Cecilia Dart-Thornton at Tangled Web UK

Page Updated: 07/02/2007

Cecilia Dart-Thornton

Weatherwitch

01 Feb 07

The Well of Tears

pbk 17 Nov 06

The Battle of Evernight

The Lady of Sorrows

The Ill-Made Mute

About the Author

Bibliography

First British Edition Tor (2007)

Weatherwitch
Crowthistle Chronicles Three

Above Asrathiel the atmosphere churned. Updraughts caught her hair in billowing strands. Her eyes, shining, reflected the streaming clouds, so that they seemed no longer eyes at all but long oval windows opening onto the toiling skies behind her head…

On the misty, pine-clad slopes of the western highlands five princes go hunting - but the mountains are perilous and they clash with unexpected foes. To the north, a burrower digs its way through a labyrinth of underground caverns; there is no knowing what it is, how it came there, or where it is going.
The great golden sword Fallowblade is displayed above the mantelshelf in the house of Lord Avalloc Stormbringer. A weapon almost legendary by reputation, it was used in days of yore to destroy the goblin hordes. Asrathiel Stormbringer, powerful weathermage, is learning swordplay so that one day she may wield the magnificent blade, doing justice to this family heirloom ...
... while in the south, a tyrant rages and deceives, and hatches inimical plots ...
Five princes, an enigmatic burrower, a weathermaster and a fabulous sword - these elements come together to weave the surprising story of Weatherwitch.

Paperback - Tor (2006)

The Well of Tears
Crowthistle Chronicles Two
After Jewel and Eoin have fled from their native Slievmordhu to the kingdom of Narngalis, they encounter many dangerous situations which ultimately leave Eoin in the hands of the deadly unseelie wights. With nowhere else to go, Jewel finds refuge amongst the plateau-dwellers at High Darioneth. Teeming with siofra, trows and other eldritch wights, their land is under the tight rule of the weathermasters and Storm Lord Avalloc, who have the power to tame and summon the winds ...
When Jewel learns that the legendary Dome of Strang is no longer guarded, she decides to continue her journey to Orielthir to unravel the mystery of the hidden stronghold and with it the truth about her father’s legacy. Her discoveries lead her on further quests, accompanied by a handsome young weathermaster who has secretly fallen in love with Jewel. Together they encounter marvels and misfortunes and discover that the key to all their riddles ultimately lies with the extraordinary Well of Tears …
‘Dart-Thornton conjures up her world of Tir in the luminous yet hard-edged manner of Jack Vance and Mary Gentle’ Washington Post

Paperback - Tor (2004)

First British Edition Tor (2003)

The Battle of Evernight
The Bitterbynde Trilogy – Book Three
Once upon a time the great Faeran High King, Angavar, became trapped in mortal Erith along with his twin brother - and nemesis - Morragan the Raven Prince, when the Gate to the Faeran Realm was closed on them ...
Now, many centuries later, the fugitive who calls herself Tahquil has at last discovered the truth. She is being hunted down by the Raven Prince because she alone can reopen the Gate to the Fair Realm, so Morragan plans to use her for his escape from exile. However, Tahquil’s mind is still clouded by a potent spell called the bitterbynde, and she is also dying from a mystical wasting disease. The cure, and the final answers to the mystery of her past, can only be found in Evernight - at the fortress of the Raven Prince himself.
Though Tahquil has already survived deadly trials of goblins, spriggans, pixies and haunts, nothing can prepare her for the horror that is Evernight. Here magic rules, the sun is banished - and the Raven Prince’s whims shape the weather, the elements, the very nature of existence. Yet Tahquil refuses to be a mere pawn of these Faeran, who are as beautiful as they are merciless.
As Morragan’s wights and Angavar’s knights become locked in a battle that could engulf all of Erith, Tahquil’s quest for the truth finally hinges on a desperate choice. If she opens the Gate, will she thereby save two worlds - or instead destroy all and everything she holds dear?
`I extend the plea: More! More!’ Tanith Lee, Realms of Fantasy
Acclaim for The Bitterbynde
`Netted in golden prose ... Dart-Thornton’s opener proves a sweet surprise’ Washington Post Book World
`Like Tolkien and many of the best fantasy writers, Dart-Thornton has created a wonderful fantasy world that is a delight to wander through’ Herald-Sun
`Tirelessly inventive, fascinating, affecting, and profoundly satisfying - and Dart-Thornton has plenty in reserve for sequels ... a stunning, dazzling debut’ Kirkus Reviews
`Generously conceived, gorgeously written ... The pace of the novel is extraordinary, with reversals, surprises, new quests tumbling over one another like madcap acrobats on virtually every page’ Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
`This is so complex I found I couldn’t read generic fantasy for a week. I can’t wait for the rest of the tale’ sciencefiction.com
`Lovingly recreates an enchanting narrative ... encompasses mystery, magic, technology and romance ... characters are vibrant and well crafted’ Romantic Times
`This is likely to be one of the high marks of the year’ Science Fiction Chronicle
`Ms Dart-Thornton has done it again ... I can’t wait for the next installment’ www.futurefiction.com
`Not since Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring fell into my hands have I been so impressed by a beautifully spun fantasy’ Andre Norton, Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers of America Grandmaster

First British Edition Macmillan (2002)

Paperback - Tor (2003)

The Lady of Sorrows
The Bitterbynde Trilogy – Book Two
Though her memory remains clouded by sorcery, Imrhien must take vital news directly to the King-Emperor of Caermelor. She hopes that there she may also find Thorn, the fearless ranger who has won her heart.
Since no commoner may approach the royal court, Imrhien must assume a new identity as `Rohain’, a noble visitor from the distant Sorrow Isles. This disguise helps her discover that the King and his rangers have in fact gone off to battle the Unseelie hordes, which have suddenly declared war against mortals.
While she awaits the King’s return, the newcomer Rohain is trapped in her subterfuge, facing a court where treachery and deceit are as deadly as any eldritch peril.
As always, changes of fate and fortune occur, and for a brief while it seems Rohain’s dream of happiness may be achieved. But her joy is short lived, for attacks by nightmare monsters of the Wild Hunt - led by the Onseelie Lord Huon - grow ever more frequent and brutal. And when evil forces lay siege to the royal sanctuary on a hidden mystic island, Rohain must accept a horrifying fact: she herself is the real target of these monstrous onslaughts; she is the one whom Huon is hunting. But she has no idea why. To protect those she loves, the `Lady of the Sorrows’ must undertake a desperate quest to discover who she really is, and why an unhuman evil will destroy a world to find her. But the truth of Rohain’s past is about to prove more incredible - and far more tragic - than anything she could possibly have imagined.
‘Hobbit-fanciers will find much to delight them’ The Times
‘Cecilia Dart-Thornton exhibits strong and authentic evidence of having visited some of the more exotic corners of Faerie ... Crucially for readers, she proves she’s able to bring the unicorn back alive, netted in golden prose’ Washington Post
`Depicts a world that borrows from Celtic mythology but adds a few unique and refreshing twists ... belongs in most fantasy collections’ Library Journal
`Readers who crave long and detailed journeys through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures will enjoy ... Dart-Thornton’s world takes many traditional elements of epic fantasy and manages to stir them into something charming and new’ amazon.com

Paperback - Macmillan (2002)

First British Edition Macmillan (2001)

The Ill-Made Mute
The Bitterbynde Trilogy – Book One
The lordly Stormriders land their splendid winged stallions on the airy battlements of Isse Tower. Far below them, the superstitious servants dwelling in the fortress’s depths sit by the hearth and tell each other ghastly tales of the evil creatures inhabiting the outside world - a world most of them have only glimpsed. Yet it is the least of the lowly - a mute, scarred and utterly despised foundling - who dares to scale the Tower, sneak aboard a Windship, and then dive from the sky.
The terrified fugitive is rescued by a kind-hearted adventurer, who finally gives the poor creature a name - as well as the gift of communicating by handspeak, and an amazing truth never guessed at previously. Now the newly named ‘Imrhien’ begins a journey to distant Caermelor, in search of a wise woman whose skills may change everything.
Along the way, Imrhien must survive in a wilderness of endless danger - for the hearthside tales are all true. Unhuman wights haunt every pool, every turn in the road, and perpetually threaten and torment all travellers. Lost, and pursued by these monsters, Imrhien is finally saved by a mysterious Dainnan ranger whose gallantry and courage are matched only by his martial skills. But, unknown to them both, a deadly plot is unfolding . . . as a dark force summons the malignant hordes of Unseelie, and foul things amass in the night.
As the journey grows longer, and the challenges more deadly, Imrhien then discovers something more terrifying than all the evil eldritch wights combined. For the spurned outsider with an angel’s soul and a gargoyle’s face is falling in love . . .
In a thrilling debut combining masterful storytelling with a treasure trove of folklore, Cecilia Dart-Thornton creates a lushly romantic epic adventure of stunning scope and magical proportions, set in a world brimming with wonders and terrors.
‘With deep roots in folklore and myth, tirelessly inventive, fascinating, affecting and profoundly satisfying. A stunning, dazzling debut’ Kirkus Reviews
‘For fans of mainstream fantasy, this is likely to be one of the high marks of the year’ The Science Fiction Chronicle
‘Dart-Thornton’s first novel depicts a world that borrows from Celtic mythology but adds a few unique and refreshing twists . . . this series opener belongs in most fantasy collections’ Library Journal
‘Readers who crave long and detailed journeys through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures will enjoy . . . Dart-Thornton’s world takes many traditional elements of epic fantasy and manages to stir them into something charming and new’ amazon.com
`Netted in golden prose . . . Dart-Thornton’s opener proves a sweet surprise’ Washington Post
`Like Tolkien and many of the best fantasy writers, Dart-Thornton has created a wonderful fantasy world that is a delight to wander through’ Herald-Sun
`Generously conceived, gorgeously written . . . might well go on to become one of the great fantasies’ Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
An enchanting narrative . . . encompasses mystery, magic, technology and romance’ Romantic Times
`Not since Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring . . . have I been so impressed by a beautifully spun fantasy’ Ando Norton, author of Brother to Shadows

About The Author
All her life entranced by folklore and fantasy, Cecilia Dart-Thornton has been writing since her early childhood, though The Ill Made Mute was her first published novel. Her other interests include animal welfare, environmental conservatio and digital media. She lives in Australia.

Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.

Weatherwitch (Tor, 2007) Feb 07

The Well of Tears (Tor, 2005) Tor Pbk Nov 06

The Iron Tree (Macmillan, 2004)

The Battle of Evernight (Tor, 2003) Tor Pbk Jan 04

The Lady of Sorrows (Macmillan, 2002) Tor Pbk Aug 03

The Ill-Made Mute (Macmillan, 2001) Macmillan Pbk Jan 02