The Ile-Rien books are a series of fantasy novels by Martha Wells set in the fictional country of Ile-Rien.[1] It is a centralized monarchy governed by the Fontainon dynasty, governing from their ornate capital of Vienne. It is also the home of the university-city of Lodun, a great center of learning, producing world-renowned scholars in medicine, law and sorcery. Its neighbors are the nations of Adera, Umberwald and Parscia, as well as Bisra, its long-standing enemy. Ile-Rien shares a coastline along the Western Ocean with Parscia.
Superficially, Ile-Rien resembles France,[2] with its highly sophisticated culture, cuisine and fashions, as well as its one-time rarefied nobility. Many of the names invented by Wells have a Gallic flavor to them. Additionally, Wells uses French terms with respect to food and drink. Although the name "Ile-Rien" resembles the French for "Island of Nothing", Wells has stated that she did not intend this.
Over the course of the series, Ile-Rien develops technologically and culturally, with advances such gas lamps replacing candles, before being replaced by electric lights, and trains and motor-cars replacing horse-drawn conveyances. The government, once an absolute monarchy, develops into a more meritocratic and representative system supplementing the crown.