STRANDS OF STARLIGHT SERIES. VOLUMES 1, 2, 4 & 5. 1. STRANDS OF STARLIGHT. 2. MAZE OF MOONLIGHT. 4. STRANDS OF SUNLIGHT. 5. SPIRES OF SPIRIT. 4 BOOKS IN TOTAL.

New York: Signet / ROC, 1989. 4 volumes of the Strands of Starlight series (numbers 1, 2, 4 & 5) - mass market paperbacks, 6 7/8" H. **Please note: Volume 3, 'Shroud of Shadow', is not included in this grouping.** 1. Strands of Starlight - 371 pp, 1989 Signet, ISBN 0451163710. "Miriam is a frail young outcast whose healing powers have branded her a witch in the Inquisition of 14th-century Europe. Fleeing her city in search of the Free Towns and acceptance, she is brutally violated by a man she heals from the brink of death. Saved by the intervention of the elves, Mirian swears to exact revenge on her assailant. But first she must learn the art of swordsmanship and train to be a warrior with her newfound powers of elfin sorcery. When the Free Towns come under siege by the Inquisition - led by Miriam's attacker - the safety and very existence of her people is threatened. She knows her strength will be tested in a face-to-face confrontation with her enemy, but how can she battle for the freedom of others when her own revenge is a mere sword's length away?" 2. Maze of Moonlight - 351 pp, 1993 ROC, ISBN 0451452305. "Their race was far older than humankind and few mortals now believed they'd ever existed. Yet they still saw the patterns of the past, present, and future. And in the patterns they saw two mortals who, touched by magic, might make all the difference in an age of papal wars and fallen kingdoms. Christopher, Baron of Aurverelle, had returned from the Crusades a broken man. Vanessa, a young peasant girl gifted - or cursed - with the Sight, had been sent by her parents to seek employment in the Free Towns that bordered his lands. When Christopher rescued Vanessa from almost certain death, it forged a bond between the two and drew the Elven folk to heal them of both physical and emotional wounds. And the bond thus forged between mortals and Elvenkind would soon be tested. For when war threatened the realm, only the combined power of sword and spell offered any hope for defeating their foe." 4. Strands of Starlight - 399 pp, 1994 ROC, ISBN 0451454081. "Natil, last survivor of the old Elven race, had a vision - to step across the boundaries of time itself straight into the twentieth century. There, in the heart of Colorado, she saw her vision made flesh. Natil discovered a new breed of Elves, humans who had unlocked the magic within themselves and found the way to immortality. Natil became their leader and strength as they sought to heal the woes of humankind. Over the years their numbers slowly grew. But now two new mortals have come into their midst - two who might soon be transformed as the others were. Sandy Joy, a longtime victim of abuse, seeks refuge in the Goddess and her own harp. And TK, an African-American war vet, struggles to find real meaning in his life, even though he has been injured in body and spirit. Sandy and TK have much to offer, but they also bring with them dangers which even Elven magic might not be able to defeat." 5. Spires of Spirit - 302 pp, 1997 ROC, ISBN 0451455681. "Set in the mythical medieval village of St. Brigid, the first three tales of this extraordinary collection rekindle the fiery majesty of Gael Baudino's 'Strands of Starlight' series. Varden the Elf, immortal denizen of the forest, is compelled to aid his human neighbors in St. Brigid, guiding the course of fate with the magic of the stars. But the power he wields and the generosity he fosters cannot quell the ignorance of a weak people - and the scourge of inquisition looming over the land. Contemporary Colorado is the backdrop for the second trio of stories, where an ancient spirit stirs again. The confines of modern society cannot extinguish the flame of the Goddess within those of Elven descent. An ageless magic compels them to live differently, and listen to the rhythm of the stars. But Elven sorcery is not the only thing reborn, as the heroines of these stories discover - and brutality that once drove the witches from the world may triumph yet again." Volumes 1 and 2 have moderate browning on the pages, volumes 4 and 5 have light browning on the pages; volume 1 has a small water stain on top of the text block and two spine creases; volume 4 has a crease/bump at the top corner of the covers (migrates into the adjacent pages) and a large bookstore stamp on the first page; all volumes have browning to the edges of the text blocks and light edge wear on the covers.. Not Signed. Soft Covers. Very Good. Illus. by Thomas Canty, cover art..