Majipoor series


The Majipoor series is a series of novels and stories by American writer Robert Silverberg, set on the planet Majipoor. The setting is a mixture of science fiction and fantasy elements.

The series

The works in the series are as follows, in internal chronological order. Within the main series are two trilogies: the first published was the Lord Valentine Cycle, the second trilogy was the Lord Prestimion Cycle, set earlier in the history of Majipoor.
TitlePublishedNote-
"Thesme and the Ghayrog"1982NoveletteMajipoor Chronicles
"The End of the Line"2011NoveletteTales of Majipoor
"The Time of the Burning"1982Short StoryMajipoor Chronicles
"The Book of Changes"2003NovellaTales of Majipoor
"In the Fifth Year of the Voyage"1981NoveletteMajipoor Chronicles
"Calintane Explains"1982Short StoryMajipoor Chronicles
"The Tomb of the Pontifex Dvorn"2011NoveletteTales of Majipoor
"The Way They Wove the Spells in Sippulgar"2009NoveletteTales of Majipoor
Sorcerers of Majipoor1997Lord Prestimion Cycle #1-
"The Desert of Stolen Dreams"1981NovellaMajipoor Chronicles
Lord Prestimion1999Lord Prestimion Cycle #2-
The King of Dreams2001Lord Prestimion Cycle #3-
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"2004NoveletteTales of Majipoor
"The Soul Painter and the Shapeshifter"1981NoveletteMajipoor Chronicles
"Crime and Punishment"1982Short StoryMajipoor Chronicles
"Dark Times at the Midnight Market"2010NoveletteTales of Majipoor
"Among the Dream-Speakers"1982Short StoryMajipoor Chronicles
"A Thief in Ni-Moya"1981NovellaMajipoor Chronicles
"Voriax and Valentine"1982Short StoryMajipoor Chronicles
Lord Valentine's Castle1980Lord Valentine Cycle #1, Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel winner, 1981; Hugo Award nominee, 1981-
Majipoor Chronicles1982Lord Valentine Cycle #2 -
Valentine Pontifex1983Lord Valentine Cycle #3-
"The Seventh Shrine"1998NovellaTales of Majipoor
The Mountains of Majipoor1995Standalone novel-
Tales of Majipoor2013Story collection-

Planet Majipoor

Majipoor is a planet much larger, though far less dense, than the Earth. It has been settled by humans, Ghayrogs, Skandars, Vroons, Liimen, Hjorts and other alien races for many thousands of years. These races live in an unstable truce with the shape-changing aboriginal inhabitants of the planet, the Piurivar. The planet is ruled by an unusual tetrarchy: an adoptive Coronal rules in a highly visible and symbolic manner from his palace atop Castle Mount; the previous Coronal retires to become the Pontifex, the head of the bureaucracy in an underground Labyrinth; the Coronal's mother becomes the Lady of the Isle of Sleep, promoting the morals of Majipoor by sending dreams to its inhabitants; while a hereditary King of Dreams on the distant continent of Suvrael punishes wrongdoers by visiting them with nightmares. The post of King of Dreams is created at the end of King of Dreams, while Valentine Pontifex ends with the creation of a fifth Power, representing the Piurivar.
It is referenced that Majipoor receives the occasional starship, but is generally considered a backwater planet. Metals of all sorts are scarce, since the planet has a very light crust. Technology is both pervasive and rare at the same time. For example, draft animals are used for farming and transport, but the animals used were genetically created in the distant past. Many great engineering works are referenced, but these were created in the past also. Many modern technologies, such as TV and radio, seem to be nonexistent or of very limited use. The average Majipooran lives a peasant lifestyle, and agriculture is a common occupation.

Races

There are several races which inhabit Majipoor in the millions, not counting the reclusive Piurivar and various aliens visiting from off-world. Ancient laws dictate that no race may exclusively occupy a given district, so most races can be found in some numbers virtually anywhere. On the village level, there are monocultures, however. Some areas also have a handful of other intelligent beings visiting from off-world. Their numbers are small enough as to be irrelevant. There are also indigenous sea dragons, discovered to be highly intelligent.
;Humans
;Vroons
;Hjorts
;Skandars
;Liimen
;Su-Suheris
;Ghayrogs
;Piurivar

Geography

The characters of any given book often travel vast distances across the face of Majipoor. The planet itself has three main continents, a major island, several smaller islands of note, and one hemisphere which is the Great Sea.
;Alhanroel
;Castle Mount
;Labyrinth
;Zimroel
;Isle of Sleep
;Suvrael