The Alton Gift (Darkover)

Book Description

The long-awaited continuation to the popular science fiction saga is the story of Darkover's ruling class, the comyn, and their struggles to reclaim their realm from the devastating effects of the Terran Federation.

Customer Reviews:

Great Darkover book.......2007-08-30

Like many a fan of MZB's Darkover series I was delighted to see that she had collaborated with Deborah Ross on the Clingfire trilogy. I feared that we would no longer have access to Darkover when the trilogy was finished. I found The Alton Gift to be a worthy part of the Darkover series. MZB would be pleased, I think, to read of the indepth characterizations (Lew, Marguerida, Mikhail, etc.), the lush imagery of life on the planet, the deft handling of the increasingly complex politics (which has always been a hallmark of MZB novels) and the fascinating fantasies extended around the Comyn and their use of "laran."

I could not put the book down.

I particularly loved the trouble that Deborah Ross went to in re-imagining the history and subtly reminding the reader of what had happened in novels written many, many years ago. For those of us who have been reading Darkover novels for thirty years, it was a kindness.

I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with the Darkover novels. It will be like coming home to old friends and meeting some new ones in the process.

Satisfying Continuation.......2007-08-25

My concern that this would not be as engaging as a 'real' Zimmer Bradley Darkover novel were quickly allayed. The characters have an authentic voice and the new problems facing Darkover after the Terranan have left are well delineated. As a reader I wanted more development of the 'earth sense' but suspect that this is in a novel still to come.

Darkover ended with Traitor Sun.......2007-07-20

Let me say first that I love the Darkover series, ever since I first read Two to Conquer. I loved Marion Zimmer Bradley's flair for being able to develop rich, complex characters that followed their own consistent psychology. More than any other science fiction series, a reader could say, "That's just like Lew Alton!" and have the conviction that the next few pages would richly develop and support the prior characterization. The book begins with a quick word from Marion Zimmer Bradley expressing her love for Lew, but the love that she put into him is the same love that she put into every aspect of the world of the bloody sun. Through her myriad of books, she consistently built upon every theme, place, and character, creating a consistent world.

This consistency is completely shattered by The Alton Gift. Like many readers, I eagerly awaited the release of this book because I wanted to see more Lew, more Mikhail, more Marguerida. The story didn't feel quite compelted, and I wanted to see what happened next. This book entirely let me down.

There are pages and pages of action, but the feel is entirely wrong. Lew Alton survived and overcame the obliteration of his hand, the death of his wife, his torture by a former friend, and the constant haunting of the Sharra Matrix, yet his response to the essential use of the Alton Gift at the end of Traitor Sun is entirely out of character. It seemed as if the author wanted to discuss the use of the Alton Gift, and latched onto the first character she could. Such a discussion has other characters that would eagerly take up the cause, yet they are overlooked in preference for Lew.

The treatment of Javanne, if even ever so briefly, is indicative of the problem with this book: a failure of consistency. Characters that were on their way to being Keepers no longer even reside in towers. Neversin now has its own tower: when did this happen? It was certainly not mentioned in the text. Characters' natures, the facts of the world, and behaviors of whole groups of people are handled so poorly that it makes me question how closely the author read the prior books.

All in all, I was very disappointed with this text. Without serious correction to the course that the series has now taken, then I'm afriad that I will consider Traitor Sun to be the final book in the series. Marion Zimmer Bradley was a master of world-building and characterization. The new author's characterization is not bad, it just refutes all that has come before, and this is a true tragedy.

Keep 'em coming.......2007-07-12

If you're the Darkover nut I've turned into, you'll be more than satisfied with this latest installment. :)

Good Addition to Darkover Series.......2007-06-22

Ross returns to Bradley's Darkover world in the sequel to Traitor's Sun. This book follows mostly Domenic, the oldest son of Marguerida and Mikhael, as he tries to figure out how to be a man and outside the shadow of his parents. If you aren't familiar with Darkover, this is probably a pretty bad place to start, since it could really be considered probably the 6th book in a series (start instead ossibly with Heritage of Hastur, available in an "omnibus" book including its sequel, Sharra's Exile, which could be considered the first in this Darkover series - or other good places to start are Bloody Sun or Forbidden Tower). If you have followed the books, I enjoyed this book probably more than the prior three because they seemed to spend less time sitting around talking about politics or gossip, and more time actually doing things. This was also interesting for more insight into Danilo's life (and I won't spoil what is going in his life in case you haven't read the other books). If you like Darkover, definitely read this, although read the Traitor's Sun series first. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just order one of my recommendations of books to start with and read them. Very good.

Average customer rating:

GREAT Greater, GREATEST
Darkover Ending
One of my least favorite Darkover novels
The very best in the series
One of the best of a great series.

Traitor's Sun (Darkover)
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886778115

Book Description

Traitor's Sun continues the epic saga of Darkover, the award-winning series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Her most brilliant and popular creation, the Darkover books take readers to a planet torn by rebellion--and struggling for freedom...

"Darkover is the essence, the quitessence, my most personal and best-loved work."-- Marion Zimmer Bradley

Customer Reviews:

GREAT Greater, GREATEST.......2007-01-05

I was so terribly thilled to hear that Marion was starting a new Generation of Darkover charactors..It began with Exiles Song and ends with Traitor's Son... TRULY Great.. all of them and if you like DARKOVER I highly recommend all of the.. this is about the third time I have purchased them... WORE the others out......=0) I hightly recommend these books..

I really freaked when Bradley Passed when Traitors Sun was still In hardcover.. Deborah Ross is really good. and I can only pray that after the Clingfire trilogy ( Co-Written with Bradley ) she will continue to write Darkover Books.... Marion Zimmer Bradley was truly great in that she encouraged and helped others to write about her worlds and her characters... She was instremental in helping not only Mercedes Lackey but many others to get a good foothold on the Genre... I truly hope we can look forward to more- MANY more DARKOVER BOOKS

Darkover Ending.......2007-01-04

This book is the reason that I began reading any of the Darkover novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Though it is the 3rd in a series, it can be read to stand alone quite comfortably. It was everything I had hoped for in a conclusion.

Marion Zimmer Bradley gives us a world so deep in breath, rich folklore, and mythology, that it sucks you right in - 1st chapter. (I promise).

Though, it should be understood that this is the last book she will write because she has passed away. As you read this book, you will realize that there are a few loose ends and mysteries that will forever remain unexplained.

I hope that someday someone will pick up where she left off.

One of my least favorite Darkover novels.......2005-02-28

First let me say that I LOVE the Darkover novels, and own almost all of them. I plan on re-reading them many times over the years.
Over the past few months I have re-read all of the books that I own in their chronological order, and I have found that this novel is probably my least favorite of the group.
The plot seems to drag somewhat in this book, and leans a little too much toward the political aspects of the Darkover-Terran relationship for my taste. I prefer books like Sharra's Exile, The Forbidden Tower or Stormqueen which focus a little more on the telepathic aspects of the culture.
If you love the Darkover books and have read Exile's Song and The Shadow Matrix you will definitely want to read this one, but if you are just starting out, try one of the other Darkover books first.
All in all, a good book with some great moments, but not my favorite of the series.

The very best in the series.......2003-05-18

I love the Darkover books, but this one is the best I've read so far. I think it's the last one, though ... so sad. I really want to find out what happened next.

This book is just so sophisticated in its character development! I love the way MZB looks at interpersonal relationships. What makes a person turn bitter, negative and destructive -- and how can she escape from that? What makes another person become dominant and powerful? How can a woman who is under the domination of a male chauvinist society nevertheless manage to have a meaningful life? How do children evolve in their thinking as they become teenagers and separate from their parents? What happens when a large number of strong personalities are confined together in a huge castle for years? These are the kinds of issues that are dealt with in this book.

I particularly like the way this elaborate character development is combined with the sci fi/fantasy aspects. How does a primitive world of telepaths retain its cultural integrity in the face of a much larger and more powerful galactic technoculture? How does telepathy influence human relationships? What kind of adjustments does a society of telepaths have to make to avoid going crazy? I love how this series and particuarly this book deal with all that.

And, of course, there is the wonderful, continuing romance of Mikhail and Marguerida, which has matured so heartwarmingly along with them. It's so rare to see a novel that takes a romance into adulthood. Most romance novels end with marriage. This novel accepts the challenge of addressing a romance that continues. OK, maybe this is the most fantastical element of the book, but I liked it anyway.

I recommend this book most heartily.

One of the best of a great series........2002-04-03

Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote stories set in her world of Darkover for something like 30 or 40 years; not surprisingly, the earliest novels were very different from the later ones. For one thing, they were written by someone with a great deal less experience as a writer (and as a person), and for another thing, they were written in a time that what was expected of Science Fiction was very different from what is expected now.

In the '60s, most science fiction was still envisioned as juvenile fiction, pulps written for young readers. So "The Planet Savers", "World Wreckers", "Star Of Danger", and "Winds of Darkover" were interesting, but mostly unrefined novels with a very strong flavor of the pulp sci-fi novel.

As time went on, Ms. Bradley evolved as a writer, and what was considered publishable in the science fiction genre also evolved, so the next few novels were somewhat different. "Heritage of Hasteur", Sharra's Exile", and "The Bloody Sun" were much better than her earliest novels, and at least "Heritage" and "Sharra" are still two of her best. But she continued to evolve, and the stories that interested her changed, so people who love her stories from one period don't always enjoy the stories from another period. That's one of the beauties of Darkover, however; it's big enough, and complex enough, that all kinds of stories can be written about it.

There are some constants, however: on the down side, Ms. Bradley always has been a trifle sloppy in her copyediting. In this book, that shows up not only in the usual periodic typos that slip through, but in the scene toward the end of the book, in which a character who'd been sent home with a serious injury before the funeral train reached its destination (Hermes) gives a eulogy at the funeral.

On the positive side, her characters have always been her strong suit, and this book is no exception. What's more, they actually change and grow, not just within a book, but from book to book as the same characters are seen at different stages of their lives.

Interestingly, for most of her career, it was obvious that a big part of what fascinated Ms. Bradley about Darkover was the opportunity it provided for comparing and contrasting a highly technological Federation with an archaic, almost medieval culture. Generally, she found an interesting balance between the two, with Darkovan culture being found lacking in its treatment of women and education, and Federation culture being found wanting in terms of respect for individuality and honor. By this book, it seemed that she'd solved the question of which she found preferable in her own mind; there was no longer anything to recommend the Federation at all, so that Darkover, for all that it still had its failings, won by default.

Customer Reviews:

Fills a gap, but incomplete.......2007-03-03

I'm an MZB / Darkover fan from way back. Was quite excited to find this book. It started well, had lots of potential to be a good novel but towards the end it just faded away. After the death of Ysaye and the severing of Leonie Hastur's links to Ysaye, allowing Ysaye to die and Leonie to live, it collapsed completely. It read as if the last half of the book had been deleted and a couple of pages substituted. All in all, it filled some gaps in Darkover history, but left a lot of unanswered questions. As other reviewers have noted, perhaps the weakest book in the series. Worth a read for all that but expect to be disappointed with what it doesn't cover.

i "heart" darkover (and kurt cobain, but off the subject).......2005-05-07

okay, this book is about when the terrans rediscovered darkover. the two main characters are Elizabeth MacKintosh (later to become Elizabeth Lorne) and Leonie Hastur. It switches back and forth from their points of view. On the terran ship, there are colonists that are looking for a planet where they can settle, and they find darkover, although they do not know it's darkover yet, and they keep of seeing strange things going on. But on darkover there is Leonie who is being sent to the tower of Daleruth, who is feeling annoyed because she feels that her twin brother Lorill is getting in her way of becoming a keeper because she has a ton of power and the hastur gift because Lorill got to go to Arilinn while Leonie had to go to Daleruth. so when the terrans land, they land in the hellers and are met by the aldarans and start to build a spaceport. and then leonie sents lorill up to the hellers and finds himself in a difficult situation.

this is a good book to start reading darkover with, but is awful for people who notice inconsistantcies (lorill and leonie see that some of the terrans have laran). but i thought it was really good even though it doesn't support lorill and leonie's argument in the shattered chain.

an important moment in Darkover's history.......2003-12-19

This Darkover novel is similar to "Darkover Landfall" in that it deals with the discovery (in this case, rediscovery) of the planet Darkover by Terrans landing on the planet. There are rather significant differences, of course. "Rediscovery" takes place a couple of thousand years after "Darkover Landfall" and the ship that colonized Darkover is known only as one of the "Lost Ships" that was unaccounted for. The Terran spacecraft has been traveling for several years, looking for a habitable planet on which to land and conduct experiments to determine whether or not the planet is able to be colonized. The novel's viewpoint switches back and forth between the ship and the telepath's who learn the ship is coming.

Part of the novel (that which is suggested by the title) is focused on the ship, its crew, and the discovery that the people of Darkover are comprised of the descendants of former Terran colonists. The other viewpoint is that of the native Darkovans. We see Leonie Hastur, a woman going to train her extremely powerful laran in one of the Towers. Even though I know the novel's focus was truly on the rediscovery of Darkover, it was the Leonie chapters that interested me the most.

The events of this novel were a turning point in the history of Darkover as there will now be a Terran presence on Darkover and a greater technological impact on what was once a low-tech world. This was not one of the best Darkover novels, but I enjoyed it and it was a story that needed to be told as it allows for all of the novels that are set after "Rediscovery". I would not start the series with "Rediscovery", but if you like the series then there is no reason you shouldn't read this one, too.

great book for darkover fans of all ages.......2001-11-01

it starts out with a ship from earth sending a team down to darkover for exploration. this shuttle crashes and ends up standed in the middle of a blizzard. an interesting subplot also
tells the story of a young leonie hastur and her first trip to
a tower for training of her laran. this i find slightlty more
interesting becasue most darkover novels potray her in later life
as a very unapproacable keeper and this book shows a more softer
human side. anyway one of the people on the shuttle is also telepathic and her and leonie develop a friendship that is forbidden. the outcome of all of this is just superb and well worth reading.

Essential!.......2001-07-15

Bad? Not at all. I thought it was fascinating. It is particularly interesting to read about how the people of Darkover came to become such powerful telepaths, why the Comyn mostly have red hair and other really interesting insights.

Customer Reviews:

Bradleys greatest work is this TRILOGY.......2007-01-05

A fascinating heroine.......2005-05-22

Margaret Alton is the child of the powerfully psychically gifted Lew Alton, who has been the Senator for Darkover for several years. After a traumatic early childhood, little Margaret lived with her father and stepmother in exile, struggling to overcome her own oppressive Gift without expert Darkovan help, as well as trying to endure what she cannot help sensing of her father, battling his own demons.

This book takes up the story of Margaret, who in Exile's Song returned to the planet of her birth as an ethnomusicologist, accompanied by her beloved professor Ivor Davidson, to collect folk song from the rural places still largely untouched by the Empire.

As this book begins, we find Margaret undergoing the compulsory training in a tower, while Mikhail investigates a suspicious situation in the Elhalyn household, which appears to be haunted, and dominated by a strange woman of unknown origins. Mikhail's handling of the troubled Elhalyn children is touchingly presented, as is his relationship to his sister Liriel.

After much political maneuvering (an annoying but necessary part of these Hastur-era stories) there is the expected midwinter crisis, this one larger than most.

As a bonus, we meet again characters we know well: Jeff Kerwin, Javanne Hastur, Lew Alton, Diotima Ridenow, Mrs Davidson (Ivor's wife), Rafaella the Renunciate, Michael Lanart-Hastur, Danilo Syrtis, and Uncle Rafe, and others. And, as always, the children are delightfully portrayed. Finally, there is travel through time to visit with Varzil the Good, towards the close of the ages of chaos, to learn what happened to the legendary ring in which he preserved the soul of his beloved, Felicia Hastur.

Margaret Alton is a very sympathetic character, especially to those who might relate to music. Her own development is only part of a larger set of events that culminate in the story related in Traitor's Sun. This book is indeed the middle section of a trilogy within the Darkover saga consisting of Exile's Song, Shadow Matrix, and Traitor's Sun, all worth reading.

Archimedes

M. Z. B.'s Shadow Matrix continues Darkoven Lore.......2003-03-06

While this novel cannot be enjoyably read without reading another, it continues the tradition of Darkover admirably in relation to the storyline. I agree with the other reviews on this page, and would like to point out that there was a common thread that I found disappointing in this novel- the fact that there are at least about four female characters that fit into the role of shrew. I found it repetitive-- First there was Mikhail's mother, the insane woman at the castle (& the one who was manipulating her), as well as, the telepath who "overshadowed" Margaret in her childhood who she must face once more. If you like the Darkover books, you will enjoy this one. The plot was solid and the protagonists were sympathetic.

A jumble and a disappointment.......2001-10-24

Fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley will be disappointed on this one.
It has all the feel of having been written hastily and carelessly. The narrative wanders aimlessly and spends excruciatingly long pages on dialogue that is either banal, does
nothing to advance the story, or both. After spending the first
third of the book on a disconnected plot about Mikhail in the hands of a "hedge-witch" in the House of Elyhain, the author
largely drops it, and in effect takes until page 320 or so to
really get started. The time travel into the past by Mikhail and Margaret orchestrated by Varzil the Good, -and their subsequent marriage officiated by same- is the only worthwhile part, but
it lasts only a short while. After marrying them, the author
suddenly veers again blindly, this time to have Mikhail and
Margaret destroy evil plans to use atomic power in the
distant past (I am not kidding!) This plot has nothing discernible to do with the reasons Varzil brought them into the past for in the first place; but none of this seems to bother
the author one bit.

In short, it sounds as if the author puts this book together
from disjointed notes in her drawer. Very unsatisfying fare coming from a writer that has brought us such great works in the
past.

Not quite as good as Exiles song.......2001-01-28

This book had a few dragging plot points but overall it was still quite worth reading

Average customer rating:

back jacket summary
The Future unfurled
A return to the great Darkover books
a great first book read
Okay..but not as 'good as it gets'....

Exile's Song (Darkover)
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886777348

Amazon.com

The eagerly-awaited sequel to The Heritage of Hastur and Sharra's Exile. Margaret Alton, daughter of the Darkovan representative to the Terran Imperial Senate, remembers almost nothing about the planet of her birth or her tumultuous childhood. What fleeting memories she has are fragments of terror -- a strange silver man and a screaming woman with hair that circled her head like a ring of fire. Now her work has taken Margaret back to Darkover, where she must fight against inner voices that are trying to control her as she unravels the secrets of her heritage -- and her destiny.

Customer Reviews:

back jacket summary.......2006-03-03

from the back cover of the April 1997 Daw paperback edition
cover illustration by Romas Kukalis
She was Margaret Alton, the daughter of Lew Alton, the Darkovan representative to the Terran Imperial Senate, but she remembered almost nothing about the planet of her birth, or her early and tumultuous childhood. What fleeting memories disturbed her sleep were fragments of terror-a strange silver man and a screaming woman with hair that circled her head like a ring of fire.
As soon as Margaret was of age, she fled her stormy home and took refuge on University where she was granted the position of assistant to a renowned musicologist. This prestigious job took her to many worlds, and when she was assigned to collect folk songs on Darkover, Margaret was curious and pleased.
But under the light of the red sun, Margaret's innocent excitement quickly waned. The world of her birth evoked long-buried memories, painful and terrifying, and she soon found herself driven by a destiny more dreadful than any nightmare. For the screaming woman and the silver man were merely markers on a trail - a trail which led into Margaret's own mind, and toward a trap which had been set for her centuries before her birth...

The Future unfurled.......2002-04-06

All though I do agree with the above author about the unconsistant genealogies in her series(I have encountered some of that in Mists of Avalon), focusing on that one fault ruins the impact and the refrencing of this book. the characters are there, before your eyes, acting out a life that you have always longed for while trying to avoid. Anyone who has had destiny put them in a maddening and unsuspected situation can relate to the main characters Margaret Alton and Mikhial Hastur/Lanart. I own this book and I can help but to read it over and over again because MZB shares JK Rowlings talent of holding little things in the book taht even the most careful of readers can't notice untill the fourth reading. This tale of our future is incredible and anyone even considering reading it should go ahead because it is anything but a waste of time.

A return to the great Darkover books.......2001-01-28

After the lackluster Rediscovery this book restored my confidence in MZB as a writer. As soon as I finished this book I wanted the next one in this trilogy within a series.

a great first book read.......2000-12-30

this is the first book of the darkover series i have read and i found it to be great. i read it in a day or so and true the plot does beg to be enhanced but i found the idea of this strong willed heiress who takes nothing in this male dominated societ intriguing. too many of the other people who read this got hung up on geneology and such things from the other book and simply couldn't enjoy the book. the only thing that troubled me was references to other,earlier books but i know that was to be expected. also people say that the "confrintation" in the middle of the book led to an aimless anticlimax which is completely untrue. you see the heroine struggle to find balance and try not to kill anyone with her "gifts" and the end made me run out for the next book. i admit that this is not a book for hardcore darkover fans but a very good book for someone new to the series.

Okay..but not as 'good as it gets'...........2000-06-13

Marion Zimmer Bradley is a wonderful author, but I'm sorry to say that she doesn't show the story development that she usually has. Her character development is still great, but not good enough for 4 or 5 stars.

The story of Margaret Alton is quite interesting. She goes to the planet of her birth and learns that she is a telepath with the "Alton Gift," among other gifts. The back-of-the-book-synopsis says that there's a 'trap that was set for her centuries before her birth,' and that was what interested me in the book. But the 'trap' is the gift. She learns that she has these things about half-way through the book, and then you are looking forward to this 'trap,' but that is the trap.

Book Description

Long out of print, these three Darkover books tell the tale of two Free Amazon women whose lives are irrevocably entwined.

"Literate and exciting." (The New York Times Book Review)

Customer Reviews:

A long ride, not always rewarding, but not a complet loss.......2006-12-08

This Saga of the Renunciates, makes only any sense if read all togheter. Dismiss all those comments that say you can enter Darkover at any novel.
And this books are a proof of that. "Shattered" is a short novel, almost nothing realy important happens, is just an introduction for the characters. "Thendara" is long book about the lead roles, Lorne and Jael, and as all this saga, this is a story about two particular beings, and has no impact on big planetary scale, or in Darkover history. Altough very long, I found the books very adult oriented, and heartbroken, wich made me feel the troubles and sorrows of this two girls. I was amaze how Bradley managed to pull me inn with her view of the woman`s world. "Sorcery" on the other hand is an adventure driven story, and is very entertaining. (spoilers head) But the end is somehow dissapointing, more even so, considering that is the end of all the saga. It took some time to read them all, (one after the other, I might add) and I felt exausted at end, but somehow altough this is not best on Darkover, I end up missing those the girls.

Riveting and memorable...definitely worth your time.......2006-08-07

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book - I loved Mists of Avalon, but wasn't fond of the other Avalon books. I wanted to like Darkover, but the two other Darkover novels I read (Stormqueen and Hawkmistress) didn't appeal to me much.

And then I began The Shattered Chain.

It started off exactly as I'd feared it would - a band of Amazons (just...read the other reviews for technical details) walk into a town and are laughed and jeered at by the men and treated with greater hostility by the women. I thought at this point that the book would be full of "Woman Power" and show how strong these Independent Women had to be to exist on a world like Darkover.

But the novel quickly became something more than that. I felt that it greatly picked up when we were introduced to Magda, the Terran - because for the Terrans, men and women are pretty much equal. And this viewpoint GREATLY helped balance out the supressing Darkover views, and made them not just bearable, but interesting. The resulting main plotline between the Terrans and Darkover people, with the Amazons building the bridge between the two worlds...it was pretty awesome. And of course there's all the subplots, and the huge personal developments taking place within the two main characters: the Terran woman and the Amazon one.

This book has some good action scenes, but the major focus is definitely on the characters themselves, and their relationships to one another and the world. Normally I would stay away from something like that, but the Terran/Darkover worlds created here are so interesting that it's pretty much impossible to not be caught up in it.

It had great, memorable characters, a great plot, and scenes you'll remember for a long, long time. I'd say it's definitely worth a read for anybody who likes fantasy/sci-fi...and books in general.

Terrific Darkover trilogy!.......2005-10-16

I've read most of the Darkover series during the last five yrs. I started off with MZBs Avalon books & ended up hooked on the Darkover series.
In many the Darkover books the renunciates (free amazons) are mentioned, but usually not in much detail. It was wonderful to stumble upon a whole trilogy of books about them. They explain
how & why the group started, and how they worked out a way to marginally fit into the society by being of service to both Darkovans & Terrans. I thoroughly enjoyed this series & would highly recommend it to any MZB fan.

More than a fantastic novel, a manifesto.......2005-07-28

I am an avid MZB fan and have read most of her novels, but the Darkover series is the closest to my heart and The Saga of the Renunciates stands above all. This novel is more than just a story, deconstructing femininity is a central part of this trilogy: as a reader I found myself pondering the same questions that trouble the women on Darkover and thinking that eventhough they are only sci-fi characters, their insigth would change a lot of women.

The first novel is about a group of mercenary warrior women who hire themselves out to Lady Rohana to rescue her cousin from the Dry Towns, a country where married women are kept in chains. Rohana's cousin never makes it but she does bring back Jaelle, her 12 year old niece and a very unconfortable awareness of the invisible chains she has fashioned for herself.

In the 2nd part we meet Magda and Peter, two Darkover-born Terranan and the best spies the Empire has on Cottman 4. Altough Magda is the better agent, as a woman there is not much she can do outside HQ. When Peter goes missing on a mission and his superiors have no plans to rescue him Magda disguises herself as an Amazon and goes looking for him. All goes well until she meets some real Amazons whose leader is none other than a grown up Jaelle.

The final chapter in this story is about a journey to a mythical city in the enormous mountains of Darkover where an all-knowing sisterhood of wise women is supposed to be hidden from all but those by whom they wish to be seen. Jaelle leaves everything behind for even a chance to get there and Magda has no choice but to follow.

Better on rereading.......2005-01-01

I read these 3 novels in the late 70's-early 80's and loved them...recently found the 3 novel compendium and enjoyed it more the second time around. What a wonderfully imagined world!! How I wish we had something like the Guild here on Earth! As an old feminist in my 70's, I cannot recommend them more highly...READ!!

A World Divided: (Darkover Omnibus #5) (Darkover)

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Three classic Darkover novels, including The Bloody Sun
Darkover ... from the Terran point of view

A World Divided: (Darkover Omnibus #5) (Darkover)
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0756401674
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Book Description

An omnibus volume of three classic, long-unavailable Darkover novels-Star of Danger, The Bloody Sun, and Winds of Darkover-tell of two men of mixed Darkovan ancestry, who must choose where their true allegiances lie.

Customer Reviews:

Three classic Darkover novels, including The Bloody Sun.......2004-08-14

Among all of Marion Zimmer Bradley's impressive body of work, she loved and cherished her Darkover novels and stories above all others. From the publication of Planet Savers in 1962 until her death in 1999, Bradley published over twenty Darkover novels and a dozen Darkover anthologies. It is a remarkable series covering six major stages of Darkovan history. Tragically, many of the Darkover publications have gone out of print over the years; thankfully, in 2002, Daw began publishing special omnibus collections such as this one. A World Divided consists of three novels: Star of Danger (1965), The Bloody Sun (1965), and The Winds of Darkover (1970).

One of the best things about Bradley's Darkover series is the fact that each can book can be read and enjoyed in and of itself; while there is a definite history and chronology of the planet Darkover, the reader does not have to tackle the books in any certain order. A World Divided gives us an interesting mix: two relatively minor Darkover novels and one major novel of great importance, each of them taking place in an era of great historical change.

Star of Danger reads like an exciting juvenile novel, and I believe it serves as an excellent, solid introduction to the planet Darkover. The book's protagonists are two teenaged boys standing on the cusp of adulthood, natives of two different cultures coming together for the unplanned-for adventure of a lifetime. The "backwards" Darkovans do not trust the Terrans, afraid of the type of change Earthmen will bring to their traditional, highly structured society, but Larry Montray, a young Terran new to the planet, is easily mistaken for a native inhabitant. After striking up a friendship with a young Darkovan aristocrat named Kennard Alton, Montray is given an unprecedented opportunity to spend the summer with the Altons in the countryside. Larry's great adventure soon becomes a perilous ordeal. In order to survive, Montray and Kennard must learn from and defer to one another's strengths. Culture clashes are inevitable, but in such a bond of friendship is forged the bridge that may one day unite the competing Terran and Darkovan cultures.

The Winds of Darkover shows us a side of the planet rarely explored. Alienated from the ruling families on Darkover, Loran Storn has no one to call upon for aid when bandits seize the outlying Castle of Storn. His blindness is a further impediment, and in desperation he seeks out another mind and engineers a rescue mission through that person. The mind he finds is that of a Terran named Dan Barron, and thus in one character we are presented with two unique, fresh viewpoints of Darkovan life - one by the Terran who is journeying into this world for the first time, and the other by the blind Storn aristocrat seeing the world of Darkover for the first time through Barron's eyes. The winds of change blowing in the realms outside the control of Darkover's ruling families portend the sweeping changes coming to the planet as The First Age of contact with the Terrans draws to a close.

The real gem of this omnibus collection is The Bloody Sun, as it basically takes us through the dawning of Darkover's Second Age. By this time, the influence of the Terran presence in the land has led some Darkovans to question the old ways and to call for a closer relationship with the Terrans. Some of the people believe that the old ways are out-dated and needlessly burdensome, but few in authority have the desire, let alone the courage, to pursue "progress." The true power of the ruling families has long been centralized inside the mysterious Towers that dot the land, but now only the mighty Tower in Arilinn can boast of a full-fledged Keeper, and even this primary Tower's circle is incomplete at the time this novel opens.

Raised in the Spacemen's Orphanage on Darkover until he was twelve, Jeff Kerwin spent his next several years on Earth with his Terran father's parents; an outcast on a world not truly his own, he pined for the day he could return to Darkover and learn the truth of his heritage. All he has is the name his Terran father gave him and a matrix jewel of unknown origin. When he begins to search for the history of his earliest years, he is upset to learn that no such records seem to exist. Kerwin knows he is being lied to and manipulated, but he has no idea why. On the brink of deportation from the planet of his birth, a voice beckons him through the jewel he wears, and by following this voice Kerwin finds a new home on Darkover - a home within the very Tower of Arilinn.

Thus we get an inside look at the work of the Keepers inside their mysterious Towers. It is a brand new life for Kerwin, accepted into a telepathic circle of power and authority. Ultimately, he carries the burden of knowing that the future direction of Darkover depends on him, as the Tower of Arilinn is put to a test that will determine whether traditional "magic" or Terran technology will best serve the Darkovan people in the future.

Both Star of Danger and The Winds of Darkover are wonderfully evocative, adventure-filled novels painting an illuminating picture of Darkovan culture, but The Bloody Sun is among the most important and significant of Bradley's Darkover novels, showing as it does the inner workings of the last and most important Tower, revealing long-buried secrets reaching all the way back to the turbulent days of The Forbidden Tower, and basically explaining the impetus for one of the most significant cultural evolutions in Darkovan history. Marion Zimmer Bradley has long been an underappreciated giant in the genres of fantasy and science fiction; no reader's journey through the modern classics is complete without at least one stopover on the planet Darkover.

Darkover ... from the Terran point of view.......2004-01-01

Larry Montray is a Terran boy who befriends a Darkovan boy, Kennard Alton. Together, they are thrown into an adventure that requires each learn about the other ... and in the process learn more about Terra *and* Darkover...

Jeff Kerwin is a Terran orphan who remembers Darkover in an odd way ... the more he remembers, the stranger he seems to be. Is he 'Jeff Kerwin' ... or the son of a leronis who fulfilled the promise of the Forbidden Tower?

Finally, the adult Larry Montrey journeys through the sky-raping Hellers in an attempt to save the Storn family...

Each story tells the efforts of Earth-humans to reconcile what they *think* they know about Darkover when actually plunged into the planet's culture ... to learn that there is more to Darkover than its 'primitive' appearance, and that 'superstitions' can be based on more than mere myth. Finding out the differences -- and similarities -- in the types of people on the planet is only the start of the journeys of discovery, through the divided world that is Darkover!

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back jacket summary

one of the weaker Darkover novels

Weak? Yes. Terrible? No. Enjoyable? I thought so.

Lightweight story.

too predictable
The Heirs of Hammerfell (Darkover)
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Bradley, Marion Zimmer | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Bradley, Marion Zimmer | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Two to Conquer (Darkover: The Hundred Kingdoms)

Exile's Song (Darkover)

Traitor's Sun (Darkover)

The Shadow Matrix (Darkover)

To Save A World (Darkover Omnibus #7) (Darkover Omnibus)

ASIN: 0886774519

Customer Reviews:

back jacket summary.......2006-03-04

from the back cover of the September 1990 Daw paperback edition
cover illustration by Richard Hescox
The Heirs of Hammerfell plunges us straight into the midst of a devastating clan feud between two of these realms-Hammerfell and Storn-just as Storn has struck what may prove Hammerfell's death stroke, setting the ancestral castle ablzae, slaying its lord, and sending its lady fleeing into the night with her twin infant sons, Alastair and Conn.
Conn is separated from his mother that fateful night, but she and Alastair find sanctuary in Thendara City, among the wealthy and the laran-gifted. Yet Conn, too, survives, to be raised in secret among those who would see Storn overthrown. But it is not until Conn's laran manifests that the fates of the twins are finally, inextricably linked in a pattern which could bring a new beginning or total ruin to Hammerfell and its heirs...

one of the weaker Darkover novels.......2003-12-12

The Heirs of Hammerfell is a Darkover novel set in the time of the Hundred Kingdoms. Like the other Darkover novels, this book can stand on its own with no need of having read the preceding books in the series. At the time this book was published, it was the first Darkover novel to have been released in Hardcover and it was the first new Darkover novel in a five year period. Unfortunately, this is not among the best of Marion Zimmer Bradley's work.

This novel is the story of the duchy of Hammerfell and the result of its ancient blood feud with neighboring Storn. The novel opens with the aging (40 something) Duke of Hammerfell taking Ermine as a wife. She gives birth to twin boys. When they are perhaps a year old, there is an attack by Ardrin of Storn. Their home is destroyed, and their father murdered. Ermine escapes, but gets separated from the man carrying the younger son, Conn. Each boy is raised believing that they are the only surviving heir to Hammerfell. Alastair is raised by his mother in the Hastur capital city of Thendara. Conn is raised by Markos, a family retainer, in the mountains of Hammerfell.

This is the story of twins, separated at a young age, and their attempt to regain the duchy of Hammerfell from their ancient enemy of Storn. The two are reunited eighteen years later, and what could have/should have been a major conflict in the book is shuffled to the side with minimal contention between Conn and Alastair. This book is as much of a romance as the adventure that it hinted at being.

I like the Darkover series, but this is perhaps the worst of the books that I have read so far. There is very little actual conflict (even though it had such a great set-up), and what conflict there was got resolved with so little fuss that it hardly seemed worth it. I would recommend this book only if you were looking to read all of the Darkover novels. As each book stands on its own, there is no reason to read this to complete your understanding of the story, and this should certainly not be the first book you read if you are starting the series. It's just not that good.

Weak? Yes. Terrible? No. Enjoyable? I thought so........2000-10-05

The story is more simplistic than Bradley's best work, yes.

It is not the best Darkover story, and not one I'd advise starting off with.

However, for those familiar with the setting, it's an enjoyable tale, perhaps on par with _Star of Danger_: fun, light reading in a familiar world.

Lightweight story........1998-10-04

This books feels like the author might even have been thinking of writing a Darkover children's book. There is almost no conflict. What should have been a tense story of twin brothers separated from infancy, each of whom thinks he is the sole heir of the kingdom, works out far too neatly and with unrealistically little fuss. The main reason to get this book would be to complete a Darkover collection. I wouldn't seek it out otherwise.

too predictable.......1998-07-29

I haven't read any other Darkover novels, but I have read other novels of Bradley, and she can write well. The problem with this novel is that it is predicable and the ending was too tidy. Almost the moment there was a problem, it was solved by magic or by coincidence.

Zandru's Forge: The Clingfire Trilogy, Volume II (Darkover)

Average customer rating:

great story
The Legacy Goes On
Marion's vision continues . . .
MZB died 3 years ago
Clingfire and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

Zandru's Forge: The Clingfire Trilogy, Volume II (Darkover)
Marion Zimmer Bradley , and Deborah J. Ross
Manufacturer: DAW Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0756401496
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Book Description

This brand-new novel of Darkover-a direct sequel to The Fall of Neskaya and the second book in the Clingfire trilogy-is the result of the late Marion Zimmer Bradley's collaboration with Deborah J. Ross. Set in the era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a lawless time of war and unrest on the planet Darkover, it is the epic tale of a legendary friendship forged between King and Keeper.

A friendship that would ultimately bring about the end of all long disatnce weapons-and the beginning of a new destiny for Darkover...

Customer Reviews:

great story.......2004-07-09

sob(i did not know that marion had passed). i am not sure whether this was done before her death or not but it is beautifully written and a credit. why does it seem all the good authors pass so quickly(v.c andrews was another).

anyway this book chronicles the lifes of the famous keep varzil the good and the hastur king carolin hastur and their many trials from adolescent to points that their separate destiny's take them.

for these 2 men meet at arillian for training in their laran. while carolin is a minor telepath, varzil is one of extraoridary ability and is soon put in keeper training. carolin soon returns home to assume his duties as heir to the throne and all the political strifes that were rampant in this period of darkover history.

the book keeps you interested from beginning to end and you are almost upset that you have to wait for the 3rd book in this story to come out to see the ending. for all darkover fans, this is definitely one you do not want to miss.

The Legacy Goes On.......2004-07-05

In this text the reader is treated to a different POV of the times around Hawkmistress! (a Zimmer-Bradley novel). Varzil, one of the greatest Keepers, is shown from the beginning of this training AND this novel takes up a few years after the first book in the trilogy left off (but that news is slow in being told to the reader).

Several different subplots are skillfully woven together, and at the end enough is left hanging to leave me wondering how Deborah will interpret Marion's notes.

That said, this is not a book to start with if one has never read any of Zimmer-Bradley or Ross' work, but it is an excellent and worthy addition to the Darkover fold.

Marion's vision continues . . ........2003-10-15

Hi, Steve Y. Normally, I don't respond to reviews personally, but I want you to know that Marion and I worked together on the concept of this 3-book project before she passed away. Many of the ideas, as well as characters and settings, are hers. You probably noticed that a number of scenes appeared in HAWKMISTRESS!

She left several partial manuscripts, which I will be finishing over the next few years, and they will appear with both our names. After that, we'll see where the saga of Darkover leads us...

I hope you enjoy how I have developed and completed these stories. Thank you for your input!

Best,
Deborah

Also, I'm not tooting my own horn with the stars. They wouldn't let me post a reply without them. Consider it a comment on your comment!

MZB died 3 years ago.......2003-09-30

Please - let her rest in peace. This greed by her estate is outrageous. Put the title under the real author's name - Ross.

Clingfire and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.......2003-07-21

The world of Darkover is a richly imagined place, with a long not-completely-remembered history, a society rich in intrigue and appropriate niches for many kinds of people, a technology solidly grounded in its people's unique laran abilities - in short, this is a complete world. A world that you can easily get lost in for many hours of enjoyment, a world so complete that at times you find yourself feeling that it is more real than the one we inhabit.

This book, the second entry in the Clingfire trilogy, is very much a book in the mold of previous books in the set, even though written by Ross instead of Bradley. Ross shows in this book that she has mastered not only Bradley's styles and methods of telling a story, but has found the 'feel' of this world, where she can make additions to it that fit. This book is set during the Hundred Kingdoms era, and deals specifically with how the Compact forbidding use of laran weapons that act at a distance was first formed. Varzil the Good is one of three main characters here, a man gifted with a very strong laran ability and a healthy dollop of common sense entwined with an idealistic dream. His friend and compatriot is Carolin Hastur, heir to the throne, who, while not as well gifted as Varzil, has the character traits needed to be a competent ruler. In opposition is Eduin, son of Rumail Deslucido, who was instrumental in destruction of two towers in the prior book, The Fall of Neskaya. Eduin has been inculcated from birth with his father's obsession with wiping out the Hastur line. The last major player is Rakhal, Carolin's brother, who is never really developed as a character, but is rather the mover of major events as seen from a distance, as he usurps Carolin's right to the throne and institutes some draconian measures in an attempt to stamp out all resistance to his rule.

The stories of each of the three major characters are well developed. Varzil grows from laran neophyte to Keeper and his burgeoning love interest with a lady, who is one of Eduin's targets for elimination, is both believable and provides an emotional charge to the final tally of events. Carolin grows from boy to a sturdy man, one who knows and values friendships and finds himself bound by duty to those who swear allegiance to him. Eduin may be the most interesting character, a man conflicted between the desires of his father that are so strongly engrained that they may be impossible to eliminate, and his basic good nature, that yearns for the friendship that Varzil and Carolin so freely offer to him.

Some of the underlying methods and processes of matrix technology are shown within this book, but more to the point, the true horror of some of the laran weapons is shown, the driving impetus behind Varzil's and Carolin's idea to ban such weapons and have the towers answer only to themselves, not subject to the commands and whims of the local ruling lord. This thematic point is one with high relevance in today's world with its talk of 'dirty bombs', biological weapons, and chemical pollution of essential drinking supplies. Unfortunately, I don't think the purveyors of such ideas and weapons are reading this book, or if they do, will not take its message to heart.

A fine addition to the Darkover universe, a good adventure, another time spent within the spell of this incredibly imagined world.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

A Flame in Hali: The Clingfire Trilogy, Volume III (Darkover)

Average customer rating:

Shame on DAW books!
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Solid Darkover Novel
somewhat disjointed, but good
Disappointing

A Flame in Hali: The Clingfire Trilogy, Volume III (Darkover)
Marion Zimmer Bradley , and Deborah J. Ross
Manufacturer: DAW Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0756402182
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Book Description

This brand-new novel of Darkover-a direct sequel to Zandru's Forge and the third book in the Clingfire trilogy-is the result of the late Marion Zimmer Bradley's collaboration with Deborah J. Ross. Set in the era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a lawless time of war and unrest on the planet Darkover, it is the epic tale of a legendary friendship forged between King and Keeper-a friendship that would ultimately bring about the end of all long distance weapons and the beginning of a new destiny for Darkover.

Customer Reviews:

Shame on DAW books!.......2007-02-17

I thought this book was great. In fact, all of MZB's books are just phenomenal. So, has anyone else noticed that DAW along with other publishers have switched to low quality materials for their hardcover books? The first book in the series was alright, but this one won't make you too happy. Take a look at the paper for instance. Just compare this book and the first. You won't be thrilled in about 5 years, when the newer books in this series have begun to yellow with age while the first is still in pristine condition.
I hate this new trend with book publishers just to save a buck. None of us get a deal on the price, but they can sell inferior goods to us because they know we want to read the books anyway. Please watch out and if possible, complain to the company. If enough of us do, they will return to the quality we have come to expect. Just take a look at the first hardcovers released in the late 90's. Look at the differences between those and this book. There is no comparison.

Marion Zimmer Bradley.......2006-11-13

I have fallen in Love with MZB a while ago and have enjoyed reading her books

I now have the whole darkover series by her and will never give these books away! Personally I think they are the best sci fi books out there! You can read one and still know whats going on or you can read them all and get a sense of the whole Darkover World and how it all plays out!

I have not felt so close to characters in a long time and feel I am right there with them as I read about their adventures, troubles, pains, and loves!

Now all I have to do is buy the anthologies to give me more stories and insights on the characters and about the whole world of Darkover!

Her Avalon Series is one of the best too! She has added more truth than fiction to these stories so you feel that you are a part of the past as you read them

Solid Darkover Novel.......2006-03-19

I am glad that Deborah Ross is continuing to write in the world of Darkover, and I think that overall she is doing a fine job. I am excited to see that she is going to release a new trilogy continuing the story of "modern" Darkover, which should tie up the many loose ends from "Traitor's Sun" (the last Darkover novel Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote before her death). If you are a fan of Darkover/MZB, "A Flame in Hali" is a must-read, and a solid effort from Ross. However, it is certainly not the place to begin the series, and does not rank among the best Darkover tales.
This novel mostly suffers from an unlikeable protagonist, Eduin Deslucido. Yes, we pity him because of the compulsion to kill that his father placed upon him. However, he is a self-serving character who goes through life manipulating others as he chooses, completely violating the moral code of Darkover. It is impossible to like him or want him to succeed in his goal of killing King Carolin and Varzil Ridenow, who we grew to love in the second volume of this trilogy. Unfortunately, they only have cameo roles in this book.
More interesting than Eduin is the heroine of the book, Dyannis, Varzil's sister. While she has a tendency to blame herself for everything, she at least has a strong personality and strong values, and we are rooting for her the whole time. Varzil is a wonderful character whenever we see him.
The story progressed slowly, but it never quite dragged. Not as good as the first two books of the trilogy, or Marion Zimmer Bradley's last Darkovers novels, but "A Flame in Hali" was an entertaining read, and the ending was heartbreaking.

somewhat disjointed, but good.......2005-12-29

It definitely suffers from mzb being gone, but the characters are good, and the ending is wonderful, and very unexpected. Not in the first rank of darkover books, but will get you interested enough to read the rest

Disappointing.......2005-10-14

I found the book very disappointing. It did not at all feel like a culminating book of a trilogy; instead, it seemed to meander forward, from chapter to chapter. I have rarely before in the Darkover series felt a book that was not well plotted and developed. There was little driving force through the book, and by around 1/3 of the way through, I began to really feel like I was just slogging to the end.
While the second book in the trilogy focused largely on Varzil and Carolin, the two major actors of the time period in question, this book focuses on two other characters. Their stories had a "and then this happened....and then that happened....etc" feel. Secondary character development was also lacking.
Overall, this felt like too much treading water as the pages went by, followed by an unexpected (and unconvincing, given the 400 pages that had gone before) resolution.

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