Hart's Hope
#8283.48 adjusted 3.57 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1983 Reading commitment Low Orson Scott Card Last reviewed 2026-09-28
Overview
Orson Scott Card's 1983 dark fantasy is set in the medieval realm of Burland, where magic is real and every working of it must be paid for in blood. The rebel lord Palicrovol overthrows a hated king and seals his claim by forcing the dead king's daughter Asineth into marriage and rape; spared and banished, she learns the uses of living blood, takes the name Beauty, and returns to seize the throne of Hart's Hope and torment her exiled husband for centuries, until the old god called the Hart breeds a son. Addressed throughout to Palicrovol by an unnamed narrator. A separate world from Card's Tales of Alvin Maker.
Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Hart's Hope (1983) core · 3.48 (4,207 ratings); Berkley, 1983. A separate world from The Tales of Alvin Maker.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Hart's Hope? Hart's Hope's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Hart's Hope finished? Complete (1983).
- How much reading does Hart's Hope take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~272 pages).
- How is Hart's Hope ranked? #828 in this site's official ranking, based on 4,207 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #828?
Ranked #828 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.48 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (4,207 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #827, Aeons' Gate (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 4k ratings · Ranks #828 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No award could be confirmed for this novel.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.48 across 4,207 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: Hart's Hope (Orson Scott Card) accepted 2026-09-28
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-28
Rule: Core Canon = Hart's Hope (1983) only, standalone.