The Bitterbynde

Series · 3 books · 2001-2002

By Cecilia Dart-Thornton

Books in series

The Ill-Made Mute

2001

In a thrilling debut that combines storytelling mastery with a treasure trove of folklore, Cecilia Dart-Thornton creates a lushly romantic epic adventure, set in a world brimming with wonders and terrors. The Stormriders land their splendid winged stallions on the battlements of Isse Tower, while the scullions who dwell in the fortress' lower depths rarely even see the sun. Yet it is the least of the lowly—a mute, scarred foundling youth—who dares to climb the Tower, stow away aboard a Windship, and dive from the sky into a wilderness of endless danger. For goblins, peskies, knocks, and all the eldrich wights of the Unseelie haunt every tree, every pool, every turn in the road, tormenting or killing unwary travelers. And unknown to the nameless one, somewhere a dark force is summoning the malignant hordes, determined to destroy the young mute's identity, history...and destiny.

The Lady of the Sorrows

2002

Returning to the magical Bitterbynde world, the maiden Rohain is no longer deformed or mute. Yet her dreams of happiness are short-lived when the Unseelie hordes declare war on humankind—and Rohain is the real target of the Wild Hunt. Original.

The Battle of Evernight

2002

The Barnes Noble Review The Battle of Evernight, the final installment in Australian author Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Bitterbynde trilogy, takes place in Erith, a richly detailed realm filled with a plethora of magical seelie (benevolent) and unseelie (malevolent) creatures. Seamlessly mixing British and Irish myths, fairy tales and folklore, Dart-Thornton (called Australia's answer to J.R.R. Tolkien) creates an extraordinarily wild world, comparable to Middle-earth, that can be both breathtakingly beautiful and, in the blink of an eye, the stuff of nightmares. With her memory slowly returning, the protagonist, Tahquil, along with her friends Caitri and Viviana, vows to find the Bitterbynde Gate, the only remaining passage into the world of Faeran. By finding the elusive gate, Tahquil can stop the impending war between feuding immortal Faeran brothers trapped in Erith: Angavar, the High King of the Fair Realm, and his younger twin brother, Morragan, the Raven Prince. The battle between Angavar and his followers and Morragan and his unseelie legions will likely take hundreds of thousands of lives, but if Tahquil can find the gate in time, all the immortals stranded in Erith will surely end their conflict and return posthaste to the Fair Realm. Fans of folklore and fairy tales should make it a point to read Dart-Thornton's entire Bitterbynde trilogy (The Ill-Made Mute, and The Lady of the Sorrows are the first two books). Her fluid, almost hypnotic writing style is reminiscent of Elizabethan poetry or Celtic music. In short, this is beautifully written, timeless fantasy. Paul Goat Allen

Author

Cecilia Dart-Thornton

Author · 8 books

Cecilia Dart-Thornton was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. She became a schoolteacher before working as an editor, bookseller, illustrator and book designer. She started and ran her own business, but became a full-time writer in 2000 after her work was 'discovered' on the Internet and published by Time Warner (New York). A keen supporter of animal rights and wilderness conservation, she has also branched out into such diverse industries as clay sculpting, performing in folk music bands, and digital media. Her books are published around the world and have been translated into several languages. BIBLIOGRAPHY: THE BITTERBYNDE TRILOGY 'This series follows the journey of a mute, amnesiac foundling through a world of beauty and peril, teeming with faerie creatures.' The Ill-Made Mute (2001) The Lady of the Sorrows (2002) The Battle of Evernight (2003) THE CROWTHISTLE CHRONICLES 'A four-part epic fantasy describing the adventures that befall a cursed and gifted family.' The Iron Tree (2004) The Well of Tears (2005) Weatherwitch (2006) Fallowblade (2007) THE MIDNIGHT GAME - A young-adult fantasy novel published in a fine limited edition. (2012) SHORT STORIES Long the Clouds are Over me Tonight (Published in the anthology Emerald Magic: Great Tales of Irish Fantasy; Tor Books, 2004) The Stolen Swanmaiden (Published in Australian Women's Weekly September 2005) The Lanes of Camberwell (Published by Harper Collins in the anthology DREAMING AGAIN, 2008) The Enchanted (Published by Harper Collins in the anthology LEGENDS OF AUSTRALIAN FANTASY, 2010)