The Black Jewels


The Black Jewels is a series of dark fantasy novels and short stories written by American writer Anne Bishop. The first three books were originally published individually and then together as a trilogy in a single omnibus collection. The series takes place in a world where those born with dark power/magic rule in a deeply matriarchal society.

Series

''The Black Jewels'' Trilogy

Winner of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award, 2000.

''Daughter of the Blood''

''Heir to the Shadows''

''Queen of the Darkness''

''The Black Jewels'' Novels

Stand-alone novels published after the award-winning trilogy.

''The Invisible Ring''

''Tangled Webs''

''The Shadow Queen''

''Shalador's Lady''

''The Black Jewels'' Short Stories

Anne Bishop has published two complete Black Jewels short story anthologies. Two additional short stories can be found within other publications.

''Dreams Made Flesh''

''Twilight's Dawn''

''By the Time the Witchblood Blooms''

''The Price''

Jewels and Blood Hierarchy/Castes

There are two main, interconnected hierarchical systems among the Blood.
The first is the Jewel system. In a society with a high tolerance for violence, Jewel ranking gives an immediate sense of innate power. The darker a person's Jewel, the more dangerous they are. They have greater Craft abilities and higher metabolisms, as well as significant political advantages over lighter Jeweled Blood. The Jewels themselves act as reservoirs of power. The Blood are able to use some Craft without tapping into their Jewels but the vast majority of their abilities require them. Using too much Craft and draining a reservoir can potentially shatter a Jewel and permanently render a person unable to access that power. Adult members of the Blood typically have two full sets of Jewels, a Birthright and the one they "wear". While Jewels are typically worn out in the open, the Blood are able to sense Jewel rank to a certain extent.
Jewels fall into thirteen ranks with darker colors being stronger. They are:
White
Yellow
Tiger Eye
Rose
Summer-sky
Purple Dusk
Opal*
Green
Sapphire
Red
Gray
Ebon-gray
Black
*Opal is the dividing line between lighter and darker Jewels because it can be either.
Members of the Blood undergo two ceremonies to determine their innate strength. The darker the Jewel, the stronger the person is. During the Birthright Ceremony, which occurs in childhood, they may or may not walk away with a Jewel. It is unheard of to receive anything darker than Red as Birthright. The only known exception to this being Janelle Angelline.
A second ceremony is done at the age of majority. Called the Offering to the Darkness, it lasts from sunset to sunrise. When making the Offering to the Darkness, a person can descend a maximum of three ranks from his/her Birthright Jewel. Example: Birthright White could descend to Rose. If a darker Jewel is received, both sets of Jewels are kept after the ceremony. The new Jewel is used as the day to day Jewel and becomes the person's rank, while the Birthright is kept as an additional reservoir.
It is considered especially fortuitous for a person to receive an uncut Jewel. Uncut Jewels are large enough to make a ring, a pendant, and shards, all of which are kept and used. In the case of a cut Jewel, the recipient will receive the same amount of Jewel.
It is possible for a person who did not receive a Jewel during the birthright ceremony to receive a White, Yellow, or Tiger-Eye Jewel during their offering to darkness ceremony, since they can 'descend' a maximum of three power ranks at this time.
Rank can only decrease when a person has been "broken". When a person is broken, one or more of their Inner Webs are pierced and they are permanently separated from the power in their Jewels. This can be done either during a Virgin Night when a woman is especially vulnerable or through a blast of power. The former is far more common than the latter. Breaking a virgin is a widespread act used for profit and enjoyment and is part of the recurring theme of sexual violence in the series. Broken individuals are still able to use some Craft. If the woman conceives a child from the rape they still have the ability through craft to abort the child, but will be rendered infertile after they do. They do not lose their caste.
The other layer of innate hierarchy among the Blood is the Blood Hierarchy/Castes.
Males:
landen- non-Blood of any race
Blood male- a general term for all males of the Blood; also refers to any Blood male who doesn't wear Jewels
Warlord- a Jeweled male equal in status to a witch
Prince- a Jeweled male equal in status to a Priestess or a Healer; also used as a form of address for Warlord Princes
Warlord Prince- a dangerous, extremely aggressive Jeweled male; in status, slightly lower than a Queen
Females:
landen- non-Blood of any race
Blood female- a general term for all females of the Blood; mostly refers to any Blood female who doesn't wear Jewels
witch- a Blood female who wears Jewels but isn't one of the other hierarchical levels; also refers to any Jeweled female
Healer- a witch who heals physical wounds and illnesses; equal in status to a Priestess and a Prince
Priestess- a witch who cares for altars, Sanctuaries, and Dark Altars; witnesses handfasts and marriages; performs offering; equal in status to a Healer and a Prince
Black Widow- a witch who heals the mind; weaves the tangled webs of dreams and visions; is trained in illusions and poisons; in extremely rare cases, may be male
Queen- a witch who rules the Blood; is considered to be the land's heart and the Blood's moral center; as such, she is the focal point of their society
The basic unit of Blood society and government is a Queen and her Court. To create a Court, she must be at the age of majority and have twelve males who agree to be in her First Circle. While Queens are the rarest females, they are not uncommon and most Territories have a Territory Queen who rules over Province Queens, who in turn rule over District Queens. Warlords and Warlord Princes are occasionally appointed to act as rulers of small areas under the auspices of a Queen. It is highly unorthodox for a witch who is not a Queen to rule.
The Blood possess some ability to sense and mask their psychic scent. It seems that darker Jewels are better able to both sense and mask psychic scents.
Jewel rank is considered less important than overall caste. A low-ranking Queen in term of Jewels outranks a high-ranking witch and a low-ranking Warlord Prince outranks a Prince. Within caste, the higher ranking the Jewel, the higher ranking the person. A lighter Jeweled Queen is unlikely to become a Territory Queen if there are darker Jeweled Queens available. Within caste, males automatically defer to the darkest Jeweled male. In addition, the Blood are a matriarchal society. Males are supposed to defer to females. Because of physical and Jewel discrepancies in strength, Protocol is used to keep a precarious balance.

Plot Overview

''Daughter of the Blood''

Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions. Now the Dark Realm readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence - and corruption.
Whoever controls the Queen controls the darkness. Three men—sworn enemies—know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love—and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining...
Jaenelle, is destined to rule the Blood, if she can reach adulthood. Saetan, High Lord of Hell and most powerful of the Blood males, becomes Jaenelle's surrogate father and teacher. He cannot protect her outside Hell, where he rules. She refuses to leave Terreille, risking herself to protect or heal other victims of violence. Can Daemon, Saetan's estranged son, keep her safe from the machinations of the evil High Priestess?

''Heir to the Shadows''

Jaenelle's adoptive father, Saetan, and her foster-family of demons shelter her. To restore her memory and emotional balance, they move to Kaeleer, where Jaenelle gathers a circle of young Queens. She also heals Lucivar, Daemon's half-brother, who offers a brother's love and a warrior's fealty. As she recovers strength and memory, Jaenelle resolves to restore Daemon and cleanse Terreille. She claims her place as Queen of Ebon Askavi and secures Kaeleer from the growing threat of Tereille and the corruption that exists there.

''Queen of the Darkness''

Jaenelle Angelline now reigns as Queen-protector of the Shadow Realm. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one chapter ends, a final, unseen battle remains to be written, and Jaenelle must unleash the terrible power that is Witch to destroy her enemies once and for all.
Even so, she cannot stand alone. Somewhere, long lost in madness, is Daemon, her promised Consort. Only his unyielding love can complete her Court and secure her reign. Yet, even together, their strength may not be enough to hold back the most malevolent of forces.

''The Invisible Ring''

A powerful warlord named Jared, who has been a pleasure slave for nine years, goes up for sale at a slave auction. He expects to end up working in the salt mines, but instead is purchased by a mysterious, powerful and feared witch, the Gray Lady.
Dorothea SaDiablo, High Priestess of Hayll, is a member of a long-lived race who is working to rule or control the entirety of the world of Terreille. The Gray Lady has been fighting her and so Dorothea decides to have her assassinated as she travels to her home territory from the slave auction.
The Gray Lady receives a mysterious warning about the attempt to kill her so she buys a wagon and horses and sets off cross-country with her new slaves, hoping to elude her killers. During the trip, Jared discovers that they are traveling not with the Grey Lady but rather her granddaughter, Lady Arabella Ardelia. He also discovers that he is in love with her.
The chase leads them to Jared's boyhood home where he discovers that Dorothea's forces have already killed all of the witches in the area and most of his family, including his parents. With the help of the few who remain, they defeat Dorothea's army and escape into the Gray Lady's territory. Jared is encouraged by Daemon Sadi to follow his heart and to help Lady Ardelia in her fight against Dorothea to preserve as much as possible that is good for the eventual coming of The prophesied Witch who will have the power to defeat Dorothea and cleanse the blood of the taint she has spread.

''Dreams Made Flesh''

Dreams Made Flesh consists of four stories.
The first tells the story of how the Arachnids became the first race to possess Craft after the Dragons.
The second story tells of how Lucivar Yaslana meets, courts, and marries his wife. It takes place after the events in Heir to the Shadows and before Queen of the Darkness.
The third story tells some of the backstory of Saetan Daemon SaDiablo, and how his then-wife Hekatah tried to manipulate him, including sacrificing his newborn son. It concludes with the terrible retribution he exacted.
The fourth story tells of Daemon Sadi and Jaenelle and how they began to rebuild their lives after the conclusion of Queen of the Darkness.

Character summary

Protagonists

The Kindred are animals who have been granted their own Jewels and are fully Blood. Jaenelle reestablishes the connection between Kindred and human Blood, which was broken in the war between Terreille and Kaeleer started by Hekatah.
Most humans discount Kindred's power and intelligence as myth, and need personal experience with one to accept them.

Antagonists

First Circle

Ranon and Jared Blaed Grayhaven had the potential for Second Circle, but were not in the Second Circle or same Realm.

Others