The Strands Series
Encyclopedia
The Strands Series is a series of books and short stories
written by Gael Baudino
between 1981 and 1994 and published between 1989 and 1997. The majority of the plot occurs in a fictional land named Adria, which is based on Medieval Western Europe
, with parts of later books occurring in 1990s Denver, USA. Though many of the locations in Adria are fictional, the geography, culture, and language are realistic depictions of Europe during the 14th-15th centuries. The author describes Adria's placement in this way: "Imagine a slash between France
and Germany
, and then insert about 300 miles".
The story arc takes place against the backdrop of historical events such as: the Medieval Inquisition
by the Catholic church; the Crusades
; the Western Schism
; the fading of feudalism
and the concomitant rise of a prosperous commerce-driven middle class
; the Black Death
plagues; the introduction of cannon
into European warfare; and in the later books, contemporary urban decay
..
Elves, who have been around since the forming of the world, and their interactions with humans. They are immortal in the sense that they don't die of old age or disease (the eldest of them is roughly four and one half billion years old), though they can be killed or die from grief. The purpose of the Elves is to provide "aid and comfort" to all living things, but especially their beloved human cousins. Against this urge to help, they find themselves feared, hated, and persecuted by humans because of their immortality and extra-human, nearly godlike, powers of prescience, manipulation of the future, healing, and control over physical items.
Over time, they have faded, for multiple reasons: they reproduce very seldom; some have chosen to fade from the earth due to grief or personal loss; and they have been persecuted by humans. Likewise, their powers are waning with the passing of time. In the year 1500 CE
, they disappear entirely, but their bloodlines remain, due to interbreeding with humans over the years. Hundreds of years later, in the 1990s, the blood suddenly starts manifesting itself in certain people. What becomes of them after the 1990s has never been fleshed out by the author.
All Elves possess graceful and strong bodies as well as perfect health. They are very difficult to kill, often continuing on after receiving wounds that would kill a human. Humans seeing them for the first time often assume they are trained in the martial arts
, due to their extreme coordination and sense of being at ease with their bodies. Temperature extremes do not affect them, and they do not sweat when hot (the author originally had them sweating in the 1985 short story The Shadow of the Starlight, but changed it for the book series). They view all activities they engage in as smaller parts of the greater pattern of things, and because of this and their long life span, they attain a level of excellence that no human can match in whatever skills they pursue.
As a consequence of their perception of the patterns of reality, they can discern things about the physical realm that are hidden from humans. Their senses are superhumanly keen, with extraordinarily sharp hearing and sight that is not affected by darkness. Elves and those with elven blood can often see a silvery sheen surrounding other elves and those with elvish blood, especially when their powers are active. When walking, they usually make no sound at all, even when they are in a hurry or their feet are encumbered.
of Greek myth. They can discern the patterns of cause and effect in a very real and palpable manner, and they can selectively re-weave the patterns to suit their desires, though it greatly drains them if the manipulation is in-depth or far-sweeping; they are also aware of the principle of unintended consequence
s, where a little meddling in the present can yield large and potentially disastrous results later.
In practice, the Elves can change reality in nearly any way, the extent and means being limited only by their conscience, force of will, and energy given to the task. Some examples are: healing anything short of death; changing humans into animals, other humans, or Elves; seeing into the many possible futures or the distant past; changing massive items like castles into solid rock; seeing in the dark; mastering an instrument or weapon beyond any human's abilities; speaking with animals and plants; and changing aspects of a human's personality like fearlessness, happiness, intelligence, musical aptitude, aggression, etc.
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
written by Gael Baudino
Gael Baudino
Gael Baudino is a contemporary American fantasy author who also writes under the pseudonyms of Gael Kathryns, Gael A. Kathryns, and G.A. Kathryns. She attended college at the University of Southern California...
between 1981 and 1994 and published between 1989 and 1997. The majority of the plot occurs in a fictional land named Adria, which is based on Medieval Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, with parts of later books occurring in 1990s Denver, USA. Though many of the locations in Adria are fictional, the geography, culture, and language are realistic depictions of Europe during the 14th-15th centuries. The author describes Adria's placement in this way: "Imagine a slash between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and then insert about 300 miles".
The story arc takes place against the backdrop of historical events such as: the Medieval Inquisition
Medieval Inquisition
The Medieval Inquisition is a series of Inquisitions from around 1184, including the Episcopal Inquisition and later the Papal Inquisition...
by the Catholic church; the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
; the Western Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
; the fading of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
and the concomitant rise of a prosperous commerce-driven middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
; the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
plagues; the introduction of cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
into European warfare; and in the later books, contemporary urban decay
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
..
Books
- Strands of StarlightStrands of StarlightStrands of Starlight is a novel written by Gael Baudino in 1989. It is the first in the Strands of Starlight tetralogy. The other novels are Maze of Moonlight, Shroud of Shadow, and Strands of Sunlight.-Plot introduction:...
- Book 1, 1989 - Maze of MoonlightMaze of MoonlightMaze of Moonlight is a novel written by Gael Baudino in 1993. It is the second in the Strands of Starlight tetralogy. The other novels are Strands of Starlight, Shroud of Shadow, and Strands of Sunlight.-Plot introduction:...
- Book 2, 1993 - Shroud of ShadowShroud of ShadowShroud of Shadow is a novel written by Gael Baudino in 1994. It is the third in the Strands of Starlight tetralogy. The other novels are Strands of Starlight, Maze of Moonlight, and Strands of Sunlight.-Plot introduction:...
- Book 3, 1994 - Strands of SunlightStrands of SunlightStrands of Sunlight is a novel written by Gael Baudino in 1994. It is the fourth in the Strands of Starlight tetralogy. The other novels are Strands of Starlight, Maze of Moonlight, and Shroud of Shadow...
- Book 4, 1994 - Spires of SpiritSpires of SpiritSpires of Spirit, by Gael Baudino, is a collection of six novellas set in the universe of The Strands Series. It was first published in 1997 by Roc Books...
- A collection of short stories in the Strands universe, 1997
Plot summary
In the broadest view, the Strands series deals with the immortalImmortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
Elves, who have been around since the forming of the world, and their interactions with humans. They are immortal in the sense that they don't die of old age or disease (the eldest of them is roughly four and one half billion years old), though they can be killed or die from grief. The purpose of the Elves is to provide "aid and comfort" to all living things, but especially their beloved human cousins. Against this urge to help, they find themselves feared, hated, and persecuted by humans because of their immortality and extra-human, nearly godlike, powers of prescience, manipulation of the future, healing, and control over physical items.
Over time, they have faded, for multiple reasons: they reproduce very seldom; some have chosen to fade from the earth due to grief or personal loss; and they have been persecuted by humans. Likewise, their powers are waning with the passing of time. In the year 1500 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, they disappear entirely, but their bloodlines remain, due to interbreeding with humans over the years. Hundreds of years later, in the 1990s, the blood suddenly starts manifesting itself in certain people. What becomes of them after the 1990s has never been fleshed out by the author.
Physical aspects of the Elves
Physically, Elves are similar to humans, with the only obvious difference being their slightly pointed ears, which they often conceal by growing their hair long and using it to cover their ears when they wish to pass undetected. Male elves tend to have slighter builds than typical human men, with no facial hair at all; they are often described by the author as having a nearly womanly cast to their faces. Female elves tend to be slightly taller than typical human females, with the net result being that male and female elves are very similar in size and build to each other.All Elves possess graceful and strong bodies as well as perfect health. They are very difficult to kill, often continuing on after receiving wounds that would kill a human. Humans seeing them for the first time often assume they are trained in the martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, due to their extreme coordination and sense of being at ease with their bodies. Temperature extremes do not affect them, and they do not sweat when hot (the author originally had them sweating in the 1985 short story The Shadow of the Starlight, but changed it for the book series). They view all activities they engage in as smaller parts of the greater pattern of things, and because of this and their long life span, they attain a level of excellence that no human can match in whatever skills they pursue.
As a consequence of their perception of the patterns of reality, they can discern things about the physical realm that are hidden from humans. Their senses are superhumanly keen, with extraordinarily sharp hearing and sight that is not affected by darkness. Elves and those with elven blood can often see a silvery sheen surrounding other elves and those with elvish blood, especially when their powers are active. When walking, they usually make no sound at all, even when they are in a hurry or their feet are encumbered.
Powers of the Elves
The Elves' powers are described in terms of the Elves' awareness of and influence over the patterns of reality, much in the same vein as the MoiraeMoirae
The Moirae, Moerae or Moirai , in Greek mythology, were the white-robed incarnations of destiny . Their number became fixed at three...
of Greek myth. They can discern the patterns of cause and effect in a very real and palpable manner, and they can selectively re-weave the patterns to suit their desires, though it greatly drains them if the manipulation is in-depth or far-sweeping; they are also aware of the principle of unintended consequence
Unintended consequence
In the social sciences, unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the outcomes intended by a purposeful action. The concept has long existed but was named and popularised in the 20th century by American sociologist Robert K. Merton...
s, where a little meddling in the present can yield large and potentially disastrous results later.
In practice, the Elves can change reality in nearly any way, the extent and means being limited only by their conscience, force of will, and energy given to the task. Some examples are: healing anything short of death; changing humans into animals, other humans, or Elves; seeing into the many possible futures or the distant past; changing massive items like castles into solid rock; seeing in the dark; mastering an instrument or weapon beyond any human's abilities; speaking with animals and plants; and changing aspects of a human's personality like fearlessness, happiness, intelligence, musical aptitude, aggression, etc.
Story and character arcs
- The super-arc of the Aurverelle's feud with the elves. Aurverelle's men kill the elf Mirya three hundred years before Strands of StarlightStrands of StarlightStrands of Starlight is a novel written by Gael Baudino in 1989. It is the first in the Strands of Starlight tetralogy. The other novels are Maze of Moonlight, Shroud of Shadow, and Strands of Sunlight.-Plot introduction:...
. Terrill and Varden avenge her by slaughtering the men of Aurverelle. Later, Baron Roger continues the Aurverelle ways and rapes Miriam. Varden, seeing his and Terrill's connection to Roger's actions, heals Miriam, who later becomes elven and drastically changes the path of the Aurverelle house. Two generations later, in Maze of Moonlight, Christopher of Aurverelle joins the Crusades to atone for his family's perceived failure. He returns a damaged man. Terrill, Mirya, and Natil, knowing their collective responsibility for his fate, come to aid as they can. They heal the young seer he has taken in, an action which eventually turns her elven. In defending Saint Brigid from mercenaries, they lay the foundation for it being eventually deserted. - The repeated infusion of starlight into Charity: when she was reborn from the Leather Woman; when Varden and Roxanne dissolved the barriers in Charity's mind between her past and present lives; when she was healed by Miriam in the forest; when she was healed by Miriam after being ridden down by Cranby. She becomes more than human, but less than elven.
- Roxanne and Varden's child, Lake, is half-elven. Lake's wife, Miriam, is the girl whose mother was healed by Mirya in Strands of Starlight. Their daughter, Vanessa, is plagued by visions of the webs of probability and later becomes mostly Elven.
- The transformation of Alban into a pig. His departure opens the way for the blacksmith's son, Kay to become priest in Saint Brigid. Later, Alban's attack on George Darci brings him and Terrill together.