Diana L. Paxson Books In Order

Publication Order of Avalon Books

Chronological Order of Avalon Books

Publication Order of The Chronicle of Fionn mac Cumhal Books

Publication Order of Hallowed Isle Books

Publication Order of Westria Books

Publication Order of Wodan's Children Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Sword and Sorceress Anthologies

Publication Order of Blood Of Ten Chiefs Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Diana L. Paxson
Diana Lucile Paxson, born February 20, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan, is a fantasy writer that lives in the literary household called Greyhaven in Berkley, California.

She counts the true start of her life from the move west she and her family made when she was three years old. Diana grew up in the Pacific Palisades on the coast of Southern California. While just an only child, she spent a bunch of time roaming the still wild hills, trying to figure out how to make things (like yarn from dog hair, pots from local clay, and mini houses thatched with grass clippings), and drawing horses.

However her favorite occupation was reading anything and everything that she could get her hands on, from her dad’s sci-fi collection, old Readers’ Digest, mythology and archaeology. She spent many summers at Camp Trinity in the far north of California, which became the setting for the first novel on Westria.

During junior high, her heroes included D’Artagnan, Sherlock Holmes, Horatio Hornblower, and Andy Burnett. The book that impressed her the most, however, was Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword. It was her introduction to what C.S. Lewis had called Northerness, and the very first book that she ever read that gave her a sense of what it would be like to live with a totally different world view.

Despite the fact she went through a lot of her earlier schooling with a textbook on her desk and a novel in her lap, she got accepted at Mills College in Oakland. Once she came to northern California, she realized that it was her spiritual home, and settled there for good. While at Mills, she minored in French and Art and majored in English literature, and she was inspired by Dr. Elizabeth Pope (the head of the English department and who was her mentor and later one of her earliest fans). It was Pope that first introduced her to Lord of the Rings in 1963, which Diana felt like was about like joining a secret cult at the time.

Diana graduated in the year 1964, moving on to the University of California at Berkley right in time for the Free Speech Movement. She first intended to major in English, however the Comparative Literature department offered up Old French as well as a seminar on the Grail legend. From here, she was hooked. She got her MA degree in Comparative Literature, specializing in medieval literature and a Secondary Teaching Credential.

She started seriously writing in the year 1971 and sold her first batch of short stories in 1976. Her first novel was published in two parts by Pocket Books in 1981 and 1982, which were called “Lady of Light” and “Lady of Darkness”.

Since then, she’s made her living working as a writer, most notably with her “Chronicles of Westria” and a series of historical books that are based on legends like the tales of Iseult and Tristan, King Lear, King Arthur, and Siegfried.

In the year 1988, she started an intensive study of the runes and began a rune class that she developed the materials that later became “Taking up the Runes”.

She joined the Troth (an international heathen organization) in the year 1992 and was made an Elder the next year. Since then the Troth’s been an important aspect of her life. She’s served in many roles, including Board member, Steerswoman, and Clergy Coordinator and continues editing the Troth’s journal, Idunna.

She’s sold more than seventy short stories, many of them to anthologies, like Wizard Fantastic, Sword & Sorceress series, and Elf Fantastic, as well as many others.

In addition to writing, Diana plays and composes music for the folk harp (The Wandersong, music from the Westria series, has been released), and also sews and designs period costumes. Diana’s served as Western Regional Director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Diana’s “Riders of the Rainbow Ridge” reflects her deep interest in Northern mythology.

“Lady of Light” and “White Raven” were nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, Best Book category.

Diana writes historical and fantasy fiction, as well as some non-fiction books about Heathen and Pagan practices and religions.

“Lady of Darkness” is the second novel in the “Westria” series and was released in the year 1983. The kingdom of Westria celebrates. At last King Jehan’s found his bride, a Queen to be Mistress of Jewels and wield all of their magical power over the elements. Little does the gentle and young Queen Faris know about the jealousy and treachery that festers in the Westrian court.

Being Mistress of the Jewels is a rather dangerous task, and one resentful sorcerer at court threatens to take away not just her own power, but also the life of her King. Queen Faris, while Jehan lies gravely ill, has to battle with Westria’s darkest threat since the Cataclysm while chaos descends on the kingdom.

Readers found this to be a strong sequel to the first novel in the series, and Diana does a fantastic job work of tying the various plot points together.

“The Golden Hills of Westria” is the eighth novel in the “Westria” series and was released in the year 2006. Prince Phoenix has always been a tad restless, never quite measures up to his father King Julian’s expectations. Sombra, who is Phoenix’s childhood friend, believes in him, however has her own duties as a student of the College of the Wise. Their relationship even surpasses friendships, yet their responsibilities take precedence over their feelings.

Phoenix gets abducted in a raid then sold off to slavers. Enduring humiliation and pain, Phoenix has to figure out a way to survive, even if it means losing his own sense of self, and becomes a danger to those people that he loves.

As King Julian hunts for his lost son, an increasing army of fantastic led by Mother Mahalial conquers land after land, and its final destination is Westria’s golden land. The one and only person that can sense Phoenix’s plight is Sombria, and her effort to rescue could just decide the kingdom’s fate.