Posts Tagged ‘Kushiel’s Legacy’

Overview of the courtesan guild of Terre d’Ange, the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers, also called the “Night Court”.

Alyssum

Canon: modesty

Motto: “With eyes averted”

alyssum

Balm

Canon: compassion

Motto: “Rest and be soothed”

bee balm

Bryony

Canon: avarice, wagering

Motto: “Wealth seeks company”

bryony

Camellia

Canon: perfection

Motto: “Without fault or flaw”

camellia

Cereus

Canon: pale fragility, fleeting beauty

Motto: “All loveliness fades”

cereus

  • First of the houses
  • Founded by Enedial Vintesoir
  • The Dowayne of Cereus represents the Night Court on the City Judiciary

Dahlia

Canon: dignity, regality

Motto: “Upright and unbending”

dahlia

Eglantine

Canon: genius, song and performance

Motto: “To create is to live”

eglantine

  • Sponsors tumblers, dancers, players, poets, musicians, artists, and clothiers
  • A repository of learning and lore

Gentian

Canon: dreams, mystic purity of spirit

Motto: “Truth and vision”

gentian

  • Patrons seek visions, interpret dreams
  • Adepts may become priests of Elua

Heliotrope

Canon: love, devotion

Motto: “Thou, and no other”

heliotrope

Jasmine

Canon: pleasure, sensuality

Motto: “For pleasure’s sake”

jasmine

Mandrake

Canon: algolagnia (giving pain), domination

Motto: “Yield all”

mandrake

  • Has a reciprocal agreement with Valerian House
  • Employs the use of the signale

Orchis

Canon: mirth

Motto: “Joy in laughter”

orchis

Valerian

Canon: algolagnia (receiving pain), submission

Motto: “I yield”

valerian

  • Has a reciprocal agreement with Mandrake House
  • Employes the use of the signale

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21
Feb

The Angels of Terre d’Ange

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

  • Anael
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of L’Agnace
    • Scions give off an apple scent
    • Taught husbandry to Terre d’Ange
    • “Star of Love”
  • Asmodel
    • A courtier of hell under Kushiel
  • Azza
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of Azzalle
    • Invented the sextant
    • Committed the sin of pride
  • Camael
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of Camlach
    • Warrior
  • Cassiel
    • Companion of Elua
    • Not a founder of a specific part of Terre d’Ange
    • The “Perfect Companion”
    • Sole companion of Elua who didn’t turn away from the One God
    • Priests pledge to serve and protect the scions of Elua; they also
      take a vow of celibacy
    • Called an “apostate” by the Yeshuites
  • Eisheth
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of Eisande
    • Patroness of actors (gave D’Angelines music and story)
    • Known for gentleness
    • Taught D’Angelines how to lie
    • Scions skilled at storytelling and healing
  • Elua
    • Founder of Terre d’Ange
    • Born when the blood of Yeshua (son of God) mixed with the Magdelene’s
      tears and then quickened by Mother Earth
    • Espoused the precept “Love as thou wilt.”
    • Scions are the royalty of Terre d’Ange
  • Kushiel
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of Kusheth
    • The angel of punishment
    • His symbol is three keys (for the portals to Hell)
    • Marked Phèdre as his own
  • Mara
    • Daughter of Naamah and a condemned man
    • Handmaiden of Kushiel
    • Cursed and always veils her eyes
  • Mikael
    • Commander-in-Chief of the One God’s Host
    • Took the book of Raziel from Lilit, and cast it into the ocean
  • Naamah
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of Namarre
    • Patron-goddess of the Night Court
    • Lay with strangers for money to support Elua
  • Rahab
    • Angel of the One God, fallen and punished for disobedience
    • Father of the Master of the Straits
    • “Prince of the Sea” — by Yeshuites
    • “Lord of the Deep” — by sailors
  • Sammael
    • Angel of the One God
    • Took the book of Raziel from Edom, and threw it into the waters
  • Shemhazai
    • Companion of Elua
    • Founder of Siovale
    • Gave the written word to the D’Angelines
    • Treasured knowledge and learning

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15
Feb

The Lands of Kushiel’s Legacy

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Legacy MapJacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series is set in a rather skewed Renaissance-type world loosely modeled on our own as you can see by looking at the map and at the place names.

For example, Hellas would be Greece, Alba is Great Britain, Menekhet is Egypt, etc.

Terre d’Ange, of course, is France.

This doesn’t detract from the story (from what I’ve experienced), and tends to give an exotic flavor to places we’re already familiar with. *s*

The list of lands are, in alphabetical order (with Terre d’Ange last — but never least!):

  • Alba
    • Bryn Gorrydum
    • Clunderry
    • Dobria
    • Innisclan
    • Three Sisters
  • Aragonia
    • Amilcar
    • New Carthage
  • Bhodistan
  • Caerdicca Unitas
    • La Serenissima
    • Lucca
    • Milazza
    • Tiberium
  • Carthage
  • Ch’in
  • The Chowat
  • Cythera
  • Drujan
    • Darsãnga
  • Eire
  • Empire of the Sun
  • Ephesium
  • Euskerria
  • The Flatlands
  • Gotland
  • Hanzu
  • Hazaran
  • Hellas
  • Illyria
    • Epidauro
  • Jebe-Barkal
    • Debeho
    • Meroë
  • Khebel-im-Akkad
    • Nineveh
    • Tyre
  • Kriti
    • Phaistos
    • The Temenos
  • Menekhet
    • Iskandria
  • Nubia
  • Saba
    • Tisaar
  • Skaldia
    • Maarten’s Crossing
    • Norstock
  • Tatar Territory
  • Terra Nova
  • The Umaiyyat
  • Vralia
    • Miroslas
    • Tarkov
    • Vralgrad
  • Terre d’Ange
Azzalle

  • Pointe des Soeurs
  • Trevalion
L’Agnace

  • City of Elua (House Courcel)
  • Heuzé
  • Lombelon
  • Somerville
Camlach

  • Aiglemort
Namarre

  • Barthelme
  • Troyes-le-Mont
Eisande

  • Marsilikos
Siovale

  • Montreve
Kusheth

  • Morhban
Elua wandered as he desired and claimed no territory.

Cassiel stayed Elua’s side and also claimed no territory.


{Note: to be edited as needed.}

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3
Feb

Kushiel’s Mercy

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Mercyfrom the back cover ~

I had spoken the truth but it was a cruel, harsh truth, and not one I welcomed. Love came at a price. If Terre d’Ange was not to bear the cost of it, I would have to do it. The deed that had been left unspoken.

Having learned a lesson about thwarting the gods, Imriel and the royal heir Sidonie confess their affair, only to see the nation boil over in turmoil as a result. Many cannot forget the betrayals of Imriel’s mother, who plunged their country into war.

According to the Queen’s decree, the only way the lovers can be together is if Imriel performs an act of faith: search the world for his infamous mother and bring her home to be executed for treason.

But just as he and Sidonie prepare for another long separation, a dark, foreign force casts a shadow over Terre d’Ange. With their world suddenly turned upside down, alliances of the unlikeliest kind are made, and Imriel and Sidonie learn that the god Elua always puts hearts together apurpose.

First Printing: 2008

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

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22
Jan

Kushiel’s Justice

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

from the back cover ~

My blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understood for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God’s punisher, had loved his charges too well…

The son of Terre d’Ange’s most infamous traitors and the adopted son of its greatest champions, Imriel de la Courcel returns from his year at university a little older and a little wiser. But perhaps not wise enough. He and Sidonie, the Queen’s daughter and heir to the throne, begin a torrid, forbidden affair–until Imriel’s obligations as a royal family member compel him to marry an Alban princess.

By choosing duty over love, Imriel and Sidonie transgress their religion’s central precept: Love as thou wilt. And when dark powers in Alba, who fear an invasion by Terre d’Ange, seek to use the lovers’ passion to bind Imriel, the gods themselves take notice.

Before the end, Kushiel’s justice will be felt in heaven and on earth.

First Printing: 2007

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

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14
Jan

Kushiel’s Scion

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

from the back cover~

It is whispered that Kushiel’s lineage carries the ability to perceive the flaws in mortal souls, to administer an untender mercy. I sense its presence like a shadow on my soul…the memories of blood and branding and horror, and the legacy of cruelty that runs in my veins. I whisper to myself over and over…

I will try to be good.

Imriel de la Courcel’s blood parents are history’s most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d’Ange’s greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in beauty, art, and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies, and there are many who would see the young prince dead–out of fear that he has inherited his birth mother’s dangerous gifts and craving for power. As he comes of age, plagued by dark yearnings, Imriel shares their fears. Searching for wisdom, the prince is trapped instead in a web of manipulation and murder, where Imriel must face his greatest test: to find his true self.

First printing: 2006

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

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8
Jan

Kushiel’s Avatar

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

from the back cover~

The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good … and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre no Delaunay is a woman pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Her path has been strange and dangerous, and through it all the devoted swordsman Joscelin has been at her side. Her very nature is a torturous thing for them both, but he is sworn to her and he has never violated his vow: to protect and serve.

But Phèdre’s plans put Joscelin’s pledge to the test, for she has never forgotten her childhood friend Hyacinthe. She has spent ten long years searching for the key to free him from his eternal indenture, a bargain he struck with the gods–to take Phèdre’s place as a sacrifice and save a nation. Phèdre cannot forgive–herself or the gods. She is determined to seize one last hope to redeem her friend, even if it means her death.

The search will bring Phèdre and Joscelin across the world, to distant courts where madness reigns and souls are currency, and down a fabled river to a land forgotten by most of the world.

And to a power so mighty that none dare speak its name.

First printing: 2003

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

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4
Jan

Kushiel’s Chosen

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

from the back cover~

Mighty Kushiel of rod and weal
Late of the brazen portals
With blood-tipp’d dart a wound unhealed
Pricks the eyen of chosen mortals

The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre no Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman, the first to recognize that she is one pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. He trained Phèdre in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber–and, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze.

When she stumbled upon a plot that threatened the very foundations of her homeland, she gave up almost every thing she held dear to save it. She survived, and lived to have others tell her story, and if they embellished the tale with fabric of mythical splendor, they weren’t far off the mark.

The hands of the gods weigh heavily upon Phèdre’s brow, and they are not finished with her. While the young queen who sits upon the throne is well loved by the people, there are those who believe another should wear the crown . . . and those who escaped the wrath of the mighty are not yet done with their schemes for power and revenge.

First Printing: 2002

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

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15
Dec

Kushiel’s Dart

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Dartfrom the back cover ~

When Love cast me out, it was Cruelty who took pity on me.

The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good … and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre no Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with a very special mission … and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundation of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair … and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she hold dear.

Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villianess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel’s Dart–a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.

First Printing: 2001

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

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16
Nov

Jacqueline Carey

   Posted by: Daphne    in Authors, Jacqueline Carey

Jacqueline Carey

Jacqueline Carey, fantasy author, was born in Highland Park, Illinois in 1964. She began writing fiction as a hobby in her high school years.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and English Literature from Lake Forest College. Taking part in a work exchange program. Carey spent six months working in a London bookstore. This was one impetus to her decision to write professionally.

Returning home, she worked in the art center at a local college, and began her writing career. She achieved success, after 10 years, with the publication of her first book in 2001.

Today Carey lives in western Michigan, and participates in the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state. She’s currently working on the third novel of the Naamah trilogy.

And, no, she doesn’t have a tattoo!

Kushiel’s Legacy: 

  • Kushiel’s Dart, 2001
  • Kushiel’s Chosen, 2002
  • Kushiel’s Avatar, 2003

Kushiel's Dart Kushiel's Chosen Kushiel's Avatar

 

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Imriel Trilogy:

  • Kushiel’s Scion, 2006
  • Kushiel’s Justice, 2007
  • Kushiel’s Mercy, 2008

Kushiel's Scion Kushiel's Justice Kushiel's Mercy

 

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Naamah Trilogy:

  • Naamah’s Kiss, 2009
  • Naamah’s Curse, (June 2010)

Naamah's Kiss

Carey’s awards include the following:

  • 2001 -
    • Locus Award for Best First Novel for Kushiel’s Dart
    • Barnes & Noble, Top Ten Science Fiction & Fantasy for Kushiel’s Dart
    • Amazon.com Editors, Top Ten Fantasy for Kushiel’s Dart
    • Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Best Fantasy Novel for Kushiel’s Dart
  • 2002 – Borders, Top Ten Fantasy for Kushiel’s Chosen
  • 2003 – Amazon.com Editors, Top Ten Fantasy for Kushiel’s Avatar

Relevant Links:

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