This is a list of works by American fantasy author Tamora Pierce.
The Tortall universe is a fictional setting shared by six book series: [The] Song of the Lioness; [The] Immortals, or Wild Magic; Protector of the Small; Daughter of the Lioness, or Tricksters; and Beka Cooper (Provost's Dog); the Numair Chronicles, as well as multiple short stories.
Setting
The Tortall series is named for the country in which the majority of the works are set, Tortall. The capital of Tortall is Corus, located near the western coast on the Emerald Ocean. To the north is Scanra, a wild and somewhat barbaric country. Tortall and Scanra are at war in the last two Protector books and the first Trickster book, Trickster's Choice. To the east are Galla, Tusaine, and Tyra, and past them are Maren and Sarain. Carthak (setting for Emperor Mage) is south of Tortall across the Inland Sea, while to the west lie the Yamani Islands and the Copper Isles. To the east of Maren and Sarain is The Roof of the World, a large mountain range. The Trickster books mostly take place in the Copper Isles, further south than the Yamani islands.
The Hunt Records take place hundreds of years before the other books, and Barzun, a nation between Tortall and the Inland Sea later is occasional mentioned. Barzun was later conquered by Tortall.
Tortall is a place somewhat reminiscent of the European Middle Ages, with its monarchy, court, nobility, and knights, but is otherwise a completely different world. Magic is very real and practical to Tortallans, from the common hedgewitch to the King's court mages. Deities are revered and often play a part in human lives, sometimes choosing humans as champions, sometimes using them to further their own purposes. Though these deities are shown as powerful beyond belief, they rely on their human instruments to shape the world.
The Song of The Lioness was originally written as one single book for adults, but Pierce's literary agent suggested that she rewrite it into four books aimed at a young adult audience.
Also called Daughter of the Lioness from the Song of the Lioness four-book series. This duology is the same length as the earlier quartets, because the books are about twice the length of the earlier works. Pierce explains that the success of the Harry Potter books finally showed publishers that young readers will read long books.
This trilogy is also called Provost's Dog. It is set 200 years before Alanna: The First Adventure. It was a finalist for the 2012 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature.
The Numair Chronicles will be a two-book series about the childhood of Arram Draper, who will grow up to be the Great Mage, Numair Salmalín.
As some series and short stories are prequels, the chronologic order differs from publication order. Books that were published later frequently mention characters from books that were published earlier. However, each quartet or series can be read independently of the others.
± Location in timeline uncertain
Setting The Circle of Magic quartet is set in the land of Emelan; the Circle Opens quartet and the Circle Reforged quartet are set in Emelan and various neighbouring countries. Neighboring countries include Sotat (east of Emelan; birthplace of Briar Moss), Qalai (north-east of Emelan), Lairan (north of Emelan), Gansar (north-west of Emelan), and Anderann (west of Emelan, birthplace of Dedicate Rosethorn). Other countries in the Circle universe include Chammur (setting of Street Magic), Thairos (setting of Shatterglass), Namorn (far north, setting of Cold Fire and The Will of the Empress), Gyongxe (setting of Battle Magic), Yanjing (birthplace of Evumeimei Dingzai) Capchen (birthplace of Trisana Chandler), the Battle Islands (setting of Melting Stones), Hatar Island in the Pebbled Sea, Olart (north of the Pebbled Sea), and Mbau (south of the Pebbled Sea).
In the Circle universe, magic is common and regularly used, but individuals need to be born with the ability to use it. There are two forms of magic. Academic magic is directly linked to the energy within the user and may require incantations or physical catalysts. Ambient magic is less common, is associated with a certain craft (such as carpentry) or item of nature (such as lightning), and involves power from the surroundings flowing through the user. Most cultures in the Circle universe are polytheistic, but unlike the Tortall universe, gods less frequently try to affect mortal events.
Plot The series tells the stories of four 10-year-old children: Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo and Briar Moss, known as Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar, respectively. They are discovered in various troubled circumstances and brought together by Niklaren Goldeye (referred to as Niko), a powerful mage, who tells them that they are "ambient mages," which means that they use magic derived from the environment. The four youths do not fit in with the other children of the monastic Winding Circle community to which Niko brings them and are put together in a separate cottage, called Discipline. Here they each learn of their hidden talents: Sandry with thread, Tris with weather, Daja with fire and metal, and Briar with plants. Lark, a gentle woman especially attentive to Sandry since she also has thread magic, and Rosethorn, a sharp woman who shares Briar's ability with plants, live with and instruct the children in their magical and personal growth. Also teaching and guiding them is Niko, technically Tris's teacher, but available to all four. Daja is taught by Dedicate Initiate Frostpine, a smith mage. At first it seems that a merchant, a street rat, a noblewoman, and a Trader (a trading race that is often hated by others) will never get along, but an extraordinary circumstance brings them together. Through an earthquake, they realize their full potential and are bound closely together forever. As children skilled in uncommon magics, they struggle to earn the respect of the adults they encounter and to fully understand and control their magical powers. Nominated for the 2000 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature
Compilations
The young mages, now 14 years old, are officially certified by Winding Circle and become teachers. In this quartet, each of the four protagonists travels with their mentor, taking on a new student and combating problems abroad.
Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales (2010)
Contents:
Contents:
At the 2006 New York Comicon, Marvel Comics announced that Pierce and her husband Tim Liebe would write a new series, starring former FBI agent Angela Del Toro as the new White Tiger. White Tiger launched as a six-issue series drawn by French artist Phil Briones in November 2006.
Tamora Pierce was the "head writer for a company that did original radio comedy and drama in the 1980s, a part-time editor for two magazines, and the writer of various fiction and nonfiction for magazines". The first short story Tamora sold was to a women's romance magazine, titled "What We Did Was Sin".