Tortallan Universe

The Tortallan Universe is the setting of most of Tamora Pierce's books and refers to the universe that encompasses Tortall and the surrounding lands. The books are mainly set in Tortall, but other countries provide the setting for a few books.

The other universe created by Pierce is the Circle Universe aka The Emelanese Universe. The two universes are completely separate and there is no overlap at all.

Books

Series

Books are listed by publication date. HE (Human Era) refers to the time period within the Tortallan Universe.

• Song of the Lioness quartet (set mostly in Tortall, 5th century HE)
  • Alanna: The First Adventure
  • In the Hand of the Goddess
  • The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
  • Lioness Rampant
• The Immortals quartet (5th century HE)
  • Wild Magic (set in Galla and Tortall)
  • Wolf-Speaker
  • Emperor Mage (Carthak)
  • The Realms of the Gods (Tortall and Divine Realms)
• Protector of the Small quartet (set mostly in Tortall, 5th century HE)
  • First Test
  • Page
  • Squire
  • Lady Knight (first half in Tortall, second half in Scanra)
• Daughter of the Lioness duology (set almost exclusively in the Copper Isles, 5th century HE)
  • Trickster's Choice
  • Trickster's Queen
• Provost's Dog trilogy (set exclusively in Tortall, 3rd century HE)
  • Terrier
  • Bloodhound
  • Mastiff
• Numair Chronicles
  • Tempests and Slaughter (2018)
  • The Exile's Gift (tentative title) (TBA)
  • Untitled (TBA)

Short stories

• Young Warriors: Stories of Strength is an anthology of short stories from fifteen different writers, including Tamora Pierce. Pierce and Josepha Sherman edited and compiled the anthology. It was published in 2005.
  • Student of Ostriches was first published in this anthology. It also appears in another compilation of short stories published later.

• Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales, a compilation of short stories written entirely by Pierce, was published in 2012 after the full-length books. Quite a few short stories are set within the Tortallan Universe.
  • Elder Brother (set in unnamed region across the Emerald Ocean)
  • The Hidden Girl (set in unnamed region across the Emerald Ocean)
  • Student of Ostriches (set in Southern Lands)
  • The Dragon's Tale (set in Carthak)
  • Lost (set in Tusaine)
  • Nawat (set in the Copper Isles)

Other

• Tortall: A Spy's Guide, companion book for the Tortallan Universe, published in October 2017.

Upcoming books

• A trilogy on Numair Salmalín—Tempests and Slaughter as the first book
• A book about Maura of Dunlath—as T Pierce has many other books planned both in this universe and in the Circle Universe, it is doubtful that a book on Lady Maura will be published any time soon.

Major characters

• Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, protagonist of The Song of the Lioness quartet
  • George Cooper (love interest), Jonathan IV of Conté (secondary love interest), Faithful, Coram Smythesson (supporting characters), Roger of Conté (main antagonist)
• Veralidaine Sarrasri, protagonist of The Immortals quartet
  • Numair Salmalín (love interest), Skysong (dragon daughter), Ozorne Tasikhe (main antagonist), many other antagonists
• Keladry of Mindelan, protagonist of the Protector of the Small quartet
  • Raoul of Goldenlake, Owen of Jesslaw, Domitan of Masbolle (supporting characters), Cleon of Kennan (love interest), Nealan of Queenscove (crush and then best friend), Joren of Stone Mountain (antagonist for first three books), Wyldon of Cavall (antagonist for first two books), Blayce the Gallan & Stenmun Kinslayer (antagonists for last book), other minor antagonists
• Aly of Pirate's Swoop, protagonist of the Trickster Series duology
  • Nawat Crow (love interest), Dovasary Balitang, Saraiyu Balitang, Kyprioth (supporting characters), members of the Rittevon family (antagonists)
• Rebakah Cooper, protagonist of the Provost's Dog trilogy
  • Rosto the Piper (love interest), Farmer Cape (love interest, husband), Dale Rowan (love interest), Pounce, Clara Goodwin, Sabine of Macayhill & Matthias Tunstall (supporting characters), Ammon Lofts & Deirdry Noll (antagonists of Terrier), Pearl Skinner (antagonist of Bloodhound), Baird of Conté and other nobles and common-folk (antagonists of Mastiff)

Please see this list for more information about characters in the first four series. Please see this list for more information about specific characters in the Provost's Dog trilogy.

Nations and peoples of the Tortallan Universe

Pierce bases a lot of countries and societies on real life.

Countries

• Tortall, based on generic western European medieval society with some Renaissance elements; plus medieval Europe and England
• Carthak, based on ancient Egypt and ancient Rome (Roman cuisine), Phoenicia, Assyria, and the Hittite Empire of the Middle East
• Copper Isles, based on the Philippines, and the culture and palaces of Indonesia. The wildlife is from Central and South America
• Yamani Islands, based on Japan and samurai history
• Scanra, based on Scandinavia
• Maren, based on western medieval society like Tortall - specifically medieval Europe and England
• Tyra, is a Venice-like merchant republic
• Galla, based on medieval France (literally in the name "Galla" vs. "Gaul", shares other similarities of course)
• Tusaine, based on medieval Europe and England
• Sarain, mix between Tortallan culture and Cambodian/Vietnamese culture; a medley of medieval Europe, Southeast Asia, and samurai culture (samurai armor, specifically)
• Barzun (conquered by Tortall in the 4th century HE)
• Jindazhen, based on China.

Other Lands

The Eastern and Southern Lands were once one Empire, prior to the banishing of the Immortals from the Human Realms

"South of the Carthaki land mass is a large ocean and a continent that corresponds to Antarctica. West of the Copper Isles and the Yamani Islands are Jindazhen, the lands where Qiom and Fadala are presently traveling, and a huge southern continent. A sea full of islands lies between that and eastern Carthak. North of Jindazhen is a vast, empty forest where the weather is too harsh for people to live year-round. It tapers off into arctic tundra, and the frozen lands of the north."

Peoples

• Raka, based on indigenous people of the Philippines
• Bazhir, based on the Bedouin tribes
• K'miri, based on the Mongols

Timeline

The entire series of Tortallan Universe books starts with the Song of the Lioness in 429 HE, meaning "Human Era", or 429 years after the banishment of the immortals to the Divine Realms. The in-universe perspective encompasses the years 429 up to 464 HE, then 247 to 249 HE. Events outside of those parameters were referred to in the text, but did not happen in the books.

Please see the timeline for more in-depth and exact information about events, birth years, etc. of the Tortallan Universe.

See also

• List of Tortallan Gods
• List of Tortallan Fiefs