This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary .(June 2022) |
The Lyonesse Trilogy is a group of three fantasy novels by Jack Vance, set in the European Dark Ages, in the mythical Elder Isles west of France and southwest of Britain, a generation or two before the birth of King Arthur. The stories contain references to Atlantis and Arthurian mythology, particularly to the mythical country of Lyonesse. They are told in several related storylines which are not always strictly chronological.
King Casmir of Lyonesse arranges the marriage of his daughter Suldrun to Faude Carfilhiot, Duke of Vale Evander. Princes Aillas and Trewan of Troicinet are sent on a sea voyage to visit the various kingdoms of the Elder Isles to gain experience at statecraft; Aillas is eventually pushed overboard and washes up at Lyonesse. Faude Carfilhiot, wanting to be a powerful magician but lacking the patience to learn the necessary skills, schemes with his lover Tamurello. Suldrun cares for Aillas secretly and bears a son Dhrun to him. Aillas is imprisoned and Dhrun taken by the fairies and replaced with the changeling Madouc. Suldrun suicides.
King Casmir plots to destabilize South Ulfland by sending two agents, Sir Shalles and Torqual. Torqual plans to conquer all of the Elder Isles for himself. Aillas pursues and captures Lady Tatzel, declaring she is now his slave. She resists, but ends up falling in love with him. Glyneth is kidnapped by Visbhume and taken to the alternate world Tanjecterly as part of a plot by Casmir and Tamurello.
During an unauthorized outing into a forest, Princess Madouc is separated from her bodyguard and discovers her mother, the fairy Twisk, and learns the truth. She meets Prince Dhrun at a reception and shares her knowledge with him.
King Casmir continues to plot against Aillas by funding the exploits of the Ska renegade Torqual, which however have little effect against Aillas's precautions.
Shimrod the wizard, at Murgen's request, investigates mysterious demonic apparitions in Ys, which appear to involve Melancthe. Shimrod disguises himself as a Scythian bravo to infiltrate Torqual's band. While there, he disrupts a plot to assassinate King Aillas and kidnap Dhrun.
Madouc's guardian, King Casmir, attempts to arrange a marriage for her. When she refuses, the king punishes her by making Madouc the prize in a quest for the Holy Grail. Madouc's response is to seek the Grail herself. She and Pimfydd ("Sir Pom Pom") travel to the castle where the Grail is, kill the Ogre Throop, and retrieve the Grail. The Grail itself is an anticlimax which does nothing to improve her relationship with her parents.
Torqual and Melancthe arrive at Murgen's home. Desmei orders Torqual to free the Green Pearl so she can be whole, but the Ska instead release Tamurello. Desmei's physical form is destroyed, and Tamurello tries to free Joald with the help of Torqual simply to spite Murgen. Joald manages to partially wrench free, and his presence in the Atlantic causes a massive tsunami that wipes out Ys instantly and the majority of Vale Evander soon thereafter. Before they can cause the downfall of the entire island however, Tamurello is defeated and Torqual is beheaded. Desmei and Tamurello are sent to an alternate dimension where one of Murgen's associates annihilates them utterly in supernatural fire. The Green Pearl is revealed to be a corrupting magical force and an element of a much larger inter-dimensional war, which Murgen has been trying to keep from reaching Earth.
Casmir, emboldened by the news of the destruction of Vale Evander, wars against Dahaut. Dahaut is conquered, but this causes an attack on Casmir by Aillas. The Troice army routs Casmir's army, and Casmir enters the battle but soon flees back towards Lyonesse Town. Casmir discovers to his dismay that Lyonesse Town has been captured in his absence. Queen Sollace was exiled to Europe after the castle is captured and the Grail is lost again, to be sought later by King Arthur.
Casmir is taken prisoner and spends the rest of his life in a cell ruminating over his defeat. Aillas declares himself king of the Elder Isles, and Dhrun his heir. He brings peace to the realm. Glyneth, now his queen, gives birth to her and Aillas' daughter, Serle. Madouc and Dhrun are in love, and when Twisk is summoned to partake in the celebrations she recognizes Shimrod as Madouc's father.
Lyonesse: Madouc received the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1990. [1]
Lyonesse is a kingdom which, according to legend, consisted of a long strand of land stretching from Land's End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, to what is now the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It was considered lost after being swallowed by the ocean in a single night. The people of Lyonesse were said to live in fair towns, with over 140 churches, and work in fertile, low-lying plains. Lyonesse's most significant attraction was a castle-like cathedral that was presumably built on top of what is now the Seven Stones Reef between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly, some 18 miles (29 km) west of Land's End and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of the Isles of Scilly. It is sometimes spelled Lionesse.
Avalon is a mythical island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 Historia Regum Britanniae as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recover from being gravely wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Since then, the island has become a symbol of Arthurian mythology, similar to Arthur's castle of Camelot.
The Lady of the Lake is a title used by multiple characters in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. As either actually fairy or fairy-like yet human enchantresses, they play important roles in various stories, notably by providing Arthur with the sword Excalibur, eliminating the wizard Merlin, raising the knight Lancelot after the death of his father, and helping to take the dying Arthur to Avalon after his final battle. Different Ladies of the Lake appear concurrently as separate characters in some versions of the legend since at least the Post-Vulgate Cycle and consequently the seminal Le Morte d'Arthur, with the latter describing them as members of a hierarchical group, while some texts also give this title to either Morgan or her sister.
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A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette or bottle dungeon is a basement room which is accessible only from a hatch or hole in a high ceiling.
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The Pendragon Cycle is a series of historical fantasy books based on Arthurian legend, written by Stephen R. Lawhead. The cycle was originally planned as a four-book series, but the original publisher opted to stop after the first three books, resulting in an abrupt ending to Arthur and the existence of many unexplored stories and plotlines. The first three books were thus originally called "The Pendragon Trilogy". Lawhead moved to a new publisher a few years later. It was decided to expand on the trilogy by finishing the series, and two additional books were planned. These books, Pendragon and Grail, are set in between events covered in Arthur. Lawhead later wrote a final book Avalon, which is not considered to be a true addition to the cycle but rather a "related semi-sequel" to round out the "Once and Future King" aspect of the legend. The film and television rights to the series were purchased by DailyWire+ in November 2022.
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale is a young-adult fantasy novel written by Holly Black. It was published in 2002 by Simon & Schuster, who recommended it for "ages 12 up". Sequels--Valiant (2005) and Ironside (2007)--completed a trilogy that is sometimes called [A] Modern Tale of Faerie, the subtitle of volume two.
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is a 2002 American animated direct-to-video fantasy anthology film. It is a sequel to the 1950 film Cinderella. Directed by John Kafka from a screenplay written by Jill E. Blotevogel, Tom Rogers and Julie Selbo, it is the first in the series to use digital ink and paint. It stars the voices of Jennifer Hale, Russi Taylor, Corey Burton, and Rob Paulsen.
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Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 1984 dramatic fantasy film directed by Stephen Weeks and starring Miles O'Keeffe, Trevor Howard, Lila Kedrova, Cyrielle Clair, Leigh Lawson, Peter Cushing, and Sean Connery. The film is loosely based on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written in the late 14th century, but the narrative differs substantially. It was the second time Weeks had adapted the traditional tale into a film. His first effort was Gawain and the Green Knight (1973).
Meredith Ann Pierce is an American fantasy writer and librarian. Her books deal in fantasy worlds with mythic settings and frequently feature young women who first wish only to love and be loved, yet who must face hazard and danger to save their way of life, their world, and so on, usually without being respected for their efforts until the end of the story.
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The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a fantasy novel by American writer Patricia A. McKillip, and illustrators Peter Schaumann in 1974, and Alicia Austin in 1981, first published by Atheneum Publishers in 1974, and by Magic Carpet Books in 1996. It is the winner of the 1975 World Fantasy Award. The book centers on Sybel, a woman previously cut off from the rest of the world of Eldwold, as she learns to live and love in the world outside of the one she once knew.
The Green Pearl is a novel by Jack Vance published in 1985. It is the second book in the Lyonesse trilogy, which also includes Suldrun's Garden and Madouc.
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Lyonesse is a novel by Jack Vance published first in 1983.