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Melanie Rawn is an American author of fantasy and science fiction novels.

She is best known for writing the bestselling Dragon Prince trilogy, which comprises: Dragon Prince (1988), The Star Scroll (1989), and Sunrunner's Fire (1990).

A second-generation Californian, Rawn holds a BA degree in history from Scripps College.

A three-time nominee of the Locus awards for Dragon Prince (1989), Skybowl (1994), and The Ruins of Ambrai (1995), Rawn worked as a teacher and editor prior to becoming a novelist.

She currently resides in a tiny town in the outskirts of Los Angeles, where she keeps cacti as pets.

More about Melanie Rawn

Genre: Fantasy / SF

Born: 1954

United States

Non Series

  • The Rushden Legacy (1985)

Anthologies

  1. Return to Avalon (1996)
  2. Return of the Dinosaurs (1997)
  3. A Magic-Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic (1998)

Dragon Prince

  1. Dragon Prince (1988)
  2. The Star Scroll (1989)
  3. Sunrunner's Fire (1990)

Dragon Star

  1. Stronghold (1991)
  2. The Dragon Token (1992)
  3. Skybowl (1993)

Exiles

  1. The Ruins of Ambrai (1994)
  2. The Mageborn Traitor (1997)

Glass Thorns

  1. Touchstone (2012)
  2. Elsewhens (2012)
  3. Thornlost (2014)
  4. Window Wall (2015)
  5. Playing to the Gods (2017)

Golden Key Universe

  1. The Golden Key (1996)
  2. The Diviner (2011)

Quantum Leap

  1. Knights of the Morningstar (Book Seven) (1994)

Spellbinder

  1. Spellbinder: A Love Story With Magical Interruptions (2006)
  2. Fire Raiser (2009)

Detailed book overview

Non Series

The Rushden Legacy

To parry an unwanted proposal, Lady Diana Bellrose falsely claims that she is engaged to Viscount Rushden, scion of a family in which no previous Baron Rushden has survived his thirtieth birthday.

NB: Co-authored with Ellen Randolph.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1985
ISBN: 978-0802708533
Publisher: Walker & Co

Anthologies

Return to Avalon

Retellings of several Arthurian tales follow such plots as Merlin's defeat of Vortigern and Guinevere's sacrifice to a grail-seeking knight, and include the works of such writers as Melanie Rawn, Judith Tarr, and Katherine Kerr.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1996
ISBN: 978-0886776794
Publisher: DAW
Return of the Dinosaurs

A collection of original dinosaur stories by such authors as Gene Wolfe, Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Michelle West, Jane Yolen, and Mike Resnick includes an explanation of what really happened to the dinosaurs.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1997
ISBN: 978-0886777531
Publisher: DAW
A Magic-Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic

In this text Margaret Weis has gathered together a collection of twenty fantasy stories by top authors including Ray Bradbury, Katherine Kurtz and Jack Vance.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1998
ISBN: 978-0446672849
Publisher: Aspect

Dragon Prince

Dragon Prince

When Rohan became the new prince of the Desert, ruler of the kingdom granted to his family for as long as the Long Sands spewed fire, he took the crown with two goals in mind. First and foremost, he sought to bring permanent peace to his world of divided princedoms. And, in a land where dragon-slaying was a proof of manhood, Rohan was the sole champion of the dragons, fighting desperately to preserve the last remaining lords of the sky and with them a secret which might be the salvation of his people....

Sioned, the Sunrunner witch who was fated by Fire to be Rohan’s bride, had mastered the magic of sunlight and moonglow, catching hints of a yet to be formed pattern which could irrevocably affect the destinies of Sunrunners and ordinary mortals alike. Yet caught in the machinations of the Lady of Goddess Keep, and of Prince Rohan and his sworn enemy, the treacherously cunning High Prince, could Sioned alter this crucial pattern to protect her lord from the menace of a war that threatened to set the land ablaze?

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1988
ISBN: 978-0756403010
Publisher: DAW
The Star Scroll

When Rohan was crowned High Prince and his Sunrunner wife Sioned became High Princess, they swore to keep the peace of the lands and preserve the secret of the dragons, an inheritance they would one day pass on to their only child, Pol, heir to both princely and Sunrunner powers.

But the evil influence of the former High Prince Roelstra had not ended with his death at Rohan’s hands. And even as Pol grew to manhood, other young men were being trained in the ways of war, youths descended from Roelstra and claimed by Rohan’s enemies as willing pawns in what could become a bloody battle for succession.

Yet not all players in these games of power fought merely with words or swords. For now a foe vanquished by the Sunrunners ages ago was once again growing in strength, an enemy determined to destroy Sunrunners and High Prince alike. And the only hope of defeating these masters of dark sorcery lay in reclaiming the knowledge so carefully concealed in the long-lost- Star Scroll...

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1989
ISBN: 978-0756403041
Publisher: DAW
Sunrunner's Fire

It began with the discovery of the star scroll—the last repository of forgotten spells of sorcery, the only surviving record of the ancient foe who in times past had nearly destroyed the Sunrunners and their magic.

Now, as Andry, the new Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, begins to master this potentially deadly knowledge, while Pol, son of High Prince Rohan, seeks to touch the minds of dragons, the long-vanquished enemy is mobilizing to strike again, drawing on forbidden lore to play an ever-shifting game of treachery and betrayal—and secretly infiltrating even the most strongly protected of citadels.

And soon, Pol, Andry, Rohan, his Sunrunner wife Sioned, and all whom they hold dear will find it hard to tell friend from foe as spell wars threaten the devastate the land—and dragons soar the skies, inexorably lured by magic’s fiery call….

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1990
ISBN: 978-0756403058
Publisher: DAW

Dragon Star

Stronghold

There is a devastating new challenge to the power of both the High Prince Rohan and Andry, Lord of the Sunrunners at Goddess Keep, as a mysterious and seemingly unstoppable invasion force swarms across their lands.

For Andry, it signals the start of a nightmare made real, the horrifying fulfillment of his long ago visions of his homeland in flames, and he will draw upon even the forbidden sorcerer’s magic in an attempt to destroy this enemy which is bent on the extermination of all Sunrunners.

Rohan and his son Pol will also fight the enemy with every weapon at their command—from their valiant warriors, to conjurations with sun, moons, and stars, to the terrifying presence of the dragons, to the unforgiving wrath of the Desert itself. Yet soon they begin to fear that this invasion may prove not only the end of their dream of an unbreakable peace but the beginning of the end of their entire world....

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1991
ISBN: 978-0886774820
Publisher: DAW
The Dragon Token

The time for retreat has come to an end as Rohan’s son and heir, Pol, rallies his forces in a desperate bid to halt the advance of the invaders. But ancient rivalries begin to weaken his alliance and only time will tell whether those loyal to the High Prince can defeat both the foreign invaders and the betrayers in their own ranks.

And even as Pol leads his troops forth, Andry, the Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, is also determined to take the attack to this enemy force which has sworn to slay all workers of magic.

Yet the invaders have their own agenda of conquest, and they are even now readying to strike at the very heart of the Desert, stealing treasures which Pol and Andry would pay any price to reclaim—even if the price should prove to be their own lives....

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1992
ISBN: 978-0330328982
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Skybowl

With High Prince Pol’s wife Meiglan held prisoner by the Warlord of the enemy, and Skybowl Keep purposefully abandoned to this deadly foe, Pol’s mother Sioned leads a daring mission into the castle, using all her years of experience as High Princess in a cunning attempt to strike at the heart of the invasion force.

And even as Sioned carries out this perilous plan, Pol and his cousin Andry, Lord of the Sunrunners of Goddess Keep, are forced into an uneasy alliance. For only if they can overcome their longtime rivalry and suspicions of one another and draw upon their combined powers of Sunrunning and Sorcery, do they stand any chance of defeating the invaders who have sworn to destroy the people of the Desert—down to the last newborn child....

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1993
ISBN: 978-0886775957
Publisher: DAW

Exiles

The Ruins of Ambrai

A thousand years ago, Mageborns fled prejudice and persecution to colonize the planet Lenfell—pristine, untouched, a perfect refuge for those whose powers were perceived as a threat by people not gifted with magic. But the greater the magic, the greater the peril—and Lenfell was soon devastated by a war between rival Mageborn factions that polluted land, sea, and air with Wild Magic and unleashed the hideous specters known as Wraithenbeasts.

Generations after that terrible war, with the land recovered from crippling wounds and the people no longer threatened by genetic damage, Mageborns still practice their craft—but under strict constraints. Yet so long as the rivalry between the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris continues, the threat of another war is ever-present. And someone has been planning just such a war for many long years, the final strike in a generations-old bid for total power....

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1994
ISBN: 978-0886776688
Publisher: DAW
The Mageborn Traitor

For generations, the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris have waged a secret war against one another—and the world of Lenfell has paid the price. And though the Mage Guardians came close to being destroyed in the last confrontation, the Malerrisi were ultimately forced to withdraw, relinquishing much of the control they had gained.

But their retreat has not been as complete as it seems. Glenin, former First Daughter of Ambrai, is determined to have her revenge and regain her power, plotting the ruin of her sisters, Sarra, Councillor of Sheve, and Cailet, the new Mage Captal, while the Malerissi—under Glenin’s leadership—once again begin weaving a web with which to entangle their entire world.

And even as Cailet’s dream of a restored Mage Hall becomes a reality, and Sarra’s legal reforms offer the hope of greater prosperity and equality for all people, Glenin prepares to strike at the very heart of both her sisters’ power. All it will take is the betrayal of Ambrai’s most closely guided family secret, and the right traitor planted in the heart of Cailen’s haven. A traitor trained to be the nemesis of all Mage Guardians; Glenin’s perfect tool of destruction and most loyal follower—her own son.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1997
ISBN: 978-0330344203
Publisher: Pan MacMillan

Glass Thorns

Touchstone

Cayden Silversun is part Elven, part Fae, part human Wizard―and all rebel. His aristocratic mother would have him follow his father to the Royal Court, to make a high society living off the scraps of kings. But Cade lives and breathes for the theater, and he's good―very, very good.

With his company, he'll enter the highest reaches of society and power as an honored artist―or die trying. Cade combines the talents of Merlin, Shakespeare, and John Lennon: a wholly charming character in a remarkably original fantasy world created by a mistress of the art.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2012
Ebook: B005N8Y4YC
Publisher: Tor Books
Elsewhens

Touchstone, the magical theater troupe, continues to build audiences. But Cayden is increasingly troubled by his "elsewhens," the uncontrolled moments when he is plunged into visions of the possible futures. He fears that his Fae gift will forever taint his friendships; his friends fear that his increasing distance will destroy him.

But worldly success follows them-an apparent loss in the Trials leads to Touchstone being selected to travel to the Continent with a Royal Embassy to collect Prince Ashgar's new bride. They are the first theater artists to appear outside Albeyn for at least seventy years-for magic is suspect and forbidden elsewhere, and the Kingdom's easy race mixing and magic use horrifies the people they are to travel among.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-0765336859
Publisher: Tor Books
Thornlost

Cayden is part Elf, part Fae, part human Wizard―and all rebel. His aristocratic mother would have him follow his father to the Royal Court, to make a high-society living off the scraps of kings. But Cade lives and breathes for the theater, and he's good, very good. 

He's a tregetour―a wizard who is both playwright and magicwielder. It is Cade's power that creates the magic, but a tregetour is useless without a glisker―an elf who can spin out the magic onto the stage, to enchant the audience. And Cade's glisker, Mieka, is something special too. So is their fettler, Rafe, who controls the magic and keeps them and the audience safe. And their masker, Jeska, who speaks all the lines, is every young girl's dream.

They are reaching for the highest reaches of society and power, but not the way Cade's mother thinks they should. They'll change their world, or die trying.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2014
Ebook: B00GET1FZ0
Publisher: Tor Books
Window Wall

For nearly two years, Cade has been rejecting his Elsewhens, the Fae gift that grants him prescient glimpses of possible futures, by simply refusing to experience them.

But the strain is driving a wedge between him and his theatre troupe, Touchstone, and making him erratic on stage and off. It takes his best friend Mieka to force Cade into accepting the visions again, but when he does, he witnesses an attack on the royal family, though he cannot see who is responsible. 

Cade knows the futures he sees can be changed, and when he finally discovers the truth behind the attack, he takes the knowledge to the only man in the Kingdom who can help prevent it: his deadly enemy the Archduke.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-1781166666
Publisher: Titan Books
Playing to the Gods

The boys are at the top of their theatrical game. Their only real competition for the hearts and gold of the public are the Shadowshapers. Nevertheless, the past years of financial struggle, since their manager proved to have been embezzling, have taken a toll on the group’s creativity.

A shocking event brings all that to an end and brings Touchstone back together to create a play that will rattle the ceilings and shatter all the glass in palaces and theaters alike. An ancient conflict will come to a violent conclusion on stage, and all the gods will be watching.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2017
Ebook: B01N5XLLPS
Publisher: Tor Books

Golden Key Universe

The Golden Key

In the duchy of Tira Virte, fine art is prized above all things, both for its beauty and as a binding legal record of everything from marriage and births to treaties and inheritances. And although the Grand Duke is aware that there is more to the paintings of certain limners than meets the eye, not even he knows just how extraordinary the art of the Grijalva family truly is.

For certain males of their bloodline are born with a frightening magical talent—the ability to manipulate time and reality within their paintings, a Gift which enables them to alter events and influence people in the real world.

The power of the Grijalva family has always been used solely to aid Tira Virte and its ruler. But this all changes in the time of Sario Grijalva. Sario, driven by his own passion and ambition, has learned to use his Gift in a whole new way. Obsessed with both his magic and his beautiful, adored cousin Saavedra, Sario will do anything to win her love.

Unable to bear it when Saavedra gives her heart to another, he takes a first, fateful step beyond the boundaries previously placed on Grijalva spell-casting, capturing his cousin with forbidden arts. And it is this rash and dangerous act that sets in motion a generations-spanning pattern of treachery and betrayal, which may cause both the Grijalvas and Tira Virte to pay a terrible price....

NB: Co-authored with Kate Elliott and Jennifer Roberson.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1996
ISBN: 978-0756415570
Publisher: DAW
The Diviner

The only survivor of royal treachery that eliminates his entire family, Azzad al-Ma'aliq flees to the desert and dedicates himself to vengeance. With the help of the Shagara, a nomadic tribe of powerful magicians, he will finally be able to take his revenge - but at what cost?


Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2011
Ebook: B0057Z1UNE
Publisher: DAW

Quantum Leap

Knights of the Morningstar (Book Seven)

When the blue light fades after Dr. Sam Beckett's latest leap, he finds himself equipped with a sword and threatened by a knight in armor. Sam soon discovers that this is no round table, but rather a bizarre jousting match to win the heart of a fair lady. And he's expected to participate.

NB: Here is the complete list of the series by various authors:

1. Quantum Leap: The Ghost And The Gumshoe (1990)

2. Quantum Leap (1992)

3. Too Close for Comfort (1993)

4. Quantum Leap: The Beginning (Org 1990)

5. The Wall (1993)

6. Prelude (1994)

7. Knights of the Morningstar (1994)

8. Search and Rescue (1994)

9. Random Measures (1994)

10. Pulitzer (1995)

11. Double or Nothing (1995)

12. Odyssey (1996)

13. Independence (1996)

14. Angels Unaware (1997)

15. Obsessions (1997)

16. Loch Ness Leap (1997)

17. Heat Wave (1997)

18. Foreknowledge (1998)

19. Song and Dance (1998)

20. Mirror's Edge (2000)

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 1994
ISBN: 978-1852833923
Publisher: Pan MacMillan

Spellbinder

Spellbinder: A Love Story With Magical Interruptions

Holly McClure has it all: beauty, success, a great apartment in Manhattan, good friends, and a very sexy new boyfriend. And one more thing…a very rare magical talent. Holly is a witch.

There is magic in the big city…literally. New York City has a small, and very discrete, population of witches and wizards and Holly is one of them, though she tries to keep magic out of her daily life.

But trouble has come to the City, in the form of a black coven run by a murderous psychopath. And he wants Holly, for the power of her blood.

The danger to Holly is extreme. Her passionate affair will be derailed by those who want to drain her for their own purposes, and her dearest friends will be put in peril of their lives. In the end it will be magic against magic, and Holly McClure will have to risk all for life and love.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-0765354365
Publisher: Tom Doherty
Fire Raiser

Holly McClure and Evan Lachlan have survived the fiery beginning of their romance and left Manhattan for Holly’s ancestral home to raise their children. Evan’s the county Sheriff; Holly is still a trouble-making Spellbinder trying to manipulate her family as if they were characters in one of her novels.

But something’s not right in Pocahontas County. Churches are being burned down in mysterious arsons with a taint of magic on them. Sheriff Lachlan suspects that they have something to do with the new owners of the old Westmoreland plantation, now a very upscale Inn, but even if he could find proof, it’s going to be hard to bring a case of Black Magic before a Judge -- even in Pocahontas County, where witchcraft is the family business of all the oldest clans.

Author: Melanie Rawn
First Release: 2009
Ebook: B00FO6K9RO
Publisher: Tor Books