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Aelf Fen Books In Order

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Publication Order of Aelf Fen Mysteries Books

Out of the Dawn Light (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon
Mist Over the Water (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
Music of the Distant Stars (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Way Between the Worlds (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon
Land of the Silver Dragon (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon
Blood of the South (2015)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Night Wanderer (2016)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Rufus Spy (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon
City of Pearl (2019)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Lammas Wild (2021)Description / Buy at Amazon

Aelf Fen is a series of books written by British bestselling author Elizabeth Harris using pseudonym Alys Clare. The events depicted in the novels are set during the rule of William II between 1087 and 1100. An imaginary region, Aelf Fen in East Anglia serves as the center stage where main actions take place. Also, the entire series features protagonist from two Fenland families and one of the families who trace its origin from the ancient’s residents of Britain.

The series made its debut in the publication world in 2009 when the first book in Aelf Fen Mystery series Out of the Dawn Light was published. A year later the second book Mist over the Water was subsequently released, and currently, the series boasts over seven novels.

Out of the Dawn Light

Once again the historical guru Clare kicks in with her new series set in 1087 when the reign of William Rufus in England has just begun and managed to subdue the rebellion.

Lassair, a young woman from Fenland village, has the supernatural power of finding lost items and dowse for water is happy that she is now learning healing skills from her aunt, Edild. The young Lassair is also celebrating the marriage of Goda, her sister when an attractive stranger named Romain arrives.

While she is taking care of her sister, the stranger again returns with Sibert an old friend from Lassair village and they both beg her to join them on a quest to find lost the highly prized item.

Lassair agrees to accede to the two in the search, and a three-day journey takes them to the sea and to the former home belonging to Sibert ancestors which were granted to the Romains family by the Normans overlords.

It is in this place where Lassair finds a golden crown with secret powers buried proximity to an underwater trunk. It is also at this point that Romain plans are revealed, he specifically wants to use the crown to persuade the king to give back the land to his family that was lost in the rebellion.

To avoid Romain from using the golden crown, both Lassair and Sibert take the crown with them and leave Romain behind. Moreover, when he tries to pursue them to get the crown back, he is killed, and all the blame is set to Sibert. It will thus take Lassair courage, and her abilities to prove Sibert’s innocence as well as reveal the killer.

Just like in the Hawkenlye series, Alys Clare makes a vivid description of the period and every aspect of the mystical elements. There is a good suspense level as well as mystical elements a resemblance of the Dark is Raising series written by Susan Cooper. Also, Sibert, Lassair, Hrype and Eldid are quite engaging characters and reading the novel one would compare them to real life people. The plot development is great with some twist and turns making the readers want to guess what would happen in a couple of few pages.

Mist over the Water

Mist over the Water is the second book in Aelf Fen series by Alys Clare. In this novel, a young healer of the medieval times becomes entangled in a web of a political scheme.

Lassair living with her aunt Eldid is gradually learning healing techniques from her aunt who is apparently a healer and a herbalist. With her hunt needed very much in her village, Lassair is sent by her aunt to tend for her cousin Morcar who was attacked and left for the dead in the waterlogged Ely Island.

On the journey, Lassair is accompanied by her friend Sibert, who lives with his mother and his uncle who is a sorcerer.

On arrival to the Highland, they discover an ongoing project of construction of Norman Abbey that involves the destruction of the chapel of Saint Elfreda. They manage to save Morcar, but a discovery of other several dead bodies dressed like Morcar make the two suspects that Lassair cousin knows a deadly secret and most likely connected to the Abbey monks.

Sibert’s takes Morcar to safety and later meets with Lassair. It is in this highland that Lassair learns discovers some shocking secrets of her past and the motives behind Sibert return to the Highland.

It is also in this highland that Lassair meets a handsome man seeking the pale boy, a puppet in a tight game that could mean the end for them all.

Music of the Distant Stars

In the third book of Aelf Fen series, Lassair the now fully trained healer pays a visit to her grandma grave.

Her grandmother was buried on an island in Fen. Upon her visits, she discovers a body of a young woman hidden in the grave. Lassair quickly rushes to the Gilbert de Caudebec. The dead girl name is Ida, a girl who earned her living from sewing and loved by many people in the area. The girl made a visit to Lakehall together with her mistress Lady Claude engaged to Villequier the Justiciar for Lakehall.

Now Lassair, gifted with mystical powers and also a talented healer dives deeper into investigating the murder. Once she visits Ida’s home place, she discovers that a married man loved the girl, but unfortunately, the man could not be the father of her child.

Also, Lassair brother loves Zarina whose elder brother was in love with Ida. Lady Claude, Ida’s mistress, appears to be devastated by the death but she, in fact, the lady who wanted to be a nun but forced to accept Sir Alain by her mother.

As Lassair roams around searching for the truth to unravel the killer, more and more dangerous attacks occur.

Music of the Distant Stars is a well-written mystery novel with well crafted primary and secondary characters. For instance, the Lassair, young apprentice healer is quite an engaging character; she is smart, skillful and has an art of solving mysteries in addition to her mystical powers. In addition to these skills, she learns healing techniques from her aunt which make a perfect combo for a detective in the medieval times. All in all the novel is fast paced with an interesting plot and a very unexpected ending.

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One Response to “Aelf Fen”

  1. Jo Ann: 7 years ago

    Who wrote these synopses? Please clean up the syntax and grammar. It’s hard to read.

    Reply

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