Pellinor is a fantasy series by Australian author Alison Croggon, spanning four books The series is the retelling of the "Naraudh Lar-Chanë", the Riddle of the Treesong, set in the fictional world of Edil-Amarandh. The story mainly revolves about the character of adolescent girl Maerad, who was forced into slavery along with her mother as a child, after the sacking of the Bard school of Pellinor. First published in Australia in 2003, the United Kingdom in 2004, and as "The Naming", in the United States during 2005.
The second volume of the Pellinor quartet, this fantasy tells of Maerad the Fated One, a bard whose destiny is to defeat the Nameless One by using the mysterious Treesong. Young Maerad embarks on a long quest to discover more about the Treesong while eluding, fending off, and (usually) escaping the agents of the Dark who pursue her. Sometimes accompanied by allies, sometimes alone, she continues to learn about herself and her magical powers as well as the world she must try to save.
Hem is a weary orphan whose struggle for survival ends when he is reunited with his lost sister, Maerad. But Maerad has a destiny to fulfill, and Hem is sent to the golden city of Turbansk, where he learns the ways of the Bards and befriends a mysterious white crow. When the forces of the Dark threaten, Hem flees with his protector, Saliman, and an orphan girl named Zelika to join the Light’s resistance forces. It is there that Hem has a vision and learns that he, too, has a part to play in Maerad’s quest to solve the Riddle of the Treesong.
In the fourth and final book of the Pellinor quartet, the primary focus shifts back from Hem to his sister, Maerad, the series’ heroine. After saving Innail from a desperate attack by the forces of evil, Maerad and her mentor, Cadvan, set out once more on their quest to solve the riddle of the treesong. Maerad and Hem reunite to set their talismans and powers against the increasingly menacing forces of evil. From the refinement of character development to the dramatic portrayal of impending doom, the clearly written narrative creates a fitting conclusion to this epic high-fantasy series. Grades 7-12.
