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Gate of Ivrel

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Gate of Ivrel
Gate of Ivrel re-issue with original cover artwork
AuthorC. J. Cherryh
Cover artistMichael Whelan
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Morgaine Stories
GenreScience fiction novel
PublisherDAW Books
Publication date
March 1976
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Paperback)
ISBN0-88677-257-5
Preceded by– 
Followed byWell of Shiuan (1978) 

Gate of Ivrel is a 1976 science fiction novel written by C. J. Cherryh and was her first published work. It is the first of four books composing the Morgaine Stories, chronicling the deeds of Morgaine, a woman consumed by a mission of the utmost importance, and her chance-met companion, Nhi Vanye i Chya.

It is tenuously set in her Union-Alliance universe, but has little in common with other works in that milieu.

Plot summary

Morgaine, a dreaded figure out of legend whose sole mission is to close and destroy world- and time-spanning gates and who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She is neither human nor qhal and her origins remain shrouded in mystery. Nothing about her is soft or feminine. Her goal is noble but the means she uses to achieve it are horrible. She wields her gate-sword Changeling much as she wields whatever people are convenient, ruthlessly and without mercy to the purpose that she serves.

Nhi Vanye is a bastard, an outcast warrior, and kin-slayer whose path accidently crosses Morgaine. Swept unwilling into her service he becomes her liegeman, bound to do her bidding while fighting to preserve his personal honor. He knows that he is simply an means to end with her, and that she will sacrifice him without hesitation. Yet whatever her crimes, past and present, Vanye finds with her a place and purpose that he could never find within his family. No matter how terrible the price may be.

Characters

  • Morgaine, a woman burdened and driven by an impossible mission
  • Nhi Vanye i Chya, an outcast warrior who inadvertently becomes bound up in Morgaine's quest
  • Nhi Erij, Vanye's half-brother
  • Chya Liell, a counselor in Leth
  • Leth Kasedre, petulant, weak-minded lord of Leth
  • Chya Roh, lord of Chya, Vanye's cousin
  • Thiye Thiye's-son, master of the Gate at Ivrel

References

  • C. J. Cherryh. Gate of Ivrel. DAW Books 1976. ISBN 0-88677-257-5.
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