Blood and Memory
core novel 2004 The Quickening
Record
| First published | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.99 (3,547 ratings, collected 2026-10-11) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780732278670 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
The Quickening, the magic Myrren passed to Wyl Thirsk, carries his mind into the body of whoever kills him: the mercenary Romen Koreldy first, in whose body Wyl became the beloved of Queen Valentyna of Briavel, and now Faryl, a female assassin, his third body. King Celimus of Morgravia means to have Briavel by marrying Valentyna if he can or by conquest if he cannot, and the queen, aware of his brutality but unwilling to send her people into a war they cannot win, weighs her few options. Wyl, after seeing his best friend murdered and his sister imprisoned, searches for Ylena and finds the monastery where she sheltered burned and its monks killed on Celimus's orders, while an enchantment binds him to track down the Manwitch, the magical being behind Myrren's gift. The second volume of the trilogy, compulsively readable in Kirkus's verdict.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Quickening
- Series: The Quickening core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Fiona McIntosh
Notes
- From the series record (The Quickening): Fiona McIntosh's first fantasy trilogy (Voyager, 2003-2004): Wyl Thirsk, young general of Morgravia, given by a dying witch the gift of the Quickening, which carries his mind into the body of whoever kills him, against the tyrant King Celimus and for the love of Queen Valentyna of Briavel.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Quickening: position 2 of 3: previous Myrren's Gift (2003) · next Bridge of Souls (2004)
Sources
← The Quickening dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.