(This article is about the fantasy novel. "Maia" is also the title of a fictitious novel by the main character of Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice".) Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann (June 6, 1875 – August 12, 1955) was a German novelist, social critic, philanthropist and essayist, lauded principally for a series of highly symbolic and often ironic epic novels and mid-length stories, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and intellectual and... Death in Venice book cover The novella Death in Venice was written in German by Thomas Mann, and was first published in 1912 as Der Tod in Venedig. ...

Maia is a fantasy novel by Richard Adams, published in 1984. Although not marketed as a romance novel, it also fits into that genre. Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Richard George Adams (born May 9, 1920 in Newbury, Berkshire, England) is a British novelist who is best known for two novels with animal characters, Watership Down and The Plague Dogs. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A romance novel is a novel from the genre currently known as romance. ...

Maia is a beautiful teenage peasant girl who is sold into slavery. She meets many colorful, boldly drawn characters and has many adventures in dance, high and low life, rivers in flood, espionage, politics, and war. The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ...

Some scenes, including some depicting Maia's period as a slave in a wealthy and noble houshold, include moderately explicit sexual and sado-masochistic elements. These, like the torture scenes in Shardik, will be disturbing to some readers.

Several of the characters in the book grapple with the morality of slavery, and a civil war is fought in part to restrict the actions of slavers and limit the number of slaves in the Beklan Empire.

Maia is set in the same fantasy world as Adams's novel Shardik, which was published in 1974, about ten years before Maia. The events of Maia take place about twenty years earlier than those in Shardik. Several characters appear in both books. Shardik Shardik is a fantasy novel written by Richard Adams in 1974. ...

Maia ends with the sort of quotidian, pastoral, familial scene (in Maia's memory and expectation of returning home) which seems to be the reward of positive characters in many of Adams's works.

Major Characters

Anda-Nokomis: ('The Dragonfly's Son) See Bayub-Otal

Ashaktis: A Palteshi woman, attendant upon Fornis

Bayub-Otal: (otherwise known as 'Anda-Nokomis') The dispossessed Ban of Suba: natural son of Nokomis by the High Baron of Urath: half-brother of Eud-Echalon; in actuality, Maia's cousin

Bel-ka-Trazet: High Baron of Ortelga

Berialtis: An Ortelgan girl: Ta-Kominion's mistress; is a worshipper of Shardik

Domris: Proprietress of the Lily Pool in Thettit-Tonilda; knows Occula

Drigga: An old woman, neighbour to Morca during Maia's childhood: a village story-teller, ballad-singer, etc.

Durakkon: High Baron of Bekla and nominal head of the Leopards

Dyphna: A concubine of Sencho, later a Beklan courtesan or 'shearna'

Elleroth: Son and heir of the Ban of Sarkid: commander of a force of irregulars with Santil-ké-Erketlis

Elvair-va-Virrion: Son of Kembri-B'sai, Lord Generel of Bekla

Enka-Mordet: A baron in Chalcon: father of Milvushina

Eud-Ecachlon: Son and heir of the High Baron of Urtah: half-brother to Bayub-Otal

Fornis: Daughter of Kephialtar-ka-Voro, High Baron of Paltesh: Sacred Queen of Airtha in Bekla; kills Zai and Tharrin; is determined to remain Sacred Queen for as long as possible

Fravak: A Beklan-metal merchant; at one time Sencho's master

Genshend: A slave-trader employed by Lalloc; almost rapes Maia

Karnat: King of Terekenalt

Kelsi: The eldest of Maia's three younger sisters

Kembri-B'sai: Lord General of Bekla: father of Elvair-va-Virrion

Kephialtar-ka-Voro: High Baron of Paltesh: father of Fornis

Lalloc: A Deelguy slave-dealer in Bekla; fires Genshend

Lenkrit-Duhl: Baron of Upper Suba

Lirrit: An infant, youngest of Maia's three sisters

Maia: A Tonildan girl; later becomes known as 'Serrelinda'; is really Suban

Meris: A Belshiban, concubine of Sencho; is later killed

Milvushina: A Chalcon girl, daughter of Enka-Mordet; a girl of noble blood enslaved by Sencho

Morca: Tharrin's wife; Maia's foster mother; hates Maia

Nala:The second of Maia's three younger sisters

Nesada: A Suban doctor; befriends Maia and helps through first pregnancy

Nennaurnir: A Beklan courtesan or 'shearna'

Nokomis: ('The Dragonfly'; originally named Astara) A Suban dnacing-girl, mother of Bayub-Otal by the High Baron of Urtah; actually Maia's aunt

Occula: A black girl; befriends Maia; controls Sencho and eventually Fornis

Ogma: A lame slave-girl; first Sencho's slave, then Maia's

Otavis: A Beklan slave-girl, afterwards a courtesan or 'shearna'

Randronoth: Governor of Lapan; deeply in love with Maia; is killed by Fornis

Sednil: A young Palteshi: lover of Nennaurnir

Sencho-bé-L'vandor: High Counsellor of Bekla: the Leopards' Chief of Intelligence

Terebintha: Housekeeper (or 'säiyett') to Sencho

Tharrin: Maia's stepfather; is in love and sleeps with Maia; is later enslaved and killed by Fornis

'Zai': Occula's name for her father (actually named Baru): a jewel-merchant; is killed by Fornis

Zen-Kurel: A Katrian staff officer of King Karnat; Maia falls in love with him; later get married and have children

Zuno: A young man in Lalloc's. later in Fornis' employ

List of Chapters:

Part 1: The Peasant 1 The Falls 2 The Cabin 3 The Net 4 Visitors 5 A Journey 6 The Black Girl 7 A Friend in Need 8 Kantza-Merada 9 Occula's Comfort 10 Night Talk 11 On the Road 12 An Offer Declined 13 The Gibbet 14 Bekla 15 At Lalloc's 16 The Tale of Lespa's Sacrifice 17 Lalloc Part 2: The Slave-Girl 18 Sencho 19 The Viewing 20 Meris 21 The Pedlar 22 The Rains Banquet 23 Meris Whipped 24 Matters of State 25 Terebinthia Brings News 26 Kembri's Pleasure 27 Waiting 28 A Little Amusement 29 The Urtans 30 Bayub-Otal 31 Milvushina 32 Maia as Comforter 33 An Odd Business 34 An Unexpected Re-encounter 35 Bayub-Otal'sSTory 36 A Sign for Occula 37 The Senguela 38 The Temple of Cran 39 By the Barb 40 Investigation 41 Queen Fornis 42 A Night Journey 43 Northward 44 Lenkrit 45 Across the Valderra 46 Suba 47 At Lukrait 48 The Golden Lillies 49 A Choice of Daggers 50 Desperation 51 Maia Alone 52 Ordeal by Water

The Gods:

In Maia, there are a variety of Beklan gods, many of them being a collection of the variety of gods all over the region. They include Lespa of the Stars, Shardik the Bear, Shakkarn the Goat, Cran, and Airtha of Diadem.

External links

• Maia publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database