Ea Cycle
Ea Cycle is a fantasy tetralogy by David Zindell narrated in first person by Valashu Elahad, a prince of Mesh. In the beginning, Val goes on a continent-spanning quest for the Holy Grail Lightstone, a holy artifact that the fate of the universe hangs on. But Val and his stereotypically diverse group of friends also need to keep the Lightstone safe from Morjin, the Big Bad leader of The Empire, until the Lightstone can be claimed by its rightful wielder, the Maitreya.
Expect a lot of talk about chakras and meditation and ascending to a higher state of existence. Zindell is obviously heavily into New Age and it shows.
This series provides examples of:
- Action Girl (Atara)
- And Your Little Dog Too
- Arch Enemy (Valashu and Morjin to each other)
- Author Tract
- Awesome Moment of Crowning
- Back From the Dead
- Big Bad
- Black Magic
- Blind Seer
- Blind Weaponmaster
- The Chosen One
- Colour Coded for Your Convenience
- Cosmic Keystone
- Crystal Spires and Togas
- The Dark Side
- Disney Death
- Either or Prophecy
- The Empath
- The Empire (Morjin's)
- Energy Absorption
- Evil Counterpart (Morjin to Valashu)
- Evil Overlord (Morjin)
- Evolutionary Levels (human -> Valari (better human) -> Elijin (angel) -> Galadin (arch-angel) -> Ieldra)
- Expy (Kane ~ Kane from Karl Edward Wagner, Astors ~ mallorns...)
- The Gods Must Be Lazy
- Green Rocks (gelstei crystals)
- Heroic Sacrifice (used straight and subverted)
- Idiot Ball
- The Kingdom
- Lost Colony
- Lost Technology
- Messianic Archetype
- Mineral MacGuffin
- Not Quite Dead
- Not So Different
- Only One (subverted)
- Religion of Evil (borderline case that claims to be good but is very bad at hiding its evil)
- People Puppets (ghuls)
- Planet of the Apes Ending
- Plot Coupon
- Power Crystal
- The Power of Love
- Prophecy Twist
- Psychic Powers
- Really Seven Hundred Years Old
- Screw Destiny
- Sealed Evil in A Can (Angra Mainyu)
- Take Over the World
- Waif Prophet
- Walking the Earth
- We Can Rule Together (Morjin tries this)
- White Magic
- You Killed My Father