FOOLS GOLD
3 primary works
Book 1
An epic tale of gods, great journeys, love and betrayal, Sorcery Rising opens one of fantastic fiction's all-time classics. From the barren isles of the North come the Eyrans. Hardy seafaring folk. From the South come their old enemies, the Istrians. Slave-owners, who drove the Eyrans from their lands. And from all over Elda come the nomadic peoples - the Footloose - purveyors of charms and (until now) harmless potions. But whence comes the sorcery that disrupts the annual Allfair at which they all gather? Katla Aransen and her family have sailed to the fair to trade their goods. The Vingo clan have travelled from Istria to purchase a bride for their appalling eldest son. Tycho Issian has come to sell his daughter to the highest bidder. King Ravn Asharson, Stallion of the North, seeks a political alliance; while others seek his downfall. For centuries, Elda has been bereft of magic; but this year something has changed. A mysterious force is abroad once more, and it will change the world forever...
Book 2
Book Two in Jude Fisher's acclaimed FOOL'S GOLD trilogy Magic has returned to Elda, creating all manner of wonders and terrors. None yet know that the source of this magic is the legendary Rosa Eldi, restored to the world, but not yet restored to herself. Unaware of her true nature, she has married King Ravn Asharson of the North, and now with usurpers and assassins circling she must conceive a child to establish the succession. In the Southern Empire, the fire of holy war is smouldering and violence is everywhere, fuelled by fundamentalist hatred and bigotry. Caught up in these machinations, peace-loving Saro Vingo is forced to take up arms against the North; and Virelai, apprentice sorcerer, finds himself chained to the murderous plans of his master, Tycho Issian. Ignoring his king's call to arms, Aran Aranson, chief of the Rockfall clan, is in the grip of a mad obsession borne of a magical map and dreams of sailing the frozen seas to Sanctuary, island of legend, to find a fortune. His daughter, Katla, dreams of sailing with him; but her fate lies elsewhere. All over Elda, forces are aligning themselves for good or for evil. There is magic in the world again, but it is wild and u
Book 3
The Goddess of Elda - the Rose of the World - is now free and married to King Ravn of the Northern Isles. But the ships of the Southern Empire, under the fanatical leadership of Lord Tycho Issian, are bringing holy war to the North; and she may soon become a prize of combat. Meanwhile, Katla Aransen has been abducted by Istrian raiders and finds herself in the harem of Rui Finco, Lord of Forent. There she will learn for herself the hardship suffered by the women of the South. And Saro Vingo is imprisoned beneath the Eternal City, listening to the cries of those tortured by his mad brother, Tanto, Tycho Issian's henchman. Can he escape and put an end to his brother's atrocities? North will fight South and all those caught in the vice of their passage will be crushed - unless guardianship of Elda is taken from the bloody hands of the warmongers and returned to those who truly care for it.