Judith Tarr

2 universes Last reviewed 2026-09-05

Judith Tarr was born on January 30, 1955, in Augusta, Maine, to a father who worked as a waterworks manager and real estate salesman and a mother who was a teacher. She earned a B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, followed by an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin at Wesleyan University from 1990 to 1993 before shifting her career; she now breeds Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm in Vail, Arizona, drawing on that expertise in her fiction. Tarr is known for meticulously researched historical fantasy, including The Hound and the Falcon trilogy (1985–1986), about elves living secretly within medieval society; the Alamut series, set during the Crusades; and the Epona series (1998–2001), set in prehistoric Europe and inspired by the theories of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. She has also written numerous standalone historical novels featuring figures such as Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, and Cleopatra, and publishes romantic fantasies incorporating her equestrian expertise under the pen name Caitlin Brennan. Her honors include the 1987 William Crawford Award for The Isle of Glass, a second-place finish for the 1993 Theodore Sturgeon Award, and 1994 World Fantasy and Locus Award nominations for Lord of the Two Lands.

Universe(s)

Books

• The Golden Horn (1985) · The Hound and the Falcon Core Canon
• The Isle of Glass (1985) · The Hound and the Falcon Core Canon
• The Hall of the Mountain King (1986) · Avaryan Rising Core Canon
• The Hounds of God (1986) · The Hound and the Falcon Core Canon
• The Lady of Han-Gilen (1987) · Avaryan Rising Core Canon
• A Fall of Princes (1988) · Avaryan Rising Core Canon
• Arrows of the Sun (1993) · Avaryan Rising Core Canon
• Spear of Heaven (1994) · Avaryan Rising Core Canon
• Tides of Darkness (2002) · Avaryan Rising Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

These are separate, unrelated universes; the totals below are plain sums of already-published per-universe facts, never a blended or averaged score across them. See each universe's own figures above.

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 9 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 3 (1 won, 2 nomination)

← All authors