''The Quincunx Cycle'' is a series of novels written by Trinidadian-Canadian author

André Alexis André Alexis (born 15 January 1957 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Canadian writer who grew up in Ottawa and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

. While loosely interconnected with various characters and places recurring in various novels each novel is written as a stand alone piece and is based on one of the themes of faith, place, love, power and hatred. All take place in and around

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...

with ''

Fifteen Dogs ''Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2015, the novel was the winner of the 2015 Scotiabank Giller PrizeIan McGillis, "Andre Alexis wins Giller Prize for Fifteen Dogs". ''Sask ...

'' and ''

The Hidden Keys ''The Hidden Keys'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2016 it is the third novel in a planned cycle of a five-novel quincunx that Alexis will use to examine faith, place, love, power and hatred, the f ...

'' both set in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Alexis Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946–197 ...

began the series in 2014 with ''

Pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

'' and completed it in 2021 with the publication of ''Ring''. The series was highly acclaimed: the second novel in the series, ''

'', was the recipient of the 2015

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

. ''

'', ''

Days by Moonlight ''Days by Moonlight'' is a Canadian novel by writer André Alexis. It is the fifth novel in his planned Quincunx Cycle, a thematically linked series that examines faith, place, love, power and hatred which began with his 2014 novel '' Pastoral''. ...

'' and ''

'' were also all shortlisted for the

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

. ''

'' and ''

'' would go on to win the award. Alexis conceived of the project as a response to

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

's 1968 film ''

Teorema ''Teorema'', also known as ''Theorem'' ( UK), is a 1968 Italian allegorical film written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and starring Terence Stamp, Laura Betti, Silvana Mangano, Massimo Girotti and Anne Wiazemsky. Pasolini's sixth film, it ...

''. Alexis completed ''

'', the first novel in the cycle, in 2009 but was unable to find a publisher for years. In 2019, while promoting ''

'' Alexis suggested that when the final novel in the cycle was published he would re-edit the entire series for cohesion.

Novels

''
Pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...
''

Quincunx 1 ''Pastoral'' was published in 2014 and examines faith.

''
Fifteen Dogs ''Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2015, the novel was the winner of the 2015 Scotiabank Giller PrizeIan McGillis, "Andre Alexis wins Giller Prize for Fifteen Dogs". ''Sask ...
''

Quincunx 2, ''Fifteen Dogs'', deals with the theme of place. The novel was nominated for, and won, two of the highest prizes available to literature in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

: the 2015

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

and the 2015

''
Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
''

While labelled the third in the series, Quincunx 3 was the last novel sequentially and in order of publication. While promoting ''

'' Alexis revealed that the final novel would be called ''Ring'' and also suggested that, while characters from each series have cameos in other books, ''Ring'' would more clearly link the works together. Ring was finally published in 2021 and, while featuring characters in all of the previous Quincunx series, mostly heavily featured Tancred Palmieri, the lead character from Alexis' novel ''

''.

''
The Hidden Keys ''The Hidden Keys'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2016 it is the third novel in a planned cycle of a five-novel quincunx that Alexis will use to examine faith, place, love, power and hatred, the f ...
''

Quincunx 4, was published in 2016. The novel deals with the theme of power.

''
Days by Moonlight ''Days by Moonlight'' is a Canadian novel by writer André Alexis. It is the fifth novel in his planned Quincunx Cycle, a thematically linked series that examines faith, place, love, power and hatred which began with his 2014 novel '' Pastoral''. ...
''

Quincunx 5 was published in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quincunx Cycle, The Book series introduced in 2014 Novels by André Alexis Novel series Novel sequences

Novels

''Pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...''

''Fifteen Dogs ''Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2015, the novel was the winner of the 2015 Scotiabank Giller PrizeIan McGillis, "Andre Alexis wins Giller Prize for Fifteen Dogs". ''Sask ...''

''Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...''

''The Hidden Keys ''The Hidden Keys'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2016 it is the third novel in a planned cycle of a five-novel quincunx that Alexis will use to examine faith, place, love, power and hatred, the f ...''

''Days by Moonlight ''Days by Moonlight'' is a Canadian novel by writer André Alexis. It is the fifth novel in his planned Quincunx Cycle, a thematically linked series that examines faith, place, love, power and hatred which began with his 2014 novel '' Pastoral''. ...''

References

''
Pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...
''

''
Fifteen Dogs ''Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2015, the novel was the winner of the 2015 Scotiabank Giller PrizeIan McGillis, "Andre Alexis wins Giller Prize for Fifteen Dogs". ''Sask ...
''

''
Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
''

''
The Hidden Keys ''The Hidden Keys'' is a novel by Canadian writer André Alexis. Published by Coach House Books in 2016 it is the third novel in a planned cycle of a five-novel quincunx that Alexis will use to examine faith, place, love, power and hatred, the f ...
''

''
Days by Moonlight ''Days by Moonlight'' is a Canadian novel by writer André Alexis. It is the fifth novel in his planned Quincunx Cycle, a thematically linked series that examines faith, place, love, power and hatred which began with his 2014 novel '' Pastoral''. ...
''