The Door into Fire
core novel 1979 The Tale of the Five
Record
| First published | 1979 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.84 (976 ratings, collected 2026-11-02) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780440118749 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Herewiss, Prince of the Brightwood, is the first man in centuries with the Power of the Flame, and he cannot control it. In a world where magic is mostly practiced by women, he is helped by Sunspark, a fire elemental, to free his closest friend Freelorn, the exiled rightful heir to the throne of Arlen. Freed, Freelorn plans to win back his kingdom, and Herewiss must choose between helping him and following Sunspark to an ancient castle outside time, whose doors open on other worlds. The story builds a society with its own customs, a goddess who opposes entropy, and a hero learning to use a gift larger than himself.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Tale of the Five
- Series: The Tale of the Five core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Diane Duane
Notes
- From the series record (The Tale of the Five): Fantasy of the Middle Kingdoms, centred on Herewiss, Freelorn and the struggle against the Shadow.
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 Tale of the Five: position 1 of 3: next The Door into Shadow (1984)
Sources
← The Tale of the Five dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.