Worlds of the Golden Queen
An omnibus of novels.
- The Golden Queen (1994)
- Beyond the Gate (1995)
Originally published as two books, Worlds of the Golden Queen is a stellar tale of love, adventure, sacrifice, and war set in a fantastic future.
In the first novel, The Golden Queen, the insectoid Dronons have slain the human queen Semarritte, thowing into chaos the ten thousand worlds over which she reigned. Desperate to save mankind, Lord Veriasse, her near-immortal consort, has created a new queen: Everynne, cloned from the dead original. Hotly pursued, Everynne falls in with cocky bodyguard Gallen O'Day; the pious Orick, an intelligent black bear; and the beautiful orphan Maggie Flynn.
With Gallen and the others newly sworn to her service, the young queen begins the great struggle against the aliens. Leaping from world to world via an ancient system of instantaneous transport gates, the heroes face terrible dangers and great wonders as they seek the heart of the dronon worlds, carrying the battle straight to the enemy.
In the second novel, Beyond the Gate, Maggie Flynn has become, by test of combat, the new Golden Queen. Gallen, Maggie, and Orick face an attack by Dronons on a planet where humans have achieved the pinnacle of genetic engineering. They must stop them while guarding the secret of Maggie's whereabouts, for she is only the Golden Queen until her champion, Gallen, is defeated by a Dronon challenger. In the midst of a slam-bang story, Farland raises and examines deep questions of humanity's definition and identity.
David Farland
David Farland, a pseudonym for Dave Wolverton, was a writer whose influence stretched across multiple generations of science fiction and fantasy authors. Born in 1957 in the United States, Farland’s life journey was anything but ordinary. Before dedicating himself to writing full-time, he wore many hats — from working as a prison guard to serving as a missionary, to managing a business, and even baking pies. Each of these diverse experiences helped shape the distinctive voice that would captivate readers across the globe.
The Golden Queen
The Golden Queen consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Book Reviews
David Farland's Worlds of the Golden Queen consists of two books: The Golden Queen and Beyond the Gate. Worlds of the Golden Queen is a readable science fiction book, but it's not as good as The Runelords saga. I liked this book, but it wasn't an excellent book. If you like David Farland, you'll probably like this book.