Daughter of the Empire
core novel 1987 Riftwar Cycle
Record
| First published | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.29 (43,078 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 421 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-246-13226-4 |
| Internal chronology | 5 |
Synopsis
Daughter of the Empire opens the Empire Trilogy, a series set on the world of Kelewan that runs parallel to the main Riftwar novels. Mara, heir of House Acoma, is seventeen and about to take her vows as a temple priestess when word arrives that her father and brother have been killed in battle, victims of a scheme by the rival Minwanabi family. Forced to abandon the temple and take up the mantle of Ruling Lady, Mara inherits a house stripped of its warriors and standing in the deadly political contest known as the Game of the Council. With only a handful of loyal retainers, including the officer Keyoke and her old nurse Nacoya, she must rebuild the Acoma's strength, forging unconventional alliances, including with the insectoid cho-ja, and outmaneuvering rivals such as the Anasati and the Minwanabi, who are set on finishing what they started.
Where it sits
- Universe: Riftwar Cycle
- Series: The Empire Trilogy core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Raymond E. Feist
- Author: Janny Wurts
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1988: finalist; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 19.
Notes
- UK edition ISBN, the earliest edition with an ISBN on record; only the 1987 year is confirmed (no month/day).
- From the series record (The Empire Trilogy): Co-written throughout with Janny Wurts; narrative runs concurrent with the Riftwar Saga and Riftwar Legacy.
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 The Empire Trilogy: position 1 of 3: next Servant of the Empire (1990)
- Internal chronology, within Riftwar Cycle: position 5 of 30: previous Jimmy the Hand (2003) · next Silverthorn (1985)
Sources
- Crydee.com, Official Raymond E. Feist site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riftwar_Cycle
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughter_of_the_Empire
- https://www.sfadb.com/Raymond_E_Feist
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Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.