Book 1

Kushiel's Dart

by Jacqueline Carey

Published 23 June 2001
In a kingdom born of angels, Phedre is an anguisette, cursed or blessed to find pleasure in pain. Sold to the Court of Night Blooming Flowers, her fate as a beautiful but anonymous courtesan was sealed. Her bond was purchased by the nobleman Anafiel Delauney, who recognised the scarlet mote in Phedre's eye as the rare mark of one touched by a powerful deity. Under Delauney's patronage she is trained in history, politics, language, and the use of body and mind as the ultimate weapon of subterfuge in a dangerous game of courtly intrigue.

Guided into the bed chambers of Terre D'Ange's most influential nobles, Phedre uncovers a conspiracy against the throne so vast that even her teacher cannot see the whole of it. As her nation is besieged by invading hordes from the north, the most unthinkable threat to her beloved home comes from traitors within. Betrayed and blindsided by her own longings, only Phedre and her trusted bodyguard Josselin are left to cross borders and warring armies in a race to stop the final blow from falling.

Enter a lush world of pleasure houses, ambitious warlords, scheming courtiers, and the harsh justice of blessed deities through the eyes of a heroine like no other. Sprawling and darkly sensual, Kushiel's Dart is the start of a truly original fantasy series perfect for mature fans of George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, and Anne Bishop.

Book 1.5

Cassiel's Servant

by Jacqueline Carey

Published 1 August 2023
Returning to the realm of Terre d’Ange which captured an entire generation of fantasy readers, New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey brings us a hero’s journey for a new era.
In Kushiel’s Dart, a daring young courtesan uncovered a plot to destroy her beloved homeland. But hers is only half the tale. Now see the other half of the heart that lived it.

Cassiel’s Servant is a retelling of cult favourite Kushiel’s Dart from the point of view of Joscelin, Cassiline warrior-priest and protector of Phèdre nó Delaunay. He’s sworn to celibacy and the blade as surely as she’s pledged to pleasure, but the gods they serve have bound them together. When both are betrayed, they must rely on each other to survive.

From his earliest training to captivity amongst their enemies, his journey with Phèdre to avert the conquest of Terre D’Ange shatters body and mind… and brings him an impossible love that he will do anything to keep.

Even if it means breaking all vows and losing his soul.

Book 2

Kushiel's Chosen

by Jacqueline Carey

Published 1 April 2002
Naamah, have a care for your servant, who has served you well and faithfully...

Phèdre nó Delaunay is an anguissette, cursed - or blessed - to find exquisite pleasure in pain. Trained as a courtesan-spy, she was the plaything of royals… and a secret weapon of the gods themselves.

She has saved her homeland and a new queen reigns. Now an old enemy plots in the shadows and, to keep those she loves safe, Phèdre will return to her former trade. But can she bear the tasks demanded of her by the gods - gods of grief, justice, and, above all, love - who rule her destiny? Or will she be destroyed in an effort to save her nation once more?

Return to the glittering beauty of Terre d’Ange, the danger hiding behind the masquerades of La Serenissima, islands of madness and decadence, and an unforgettable heroine willing to strip away every bit of herself to balance the divide between love and hate.

Book 3

Kushiel's Avatar

by Jacqueline Carey

Published 1 April 2003

Kushiel's Avatar is the concluding volume in Jacqueline Carey's evocative novels about the enigmatic Phèdre nó Delaunay; the third in a triptych of beautifully constructed historical fantasies that combine passion and danger, great battles of the sword and soul, deep eroticism, and mystical enigmas.

Phèdre nó Delaunay was chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Her path has been strange and dangerous, but through it all the devoted swordsman Joscelin has been at her side.

But Phèdre has never forgotten her childhood friend Hyacinthe, who struck a bargain with the gods to save Phèdre…and their nation. She is determined to seize one last hope to bring him back. Her quest will bring Phèdre and Joscelin across the world, to distant courts where madness reigns and souls are currency, down a fabled river to a land forgotten by most of the world.

And to a power so mighty that none dare speak its name.


Books 1-3

Kushiel's Legacy

by Jacqueline Carey

Published 20 December 2016