The Ruins of Ambrai
core novel 1994 Exiles
Record
| First published | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.08 (9,226 ratings, collected 2026-10-04) |
| Page count | 678 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780886776190 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
A thousand years ago the Mageborn fled persecution to colonise the planet Lenfell, a refuge for those whose magic was feared, only to devastate it in a war between rival factions that poisoned the world with Wild Magic. Out of the ruin grew a rigidly matriarchal society and two orders of Mageborns at odds for centuries: the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris. The novel follows the three daughters of the great house of Ambrai, torn apart in childhood when their home is destroyed by the manoeuvrings of their elders. Glenin is raised among the Malerrisi, Sarra in a noble household that hides her birth, and Cailet, the youngest, in secret among those who guard the Mage traditions. Raised to take opposite sides, and joined by Collan Rosvenir, a minstrel with no memory of his past, the sisters grow toward a war in which they will face one another.
Where it sits
- Universe: Exiles
- Series: Exiles core; position 1 of 2 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Melanie Rawn
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1995: nominated; Finalist, per the author's encyclopedic entry.
Notes
- From the series record (Exiles): Melanie Rawn's planned trilogy set on Lenfell, a world colonised by persecuted Mageborns and ruled by a rigid matriarchy, following the three Ambrai sisters raised on opposite sides of the war between the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris. Two volumes published; the third, The Captal's Tower, has been announced for decades and never appeared.
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 Exiles: position 1 of 2: next The Mageborn Traitor (1997)
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia
- https://worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?id=5985
- Wikipedia: Melanie Rawn
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