'''The Strands Series''' is a series of books and short stories written by [[Gael Baudino]] between 1985 and 1994, though some stories written earlier were published in a collection in 1997.  The majority of the action take place in a fictional land named Adria, which is very heavily based on [[Medieval]] [[Europe]].  Though many of the locations in Adria are fictional, the geography, culture, and language are very realistic depictions of [[Belgium]] and its surrounding areas in the [[12th_century|1200]]-[[14th_century|1400]]'s; one of the main cities, Hypprux, noted for its production of linen, seems to be modeled after [[Ypres]].  The story arc takes place against the backdrop of historical events such as: the [[Inquisition]] by the [[Catholic church]]; the [[Crusades]]; the fading of [[feudalism]] and the rise of a prosperous commerce-driven [[middle class]]; and the introduction of [[cannon]] into European warfare.

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==Plot Summary==
In the broadest view, the Strands series deals with the immortal Elves, who have been around since the forming of the world, and the relative newcomers, the humans.  The purpose of the Elves is to provide "aid and comfort" to all living things, but especially their beloved human cousins.  Against this urge to help, they find themselves feared, hated, and persecuted by humans because of their immortality and extra-human, nearly godlike, powers of prescience, manipulation of the future, healing, and control over physical items. Over time, they have faded, as they reproduce very seldom, and their numbers have been thinned by the humans' persecution.  Likewise, their powers are waning with the passing of time. As the years progress, they disappear entirely, but their bloodlines remain, due to interbreeding with humans over the years.  Hundreds of years later, in the 1990's, the blood suddenly starts manifesting itself in certain people.  What becomes of them after the 1990's has never been fleshed out by the author.

===[[Strands of Starlight]] - 1989===

===[[Maze of Moonlight]] - 1993===

===[[Shroud of Shadow]] - 1993===

===[[Strands of Sunlight]] - 1994===

===Spires of Spirit - 1997===

==Powers of the Elves==
The Elves' powers are described in terms of the Elves' awareness of and influence over the patterns of reality, much in the same vein as the [[Moirae]] of Greek myth.  They can discern the patterns of cause and effect in a very real and palpable manner, and they can selectively re-weave the patterns to suit their desires, though it greatly drains them if the manipulation is in-depth and far-sweeping; they are also aware of the law of unintended consequences, where a little meddling in the present can yield large and potentially disastrous results later.

In practice, the Elves can change reality in nearly any way, the extent and means being limited only by their conscience, force of will, and energy given to the task.  Some examples are: healing anything short of death; changing humans into animals, other humans, or Elves; seeing into the many possible futures or the distant past; changing massive items like castles into solid rock; seeing in the dark; mastering an instrument or weapon beyond any human's abilities; speaking with animals and plants; and changing aspects of a human's personality like fearlessness, happiness, intelligence, musical aptitude, aggression, etc.

==Some Elvish names==
''Elthia Calasiuove''
===Medieval-era elves===
*Mirya - a human healer become elven.  Gives her life to create a future that saves a large number of humans in ''Maze of Moonlight''.
*Natil - it is implied in the series that she is the first and eldest of the all of the elves.  Skilled at playing the wire-strung harp.
*Talla - only described as having curly red hair and blue eyes.
*Terrill - one of the few elves to carry a sword.
*Varden - in some senses a leader among elves.  A healer of great power.  Fades from existence in ''Maze of Moonlight'' due to the overwhelming grief of his and Roxanne's half-elven son, Lake, rejecting him and his heritage.

===1990's-era elves===
*Hadden - the first human male to become elven in the modern day.
*Natil - the same as the medieval Natil, miraculously transported to the modern day in ''Shroud of Shadow'' to become a guide and teacher for the modern-day elves.
*Wheat - the first human woman to become elven in the modern day.

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==Story and character arcs==
*The super-arc of the Aurverelle's feud with the elves.  Aurverelle's men kill the first Mirya three hundred years before '''Strands of Starlight'''.  Terrill and Varden avenge her by slaughtering the men of Aurverelle.  Later, Baron Roger continues the Aurverelle ways and rapes Miriam.  Varden, seeing his and Terrill's connection to Roger's actions, heals Miriam, who later becomes elven and drastically changes the path of the Aurverelle house.  Two generations later, in '''Maze of Moonlight''', Christopher of Aurverelle joins the Crusades to atone for his family's perceived failure.  He returns a broken man.  Terrill, Mirya, and Natil, knowing their collective responsibility for his fate, come to aid as they can.  They heal the young seer he has taken in, an action which eventually turns her elven.  In defending Saint Brigid from mercenaries, they lay the foundation for it being eventually deserted.  In the subsequent forest fire set by the mercenaries, Mirya gives up her life to save the refugees, and the Malvern Forest loses much of its specialness, becoming normal and non-magical.
*George Darci's wife, evinces signs of having elven blood.  This opens the door for developments in later books.
*The repeated infusion of starlight into Charity: when she was reborn from the Leather Woman; when Varden and Roxanne dissolved the barriers in Charity's mind between her past and present lives; when she was healed by Miriam in the forest; when she was healed by Miriam after being ridden down by Cranby.  She becomes more than human, but less than elven.
*Roxanne and Varden's child, Lake, is half-elven.
*The transformation of Alban into a pig.  His departure opens the way for the blacksmith's son, Kay to become priest in Saint Brigid.  Later, Alban's attack on George Darci brings him and Terrill together.

==See also==
[[Cl%C3%A0rsach|Wire-strung harps]]