A series of books by author

David Drake David A. Drake (born September 24, 1945) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now a writer in the military science fiction genre. Biography Drake graduated Phi ...

. In 1997, Drake began his largest fantasy series, Lord of the Isles, using elements of

Sumerian religion Sumerian religion was the religion practiced by the people of Sumer, the first literate civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders. Ove ...

and medieval era technology. The series consists of nine books broken into two distinct parts, the Lord of the Isles consisting of the first six books, and a final trilogy dubbed the Crown of the Isles.

Novels

; Lord of the Isles # ''

Lord of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title w ...

'' (1997, ) # ''

Queen of Demons ''Queen of Demons'' (1998) is a fantasy novel by American writer David Drake, part of the series Lord of the Isles (David Drake), Lord of the Isles. Plot introduction This book in the series covers approximately 35 days, starting on the second d ...

'' (1998, ) # '' Servant of the Dragon'' (1999, ) # '' Mistress of the Catacombs'' (2001, ) # '' Goddess of the Ice Realm'' (2003, ) # '' Master of the Cauldron'' (2004, ) ; Crown of the Isles trilogy # ''

The Fortress of Glass ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (2006, ) # ''

The Mirror of Worlds ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (2007, ) # ''

The Gods Return The Gods Return is the ninth and final book in the Lord of the Isles Saga by David Drake. It was published in 2008 by Tor Books; the third books of the Crown of the Isles. It follows the stories of Garric, Sharina, Cashel and Ilna in the newly ...

'' (2008, ) ; Short stories # "

The Elf House ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

" (2004, published in ''Masters of Fantasy'', )

Plot summary

General outline

The books center on the lives of four youths from a small village on one of the islands that make up the archipelago of the book's world, known as the Isles. In the first novel, the character Garric or-Reise discovers that he is, in fact, the direct descendant of the last king to rule the Isles, exactly a millennium ago. Then, as now, the power that fueled all

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

in the world rose precipitously, allowing the use of spells so powerful that they shattered the cohesion of nations, driving them apart and in the process killing Garric's ancestor, Carrus, and sinking the island of Yole. The novels deal with Garric's claim to the throne of the Isles, and his attempts to unite them once again. In the process, he and his companions are challenged by foes both physical and

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

, which they must overcome. The basic outline of many of the novels deals with the characters being split apart, often taken to parallel universes or distant periods in time, by some hostile entity or group, which they must then defeat before, or in the process of, re-uniting. Magic in the series is based on a now-dead language, the Old Script. Its characters are usually drawn using an athame (made of a variety of substances including iron, twigs and ivory) and the words spoken aloud. The introduction states that these are actual incantations from the Classical world.

Main characters

*Garric or-Reise *Sharina os-Reise *Cashel or-Kenset *Ilna os-Kenset *Tenoctris the Wizard (bos-Tandor) *Liane bos-Benliman

Reception

The series has been described as popular. Authors of the ''Contemporary Authors New Revision Series: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide'' quoted praise for the book, writing that "In Drake's Lord of the Isles, the author 'uses his experience writing military and historical sf to craft an intricate first book in a new epic fantasy series,' commented Susan Hamburger in ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

''. '' Booklist'' reviewer Roland Green, commenting that Drake is suited to the saga form, found the cast 'large and well drawn, the pacing brisk, the world building outstanding.' ... 'Imaginative world-building and attention to magical details makes this a good choice for most fantasy collections," argued Jackie Cassada in ''

''.' " . In ''Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series'', the authors wrote about the series that "Drake, who has strong interests in history and mythology, is producing his own Arthurian saga, Lord of the Isles...", which they then describe as a "mix- ture of SF, fantasy, and Celtic mythology".

References

External links

* Th
Lord of the Isles
series page at Tor Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Of The Isles (David Drake) Fantasy novel series American fantasy novel series