The Blue Star
#6923.10 adjusted 3.82 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1952 Reading commitment Low Fletcher Pratt Last reviewed 2026-10-02
Overview
Fletcher Pratt's 1952 novel, the inaugural volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series when it was first published on its own in 1969, is set in a world modelled on eighteenth-century central Europe where witchcraft is hereditary, outlawed and rigorously rule-bound. A witch's Blue Star gives her first lover the power to read minds for as long as he stays faithful; the revolutionary Sons of the New Day order the clerk Rodvard Bergelin to seduce the witch Lalette Asterhax for hers, and the two are bound together in flight through intrigue, invasion and revolution. A separate world from Pratt's Well of the Unicorn and Harold Shea stories.
Historical fantasy, Fantasy of manners · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Blue Star (1952) core · 3.10 (208 ratings); First published in the 1952 Twayne anthology Witches Three; first standalone edition Ballantine, May 1969, the inaugural volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series (ISBN recorded). A separate world from The Well of the Unicorn and the Harold Shea stories.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Blue Star? The Blue Star's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Blue Star finished? Complete (1952).
- How much reading does The Blue Star take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~242 pages).
- How is The Blue Star ranked? #692 in this site's official ranking, based on 208 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #692?
Ranked #692 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.10 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (208 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.56 behind #691, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World.
- 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 · 208 ratings · Ranks #692 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical 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 applies to this novel; it predates the genre's award era.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Blue Star and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Reformatory Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.43
- The Hands of the Emperor Fantasy of manners · Complete · Low commitment · 4.37
- A Song for Arbonne Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.25
- Between Two Fires Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.18
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.10 across 208 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: The Blue Star (Fletcher Pratt) accepted 2026-10-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Blue Star (1952) only, standalone.