Shadow Magic (1982)

by Patricia C. Wrede

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Lyra (1), Lyra- Chronological (3)

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Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:*A princess fights a faceless enemy in a forest filled with magic in this tale of "high-style fantasy and adventure" from the author of Dealing with Dragons* (The New York Times).** Trouble is brewing in Alkyra. While the kingdom's noblemen squabble, on their borders an ancient enemy, the Lithmern, raises an army. As the head of the Noble House of Brenn attempts to organize an alliance, the princess Alethia celebrates her twentieth birthday. She is a remarkable woman: quick-witted, beautiful, and handy with a throwing knife. But on the next night, she passes through a dark corridor on her way to the banquet hall, and never emerges from the shadows. The Lithmern have kidnapped the princess. When Alethia regains consciousness, an evil Lithmern with a face made of shadows is carrying her through the forest. These are magic woods, home to fabled creatures whose existence she has always doubted. To find her way home, Alethia will have to learn to trust in the old tales, whose legends of magic and daring hold the only hope of saving her kingdom. .… (more)

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Shadows over Lyra by Patricia C. Wrede (sandstone78)
sandstone78: Shadows over Lyra contains a revised, tightened-up version of Shadow Magic. I believe the same revision is available alone in the ebook edition.

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First in the Lyra series, written in 1982, first book by author. Although the tropes were well-worn, I still enjoyed the book very much. Will continue with the series. Good world-building, characters who are well drawn, and a plot that, although not all that surprising, still moves well. (

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majkia | Mar 13, 2023 |

Shadow Magic is about as traditional a fantasy as you can get. Dark beings, thought vanquished long ago, reawaken and the kingdoms of men, Shee (ahem...), Wyrds, and more must find ancient artifacts and the chosen one to wield them before all is lost.

It's not all that original but there is something comforting in that. The characters are clearly drawn and pleasant, and the writing is smooth as glass. There is not a lot of surprise here, but quite a lot of warmth and fun.

I liked it. It isn't going to change the world, but it doesn't need to. (

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JimDR | Dec 7, 2022 |

Enjoyable fantasy with likeable characters and interesting plot. I liked Alethia and Har and Maurin. The romance between Alethia and Maurin was nice. There were some funny lines. Solid 3 stars. (

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funstm | Dec 1, 2022 |

I picked it up because of the author and it sat on my shelf for some time. I enjoyed the idea but the characters were a little thin. I hope this was one of her early books but I'm trying to remember what SF was like in 1982 when she wrote this. For the time frame, it's good. We've come a long way in writing. (

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melsbks | Aug 5, 2022 |

first of all, YES. second of all, super glad my "bought in 2016" shelf finally delivered. third of all. patricia c wrede has been a big fave since i was in high school and i discovered "dealing with dragons" and i'm so glad to find that some of her other books are just as good. i love alethia and her proposal at the end of the book was just (

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cthuwu | Jul 28, 2021 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Patricia C. Wrede	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Goddard, Angela	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Greevy, Nicole	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Lyra (1)

Lyra- Chronological (3)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Fischer Bibliothek der phantastischen Abenteuer (2716)

Is contained in

Shadows over Lyra by Patricia C. Wrede

The Lyra Novels: Shadow Magic, Daughter of Witches, The Harp of Imach Thyssel, Caught in Crystal, and The Raven Ring by Patricia C. Wrede

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Canonical title

Shadow Magic

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1982

People/Characters

Maurin Atuval (journeyman trader)

Har Tel'anh

Master Goldar

Alethia Tel'anh

Lord Armin of Lacsmer

(show all 41 items)

Important places

Important events

Battle of Brenn

Battle of Coldwell Pass

finding the Crown and Four Gifts of Alkyra

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For David, my brother, who loaned me the typewriter.

First words

The caravan wound slowly through the woods along the riverbank and broke at last into the fields surrounding the city.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Readers should be aware that the ebook has been revised from this print edition.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

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Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:A princess fights a faceless enemy in a forest filled with magic in this tale of "high-style fantasy and adventure" from the author of Dealing with Dragons (The New York Times).

Trouble is brewing in Alkyra. While the kingdom's noblemen squabble, on their borders an ancient enemy, the Lithmern, raises an army. As the head of the Noble House of Brenn attempts to organize an alliance, the princess Alethia celebrates her twentieth birthday. She is a remarkable woman: quick-witted, beautiful, and handy with a throwing knife. But on the next night, she passes through a dark corridor on her way to the banquet hall, and never emerges from the shadows. The Lithmern have kidnapped the princess.

When Alethia regains consciousness, an evil Lithmern with a face made of shadows is carrying her through the forest. These are magic woods, home to fabled creatures whose existence she has always doubted. To find her way home, Alethia will have to learn to trust in the old tales, whose legends of magic and daring hold the only hope of saving her kingdom.

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Book description

In the magic woods of Lyra, a noblewoman struggles to escape from a faceless man. Trouble is brewing in Alkyra. While the kingdom's noblemen squabble, on their borders an ancient enemy, the Lithmern, raises an army. As the head of the Noble House of Brenn attempts to organize an alliance, the princess Alethia celebrates her twentieth birthday. She is a remarkable woman: quick-witted, beautiful, and handy with a throwing knife. But on the next night, she passes through a dark corridor on her way to the banquet hall, and never emerges from the shadows. The Lithmern have kidnapped the princess.

When Alethia regains consciousness, an evil Lithmern with a face made of shadows is carrying her through the forest. These are magic woods, home to fabled creatures whose existence she has always doubted. To find her way home, Alethia will have to learn to trust in the old tales, whose legends of magic and daring hold the only hope of saving her kingdom.

"Wrede's delightful voice is all her own." -School Library Journal

"No doubt the charm, humor, and intelligence of Wrede's writing will continue to enthrall." -Publishers Weekly

"High-style fantasy and adventure." -The New York Times

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