''The Serpent'' is a novel by British writer Jane Gaskell. It was first published in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

. It is the first part of the ''Atlan'' series, a set of four (or five)

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

novels set in prehistoric times. The following novels are '' Atlan, The City'' and '' Some Summer Lands''. The stories are set in

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. ''The Serpent'' was also published split into two books, titled ''The Serpent'' and ''The Dragon'', hence the confusion over the numbering of the volumes.

Plot summary

The protagonist of the novel is Cija (pronounced 'kee-yah'), the illegitimate child of the Dictatress of a small kingdom and a priest of high rank. The story itself is written from her point of view. She was kept in a tower and looked after by servants until she turned 17; until that time she had not met any men and believed that men were extinct and women ruled the world. She was also raised to believe she was a goddess, related to the gods of her country, to whom she refers to as her "cousins". When she is 17 years old, her mother releases her from the tower and gives her as a hostage to Zerd, the half-Human, half- Reptilian warlord, leader of an invading army on their way to conquer the mysterious continent Atlan. Cija is secretly instructed by her mother to seduce and kill Zerd. Eventually she succeeds neither in killing Zerd, nor in warning the Atlantean empire about the invaders, but she ends up being married to Zerd and becoming Empress of Atlan.

Reception

Colin Greenland Colin Greenland (born 17 May 1954 in Dover, Kent, England) is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best-known novel is ''Take Back Plenty'' (1990), winner of both majo ...

reviewed ''The Serpent'' for ''

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

'' magazine, and stated that "rich with sensation and vitality that make much more recent fantasy writing look quite pale."

Reviews

*Review by L. Sprague de Camp (1964) in ''Amra'' V2n28, June 1964 *Review by Ed Cox (1969) in ''

Science Fiction Review Richard E. Geis (July 19, 1927 – February 4, 2013) was an American science fiction fan and writer, and erotica writer, from Portland, Oregon, who won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1982 and 1983; and whose science fiction fanzin ...

'', October 1969 *Review by Charlie Brown (1971) in ''

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

'', #71 January 6, 1971 *Review by Lester del Rey (1979) in '' Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact'', February 1979 *Review by Baird Searles (1979) in ''

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy named after science fiction author Isaac Asimov. It is currently published by Penny Publications. From January 2017, the publicatio ...

'', June 1979 *Review by Susan L. Nickerson (1979) in ''Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review'', August 1979 *Review by James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock (1988) in ''Fantasy: The 100 Best Books'' *Review by Stephen E. Andrews and Nick Rennison (2009) in ''100 Must-Read Fantasy Novels''

References

1963 fantasy novels Atlantis in fiction Hodder & Stoughton books Novels set in fictional countries Novels set in South America Prehistory of South America {{1960s-fantasy-novel-stub