Though it may not seem quite fair to the other parts of my sprawling world, I have spent a lot of time in, near, or distantly touching Rowan, the city of the land Elwens. It was the first place I "touched down" in Arcadia, the first city I created, the home of the first race I truly got involved in...
And so on. The legacy of that fascination can still be seen in my novels.
Some of my novels take place directly in Rowan, or at least mostly in it; I don't think I've written a book that didn't venture outside the city at some point or another. Here they are, in order of how I wrote them...
Elwensong- The first book of the Elwensong Trilogy. The book starts off with the hero, Keren, as a child, and since he was born in Rowan, it was the natural place to start.
Curalli Struggle - The second book of the Curalli Quintet involves the main character of the series, Echelli, going to Rowan in order to win the right to build his house on the land he wants--land in the possession of Rowan. At times I think this was just an excuse to use Rowan again; it was a locale with which I was familiar, and I had just spent a whole book involved in another city, Shadows.
For Pride's Power - The first book of the Elwenpride Quartet . Of course it takes place in Rowan, since the main character, Grukkar Goatleap, is responsible for starting the war that causes the Change , and he is Rowan's master torturer. This probably stays the most in Rowan of any book I'd written up to this point; the other three novels of the quartet mostly took place in the Forbge Forest.
Cerulean - The fifth novel of the Blue Quintet . As I say (complain?) on my page for this series, it's the most episodic story I've ever written, with no two of the tales taking place in the same province (and one even moving to another world that was not at all well thought out ). It's not surprising that I would manage to work Rowan into the act somewhere, and also one of the more fascinating characters (I think) that I've created, Quirrin Shennalor . Despite his fundamental importance to the history of Rowan, this was actually the first novel he appeared in.
The Rowansglory Series - This entire series, describing the ascent of Herran Turnlong through the ranks of Rowan's "nobility" to become a political power, of course had the Silver City at its heart. It involves Herran, Quirrin, and all the great high blood families of Rowan at one point or another. This was the series that really deepened my appreciation of the way that normal Rowanian life worked, taught me something about how the system of government might function, and made my interest in it keen once more. It was a wrench to leave the city and go on to the next novels, and of course I returned to it as soon as I could.
Kismet - This stand-alone novel originally wasn't supposed to go near Rowan at all (and doesn't, in the portion that is available online). But it described the Lady of Rowan, Eleriad Deerfriend, coming to choose an assassin to complete her task of killing the human leaders...
After that, it was probably inevitable.
The Horns of Morning -This stand-alone novel (well... not quite stand-alone anymore; see 'The Dorren Series' ) begins in Rowan and more or less sticks there. It involves the usual confrontations with enemies outside the city, but almost the whole of the story is focused on the politics and heart of the city (as Dorren sees it), the Councilmaster Eleriad, so this is a Rowan-heavy novel.
Near or Involving Rowan
These novels are more general, not directly taking place in Rowan, but more or less glancing at it, or involving a short trip to the city.
The rest of the Elwensong Trilogy involves short side-trips to Rowan; Keren can't actually enter, as he's an exile.
Curallisong - The first novel of the Curalli Quintet has a very short sojourn in Rowan involved, where Echelli thinks he might be welcomed. Sorry, no luck.
The rest of the Elwenpride Quartet , while not actually set in Rowan itself, turns on the result of Rowanian politics and the master torturer Grukkar Goatleap's interference in things at the behest of the Prophecy of Diversa.
Honor's Keeper - This stand-alone novel does involve characters (even in the part that's online!) from Rowan, including the Lady, Eleriad Deerfriend.
The Starseeker Trilogy - This has Rowanian characters running around in it, even Eleriad, though it doesn't actually ever go to Rowan.
Who Hunts The Eagle -This novel finds its impetus in Rowanian (Glory Years) politics. The first novel I wrote with a consciousness of how Herran Turnlong's meteoric rise to power in the Rowansglory Series might affect the rest of the world.
The Quest Quintet- Again, involves characters from Rowan, though it never actually visits there. Since this was written long after the Change, neither Eleriad nor Herran are alive.
Ever Here - This stand-alone novel is written from a slightly different perspective: that of the city of Oak, which feels itself stuck in the shadow of Rowan, and fights to free itself from Rowan's power.
