Two Squirrels
Seven Citadels
The Book of the Emperors: ChroniclesAnd in the morning of the world, Zeldin took his son by the hand and led him to the summit of a high mountain. As Mikeld-lo-Taan looked down on the wide lands and bright rivers of Galkis, Zeldin said: "All that you behold, from the mountains of the north to the jungles of the south, from the deserts of the east to the seas of the west, shall be a Kingdom to you and to your heirs for ever." Then Mikeld-lo-Taan, first Emperor of Galkis, knelt before his father and swore to build him there a temple.
This page is dedicated to
the Seven Citadels fantasy novels
by Geraldine Harris
Prince of the Godborn
The Children of the Wind
The Dead Kingdom
The Seventh Gate
They comprise a four-volume series forming a single continuous narrative in which the young and rather arrogant Prince Kerish-lo-Taan leaves the security of his pampered palace life, accompanied by his more level-headed half-brother Forollkin, in search of a prophesied saviour who can redeem the Empire of Galkis from the internal decadence and external pressure which threaten its imminent downfall. The arduous journey soon becomes also a quest of self-discovery and maturation for Kerish and his companions.
The rather skeletal synopses offered by the Speculative Fiction database are as follows:
- Prince of the Godborn: Kerish, third son of the Emperor, sets out to find the mythical savior, imprisoned behind seven gates by seven sorcerors, who alone can save the nation Galkis.
- Children of the Wind: Kerish, prince of Galkis, travels through the deadly marshes of Lan-Pin-Fria to obtain the key he needs to continue his search for his nation's savior.
- The Dead Kingdom: The impulsive Kerish and his three companions continue their quest for the seven keys needed to save the kingdom of Galkis, nearing the citadel of the fourth sorceror, Saroc.
- The Seventh Gate: Nearing the conclusion of their search for the seven keys to the prison of the Saviour of Galkis, Kerish and his companions are captured by the ruthless Brigands of Fangmere while on their way to the Forbidden Jungle of Jenze.
I thought I was the only person in the world who had ever read them. (D. Gascoyne, Canada: rec.arts.books.children, 24 July 1997)
