Darksong Rising
core novel 2001 The Spellsong Cycle
Record
| First published | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.84 (2,439 ratings, collected 2026-08-30) |
| Page count | 512 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780312868222 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Darksong Rising continues the Spellsong Cycle, following Anna Marshall as she works to secure and expand her rule over her adopted lands in Erde in the aftermath of the conflicts chronicled in the earlier novels, using her spellsong magic to address both military threats and the practical demands of governing a realm still wary of her authority as an outsider. As rival powers continue to test her position, Anna must weigh the physical toll her magic exacts against the political necessity of demonstrating strength, extending the series' exploration of the costs a sorceress-ruler pays for wielding music as a weapon of state. The novel carries forward Anna's ongoing struggle to hold together the fragile order she has built in Erde against those who would see it fail.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Spellsong Cycle
- Series: The Spellsong Cycle core; position 3 of 5 in the series' recorded order
- Author: L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Notes
- From the series record (The Spellsong Cycle): Five-book sequence; a magic system built on the power of song, following a professional singer transported into a fantasy world.
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 Spellsong Cycle: position 3 of 5: previous The Spellsong War (1999) · next The Shadow Sorceress (2002)
Sources
← The Spellsong Cycle dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.