The Hound and the Falcon
#4104.01 adjusted 4.00 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1985–1986 Reading commitment Low Judith Tarr Last reviewed 2026-09-02
Overview
The Hound and the Falcon is Judith Tarr's medieval historical fantasy trilogy, set mostly during the Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople of 1204: a secret race of elf-kin living within human medieval society, centered on the elf-monk Alfred (Alf), his hidden identity, and his love for a human princess. The Isle of Glass and The Golden Horn, both published in 1985, and The Hounds of God (1986) trace Alf's uneasy position as an immortal, magically gifted being passing as human within a Church that would condemn him if his nature were discovered, against the backdrop of real crusading history. Tarr, a medieval historian by training, grounds the fantasy elements in closely researched period detail, a hallmark of her wider body of historical fantasy. The trilogy remains among the earlier examples of fantasy fiction to fold supernatural elf-kin directly into documented medieval and crusader history.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Hound and the Falcon Judith Tarr
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Isle of Glass | 1985 | 1 | core | 3.96 (1,099 ratings) |
 | The Golden Horn | 1985 | 2 | core | 4.03 (632 ratings) |
 | The Hounds of God | 1986 | 3 | core | 4.10 (537 ratings) |
The complete trilogy (1985-1986, Bluejay Books), one continuous narrative arc.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Hound and the Falcon? The Hound and the Falcon's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Hound and the Falcon? Publication order, starting with The Isle of Glass. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Hound and the Falcon finished? Complete (1985–1986).
- How much reading does The Hound and the Falcon take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~890 pages).
- How is The Hound and the Falcon ranked? #410 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,268 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #410?
Ranked #410 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.01 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,268 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.14 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #409, Tales of Magic (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #410 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)
- The Golden Horn (1985)
- The Isle of Glass (1985)
- The Hounds of God (1986)
Documented internal/story order
- The Isle of Glass (1985)
- The Golden Horn (1985)
- The Hounds of God (1986)
Awards (verified)
- William L. Crawford Award (IAFA Fantasy Award), 1987: won: The Isle of Glass; Awarded to Judith Tarr for The Hound and the Falcon trilogy as a whole (the Crawford recognizes a debut fantasy writer/work); recorded against the trilogy's first volume since the award does not attach to a single specific title.
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 1986: nominated: The Isle of Glass; The Isle of Glass placed 11th (finalist tier, not a win).
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1987: nominated: The Hounds of God; The Hounds of God placed 21st (finalist tier, not a win).
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Hound and the Falcon and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Golem and the Jinni Historical fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.13
- Saga of the Light Isles Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.09
- The Initiate Brother Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.04
- The Dead Djinn Universe Historical fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.98
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.01 across 2,268 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: Admit The Hound and the Falcon (Judith Tarr) accepted 2026-09-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hound_and_the_Falcon
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isle_of_Glass
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Horn_(novel)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hounds_of_God
- https://sfadb.com/Judith_Tarr_Chronology
Last reviewed: 2026-09-02
Rule: New universe, Judith Tarr's The Hound and the Falcon. Core = the complete trilogy (1985–1986): The Isle of Glass, The Golden Horn, The Hounds of God — one continuous story published back-to-back. Won the 1987 William L. Crawford Award (IAFA Fantasy Award, for a debut fantasy writer/work) for the trilogy as a whole; The Isle of Glass placed 11th for the 1986 Locus Award for Best First Novel and The Hounds of God placed 21st for the 1987 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (both finalist-tier, not wins). Excluded: a later prequel duology in the same universe, Alamut and The Dagger and the Cross (1989/1991), set earlier with recurring minor characters promoted to leads; not registered in this admission, left as a documented future candidate.