The Deverry Cycle Books in Order: How to read Katharine Kerr’s fantasy series?

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A series of Celtic fantasy novels written by American author Katharine Kerr, The Deverry Cycle is set in the fictional land of Deverry where perilous battle and pure magic meet.

Even if it was originally conceived as a short story, The Deverry Cycle is now composed of several story arcs-each one comprised of three or four books. Everything began when a selfish young lord caused the death of two innocent lovers. Feeling guilty, he vowed never to rest until he’d righted that wrong. Many lifetimes later, those events shaped the lives of Jill and Lord Rhodry who must now fulfill a quest determined for them centuries ago.

How to read The Deverry Cycle in Order?

The Deverry Cycle is composed of multiple arcs:

I. The First Deverry Series in Order

1. Daggerspell – Four hundred years ago, one selfish young lord caused the death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he vowed never to rest until he’d rightened that wrong-and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill, a favorite of mysterious Wildfolk, and all those whom she would hold dear, all bound in a struggle against darkness. . . and a quest to fulfill the destinies determined centuries ago.
2. Darkspell – Exiled from the dragon court of Aberwyn, Lord Rhodry has yet to discover his true parentage, and his swordmaster-lover, Jill, has barely glimpsed her awesome powers. The two struggle to recover the Great Stone, the mystic jewel that guides the conscience of the kingship of Deverry, malevolent dark masters are weaving terrifying spells against them–and displacing messengers of death.
3. The Bristling Wood – Against the passionate sweep of Deverrian history, the powerful wizard Nevyn has lived for centuries, atoning for the sins he committed in his youth. Now, with so much of his work at stake, Nevyn discovers that the Dark Council has been quietly interfering with the already tangled politics of war-torn Eldidd. Their evil webs are nearly spun before Nevyn, with all the power at his command, even realizes there’s a war of magic destroying his world.
4. The Dragon Revenant – For years the provinces of Deverry have been in turmoil; now the conflict escalates with the kidnapping of Rhodry Maelwaedd, heir to the throne of Aberwyn. Intent on rescuing him, his beloved Jill and the elven wizard Salamander infiltrate the distant land of Bardex, where Rhodry is held captive.

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II. The Westlands Series in Order

5. A Time of Exile – It is years since Lord Rhodry took the throne of Aberwyn. When Rhodry’s lost lover, Jill-now a powerful wizard-comes to Aberyn and tells him it’s time he accepted his elven heritage, Rhodry faces the most difficult choice of his life. But with Jill’s help and that of a human wizard named Aderyn, Rhodry begins to understand how his life is connected not just to his own people, but to the Elcyion Lacar as well.
6. A Time of Omens – In the Westlands, the exiled lord Rhodry travels anonymously as a silver dagger-a mercenary-as he did in his youth, following a destiny that will take him from the grassy plains of the elven peoples to the hills and towns of Deverry, where dark forces are gathering.
7. Days of Blood and Fire – In the peaceful land of the Rhiddaer, Jahdo the ratcatcher’s son stumbles upon a secret meeting between a city councilman and a dangerous, mysterious woman. Suddenly the boy is tangled in a web of intrigue and black magic that drags him far from home. In the company of a blind bard, Jahdo must travel to Deverry to unravel the evil that binds him.
8. Days of Air and Darkness – The city of Cengarn is under siege. Armies both astral and physical are massing for and against the goddess Alshandra, who seeks to prevent the birth of one fate-bound child. It falls to the dweomermaster Jill and her allies to protect the child’s human mother, Princess Carra–and Deverry’s already foretold future–by magic and by might.

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III. The Dragon Mage Trilogy

9. The Red Wyvern – In a kingdom torn by civil war, young Lillorigga seeks to shield her dawning powers from her cruel mother Merodda’s manipulation. Mistress of a magic that, untamed, could kill her, Lilli brings her terrifying visions under the kindlier tutelage of the mysterious dweomermaster, Nevyn. But soon she must choose between her own clan and the true king who fights to claim his rightful throne, between sanctuary and blood feud, loyalty and love.
10. The Black Raven – In the city of Cerr Cawnen, the old evil awakens yet again when the sorceress Raena schemes to destroy Rhodry Maelwaedd, her bitter enemy during life after life. But her malice will draw the intervention of astral powers–and unleash the ravaging rage of Rhodry’s guardian dragon. Only another untried dweomer can buy safety for the city and the berserker himself–and only at a most fearsome price….
11. The Fire Dragon – In the holy city as it rises from the ashes of Deverry’s long wars, Prince Maryn prepares to claim the high kingship, but still the rebel Boar clan stands fast against him. And at court, his illicit passion for the young dweomer apprentice, Lilli, threatens to revive a curse that only she — at her own peril — can lift.

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IV. The Silver Wyrm Series in Order

12. The Gold Falcon – Orphaned by a cholera epidemic, Neb and his young brother are sent to the desolate farm of their last living relative. But when the savage Horsekin tribes begin raiding the villages along Deverry’s western border, the brothers must flee for their lives. A chance encounter with Salamander-a bard and master of dweomer magic-proves their salvation, as he brings them to the shelter of Tieryn Cadryc’s dun. Here Neb finds love with his soulmate Branna only to be dragged into a war for the very survival of the kingdom.
13. The Spirit Stone – Prince Dar of the Weslands has called upon his allies: the dwarven folk of the northern mountains and the human men of Deverry to the east. Their leaders know that if the Westlands fall to the Horsekin, they will be next. Joining them are two powerful dragons, who have their own bitter reasons to hate the Horsekin.
14. The Shadow Isle – The wild Northlands hold many secrets, among them the mysterious island of Haen Marn, the mountain settlements of Dwarveholt, and the fortified city of Cerr Cawnen. All three communities-and the alliance of humans, elves, and dwarves-are threatened by the religious fanaticism of the Horsekin. Only the magic of Dallandra and Valandario and the might of the powerful dragons, Arzosah and Rori, can save the Northlands from conquest.
15. The Silver Mage – The Horsekin are assembling along Prince Dar’s northern border, and the Deverry alliance doesn’t have the men or resources to prevent their enemies from moving into the wilderness areas known as the Ghostlands. But then the Dwrgi folk and the dragons come to Dar’s aid, tipping the balance in their favor and offering Dar’s people a chance to defeat the Horsekin once and for all.

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V. The Justice War Series

16. Sword of Fire – All over the kingdom of Deverry, the common people are demanding reform of the corrupt law courts. In Aberwyn, the situation catches fire when Gwerbret Ladoic, second in authority only to the High King, allows a bard to starve to death rather than hear their grievances. Guildwoman Alyssa, a student at the local scholars’ collegium, and Lady Dovina, the gwerbret’s own daughter, know that evidence exists to overthrow the so-called traditional legal system, if they can only get it into the right hands.

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If you like The Deverry Cycle, you may also want to see our Crown of Stars reading order, or our guide to David Eddings’s The Belgariad series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.