The Spellcoats
core novel 1979 The Dalemark Quartet
Record
| First published | 1979 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.97 (3,836 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780749712549 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Set thousands of years before the rest of the series, The Spellcoats follows five siblings who are forced to flee their home village after it is invaded by outsiders who, unsettlingly, closely resemble them in appearance. Pursued not only by the invaders but by suspicion from their own people, the siblings journey downriver in search of safety, uncertain who can still be trusted on either side of the conflict. Along the way, one sister, Tanaqui, discovers she has the ability to weave stories, memory, and magic directly into garments called spellcoats, a talent that becomes central to the siblings' journey. The novel itself is framed as one of these woven spellcoats, its narrative literally the tale Tanaqui wove into cloth.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Dalemark Quartet
- Series: The Dalemark Quartet core; position 3 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Notes
- From the series record (The Dalemark Quartet): A distinct continuity from Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci and Howl's Moving Castle -- shares no characters, setting, or continuity with either. The Crown of Dalemark was published 14 years after the first 3 books, completing the quartet.
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 Dalemark Quartet: position 3 of 4: previous Drowned Ammet (1977) · next The Crown of Dalemark (1993)
Sources
- Wikipedia: Cart and Cwidder
- Wikipedia: Drowned Ammet
- Wikipedia: The Spellcoats
- Wikipedia: The Crown of Dalemark
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