Jennifer Mitchell Roberson (born in Kansas City, Missouri, 26 October 1953) is an author of fantasy and historical literature.[1]
Roberson has lived in Arizona since 1957. She grew up in Phoenix, but in 1999 relocated to Flagstaff. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northern Arizona University in 1982 as an adult student. Roberson had spent her final semester in England at the University of London. This enabled her to do indepth research at castles and cathedrals, museums and estates, and to visit historical sites in Scotland and Wales.
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This is the story of the Cheysuli, shapechangers who have been hunted through their homeland, Homana for over twenty years. Now, Alix, a girl who is being courted by the Crown Prince of Homana, learns that she is Cheysuli. Just as this happens however, Homana is invaded by its neighboring country of Solinde and the island country of Atvia. However, both the Cheysuli and the prince are driven into a long exile.
The Song of Homana is the story of the Crown Prince of Homana, Carillon returning form exile to retake Homana, however he is seduced by Electra, his enemy's daughter and Tynstar's mistress. Tynstar is the ruler of the sorcerous Ihlini, who are mortal enemies of the Cheysuli.
This novel is about Donal, Alix's son and Carillon's heir. He must fight off Tynstar's son, Strahan, while Homana is attacked once more by Solinde and Atvia. During this time he marries Aislinn, Carillon and Electra's daughter.
This volume is about the part Cheysuli and part Homanan Niall, the son of Donal and Aislinn. He has no shapechanging ability and is sent off to Atvia with his liege man. On the way however, he is captured by the prince of Erinn and is forced to escape. At Atvia he meets his betrothed, the mad Gisela. He marries her and returns to Homana, only to find that both Cheysuli and Homanans want him dead. This, plus a rebellion in Solinde, now a country occupied by Homana and a plague forces Niall to embrace his shapechanger side and try to kill Strahan.
This volume covers the adventures of Niall's three sons, Brennan, Prince of Homana, Hart, Prince of Solinde, and Corin, Prince of Atvia. After a disastrous tavern fight, Brennan must marry an Erinnish Princess, hart must leave and rule Solinde, and Corin must go to Atvia. Eventually, Corin falls in love with Brennan's bride, Hart loses a hand, and Brennan is seduced by an Ihlini. They all are brought to Strahan and only barely escape with their lives, becoming men in the process.
Daughter of the Lion is the story of Keely, Niall's legitimate daughter and twin sister to Corin of Atvia. She has very vehement ideas about women being considered property and how she would not be. Eventually, she incites problems around the palace and leaves for a while. On the way to Clankeep, home of the Cheysuli, where her power to become any animal is praised, she encounters bandits and first meets Rory Redbeard, an Erinnishman. They fall in love, but keep it secret as she is betrothed to Rory's brother, Sean. Eventually, Strahan captures Keely and Taliesin, a Ihlini who does not worship the dark god. Keely is impregnated and only escapes when Taliesin sacrifices himself. Keely manages to kill Strahan and kill her unwanted baby. Eventually, she finds that Rory was really Sean, and she marries him.
This book is about Aidan, the son of Brennan. He is slightly insane, seeing the Lion of Homana as a beast trying to kill him and the chain of rulers being broken in him. He goes on an adventure through his uncle's lands to find a wife, eventually deciding on Shona, Keely's daughter. They get married and Shona is heavily pregnant when Lochiel, Strahan's son, attacks Clankeep. Shona is slain and Aidan is knocked out, but Shona's child is saved and taken by Lochiel. Aidan recovers and goes to find his son, confronting Lochiel and taking his son, Kellin, back. He then decides to renounce his claim to the throne and become a shar'tal, a Chelsuli priest.
Sword-Dancer is the story of Sandtiger, a famous Southron sword-dancer, who is hired by a Northern women to guide her through the fierce desert to rescue her brother, a slave in the South. This woman, Delilah, or Del is a sword-singer who is as good as Tiger, and this grates on Tiger's Southron ideas.
Sword-singer is about Tiger and Del traveling to the North because Del has been charged with the murder of her teacher, who she needed to kill to 'blood' her blade and then 'key' it, or awaken its magical properties.