Approx length: Five books in total, with the first three books being one complete story and the last two being another. The protagonists of each story appear in the other but are not, well, the protagonists in those.
Where to find it: Available in print, eBook, and audiobook at bookshops and libraries
What is it, in summary?: These are five books set in a fantasy world parallel to Earth--in which music can be used to do magic. The protagonist of the first three is Anna, a professor of music in her late forties who, grieving the death of her oldest daughter, wishes to be anywhere but where she is. Enter a continent on the brink of war, and people in need of a sorceress. The last two books are about her foster daughter Secca, who shoulders Anna's legacy and tries to keep things from getting worse after her death, while wrangling with who she was on a personal level.
What do you love about it?: I love Anna's grief and her struggle first to survive, then to take power so she can do something meaningful with her life in ways she couldn't back on Earth. There are discussions about getting feudal lords to pay their debts, and about creating infrastructure; there are also battles, and mighty spells. I also like the little bits of magical worldbuilding, like how in the continent Anna lands on, drums and dancing used to be a thing, but now people treat them as anything from obscene to abominable, except some of the antagonists, and Anna is so befuddled about it. And I like how there are many chapters for female characters apart from the female protagonists, and that these are from women around her age who are in power in their respective countries. Then there's Secca, processing Anna's legacy and her place in light of it, while trying to keep everything they did for their country together from being erased. I love their relationship and how Secca builds on what Anna did, earning her own renown.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Anna! Secca! Worldbuilding! I'd love anything about any of these things or all of them in the same work, just the sorceresses dealing with their lives and politics, or worldbuilding about the past, present, or future of Erde and its magic.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: The first three books are a complete story on their own, so I'd love fic pertaining only to them just as much as fic pertaining to the others/the whole series. The same goes for the last two books if you're making something about Secca specifically.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Assault and attempted assault, onscreen and off; sexualized murder and offscreen but implied sexual torture of minor female characters with regard to one antagonist across two of the books; lots of misogyny; one set of antagonists being likened to Hitler; another set of antagonists being likened to Islamic extremists; high body count when it comes to the wars.
The Spellsong Cycle - L. E. Modesitt Jr.
Media: Books
Approx length: Five books in total, with the first three books being one complete story and the last two being another. The protagonists of each story appear in the other but are not, well, the protagonists in those.
Where to find it: Available in print, eBook, and audiobook at bookshops and libraries
What is it, in summary?: These are five books set in a fantasy world parallel to Earth--in which music can be used to do magic. The protagonist of the first three is Anna, a professor of music in her late forties who, grieving the death of her oldest daughter, wishes to be anywhere but where she is. Enter a continent on the brink of war, and people in need of a sorceress. The last two books are about her foster daughter Secca, who shoulders Anna's legacy and tries to keep things from getting worse after her death, while wrangling with who she was on a personal level.
What do you love about it?: I love Anna's grief and her struggle first to survive, then to take power so she can do something meaningful with her life in ways she couldn't back on Earth. There are discussions about getting feudal lords to pay their debts, and about creating infrastructure; there are also battles, and mighty spells. I also like the little bits of magical worldbuilding, like how in the continent Anna lands on, drums and dancing used to be a thing, but now people treat them as anything from obscene to abominable, except some of the antagonists, and Anna is so befuddled about it. And I like how there are many chapters for female characters apart from the female protagonists, and that these are from women around her age who are in power in their respective countries. Then there's Secca, processing Anna's legacy and her place in light of it, while trying to keep everything they did for their country together from being erased. I love their relationship and how Secca builds on what Anna did, earning her own renown.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Anna! Secca! Worldbuilding! I'd love anything about any of these things or all of them in the same work, just the sorceresses dealing with their lives and politics, or worldbuilding about the past, present, or future of Erde and its magic.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: The first three books are a complete story on their own, so I'd love fic pertaining only to them just as much as fic pertaining to the others/the whole series. The same goes for the last two books if you're making something about Secca specifically.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Assault and attempted assault, onscreen and off; sexualized murder and offscreen but implied sexual torture of minor female characters with regard to one antagonist across two of the books; lots of misogyny; one set of antagonists being likened to Hitler; another set of antagonists being likened to Islamic extremists; high body count when it comes to the wars.