Gate of Ivrel: Claiming Rites

The Morgaine Stories

Gate of Ivrel, the first novel in the Morgaine Cycle. The cover art depicts Morgaine and Vanye in front of a time-gate; Morgaine is unsheathing her gate-destroying sword.
Gate of Ivrel Well of Shiuan Fires of Azeroth Exile's Gate
Author	C. J. Cherryh
Cover artist	Michael Whelan
Genre	Science fantasy
Publisher	DAW Books
Published	1978–1988

The Morgaine Stories, also known as The Morgaine Cycle, are a series of science fantasy novels by American writer C. J. Cherryh, published by DAW Books. They concern a time-traveling heroine, Morgaine, and her loyal companion Nhi Vanye i Chya.

The first book in the series, Gate of Ivrel (1976), was Cherryh's first published novel, and was followed soon thereafter by Well of Shiuan (1978) and Fires of Azeroth (1979). These three works have been subsequently released in omnibus editions under various titles, including The Book of Morgaine, The Chronicles of Morgaine, and The Morgaine Saga. In 1988, Cherryh published a fourth book in the series, Exile's Gate. The series has sold in excess of 3 million copies.

In the 1980s, Jane Fancher began a graphic novel adaptation of Gate of Ivrel in close collaboration with Cherryh. Although it was never completed, Fancher self-published one segment of the work with a color cover and black and white interior art entitled C. J. Cherryh's Gate of Ivrel No. 1 (1985). Two parts of the adaptation were subsequently published as full color versions by The Donning Company under its Starblaze Graphics imprint: Gate of Ivrel: Claiming Rites (1986) and Gate of Ivrel: Fever Dreams (1987). In 1987, Tor Books published an interactive novel set in Morgaine's universe, The Witchfires of Leth.

This series has been identified as being set in the Alliance-Union universe, as it is stated that Morgaine was sent on her quest by the "Union Science Bureau".

The construct at the center of these novels is a set of "gates" that facilitate travel among a series of distant worlds connected by these gates. In addition to traveling from place to place, the gates can also be used to facilitate time travel. Cherryh has cited the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Andre Norton as influences in the development of her gate system.