Judith Tarr (born January 30, 1955) is an American

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 ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

author.

Life

Tarr was born in Augusta, Maine on January 30, 1955. She is the daughter of Earle A. Tarr, Jr. (a waterworks manager and salesman of real estate), and Regina (a teacher)."Tarr, Judith" in Stableford, Brian M. ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature''.Lanham (Md.) : Scarecrow Press, 2009. (p. 397)Sawyer, Andy. "Tarr, Judith", in the ''St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers'', ed.

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whi ...

. London, St. James Press, 1996, ,(pp. 551-2). She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

, and an M.A. and PhD in Medieval Studies from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. She taught Latin at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

from 1990 to 1993. She breeds

Lipizzan The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( hr, Lipicanac, cz, Lipicán, hu, Lipicai, it, Lipizzano, sr, Lipicaner, sl, Lipicanec), is a European horse breed, breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroqu ...

horses at ''Dancing Horse Farm'', her home in

Vail, Arizona Vail is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson. The population was 10,208 at the 2010 census, up from 2484 in the 2000 census. The area is known for the nearby Colossal Cave, a large ...

. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name ''Caitlin Brennan'' feature "dancing horses" modeled on those that she raises.

''The Hound and the Falcon'' Trilogy

Tarr's '' The Hound and the Falcon'' trilogy ('' The Isle of Glass'', 1985; '' The Golden Horn'', 1985; '' The Hounds of God'', 1986) is a fantasy trilogy set in twelfth and thirteenth century Europe. The trilogy focuses on a race of

Elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes " ...

with supernatural powers, secretly living in medieval society.Kelso, Sylvia. "The God in the Pentagram: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Fantasy".''

Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA), founded in 1982 is a nonprofit association of scholars, writers, and publishers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in literature, film, and the other arts. Its principal act ...

''. 18(1) (pgs. 61-82). 2007. The trilogy's main character is Alf, a young monk who is also an Elf. The trilogy features historical personages such as Francis of Assisi and King

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...

as characters.

''Alamut''

In an interview, Tarr stated that she became interested in the period of the Crusades after hearing the 1971 record album, ''Music of the Crusades'' by

David Munrow David John Munrow (12 August 194215 May 1976) was a British musician and early music historian. Early life and education Munrow was born in Birmingham where both his parents taught at the University of Birmingham. His mother, Hilda Ivy (né ...

and the

Early Music Consort of London The Early Music Consort of London was a British music ensemble in the late 1960s and 1970s which specialised in historically informed performance of Medieval and Renaissance music. It was founded in 1967 by music academics Christopher Hogwood and ...

.Mah, Emily
"The Best of Modern Arabian Fantasy, Part II: Judith Tarr and Alamut"
''Blackgate.com''. 28th April 2012. Retrieved 9th April, 2020. This inspired her to write her novel set in the period of the Crusades, ''Alamut''. Tarr consulted the history books ''

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes ''The Crusades Through Arab Eyes'' (french: Les Croisades vues par les Arabes) is a French language historical essay by Lebanese author Amin Maalouf. As the name suggests, the book is a narrative retelling of primary sources drawn from various A ...

'' by Amin Maalouf and '' The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam'' by

Bernard Lewis Bernard Lewis, (31 May 1916 – 19 May 2018) was a British American historian specialized in Oriental studies. He was also known as a public intellectual and political commentator. Lewis was the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near ...

, as part of her research for ''Alamut''.

''Epona'' series

Tarr's ''Epona'' series of novels (''White Mare's Daughter'', 1998; ''The Shepherd Kings'', 1999; ''Lady of Horses'', 2000; ''Daughter of Lir'', 2001) is set in prehistoric Europe. The ''Epona'' series dramatizes the ideas of archaeologist

Marija Gimbutas Marija Gimbutas ( lt, Marija Gimbutienė, ; January 23, 1921 – February 2, 1994) was a Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of " Old Europe" and for her Kurgan hypothesis ...

about a matriarchal society existing in Paleolithic Europe.

Pseudonyms

* Caitlin Brennan, pseudonym used for the ''White Magic'' series (''The Mountain’s Call'' and sequels) and ''House of the Star'' * Kathleen Bryan, pseudonym used for the ''War of the Rose'' series (''The Serpent and the Rose'' and sequels)

Bibliography

Novels

*'' The Hound and the Falcon'', 1993, , a collection of earlier works: **''The Isle of Glass'', Bluejay, 1985, **''The Golden Horn'', Bluejay, 1985, **''The Hounds of God'', Bluejay, 1986, * Avaryan Chronicles series: **''The Hall of the Mountain King,'' Tor, 1986, **''The Lady of Han-Gilen'', Tor, 1987, **''A Fall of Princes'', Tor, 1988, **''Arrows of the Sun'', Tor, 1993, **''Spear of Heaven'', Tor, 1994, **''Avaryan Rising'' (omnibus of ''The Hall of the Mountain King'', ''The Lady of Han-Gilen'', and ''A Fall of Princes''), Orb, 1997, **''Tides of Darkness'', Tor, 2002, **''Avaryan Resplendent'' (omnibus of ''Arrows of the Sun'', ''Spear of Heaven'', and ''Tides of Darkness''), Tor, 2003, *''A Wind in Cairo'', Bantam Spectra, 1989, *''

Ars Magica ''Ars Magica'' is a role-playing game set in 'Mythic Europe' – a historically grounded version of Europe and the Levant around AD 1200, with the added conceit that conceptions of the world prevalent in folklore and institutions of the High Mi ...

'', Bantam Spectra, 1989, *The '' Alamut series'' (set in the Middle East, and in the same universe as ''The Hound and the Falcon''): **''Alamut'', Doubleday, 1989, **''The Dagger and the Cross'', Doubleday, 1991, *''Blood Feuds'' (with S.M. Stirling, Susan Shwartz, and

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed hi ...

), Baen, 1993, *''Lord of the Two Lands'', Tor, 1993 (about

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

) *''His Majesty's Elephant'', Jane Yolen Books, 1993, (about Emperor

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

) *''Blood Vengeance'' (with

Jerry Pournelle Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s ...

, S.M. Stirling, Susan Shwartz, and Harry Turtledove), Baen, 1993, *''Throne of Isis'', Forge, 1994, (Historical novel featuring Cleopatra and

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

) *''The Eagle's Daughter'', Forge, 1995, *'' Pillar of Fire'', Forge, 1995, (Historical novel set in Ancient Egypt) *''King and Goddess'', Forge, 1996, *''Queen of Swords'', Forge, 1997, *''Epona'': **''White Mare's Daughter'', Forge, 1998, (Historical novel set in c. 4500 BC) **''The Shepherd Kings'', Forge, June 1999 **''Lady of Horses'', Forge, June 2000, **''Daughter of Lir'', Forge, June 2001, *'' Household Gods'' (with Harry Turtledove), Tor, 1999, *''Kingdom of the Grail'', Roc, September 2000, (Fantasy novel where Roland (from the Matter of France) meets Merlin) *''Pride of Kings'', Roc, September 2001, *''Devil's Bargain'', Roc, September 2002, *''House of War'', Roc, November 2003, *''Queen of the Amazons'', Tor, April 2004, *''Rite of Conquest'', Roc, November 2004, *''King's Blood'', Roc, October 2005, *''Bring Down the Sun'', Tor, 2008, *''Living in Threes'', Book View Cafe, 2014, *''Forgotten Suns'', Book View Cafe, 2015,

Short fiction

;StoriesShort stories unless otherwise noted.

As Caitlin Brennan

*''House of the Star'', Starscape, 2010, ;The White Magic series #''The Mountain's Call'', Luna, 2004, #''Song of Unmaking'', Luna, 2005, #''Shattered Dance'', Luna, 2006,

As Kathleen Bryan

;The War of the Rose series #''The Serpent and the Rose'', Tor, 2007, #''The Golden Rose'', Tor, 2008, #''The Last Paladin'', Tor, 2009,

Awards

* ''The Isle of Glass'' was the winner of the 1987 William Crawford AwardLocus Award Index
* Short story "Death and the Lady" was second place for the 1993

Theodore Sturgeon Award The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction stor ...

* ''Lord of the Two Lands'' was nominated in 1994 for the

World Fantasy Award for Best Novel In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...