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Series · fantasy
Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy)
The Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy) series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Owlflight (1997).
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 1997
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Owlflight (1997) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Owlflight
Owlflight is the novel that opens Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy), by Mercedes Lackey, first published in 1997 at 323 pages. It's followed in the reading order by Owlsight, in a series of 3 books that ran from 1997 to 1999.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Owlflight - Book 2:
Owlsight
Owlsight is the 2nd entry in Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy), by Mercedes Lackey, published in 1998 at 464 pages. It follows Owlflight and precedes Owlknight in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Owlsight - Book 3:
Owlknight
Owlknight is the 3rd entry in Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy), by Mercedes Lackey, published in 1999 at 464 pages. It follows Owlsight and closes out the 3-book series, which ran from 1997 to 1999.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Owlknight
About the Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy) series
Darian's Tale, often called the Owl trilogy after its titles, follows Darian Firkin, an orphaned apprentice mage on Valdemar's dangerous northern frontier, who accidentally triggers a magical mishap that draws hostile invaders toward his home village. Forced to flee into the wilderness, Darian is taken in by the Hawkbrothers and their bondbirds (including Kuari, the owl that gives the trilogy its informal name), and gradually grows from a frightened, guilt-ridden boy into a capable scout and mediator between Valdemar, the Hawkbrothers, and the northern tribal peoples the earlier books had largely ignored.
Across Owlflight, Owlsight, and Owlknight, Lackey shifts the series' focus toward Valdemar's northern borderlands and the non-Valdemaran cultures living there, continuing the same widening of the world's political and magical geography that the Mage Winds and Mage Storms trilogies began, while telling a more intimate, single-protagonist coming-of-age story than those two.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in Darian's Tale?
Three: Owlflight (1997), Owlsight (1998), and Owlknight (1999).
What order should I read Darian's Tale in?
Publication order: Owlflight, Owlsight, Owlknight. It's a continuous coming-of-age story following Darian Firkin from adolescence onward.
Why is this called 'the Owl trilogy'?
Informally, because all three titles begin with 'Owl,' referencing Kuari, the bondbird owl who becomes central to Darian's story after he's taken in by the Hawkbrothers.
Do I need to read the Mage Winds or Mage Storms trilogies first?
It's recommended — Darian's Tale is set in the aftermath of those two trilogies and references their events — though it can also be read as a fairly self-contained story about a new protagonist on Valdemar's northern frontier.
What makes Darian's Tale different from other Valdemar sub-series?
It centers a mage apprentice rather than a Herald, and spends much more time with the Hawkbrothers and northern tribal peoples than the Herald-focused trilogies, widening the series' cultural scope beyond Valdemar itself.
If you like the Darian's Tale (The Owl Trilogy) series
Reading order last verified .