This is a book for any one who enjoys a good time or a punny ending. The bios that Marion writes are witty and charming. The series is for both men and women and can be enjoyed by all.

I've got every single Sword and Sorceress anthology printed. I never have to think about IF I'm going to buy one because it's a given.

These anthologies are so much fun because it's possible to read an entire story in one sitting. It's great if you're short on time. Some of the stories I particularly enjoyed in S&S XIV are: The Hand of A Lady, The Stone-Weaver's Tale, White Elephants, and Traveler's Aide. The last few stories in these anthologies are always interesting. MZB likes to end things well.

The other great part of this series is the chance to read the introductions by Marion Zimmer Bradley. She's so entertaining and (sometimes) crotchety. She shares a lot about what it's like to try to make a living as a writer.

And the last thing I like about the series is that it has introduced me to most of the authors I read: Mercedes Lackey, Jennifer Roberson, Charles De Lint, Diana Paxson, Lisa Waters - and of course MZB's other books.

So buy any of the S&S books you see! You'll find a lot of them in second hand bookstores (or maybe Amazon?

I'm not quite done reading this book, but I can tell you now that it is very good. It's well worth the money. It is about brave women who are either sorceress or sword-weilder. You really should read this book! I know you will like it

MZB chose well in making Deborah Ross heir to her rich Darkover literary legacy and DJR does her predecessor proud in this rich and engaging novel. How uncanny it seems when Ross develops her plots and characters using techniques of which MZB was unequivably the mistress! This and it's sister and prequel THE FALL OF NESKAYA add much to the vivid and always enchanting world. Reviewers elsewhere stated that while this would be eagerly embraced by Darkover fans, it would fail to attract new readers. Not so! Indeed, the quick-moving plot and lush details would serve well as an introduction to one of the most long-lived fantasy series. However, the proofreading and editing here lack miserably. Frankly, I expect better from DAW Books and, as a college English professor, was appalled at the mistakes even my weakest Freshman Comp students would catch in a moment.

A wonderful book to "fill in the gaps" that leaves the fan of Darkover wanting more. This latest installment truly helps those who love Darkover with their un-answered questions related to the period known as "the hundred kingdoms." I can't wait until the next book. For those who are new to Darkover, I would imagine that this book would make you want to read all the other Darkover novels in order to understand the concepts of "matrix science" and culture. I would especially encourage you to read the books related to the "Ages of Chaos" and "Two to Conquer"

On the world of Darkover during the age of THE HUNDRED KINGDOMS, petty kings make the Towers (places where people with strong psychic powers gather) build laran (psychic) weapons that can be used without the combatants ever coming face the face. In the tower of Arilinn two young men strike up a friendship that will last them all their lives and change their world for the better.

Carolin Hastur, destined to become king, is sent to Arillinn tower to learn how to use and control his laran powers. Varzil Ridenow, whose family was former enemies of Hastur and now become wary allies, goes against his father's wishes to enter the Tower because he feels Darkover needs his powers as they are the strongest in the land. They share a dream of making The Towers independent of Kings and banning all distance weapons. That goal has a chance of being fulfilled if Aerlin and Carolin elude the evil sorcery of Eduin, whose father is the outlawed ex-keeper Rumail Deslucido. Carolin must also wrest the kingdom away from his cousin Rokhal who seized it when the old king died.

ZANDRU'S FORGE is a powerful sword and sorcery tale starring two heroes who share a dream and fight to make it a reality. Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross have written a novel so fulfilling and satisfying that it is impossible to put down. There is plenty of action and the characters are fully developed, even the villains, making it easy to understand what motivates them. Fans of Darkover will not want to miss out on this work that adds more detail to the age of The Hundred Kingdoms.

Harriet Klausner

See the review below mine for an outline of the story. I've read Endless Universe about four times over the last 20 years. If you like good ole Sci-Fi, you'll like this book.

This excellent short story collection is the revised and expanded edition of _Endless Voyage_. The major difference between these two collections of short stories about the crew of the Explorer ship Gypsy Moth is that the latter includes "A Time To Mourn", which among other things explains how Gilmarina came to be named for Gildoran's childhood friend, lost in "Planets Are For Saying Goodbye".

Galactic civilization travels by Transmitter, a technology that allows people to step into a booth and travel anywhere to any receiver within a few light-years. Nobody needs to actually travel through the intervening distance anymore, except the Explorers: the small fleet of ships who discover new worlds, set up the first Transmitter hookups, and open them for colonization. They have their own culture, and even differ subtly between ships; this is the story of the Gypsy Moth, particularly Gildoran, who in ship-years is quite young, but with relativistic effects is far older in planet time.

Explorers are set apart, not only because of long years spent in isolation, and seeing sights and running risks that no one else ever faces, but because of the adaptations they need for the life they lead. Explorers must undergo DNA surgery as infants to survive drive effects - and the dangerous surgery can only be successfully performed in the drive field, so all Explorers are raised in the life. Raised, but not born; radiation effects leave them all sterile, with paper-white skin, while low-g gives them great height. They're only a legend on many worlds, but a legend people hate: they need to take unwanted babies to keep going.

The stories present in this edition are:

"Planets Are For Saying Goodbye" - The Gypsy Moth is preparing for departure, after spending 2 years opening up this new colony world, where Gildoran has spent his youth. Planning in terms of 5-15 year voyages, Gildoran is dispatched with his friend Ramie to buy 6 new babies from a Hatchery that's willing to deal with Explorers, even though his friend Gilmarin was lost on the same assignment. And in transit through Lasselli's World, 'Doran learns what it is not only to lose his oldest friend, but makes and loses another friend, who not only saves him from lynching, but gets him back to the Moth before liftoff.

"A Time To Mourn" - Nearly a year out, four of the six infants are still alive and beginning to talk; Explorers don't name the kids until about this time, when they're sure the children will survive the DNA surgery's aftermath. 'Doran has spent this year on Nursery duty, helping ensure that the kids will pick up human language and social skills, and not just become Poohbears in human bodies (the aliens who serve on every Explorer ship, raising the kids). He's both delighted that Rotation Day has arrived to liberate him from toddler-land, although secretly he'll miss seeing the brightest of the little 1-year-olds every day, a really cute young imp of a girl who'll need a name soon.

The Rotation assigns him to learn the skills of a Transmitter technician, and when Gypsy Moth discovers its next planet - a desert showing traces of a lost civilization - he's sent with the crew performing the first survey and Transmitter tie-in. What they find gives the world its new name, Ozymandias, and gives 'Doran the courage to suggest the only proper name for his favourite young imp.

"Hellworld" - Gildoran gets the official credit (mainly the right to name it) for discovering the lovely world, as the first member of the Bridge crew to spot it, and Gypsy Moth really needs the finder's fee for a good world, since they've been discovering a lot of bad real estate lately. They'd have settled for anything with iron-based biochemistry and heavy metals, but this one's pretty enough to be a resort. Unfortunately, the flowers of this paradise conceal deadly secrets, threatening even the almost-immortal Poohbears of the crew.

"Cold Death" - Even an uninhabitable world like Tempest can be good for something, if you're low on minerals when you happen to find it. Unfortunately, it's not quite as lifeless as it seems; the winds of Tempest carry a deadly virus that defeats all efforts to kill it, which drains the body heat out of its victims. If Gilban and the medics can't find a way to beat it, Gypsy Moth will become a floating tomb.

"A World With Your Name On It" - Gypsy Moth's crew has to swallow their pride and head for the nearest known world; they've had too many deaths and disasters, and haven't got the resources to properly open a good world even if they finally found one. But even if Lazlo welcomes them, how can they get enough manpower to return to space?

I recommend getting _Endless Universe_ over the shorter version if possible (they're both good, but this one has 1 more story than _Endless Voyage_, so it's more of a good thing.)

Women read fantasy too. Beloved author/editor Marion Zimmer Bradley created this anthology in 1984 to address just that issue. At a time when women's fantasy was just beginning to make its mark, MZB created an anthology to define the emerging female protagonist. In her introduction, MZB makes it clear that she wanted to avoid the stereotypical Amazon-type heroine who ultimately gave up her freedom to win love. She didn't simply want recreate the old cliché turned upside down-where the men are subservient to women. She wanted stories that gave women new myths to identify with, powerful stories that could be worth consideration by the men and women who read them. This collection is not your average "feminist literature", these are stories that feature warriors, magic-users, healers and thieves-the women of fantasy, the kind of women to give a new generation of fantasy readers characters to see parts of themselves in, and ultimately make readers think.

MZB must have been onto a good thing. In the nearly twenty years since the first publication, there have been 19 Sword and Sorceress anthologies to date. Having read all of these anthologies, I can honestly say that this remains one of the best. The originality of the stories, the quality, the variety; all of these elements make this particular shine out from the group. Out of the fifteen stories, four are written by men, including well-recognized authors Glen Cook and Charles de Lint. MZB prefaces each story with a short blurb about the author and a few comments of her own. These paragraphs, along with her introduction, enable readers to catch the glimpse of MZB's personality and some insight into why she chose the particular stories she's included in this anthology. It becomes clear that each story was selected with care, polished and set in place to augment this anthology. There are no "filler" stories here.

Readers skimming the contents will quickly recognize quite a few of the author names; Glen Cook, Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, Jennifer Roberson and Diana Paxson to name a few. For Emma Bull and some of the other authors listed, this is their first sale. That is an additional bit of delight in these earliest Sword and Sorceress anthologies. So many writers made their first sale, or were just beginning their careers at the time. As to the stories themselves, they are as varied as the authors. For sword and sorcery duos, "The Garnet and the Glory" by Phyllis Ann Karr and "The Rending Dark" by Emma Bull are good examples. For darker, emotionally charged reads, try "Severed Heads" by Glen Cook, or "Sword of Yraine" by Diana L. Paxson. On the lighter side there is "Taking Heart" by Stephen L. Burns, "Daton and the Dead Things" by Michael Ward, and the finale of the anthology, a short-short story by Dorothy J. Heydt, "Things Come in Threes". My particular favorite story-although I admit it is hard to choose just one, all of them have had a powerful impact-is "With Four Lean Hounds" by Pat Murphy. This is a beautiful, fairy-tale-esque story that is as powerful in its message as in its unfolding adventure.

Any reader who loves good fantasy, particularly short stories will likely enjoy this. Women readers especially-but in no way exclusively will appreciate the chance to read about women as protagonists of the epic fantasy story. When this was first published, there were much fewer female fantasy writers and stories available. This has changed dramatically over the intervening two decades. Despite that, it does not diminish the quality of this first anthology-and the stories remain as strong today as they were when published. On a side note-these are all fantasy reads-MZB as a rule does not include science fiction stories in any of her anthologies, although the right story can make her break the rule just a bit. If you can find this anthology, buy it-read it and treasure it.

Happy Reading!

Sword and Sorceress is the original. This book has given rise to a series spanning 15 other books, and set the precedent for all future books in the series. All the stories in S&S I are about stong female characters, but the stories are diverse. Some are written by men, some by women. Some have only a female protagonist, others have male and female protagonists working together. The protagonist's talents range from shapeshifting, to magic, to swordsmanship. Or should I say swordswomanship? All in all, Bradley has put together a collection of stories that will entertain every fantasy reader. I was especially pleased to find so much variety and quality in one anthology. I like Bradley's novels, and as an editor she is no less disapointing. I highly reccommend any books in the S&S series!

Everyone goes through an identity crisis as an adolescent or young adult. Compound that with political intrigue, emerging psychic powers, sexual confusion, love, hate, parental power struggles . . . . and even this is a fairly limited description of this wonderful book. I have rarely seen the internal turmoil of a character treated with such compassion - and that applies to both Regis Hastur and Lew Alton. I could not help crying at various key points in the book. This was a magnificent story, well-told and sensitively written.

From: Marjorie Scott The Heritage of Hastur is on of my all time favorites! It's about betrayal to the Comyn, hate,war, power, and love. The Terran Empire is trying to take over Darkover and make it a Terran Colony. But the seven Domains and the Comyn don't want that. So they send Lew Alton to Aldaran to find out what the sneaky Aldarans are up to. He finds out more than he ever wanted to know. Danilo Syrtis gets captured by some people from Aldaran because of his telepathic abilities. Danilo was captured so he could run a very powerful matrix, rarely used since the Age of Chaos. Danilo is Regis Hastur's sworn paxman and when he hears of Danilo;s mysterious disapearence he goes to seek the truth. When he finds that Lew is involved he is greatly disturbed. Now the rest is for you to read and find out if they can survive the strain of the matrix and also of the evil Aldarans!

This was my first taste of Bradley's "Darkover" series, and you can bet I'll be back for more! This book tells the tale of rebellious young Regis Hastur, young heir to a legacy he doesn't feel prepared to deal with; also troubled by having to deal with his wakening "laran" (telepathy) power. It also concerns the older boy Lew Alton, who soon discovers the power and destructive force of "laran" if not controlled. The use of telepathy is no mere gimmick. Through "laran", Bradley shows the danger pent-up emotions can cause with regard to real people. I found it impossible to put this book down. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this book and was fascinated by the life in a Tower. someting which was only hinted at before. Then I read a later edition of this book and was very!!! annoyed. Is Jeff Kerwein really the son of Lewis Alton (brother of Kennard) or the son of a Ridenow. Between the two editions MZB changes her mind and this affects the books later in the series( Sharras Exile, Heritage of Hasture and the Marguerida Alton series)

This was the first Darkover book I ever read. I read them all about 10 years ago. Can't wait till her newest book comes out in paperback. This particular book is still fresh in my mind after so many years. I loved it!!!

Jeff Kerwin Jr. thinks he is full-blooded Terran. But a few of his Terran friends tell him about the matrix he has around his neck. A few of the Comyn have mistaked him for one of their own and more than a few people that don't belong to the Comyn! He wonders about it and does't know what in the world is going on. But he searches for his past. What he discovers is truly amazing!!! Jeff had barriers built in his mind, so powerful that it killed one woman. Later he gets accepted by a group of Comyn and is 100% accepted but for only one problem. A member is being hostile and isn't trying to hide it, either. Jeff falls in love with the Keeper of their circle and they both run away. They find out what has been troubling his mind and that if they don't warn their circle then there is a major cost involved, with the risk of their lives. But they are afraid because when they rushed off Jeff was blamed for some problems and after they left the rest of the broken circle hunted them down. They asked for the girl to come back but she refused. When Jeff and his beloved returned they were met with hostile and wary greetings. It turns out Jeff wan't his actual name and that a man was betraying the Comyn all along, right under their noses!!!!!!! This is one of the best books ever written, I think!!! Read it and weep!

Like The Heritage of Hastur, Sharra's Exile is told in chapters that alternate between the first-person narrative of Lew Alton, and the third-person focus on other characters (Diotima Ridenow and Regis Hastur, in particular). It takes up where the previous book left off, where struggles between birth family and chosen family are concerned. On a larger scale, there is also the battle between those who want to preserve the traditional culture of Darkover "by any means necessary" (including use of the Sharra Matrix, which is definitely against the Compact), and those who wish to become part of the Terran Empire.

The central characters become caught up in this struggle, while also dealing with the conflicting loyalties in their personal lives. Regis Hastur has to face his grandfather's disapproval of his lover Danilo, Lew Alton is haunted by the last words of his dead father, and Diotima Ridenow has to sort through her feelings for Lew when their marriage ends in disaster following the premature birth of their horribly deformed son.

Those who were touched by the madness of the Sharra Circle are drawn back to it, and the attempts to harness Sharra's power could easily spell disaster for Darkover.

I am truly sorry but my review, (by Valai) the one that you will come across shortly, is not supposed to be on Sharra's Exile but it's supposed to be a review on Exile's Song, the book following this one. I don't know how it happened but I apologize. This book was a great book though.

Marguerida Alton was born on Darkover but left when she was a small child. She returns with her music mentor and finds that haunted memories are buried within her mind and keep tormenting her everywhere she goes. It was a terrible loss when her mentor died right after they got to Darkover but now the real adventure begins.

Marguerida takes her mentor's death deeply. He was the only "real" father she ever knew. Loving, caring and filled with tenderess was what she had always craved and when she met him and his wife they gave her that.

Life on Darkover gets more mysterious when people keep treating her like royalty. They distantly refer to her dark red hair. Other people come up to her and keep telling her tidbits about the comyn and something about Gifts. Marguerida has no idea what they are talking about but has this nagging feeling that there is something she should have remembered. She travels with Rafaela to continue her musical work that she and her now dead mentor would have completed together. On the way she doesn't feel good and is sicker than she should have ever been, but doesn't know it because a lot of the time she's unconcious. Marguerida Alton is then transported to a castle where she finds friendship and the budding of new love ...

The cause of being sick is that her gift is inserting itself into her. Everyone tells her it's a gift ... why can't she believe that? To her it's a curse. The worst curse ...

Secrets are locked behind hidden walls in her mind ... no one can get to them except for herself and to do that she has to face something she fears the most ...

A friend lent me a copy of "The Catch Trap" and the prospect of reading a book about the circus in the 40s and 50s seemed like pure torture. Still, for some strange reason I picked it up and started reading (about a month after it was lent to me). Over the course of the next week, I found it increasingly difficult to put the book down. I stayed up literally all night one night because I just couldn't put it down. Though I'm usually not a big fan of long novels full of lots of detail, this book is riveting. The characters are full, rich, complicated people with complex, endlessly fascinating relationships. When I finished the book, I was genuinely sad to leave these people I had grown to love. The Santelli family had become real to me, almost as if I belonged to them in some way, and Tommy and Mario were my friends. And I felt like I knew so intimately what the life of traveling circus performers had been like. In addition to great characters and a great story, Bradley does a superior job of

Marion Zimmer Bradley breathes vivid life into the circus world of the 1940's and 50's with this unforgettable love story, a timeless classic about the triumph of love in the face of all odds. Bradley did her homework on the circus world of the 1940's, as well as on the gay sub-culture of that era. The book is so detailed, so nuanced, that you will end the book feeling as if you know all the characters --- the passionate and angst-filled Mario, his seemingly frail sister-in-law Stella who grows stronger and more sure as the years pass, Mario's Uncle --- the solid-as-a-rock but bigoted Angelo. And, of course, Mario's love Tommy Zane, the anchor of this panoramic novel. The tale of Tommy's coming into adulthood is mesmerizing, as is Mario and Tommy's fight to keep their love together, while struggling to keep it hidden in a prejudiced world.

This book is so amazing that I'm almost at a loss for words. I just finished reading it for the third time. The first time I read it was 10 years ago. I was in college and I remember reading it between classes, during classes, and at red lights on the way to class. It was so incredible that I couldn't put it down. And now, 10 years later, reading it for a third time, the book lost none of its power - I still found layers in it that I hadn't discovered before. I found myself reading and re-reading passages and paragraphs because the book is so rich that I wanted to keep savoring it.

Whether you're gay or straight or whatever, you should be able to relate to the characters and understand them. You are in for an intense, page-turning read with The Catch Trap. The book is almost a bit overwhelming --- I recommend that you start it when you have some time to get immersed in it, as you won't be able to put it down once you pass the first 100 pages or so. (It does start a bit slowly but once it gets started, hold onto your hats!)

Another strength about this book is that it's a lot more than a love story. It has many themes---what is artistic integrity?, how do we stay close to our families while asserting our own personalities?, and how do you stay true to your soulmate while growing into your own independance?

In a way, I would have loved a sequel, but Bradley ties everything together so perfectly, that a sequel isn't necessary.

I would give my right-arm to join a book discussion group about this book. If anyone wants to discuss it over email with me, please drop me a note at stormkpr@usa.net I think it's a shame that the book is, apparently, out of print. Marion Zimmer Bradley's hidden treasure!

I was given this book several years ago and was extremely skeptical. I don't usually like love stories and I'm not a big science fiction fan so when I saw that it was a love story by a science fiction writer I was sure I would hate it. I didn't. In fact I started reading it one Saturday afternoon and didn't put it down until I finished it that evening. The relationship between these two men (Tommy Zane and Matt "Mario" Santelli) was so moving and so real. All of the characters in this book are so multi-dimensional that you think you know each of them intimately and you start to feel like one of the family. Set in the circus world of the 40's, this book takes you on a fantastic ride through the lives of two young men who risk everything to be together. I've probably read this book over two dozen times and I love it just as much each time. In fact, my copy is so worn out that I had to order a new one. Read it! You won't be sorry.

"Man is the only animal that thinks not to improve his race...Should we not seek to better ourselves as well our world and our surroundings?"

This is a quote from Stormqueen, but it won't be long before someone raises this question in the real world, or before we have the scientific capacity to create such a future. Marian Zimmer Bradley's prescient tale, written in the '70's, explores the very real consequences, the temptations and dangers, of such genetic manipulation.

For those not familiar with Darkover, think of it as the Middle Ages with psychic powers. It is warlike, patriarchal and pre-industrial. The lack of machines is made up for by crystals, or matrixes, which greatly amplify naturally occuring psychic powers, or laran. These have been developed to take the place of mechanical technology, for both peaceful or warlike means. (There is a striking and again, prescient, parallel between the "relay screens" and the internet.)

Like any talent, skills vary from person to person. These psychic gifts being the very foundation of Darkover civilization, people have been bred over generations for specific gifts, much like an animal breeding program. For the resulting children, death is common, as is mental/emotional instability.

All of the characters in Stormqueen have lives maimed by the breeding program. Mikhail of Aldaran has seen all of his children die; Allart has been cursed with a gift that shows him all possible consequences of each act; Renata has worked desperately to have a life beyond a childbearing pawn; Donal is forced into an intolerable situation due to his stepfather's desire for an heir.

And of course there is Dorilys, the young Stormqueen, a child with a gift far beyond her ability to handle it. A lesser writer would have made Dorilys a one-dimensional spoiled brat or "witch girl." The typical male SF writer would probably have turned her into an evil sex nymph. (See lurid cover art, which is the original from the '70's.)

In Bradley's hands, Dorilys is a fully human young girl, sometimes arrogant and spoiled, but also courageous and loving. These two aspects of her character pull her either way; until the end, it's never certain which will prevail.

The story does have its rough spots and slow places. I could have done with a little less about Allart and Cassandra's marriage, for example. You won't miss much if you skim those chapters. Since it was in there, I would have preferred a little more about how Cassandra grows from a highly dependent, girlish character into a tried and true woman.

As another reviewer noted, this is a tragedy in the classic Greek sense. At each turning or crossroads, there seems only one option, yet inevitably it leads to a tragic conclusion. The flaws of more than one character bring about the tragedy, but still it's hard to see how it could have been avoided.

This book is powerful sci-fi/fantasy with underlying serious issues. If you are concerned about some of the questions the world is facing, Stormqueen will speak to you.

I also recommend MZB's other early Darkover novels: Hawkmistress, Heritage of Hastur, Thendara House, even The Forbidden Tower (though it's not a favorite). They all feature intelligent characters dealing with complex ethical or emotional questions, with plenty of action thrown in.

"Stormqueen!" was the second Darkover book I read. It shows that good writing is when you read a book, and no matter how awful things are going on in the story, no matter how much you want to put it down for sheer exhaustion (emotionally and physically!), you just can't, you have to see it through. The characters are some of the best MZB ever created; compelling, well-drawn, and so familiar to the way people feel and act, be it noble or obscene. No one does anything by halves in this book; you've got all the ingredients for a titillating mix. Love found, and lost; unrelenting hatred; jealousy; incest; coldly manipulating authority figures; exotic locales; action and adventure! It sounds like the usual fare for your daytime soap, but in "Stormqueen!" it works. You'll fall in love with Allart and Donal, and have mixed feelings about the Stormqueen herself. A great enjoyable read!

This was the first Darkover book I ever read, when I was about eleven. I found it fascinating but confusing. I didn't really appreciate it until after I had read The Forbidden Tower and The Bloody Sun. Even those these novels are set hundreds or even thousands of years after the Ages of Chaos in which Stormqueen is set, they give you the background necessary to understand what was going on in this novel. The bewildering references to terrifying mental weapons, the complex and hubristic (and eventually lethal) laran breeding program, the leroni, the bits of casta (e.g. barragana, nedestro etc) that are scattered through this novel are clear as day when you've read a couple of the others. Nevertheless this is one of the very best novels of Darkover, and the terrifying laran properties manifested by the characters in this novel make the laran of later days seem paltry by comparison. Some of the best characters in the series are present in this novel; Donal, Renata, Dorilys and Allart really are terrific. It's funny, but if anyone has ever read Jennifer Roberson's Chronicles of the Cheysuli I swear her Donal (Alix's son) was modelled on Donal Delleray. Similarly, Allart actually reminds me of Lew Alton - I think it must be the torment in him from his gift, a torment that MZB repeatedly illustrates convincingly. Although the adult characters in this novel have more control over events and show more character development, Dorilys, the Stormqueen of the Hellers, is a character who will linger long in the reader's mind. She is a powerful force, almost as elemental as the environment she controls. Her shadow looms over the whole series subsequent to this novel, with frequent references made to her legend, numerous women named after her and even her preserved body enterred in perpetuity at holy Hali. My sincerest dissapointment in the Darkover series is that the two characters who seemed most likely to rival Dorilys for sheer fire (as well as laran potential), Clendori and Alanna Alar, were never given their own book.

'Thendara House' follows 'Shattered Chains' in the Darkover series, and continues to focus on the Guild of Renunciates, particularly Magda and Jaelle, as they grow into stronger, more self-aware characters. Both are experiencing growing Psi-powers, and their destinies seem intertwined as they navigate the Terran/Darkover political world, explore the conflicts and pressures of their Oaths, and struggle to figure out exactly who they are, what they stand for, and where they belong.

I really enjoyed 'Shattered Chains' and 'Thendara House' gripped me from the very first pages. I read through this novel--longer than 'Chains'--over a weekend, during which I hardly put it down, and never left it behind! I just started 'The City of Sorcery' the next in the Renunciates grouping, and am already totally into it--thank goodness it's friday!

I liked the book because it struck specific cords. It speaks of love in it's many forms, but mainly it speaks of mixed loyalties. Everyone can relate to some of the events on an interpersonal base, but mainly people can go beyond the situations and relate to the feelings. The author has a brilliant writing that vividly evokes the characters feelings. It makes for good reading, especially when the reader can keep an open mind about the particular way in witch human relations are presented, non judgmentally.

This was the first Darkover novel I read and since then I've read probably 6 or 8 others. I think I like this one the best, although Hawkmistress and Stormqueen come in close. The conflict between the two societies is enhanced in this novel because of the culture shock Jaelle and Magda go through in each others opposite world.
I would recommend this to everyone.