The Cursed Towers
core novel 1999 The Witches of Eileanan
Record
| First published | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.19 (4,102 ratings, collected 2026-10-11) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780091835309 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
A new age dawns in Eileanan: Lachlan the Winged now holds the Lodestar, and he and Iseult have been crowned Rìgh and Banrìgh of all Eileanan and the Far Islands, but dark times still lie ahead, for sixteen years of hatred and superstition have cloaked the land in darkness. The Bright Soldiers pursue their holy war, the Awl seeks support for the baby daughter of the old queen Maya, whom it claims is the true banrìgh, and Margrit of Arran plots in the distant Tower of Mists. As Iseult's twin, Isabeau, sets out for the Cursed Towers to master her powers and find the family she has never known, seeking her destiny beneath the glittering eyes of the dragons, Lachlan is struck down by a paralysing curse, and Iseult finds that she alone must lead the country through a terrible and bloody war.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Witches of Eileanan
- Series: The Witches of Eileanan core; position 3 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Kate Forsyth
Notes
- From the series record (The Witches of Eileanan): Kate Forsyth's six-book Celtic epic fantasy (Pan Macmillan Australia, 1997-2002; Roc in the United States, where the first volume is titled The Witches of Eileanan): a land where witchcraft has been outlawed since the Day of Reckoning, the apprentice witch Isabeau and her ancient mentor Meghan of the Beasts, and the struggle to restore the Coven and the lost Lodestar.
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 Witches of Eileanan: position 3 of 6: previous The Pool of Two Moons (1998) · next The Forbidden Land (2000)
- Internal chronology, within The Witches of Eileanan: position 5 of 9: previous The Shining City (2005) · next The Heart of Stars (2006)
Sources
- FantasticFiction
- Publisher description (Roc)
- QBD (Arrow/Random House Australia edition record)
- Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Authors)
- Penguin Random House (series page)
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