Ahira's Hangar

Meredith Ann Pierce's Darkangel Trilogy consists of these three books:
The Darkangel
A Gathering of Gargoyles
The Pearl of the Soul of the World

They read like myths set on a terraformed world among bioengineered people and lifeforms. The darkangel himself is a vampyre...these books are very different,a mixture of science fiction, fantasy, and myth and I thought they were quite enjoyable...

Quote:They had been searching the mountain for a rare nectar - the mistress, Eoduin, carelessly scoffing at old tales of the evil creatures they might encounter...the slave, Aeriel apprehensive, and rightly so. For a darkangel did swoop from the sky, and he stole the beautiful Eoduin away... The settlers who first attempted to colonize the moon lived in domed cities during the terraforming process. They populated the lunar surface with bioengineered life, most quite practical in design, right down to their reproductive capability; others, oddly whimsical - dwarves, witches, and even vampyres, or darkangels. But the taming of the moon was never completed. War summoned the humans back to earth, and in the wake of that devastation there was no one left to return to the colony. So those like Aeriel and Eoduin inherited a strange mixed legacy of human ideals and myths made real. Irrylath, the darkangel who'd taken Eiduin, had been born human, like the others of his kind. But he was bound to steal the soul of a maiden once every year for fourteen years - a gift for the witch mother who'd raised him. Only then would he lose all trace of his humanity, and weakness. Loyal Aeriel understood nothing of the darkangel's purpose, yet knowing would not have stopped her. She vowed to rescue her friend and mistress - and thus placed herself in Irrylath's power. He took her to his cold, lonely castle to serve Eoduin and his twelve other brides - tormented, soulless wraiths who had once been flash-and-blood women. Unlike them, Aeriel had the freedom of the castle and its grounds - liberty that enabled her to befriend the darkangel's gargoyle guards, and an odd being named Talb, who lived in the caves beneath the castle. And Talb revealed to her a wealth of knowledge and lore - tales of the Ancients who'd transformed this once barren, airless place into a land that could sustain life...and prophecies which, if fulfilled, might free her people from the darkangels forever. Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i>Edited by: Duchess of Malfi  at: 6/6/03 6:30 pm
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very cool...but should this b in Fantasy, rather than Sci-Fi? And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i></i>

Danlo, it could quite honestly go in either, or even in the myth threads. There are elements of all three in it. It is one of those works that is really hard to pigeonhole. Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>

I read the Darkangel Trilogy some time ago. And I noticed I couldnt remember the ryhme that helped Ariel(i dont remember how to spell it) I was wondering if you knew it...if you do and its not too much trouble for you, could you email it too me? Maybe? If ya got the time, thanx, if not thats okay? My email is ari_2202@msn.com <i></i>

Ari, when I get home from work tonight, I will look it up for you. I haven't had time to be online much lately. Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>

Here you go, Ari!
I'm not quite sure how to get a poem in quote format, so will just type it out.

On Avaric's white plain,
where an icurus now wings,
To steeps of Terrain
from Tour-of-the-Kings
And damozels twice-seven
his brides have all become
A far cry from heaven,
a long road from home-
Then strong-hoof of a starhorse
must hallow him unguessed-
If adamants's edge is to plunder
his breast.
Then only, may the Warhorse
and Warrior arise
To rally the warhosts, and thunder
the skies.
But first there must assemble
ones icari would claim.
A bride in the temple
must enter the flame,
With steeds found for six brothers, beyond
a dust deepsea,
And new arrows reckoned, a wand
given wings-
That when a princess-royal's
to have tasted of the tree,
The far from Esternesse's
city, these things:
A gathering of gargoyls-
a feasting on the stone,
The Witch of Westernesse's
hag overthrown.
Whereafter shall commence
such a cruel sorceress War,
To wrest recompense
for a land leaguered sore,
With her broadsword Bright Burning,
the shadow Black-as-Night,
From exile returning,
shall dare dragons' might
For love of one above who, flad unfurled,
lone must stand,
The pearl of the soul of the world
in her hand.
Then Winterock to water
falls flooding, foes to drown,
Ravenna's own daughter
shall kindle the crown.

From Meredith Ann Pierce's The Pearl of the Soul of the World
Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>

Last month when I was sick I read another trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce...this one was called The Firebringer Trilogy and consisted of books called
Birth of the Firebringer
Dark Moon
The Sun of Summer Stars

This trilogy was a mixture of fantasy and mythology/anthopology...
It tells the story of a prophecy of the unicorns...and is an account of the adventures of a rebellious Prince of that people...a beautiful black unicorn named Jan...
The world is populated by many intelligent races, such as the unicorns, the satyr like pans, the griffins, and even herons, horses, dragons, wyverns -- and humans. The interactions between the various intelligent races makes up a key part of the books...
Another good read from an author few have heard of... ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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