steerswoman’s ban, those being wizards, who refuse to share their magical secrets, and Outskirters, who, as their name suggests, live on the outskirts of civilization and aren’t really familiar with Steerswomen or their customs.
The novel was originally published on August 13, 1989 by Del Rey. It is the first book in the Steerswoman series. In July 2003, the novel was combined with the second novel in the series, The Outskirter’s Secret and reprinted as The Steerswoman’s Road.