Meredith Ann Pierce
Encyclopedia
Meredith Ann Pierce - is a fantasy
writer and librarian
. Her books deal in fantasy worlds with mythic settings and frequently feature young women who first wish only to love and be loved, yet who must face hazard and danger to save their way of life, their world, and so on, usually without being respected for their efforts until the end of the story.
. Published in 1982, The Darkangel featured a story that Pierce claims came to her all at once while she read the account of a dream recounted to Carl Jung
, one of the fathers of psychiatry
. It was followed in 1984 by A Gathering of Gargoyles, and concluded in 1989 with The Pearl of the Soul of the World. These books told the story of a slave girl who finds herself trying to kill a darkangel to avenge his kidnapping of her mistress. She then finds herself forced to care for the thirteen wraiths who were once his beautiful and unwilling brides, and must also resist the attractions of the vampyre. As she makes her way through the books, she finds more and more responsibility laid on her slender shoulders, with few friends and much danger as well.
Pierce's second and more popular trilogy, The Firebringer Trilogy, involved a tribe of unicorn
s on a different fantasy world. It started with Birth of the Firebringer in 1985, continued in Dark Moon, published in 1993, and ended with The Son of Summer Stars in 1996. Jan, the hero of the trilogy, is part messiah, part King Arthur
-figure. All three books were re-printed by Firebird Books
in 2003.
Pierce has written other fantasy novels, which are frequently published as either Young Adult Fiction or as general Fantasy, and sometimes in each category. Her most recent book, Waters Luminous and Deep, is a book of short stories marketed for adults.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
writer and librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
. Her books deal in fantasy worlds with mythic settings and frequently feature young women who first wish only to love and be loved, yet who must face hazard and danger to save their way of life, their world, and so on, usually without being respected for their efforts until the end of the story.
Career
Her first book started a trilogy often referred to as The Darkangel TrilogyThe Darkangel Trilogy
The Darkangel Trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by American author Meredith Ann Pierce. It is set in the distant future, when the moon has long since been terraformed into a lush paradise complete with its own animals, plants, and races....
. Published in 1982, The Darkangel featured a story that Pierce claims came to her all at once while she read the account of a dream recounted to Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
, one of the fathers of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. It was followed in 1984 by A Gathering of Gargoyles, and concluded in 1989 with The Pearl of the Soul of the World. These books told the story of a slave girl who finds herself trying to kill a darkangel to avenge his kidnapping of her mistress. She then finds herself forced to care for the thirteen wraiths who were once his beautiful and unwilling brides, and must also resist the attractions of the vampyre. As she makes her way through the books, she finds more and more responsibility laid on her slender shoulders, with few friends and much danger as well.
Pierce's second and more popular trilogy, The Firebringer Trilogy, involved a tribe of unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s on a different fantasy world. It started with Birth of the Firebringer in 1985, continued in Dark Moon, published in 1993, and ended with The Son of Summer Stars in 1996. Jan, the hero of the trilogy, is part messiah, part King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
-figure. All three books were re-printed by Firebird Books
Firebird Books
Firebird Books is an imprint of Penguin Group Inc., publishing mainly paperback reprint editions of science fiction and fantasy for teenagers and adults....
in 2003.
Pierce has written other fantasy novels, which are frequently published as either Young Adult Fiction or as general Fantasy, and sometimes in each category. Her most recent book, Waters Luminous and Deep, is a book of short stories marketed for adults.
The Darkangel Trilogy
- 1982 The DarkangelThe DarkangelThe Darkangel is the first book in The Darkangel Trilogy by American writer Meredith Ann Pierce. The book was released on 1982, as the first book of the series that ended in 1990 with the publication of The Pearl of the Soul of the World. The Darkangel was published in the United States by...
- Won International Reading AssociationInternational Reading AssociationThe International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
Children's Book Award - Won California Young Reader MedalCalifornia Young Reader MedalThe California Young Reader Medal is an award given annually to books nominated and voted on by children in California. The medal was established in 1974 and encourages recreational reading...
- Won International Reading Association
- 1985 A Gathering of Gargoyles
- 1990 The Pearl of the Soul of the World
The Firebringer Trilogy
- 1985 Birth of the Firebringer
- 1992 Dark Moon
- 1996 The Son of Summer Stars
Other books
- 1985 The Woman Who Loved Reindeer
- 1988 Where the Wild Geese Go - a picture book
- 2001 Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood
- 2004 Waters Luminous and Deep - a book of short fiction