Hart's Hope
core novel 1983 Hart's Hope
Record
| First published | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.48 (4,207 ratings, collected 2026-09-28) |
| Page count | 272 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780425058190 |
Synopsis
In the medieval realm of Burland, magic is real, and all of it, whatever its purpose, must be paid for in blood. The rebel lord Palicrovol overthrows the hated king Nasilee and takes the true mantle of kingship by forcing the dead king's young daughter, Asineth, to marry him, raping her to consummate the union. Cruel as befits a king, he is not cruel enough to rule: he lets her live after her humiliation, and, banished, she bears a child and learns the uses of living blood. Taking the name Beauty, she returns with power enough to seize the throne of Hart's Hope, the city Palicrovol renamed Inwit, and to torment the exiled king for centuries. Yet the Hart, one of the old and indifferent gods, has bred a son, and what Beauty unmade may be unmade again. Told as an address to Palicrovol by an unnamed narrator.
Where it sits
- Universe: Hart's Hope
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Orson Scott Card
Notes
- Berkley, 1983. A separate world from The Tales of Alvin Maker.
Sources
← Hart's Hope dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.