The Damiano Trilogy
#6203.83 adjusted 3.87 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1983–1984 Reading commitment Low R. A. MacAvoy Last reviewed 2026-10-04
Overview
R. A. MacAvoy's trilogy, written in the year she won the Campbell Award for best new writer, is set in a Renaissance Italy, France and Moorish Spain where faith-based magic truly works. Damiano (1983) follows Damiano Delstrego, a wizard's son, alchemist and lutenist taught by the Archangel Raphael, across the winter Alps in search of the pagan witch Saara as war engulfs his city; Damiano's Lute (1984) sends him, his powers renounced, through a plague-ridden France with the Devil at his heels; Raphael (1984) strips the archangel of his powers and sells him into slavery in Moorish Spain, from which Saara and a black dragon set out to rescue him. Collected as A Trio for Lute; a separate world from MacAvoy's Tea with the Black Dragon.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Damiano Trilogy R. A. MacAvoy
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Damiano | 1983 | 1 | core | 3.83 (1,248 ratings) |
 | Damiano's Lute | 1984 | 2 | core | 3.87 (670 ratings) |
 | Raphael | 1984 | 3 | core | 3.79 (632 ratings) |
R. A. MacAvoy's historical fantasy of a Renaissance Italy, France and Moorish Spain where faith-based magic works: the young alchemist and lutenist Damiano Delstrego, his friend and teacher the Archangel Raphael, the pagan witch Saara and the Devil who covets them. Collected as A Trio for Lute (1985).
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Damiano Trilogy? The Damiano Trilogy's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Damiano Trilogy? Publication order, starting with Damiano. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Damiano Trilogy finished? Complete (1983–1984).
- How much reading does The Damiano Trilogy take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~727 pages).
- How is The Damiano Trilogy ranked? #620 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,550 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #620?
Ranked #620 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.83 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,550 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.08 of each other.
- 0.04 behind #619, Tomes & Tea.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #620 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
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Damiano (1983)
- Damiano's Lute (1984)
- Raphael (1984)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No award could be confirmed for the trilogy itself; the author's 1984 Campbell Award was a career honour.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.83 across 2,550 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Damiano Trilogy (R. A. MacAvoy) accepted 2026-10-04
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04
Rule: Core Canon = Damiano (1983), Damiano's Lute (1984) and Raphael (1984), complete trilogy.