Daggerspell
core novel 1986 Deverry
Record
| First published | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.91 (17,384 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 454 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-385-23108-3 |
| First-edition date | 1986-09 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Katharine Kerr's debut novel opens the Deverry Cycle by introducing a world where destiny and reincarnation bind its characters across centuries. The sorcerer Nevyn, once a exiled prince stripped of his old life after a chain of tragedy involving forbidden love and violence, has sworn an oath across lifetimes to set right the wrongs of his past, and senses that a soul bound to his own fate has been reborn as the infant Jill. Years later Jill, daughter of the wandering mercenary swordsman Cullyn, grows up on the road after her mother's death, trailed by mysterious spirits called the Wildfolk who mark her as different from other children and hint at a latent gift for magic.
Where it sits
- Universe: Deverry
- Series: Act One: Deverry core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Katharine Kerr
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 1987: finalist; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 13th.
Notes
- From the series record (Act One: Deverry): UK alt-titles exist for books 3-4 (Dawnspell: The Bristling Wood; Dragonspell: The Southern Sea).
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Act One: Deverry: position 1 of 4: next Darkspell (1987)
- Internal chronology, within Deverry: position 1 of 16: next Darkspell (1987)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deverry_Cycle
- The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daggerspell
- https://www.sfadb.com/Katharine_Kerr
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