Black Trillium (The Saga of the Trillium Book 1)

Three fan-favorite authors present “a classic fantasy quest involving mysterious wizards, rites of passage, and the salvation of a kingdom” (Library Journal). Peace has long reigned in Ruwenda thanks to the magical protection of the Archimage Binah. The realm’s devoted guardian is aging, however, and her magic is weakening. When the kingdom’s triplet princesses were still infants, Binah gave each of them the mystical power of the Black Trillium. But the unthinkable occurs too soon, and Ruwenda is overrun by the ravaging armies of neighboring Labornok before the sisters, Haramis, Kadiya, and Anigel, have time to learn how to use their great gift.   Forced to flee, the young princesses must follow their separate destinies through a dangerous and unfamiliar world of Oddlings and enemies—for only the combined power of three magical talismans can help them defeat the malevolent sorcerer who has brought chaos and death to their once-idyllic home. But it will take new kinds of strength and wisdom to confront the great evil that has descended on the World of the Three Moons.   Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre Norton, three of the most honored names in fantasy fiction, have joined forces to create an extraordinary world and culture in the first book of the remarkable Saga of the Trillium, a breathtaking tale of duty, peril, love, and magic.

From Publishers Weekly

Three masters of science fiction and fantasy collaborated on this mildly diverting quest novel, their failure to produce a more compelling tale demonstrating the pitfalls of writing by committee. The kingdom of Ruwenda is attacked by neighboring Labornok, whose king has long been jealous of its wealth and prosperity. Ruwenda's rulers are brutally slain, but their daughters--the three Petals of the Living Trillium, prophesied to save their country in a time of peril--flee to the Archimage Binah, who directs them to their magic talismans. Each accompanied by a childhood companion, Oddlings of the area's aboriginal races, the girls must conquer their weaknesses: the eldest, her intellectual arrogance; the middle sister, her tendency to act before thinking; the youngest, her great timidity. Their enemies pursue them, led by a sorcerer seeking ancient secrets hidden in the abandoned cities. Throughout appear intimations that some of the magic is a relic of an old technology, possibly ours. The three princesses are little more than a collection of attributes, the love story is a bore and the many races of Oddlings are barely distinguishable. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- When three such distinguished ladies collaborate, we ignore them at our peril. Nevertheless, this is a slight work, only hinting at the depths of which these authors are capable. It is, however, a fairy tale that will be highly enjoyable to young women, with the princesses providing a surrogate for almost any temperment, and a busy plot.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The birth of triplets--three princesses--to the King and Queen of Ruwanda heralds a great and fearful destiny for the kingdom of the Mazy Mire. Bradley, Andre Norton, and Julian May--three stellar sf authors--combine their talents in a classic fantasy quest involving mysterious wizards, rites of passage, and the salvation of a kingdom. Although not entirely bereft of male protagonists, this novel projects a gentle brand of feminism along with a healthy dose of standard sword and sorcery. Purchase where the authors are popular. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/90.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Library Journal

“Three stellar sf authors combine their talents in a classic fantasy quest involving mysterious wizards, rites of passage, and the salvation of a kingdom.”

Chicago Sun-Times

“A fine fantasy novel . . . The styles and subplots mesh effectively, and the world-building is superior.”

School Library Journal   The Trillium saga tells of the thrilling and colorful adventures of three royal sisters gifted with magical knowledge and power who are set adrift when chaos and terror invade their kingdom. It begins with Black Trillium, created jointly by award-winning fantasists Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre Norton. In four subsequent volumes, each separate author takes up the tale

“When three such distinguished ladies collaborate, we ignore them at our peril.”

From the Publisher

Ruwenda is a pleasant, peaceful land-but the magic of its guardian, the Archimage Binah, is waning. Binah must pass along her protectorship to the triplet princess of Ruwenda. She bestows upon the infant girls the power of the rare and mystical Black Trillium-badge of the royal house, symbol of an ancient magic. While the sisters blossom into beautiful young women, neighboring Labornok use a dark magician to sunder Binah's protection. As invaders pour into Ruwenda, the Archimage orders the princesses to flee-and changes them to search for three magical talismans which when brought together will be their only chance to regain their kingdom and free its people. Each must accomplish her task separately-and to succeed, each must also confront and conquer the limits of her own soul."A fine fantasy novel. . .the styles and subplots mesh effectively, and the world-building is superior."--Chicago Sun-Times

From the Inside Flap

pleasant, peaceful land-but the magic of its guardian, the Archimage Binah, is waning. Binah must pass along her protectorship to the triplet princess of Ruwenda. She bestows upon the infant girls the power of the rare and mystical Black Trillium-badge of the royal house, symbol of an ancient magic. While the sisters blossom into beautiful young women, neighboring Labornok use a dark magician to sunder Binah's protection. As invaders pour into Ruwenda, the Archimage orders the princesses to flee-and changes them to search for three magical talismans which when brought together will be their only chance to regain their kingdom and free its people. Each must accomplish her task separately-and to succeed, each must also confront and conquer the limits of her own soul.

From the Back Cover

"A fine fantasy novel. . .the styles and subplots mesh effectively, and the world-building is superior."--Chicago Sun-Times

About the Author

Andre Norton was one of the most popular science fiction and fantasy authors in the world. With series such as Time Traders, Solar Queen, Forerunner, Beast Master, Crosstime, and Janus, as well as many standalone novels, her tales of adventure have drawn countless readers to science fiction. Her fantasy novels, including the bestselling Witch World series, her Magic series, and many other unrelated novels, have been popular with readers for decades. Lauded as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, she is the recipient of a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention. An Ohio native, Norton lived for many years in Winter Park, Florida, and died in March 2005 at her home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.Julian May was the author or coauthor of eighteen adult science fiction and fantasy novels and over two hundred juvenile nonfiction books. She was an avid keyboard player, gardener, jewelry designer, and fly angler. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 86.Marion Zimmer Bradley is best known as the author of the Darkover series and the bestselling Arthurian novel The Mists of Avalon. In addition to her books, Bradley edited many magazines, amateur and professional, including Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, which she founded in 1988, and an annual anthology, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress.

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