Furey, Maggie

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FUREY, Maggie

PERSONAL: Born in England; married.

ADDRESSES: Home—Dublin, Ireland. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036-4094.

CAREER: Novelist and teacher. Durham Reading Resources Center, advisor; British Broadcasting Corp., book reviewer for Radio Newcastle; organizer of children's book fairs.

WRITINGS:

"ARTEFACTS OF POWER" SERIES; FANTASY NOVELS

Aurian, Bantam Spectra (New York, NY), 1994.

Harp of Winds, Bantam Spectra (New York, NY), 1994.

The Sword of Flame, Bantam Spectra (New York, NY), 1995.

Dhiammara, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1997.

"SHADOWLEAGUE" SERIES; FANTASY NOVELS

The Heart of Myrial, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Spirit of the Stone, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Eye of Eternity, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Work represented in anthologies, including The Web: 2027, Orion Publishing Group (London, England), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS: The first three volumes of Maggie Furey's fantasy series "Artefacts of Power" were published between 1994 and 1995. Their setting is a world composed of two continents and populated by decadent Mages and other exotic species. Aurian, the heroine of the series, is the daughter of two Mages: her father was killed in an accident, and her mother is a demented recluse. Aurian travels to the city where most of the remaining Mages live, in order to develop her powers. In the first volume, Aurian, she finds love with a mortal swordsman, but she is also the object of the lust of the ruling Mage, Miathan, who possesses a magic artifact he uses to kill his rival. Fleeing, Aurian organizes a resistance movement to find the remaining three magic artifacts but learns she is pregnant—a condition that can cause a female Mage to lose her powers.

In the second installment, Harp of Winds, Aurian has a new love interest named Anvar. Aurian, Anvar, and their friends are betrayed and subsequently captured by Miathan, who intends to kill Aurian's expected child and possess Aurian for himself. However, the recovery of a second magic artifact enables Aurian and company to escape. Kliatt reviewer Deirdre B. Root commented that Harp of Winds contained "few of the usual defects" that are found in the middle installments of a series. Root believed that its various species and cultures, which included winged people and shape-changing centaurs, were well described. "This is an extremely well-developed world for such a new author," Root observed, adding, "I enjoyed this even more than the first book."

The third novel in the series is The Sword of Flame, and the final chapter is Dhiammara. In Dhiammara, the various plot lines of the series diverge, the minor characters featured throughout the series make brief appearances, and the story of Aurian is resolved.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kliatt, November, 1994, p. 20; May, 1995, Deirdre B. Root, review of Harp of Winds, pp. 12, 14.

Locus, April, 1994, p. 29; September, 1994, pp. 33, 70; October, 1994, p. 68; January, 1995, p. 35; February, 1995, pp. 35, 39, 76; October, 1999, review of The Heart of Myrial, p. 27.