PG16- Mists of Avalon (v,x), Forest House (heavy v,x), The Priestess of Avalon (v,x), Firebrand (v,x), The Fall of Atlantis (v,x,some b), Thendarra House (some v,x), Stormqueen (v,some x), Rediscovery (v,slight x)
PG13- Witch Hill (some x), Domains of Darkover (v), Free Amazons of Darkover (v,slight x), City of Sorcery (v,slight x)

Introduction Arthurian Legends Historical Fantasy Witch Novels Darkover Darkover Bibliography

For anyone who has not heard, Marion Zimmer Bradley died on September 25, due to a heart attack. This page will remain black while we mourn her. Bradley was a talented writer, but beyond that, she was an inspiration to a multitide of unpublished writers, women and men. She gave her time and creative energy to helping new authors become published in her anthologies, and she helped advance feminist writing by retelling classic stories from female perspectives. The SF&F community owes her a great debt. We are sad she is gone, and we extend our sympathies to Ms. Bradley's family, friends, and fans.

Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of and contributor to over a hundred works of fiction, possesses great literary talent in many areas. Her ability to create strong believable female characters is astounding, as is her ability to work with the intricacies of female centered religions and Goddess worship. Her female-female interactions are portrayed with a unique insightfulness. Ms. Bradley writes very well in a historically based setting, changing the familiar male perspectives to the female point of view.

Her abilities, however, are not outstanding in all areas. Ms. Bradley's male characters are all too often flat and unconvincing, especially when her male personas take on anything other than a supporting role. Interactions between males and females are stifled and often feel very forced. In addition, her novels based in more modern settings come across very poorly. Her plots in these settings are very thin as are her characters making the novel seem more like a cheap supermarket romance/thriller than a work of art.

Several Marion Zimmer Bradley's fantasy works, however, remain incredible despite her failure in other genres. She has written several novels, such as The Mists of Avalon that are already considered "classics." While Ms. Bradley denies that she herself is a feminist, her best works are those that come from a very feminine perspective. Although I have personally have not yet delved into her wealth of Darkover novels, I have been told that the same basic principle applies; some of the Darkover series is fantastic while other parts are merely decent. I do highly recommend Marion Zimmer Bradley as an author in general, contingent on a carefully selection of which works you chose to read.

MZB, as she is sometimes known, is an excellent editor of anthologies, lending her talents to the Darkover series, based in her own world, as well as the legendary Sword and Sorceress collection. Bradley may be responsible for helping more new authors (especially women) break into the genre than any other established writer. For this reason alone, she deserves every fan's thanks.

Black Trillium was co-written with Andre Norton and Julian May, and is reviewed on Julian May's page.

The Mists of Avalon This book is one of my favorite portrayals of the Arthurian legend cycle (and I have read quite a few). Mists was the first Bradley book I read and I love it from the start. It was also the first time I had even though of the Arthurian stories from a female point of view. The basic story is very similar to the traditional plots of the Arthur cycles: the tale of Arthur's birth and ascension to the thrown; the legend of Lancelot and his son Galahad; the story of Guinevere and her betrayal of the great king all come to life in Ms. Bradley's work. Her work clearly reflects her research into the history of the legends.

Her novel, however, is very different from the traditional stories in many ways. For one, it is told from the perspective of Arthur's sister, lover, and nemesis Morgaine, more commonly known as Morgan le Fay. Secondly, Bradley shifts the traditional male/female dichotomy as the reason for the downfall of Camelot to a battle between the Old Ways in the worship of the female Goddess and the new male centered religion of Christianity as the cause of Arthur's troubles. Morgaine herself, however, clearly notes that her quarrel is not with Christ himself, since all Gods and Goddesses are in reality aspects of the same truth, but with the priest and the men who force their religion into her world. Through the eyes of Morgaine, the reader is drawn into the Medieval world and exposed to the many forces that buffet woman's life; the reader sees, very clearly too, that there is more than one side to every story.

Bradley's The Mists of Avalon is already considered "classic literature" by more than one critic. While her story is long, and does drag in a couple of places, the novel is more than worth the reading. Her epic story telling ability is in full bloom in this work of fantasy and magic.

Forest House I found this prequel to The Mists of Avalon to be very disappointing, particularly after having read Mists. The basic plot involves the tale of the invasion of Avalon's home world by the Romans. Personas such as Merlin and Vivianne do appear, but their characterization seems flat and simple. It adds very little to what was seen in Mists, and if anything detracts from some of the complexity developed in the original novel. Bradley also attempts in this novel to integrate men into her work; her male hero is a weak unconvincing character at best. I found this novel to be not worth the effort in reading.

The Priestess of Avalon Similar to Forest House this novel was unimpressive. Once again, Ms. Bradley's use of men as characters in her work does nothing to enhance this story. In addition, the plot of this book, the quest to seek out the various incarnations of the King who will save Brittania and the fight between Christianity and the Goddess religion, falls flat. The plot is forced; Bradley knew where she had to end up in Mists of Avalon, and therefore her options were limited and it shows. The story seems too crafted to be believable. I would stick with The Mists of Avalon and not bother with Bradley's poorly written prequels.

Firebrand Once again, Marion Zimmer Bradley's epic story telling talents come out in this wonderful retelling of Kassandra and the Trojan War. Her strong female characters abound as the reader is drawn into the world of ancient Troy through the view of Kassandra, the prophet daughter of king Priam. This work was, again, one of the first times I had seen the Trojan war portrayed from a female perspective. The characters of Kassandra, Helen, Hecuba and Andromache were fixed in my mind as real people for the first time. Firebrand also reflects a large amount of research on the part of the Author. Her Trojan references are nearly always accurate when possible. Firebrand is well worth reading, particularly if you like Greek History and stories of the Trojan war. Marion Zimmer Bradley's story telling ability lends itself well to this retelling of an ancient and well known tale.

The Fall of Atlantis Previously published as two separate works (The Web of Light and The Web of Darkness), The Fall of Atlantis recalls the mythical Atlantis and its legendary fall (obviously ;). A bit darker than her previous novels at times, the story chronicles the struggle between the Priests of the While and Black Robes as they compete for the powers of an Atlantean prince. Her two principle female characters, the sisters Deoris and Domaris, find their lives caught in the powerful conflict between light and dark, while at the same time dealing with the complexity of their own lives as sisters, as mothers, and as women.

This novel is one exception to Bradley's male characters; the Atlantean prince, although is some ways a side character, does not come across as flat as some of Bradley's previous attempts at male characterization have. One caution for young readers of this book: Bradley's portrayals (particularly her explanations of certain rituals) take a turn for the darker in this book and may not be appropriate for some young readers. Overall, this novel is not as great as some of her others, but is worth reading if you have the time.

Witch Hill I found this novel, one of Bradley's modern set novels, to be rather trite and boring. She tells the story of a young woman who is awakened to the roots of witchcraft that lie in her history and how she deals with these new concepts. The plot was rather thin, and her characters were not well fleshed out. I found it lacking the great story telling ability that Bradley has shown is some of her other epics. I would toss this one with the more generic brand of supermarket romances than in the realm of great literature.

The planet Darkover is a frozen wasteland, seemingly uninhabitable by humanoid life. Yet the humans who came there centuries ago found one area of land they could settle. They adapted, both physically and culturally. Through the centuries, they organized themselves in a multitude of ways, sometimes through tribes, sometimes with slavery or royalty, sometimes beneath the crushing might of the Towers, where those who had developed humanity's latent psi powers worked together for the good of Darkover- sometimes. Under a red sun, in a world with long nights and long winters, the seasons turned and humans fought, made peace, clung to tradition, created violent change, and eventually became the society that would defy the Terrans after rediscovery.

Having barely scratched the surface of the Darkover phenomenon (with only six books under my belt), I can still say with absolute certainty that this is a powerful world, full of some of the best creative work Bradley has done. The sheer volume of published books in this world, not to mention the published fan fiction, makes one wonder about the overall quality, but I have so far found most of the books to be quite good. Darkover has both the deep details and the broad history that make a great world; one is often reminded of Middle Earth or Dune as one reads- not because the worlds are the same, but because of their grip on the imagination. My favorite books are the ones dealing with the Free Amazons, perhaps Bradley's most influential social construct in the series. Even if the Amazons don't appeal to you, however, you should read at least one or two Darkover novels to consider yourself well versed in Science Fiction or Fantasy.

What happens when a telepath goes untrained? Darkovan children will be frightened by this story for centuries, but the real life of the Stormqueen! is more complicated and tragic than any legend. Dorilys is the victim of laran which was bred into her family then abandoned as too unpredictable. With her brother Donal's help, she tries to teach herself to control the weather she cannot help but feel, yet her power continues to grow. As the only child (if a bastard) of the Lord of Rockraven, she should have been a prize for many men to seek, but she finds herself at the center of a conspiracy to destroy her father's line instead. Would her enemies be bold enough to attack Rockraven outright? And will she survive her adolescence untrained- will those around her? Strong on plot, characters, and setting, this is a well above average novel, even if it lacks some of the cultural clash that made the Terran/Darkovan novels so fascinating. An excellent introduction to the Ages of Chaos.

In a collaboration with Lackey, Rediscovery describes the people and Empire that re-encountered Darkover for the first time. Leonie Hastur, future Keeper of Arillan Tower, has just entered the Towers when the Terrans discover life on Cottman IV. A titanic struggle between conflicting elements from both sides begins. Who will survive this clash? What will they have to sacrifice to do it? A reasonably good story despite its jumps in point of view, Rediscovery holds its own as it fills an important gap in the history of Darkovan-Terran relations.

My favorite of all the Darkover novels, Thendara House contains ever argument I have ever heard or thought of (and some I haven't) about the relationships between the sexes. This is no simple "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" psychobabble; these are the real problems of real people with both pain and joy in their pasts. Starring the Darkovan-born Terran Magdalen Lorne, this novel explores her introduction to the world of the Renunciates, the Free Amazons, to which she has been oath-bound. After her divorce from Peter Haldane, she desperately wrestles with her own concepts of friendship, womanhood, and sexuality, while simultaneously trying to prevent certain Terrans from discovering too much about Darkovan laran. The cast of characters, including Jaelle n'ha Melora from her own point of view, Camilla n'ha Kyria, Marisela, and Cholayna Ares, presents a variety of viewpoints on what it is to be a woman. The development of Jaelle's and Magda's laran helps present what the characters around them really think and feel, broadening the scope of the book. Finally, however, the story is not about polar opposites, but about the reality of life and how each person is far more than the sum of their social definitions.

Including many of the same characters as Thendara House, City of Sorcery is the quest of five women for the secret held beyond the wall around the world, the secret of the Priestesses of Avarra. An intensely spiritual and emotional journey that ends in revelation and life changes for all of the characters, this quest is based in a Darkovan truth: he who would live more lives than one, must more than one death die. The debate between genders is all but absent from this novel, having been concluded in its prequel. With only women in the party, the theme returns to the basics of survival, humanity, and love. For anyone who has ever wondered about the secrets of Darkover, or who came to care about Magda, Jaelle, Camilla, Cholayna, or Rafi, read on. The answers may be beautiful or painful, but they will always be honest. Strong on plot, characters, theme, and setting, this has to be one of the tightest and most believable Darkover novels ever written, which comes in handy when it tries to explain a reality few of us could accept on our own.

Bradley also edits anthologies of short stories based in Darkover- there are almost as many anthologies as original books. Some of them have themes, such as the Free Amazons of Darkover. The Order of Renunciates is best described in the bibliography section below in Bradley's own words. Well known contributors include MZB herself, Diana L. Paxson, Mercedes Lackey, Sherry Kramer, Elisabeth Waters, Deborah Wheeler, Joan Marie Verba, Margaret Carter, Susan Holtzer, and Susan Schwartz, as well as at least two more who are published in other fields. The stories explore a dizzying array of social dilemmas created by the Free Amazon system. What happens when a mother must give up her son because men are not allowed to live in Guild Houses? What about the women who can't earn their keep as warriors or guides? Can all misfit women necessarily live as Renunciates? Bradley does an excellent job of selecting and editing the stories to show both sides of these issues and more. This anthology is not forced into a cookie-cutter mold in any way. One gets the feeling, while reading it, that one has finally stumbled across an honest description of women's interactions with each other and with men. If you liked the Free Amazons in Bradley's work, I daresay you'll love them here.

A historical grab bag of stories from the Ages of Chaos all the way to Terran contact, Domains of Darkover has more stories based on plot and setting than Free Amazons of Darkover. This is a better, more coherent anthology than most others I've read, but the style changes can't be glossed over entirely. This is, however, a good introduction to the general atmosphere of Darkover if you can accept the elements of the stories as given and explained elsewhere.

As of 1993, this is the official bibliography from the front of Darkover novels. Any mistakes are probably because the material is slightly dated. All information here was written by Bradley or someone from DAW, not by anyone from Raven's Reviews.

The Founding:
A "lost ship" of Terran origin, in the pre-Empire colonizing days, lands on a planet with a dim red star, later to be called Darkover.
Darkover Landfall

The Ages of Chaos:
1,000 years after the original landfall settlement, society has returned to the feudal level. The Darkovans, their Terran technology renounced or forgotten, have turned instead to free-wheeling, out-of-control matrix technology, psi powers and terrible psi weapons. The populace lives under the domination of the Towers and a tyrannical breeding program to staff the Towers with unnaturally powerful, inbred gifts of laran.
Stormqueen!
Hawkmistress!

The Hundred Kingdoms:
An age of war and strife retaining many of the decimating and disastrous effects of the Ages of Chaos. The lands which are later to become the Seven Domains are divided by continuous border conflicts into a multitude of small, beligerent kingdoms, named for convenience "The Hundred Kingdoms." The close of this era is heralded by the adoption of the Compact, instituted by Varzil the good. A landmark and turning point in the history of Darkover, the Compact bans all distance weapons, making it a point of honor that one who seeks to kill must himself face equal risk of death.
Two to Conquer
The Heirs of Hammerfell

The Renunciates:
During the Ages of Chaos and the time of the Hundred Kingdoms, there were two orders of women who set themselves apart from the patriarchal nature of Darkovan feudal society: the priestesses of Avarra and the warriors of the Sisterhood of the Sword. Eventually these two independent groups merged to form the powerful and legally chartered Order of Renunciates or Free Amazons, a guild of women bound only by oath as a sisterhood of mutual responsibility. Their primary allegience is to each other rather than to family, clan, caste or any man save a temporary employer. Alone among Darkovan women, they are exempt from the usual legal exemptions and protections. Their reason for existence is to provide the women of Darkover an alternative to their socially restrictive lives.
The Shattered Chain
Thendara House
City of Sorcery

Against the Terrans
The First Age (Recontact):
After the Hastur wars, the Hundred Kingdoms are consolidated into the Seven Domains, and ruled by a hereditary aristocracy of seven families, called the Comyn, allegedly descended from the legendary Hastur, Lord of Light. It is during this era that the Terran Empire, really a form of confederacy, rediscovers Darkover, which they know as the fourth planet of the Cottman star system. The fact that Darkover is a lost colony of the Empire is a fact not easily acknoledged by Darkovans and their Comyn overlords.
Rediscovery (with Mercedes Lackey)
The Spell Sword
The Forbidden Tower
Star of Danger
Winds of Darkover

Against the Terrans
The Second Age (after the Comyn):
With the initial shock of recontact beginning to wear off, and with the Terran spaceport a permanent establishment on the outskirts of the city of Thendara, the younger and less traditional elements of Darkovan society begin the first real exchange of knowledge with the Terrans- learning Terran science adn technology and teaching Darkovan matrix technology in turn. Eventually Regis Hastur, the young Comyn lord most active in these exchanges, becomes Regent in a provisional government allied to hte Terrans. Darkover is once again reunited with its founding Empire.
The Bloody Sun
Heritage of Hastur
The Planet Savers
Sharra's Exile
World Wreckers
Retunr to Darkover

The Darkover Anthologies:
These volumes of stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, strive to "fill in the blanks" of Darkovan history, and elaborate on the eras, tales adn characters which have captured readers' imaginations.
The Keeper's Price
Sword of Chaos
Free Amazons of Darkover
The Other Side of the Mirror
Red Sun of Darkover
Four Moons of Darkover
Domains of Darkover
Renunciates of Darkover
Leroni of Darkover
Towers of Darkover
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover
Snows of Darkover

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