Of the eleven Darkover novels I've read, this is surely the dullest. It's a good deal longer than it needs to be, and the greater part of it is given over to the attempts of four people to help one of them, a former Tower Keeper, perform the 'marital act'. Regrettably, there is not much lurid detail involved, so we're denied even something to appeal to our prurient interest. And it goes on for quite a long time. In many places the narrative reads like a first draft, and I kept wishing the author had gone through one more time to tighten up the prose. Later on there's a rather silly time travel sequence, a blast from the past as it were, which doesn't contribute a whole heck of a lot to the proceedings. The action picks up a little at the end, but so what. Unless you're a rabid fan who must read everything this somewhat overrated s.f. writer published, consider this one a waste of time. (BL, Tucker, GA)

We like the Darkover books in my family. My husband got into them first, but they're spreading to the rest of us. These books are mostly real page turners, full of action and suspense; but, nevertheless, they have marvelous character development with tremendous complexity in how the characters think, feel, and interact.

There is some wonderful philosophy sprinkled throughout about the nature of marriage and of gender roles in society. The fantasy and telepathic aspects of the books make for intriguing variations on what leads to dominance in relationships and what leads to successful and unsuccessful relationships, whether between husband and wife; parent and child; or between siblings.

This book shares these nice features with many others in the series.

My older son, age 12, is a strong reader and loves reading adult science fiction and fanatasy. He has picked up on these books and started stealing them out of my husband's bookcase and loving them. For the most part, I think that's o.k. for the Darkover series, BUT NOT FOR THIS BOOK! It's too bad that books don't have ratings like software or movies. This one is definitely R or possibly NC-17. For myself, I enjoyed the explorations of how telepathy would affect sex myself -- some of which got pretty darn strange; BUT it's not the sort of thing that my pre-pubescent child, who is already pretty confused about sex roles as it is, should be reading.

I am not a fan of science fiction works where male-dominated societies are replaced by female-dominated ones. I do like much of the Darkover saga, notably those that show conflicts between cultures native to Darkover (as well as conflicts between Darkovan and Terran culture). As I cut down my library, I consider which of the Darkover novels I should keep with me. I have never swayed from my opinion that THE FORBIDDEN TOWER is probably the one to keep, above all others.

A confession - this was the very first Darkover novel that I read, and it took me a while to realize that it was part of a series. I think the attractions of the book have been described well by others, as well as the plot. I will not say much more for fear of spoilers. The only thing I will add regarding the plot is that the resolution of the two couples's problems is achieved via something that can be used successfully just once (as far as Darkover fans are concerned). Unfortunately, MZB tried to use the same solution for another and much weaker novel THE WORLD WRECKERS (which many fans also consider to be non-canonic in the sense that its events violate the history told in other books, earlier and later).

I will instead explain why this book is so outstanding among many good books (including those dedicated to the Free Amazons, and the story of Lewis Lanart-Alton in THE HERITAGE OF HASTUR). THE FORBIDDEN TOWER takes place relatively late in Darkovan history (which spans several centuries). The events in this book occur some years after the planet has been discovered, or rather rediscovered, by Terrans. [For that story, read the co-authored REDISCOVERY]. There is a prequel to this book, THE SPELL SWORD, but it is not really necessary to read it. There is a sequel to this book, called THE BLOODY SUN which some would view as essential reading and others not. I believe that this title can stand alone, one of the few Darkovan titles that can do so.

The protagonists of this book are Damon Ridenow (whose ancestors were dry-town bandits), and his new wife and her sister. Both women hail from the powerful Lanart-Alton (or rather Alton) clan. Each clan - the Ridenow, the Altons, and others - have specific powers, although not all members of the clan exhibit those powers. [Forgive me for errors in terminology, because it has been a while since I read the whole series]. The difference in inheritance of powers becomes a minor issue between the sisters, in that one became a Keeper (a position of great honor and power, but enforced celibacy) and the other - married. There is no resentment between the sisters, but the fact that siblings do not inherit the same level of power becomes an issue in other books.

There is both internal conflict (generated by the beliefs and expectations, as well as life experiences of the protagonists) as well as external conflicts (the decisions and actions of others). Part of the appeal of this book is the internal conflict. No body is perfect here, and each person has a reasonable point of view. The sole Terran, Andrew Carr, husband to Callista Lanart-Alton (the former Keeper), must work his way not only through a complicated relationship with the other three, but also his own feelings about marriage. [Marriage in Darkover is not quite like marriage between Terrans]. Part of the attraction in this book is seeing Andrew adjust to and gradually accept this very different notion of marriage, not to mention his relationships with his wife's sister and her husband.

I should mention here that if you have a very conventional mind about marriage, you will be shocked by some of the goings-on. But I assume that as a reader of this review (who is interested in science fiction), you are prepared to accept that other worlds have different rules.

I loved the ending of course. It was not just that the good guys won, but how they won. Somehow their particular solution to the problem made sense brilliantly. And very few people got hurt, compared to THE HERITAGE OF HASTUR.

I won't say what happens to these couples (and to others) down the road, because that is a story fully told in later books, particularly THE BLOODY SUN. However, since I know the ending to this particular story, that does not make me love or hate it more. It just adds a special poignancy to this particular book.

I think of THE FORBIDDEN TOWER both as a romance and as a creative work of SFF. Even after reading through other works, this book remains the most accessible as well as the most memorable.

Grade - A+, 4.9
[No breakdown in grade given]

Recommended - Very Highly for lovers of SFF (or soft SF). Might appeal to readers of Catherine Asaro or Mercedes Lackey.

While I don't think S&S 17 will go down in the annals of history as one of the great works of literature in our time, it is worth reading. It's good for reading on lunch breaks or other times when you don't have several uninterrupted hours for a good solid read.

As with all anthologies, there are submissions that appeal to my sense of "good story" more than others. My personal favorite from this one was Carrie Vaughn's "Haunting of Princess Elizabeth."

Since volume IX of Sword and Sorceress, I've anticipated each summer's offering of the latest and greatest S&S short fiction - S&SXVII, while perhaps not the best of this wonderful series, still provides some entertaining reads.

Several of the stories are fairly predictable - in an anthology designed to promote strong female characters in Fantastic Fiction, you can pretty much bet that it's the lone girl and not the army (be that Plains Tribe or Amazons or your brother who ought to weild the sword) that will step up to bat and save the day.

That given, there are some delightful gems in S&SXVII that make it worth buying, such as such notables as :

"Memories of the Sea" by Dave Coleman-Reese is an interesting look at the relation of the soul and memories. The characters and their interrelations are drawn especially well.

In "The Summons," Bunnie Bessel built upon an interesting moral dilemma that a bodyguard must face. I only wish this story had been a novel - the glimpses into the world seemed to display something larger than a short story.

"Luz" by Patricia Duffy Novak examines humility, perseverence, and divine favour in a charming and well-wrought story that, given its content, manages to keep away from moralising while instructing at the same time.

Charles Richard Laing's "Weapons at War" draws from the well-worn "gimmick" of sentient swords, and takes it one comical step further, making one swordwoman's whole armament into a highly opinionated convention!

Enjoy!

The "Sword And Sorceress" series is a series of collections of short stories set in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, except that in this series, all the protagonists are female. The is because, as Marion Zimmer Bradley has always explained in her introductions, historically in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, the only female characters were "Bad conduct prizes" for the heros.

The series as a whole is very good, although some volumes were stronger than others. I would rate this one as the best of the series, and with MZB's death, it may be the last. Not a certainty; it is possible, I suppose, that the publishers may choose to continue the series with a new editor, possibly MZB's assistant of the last few years. But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

There are only three stories in this collection that are continuations of the adventures of characters met in previous anthologies: "An Exchange Of Favors", by Dorothy Heydt (the adventures of Cynthia, The Witch of Syracuse); "Shadow Soul", by Laura J. Underwood (Ginny, celtic wisewoman); and "Lady Of Flame", by Diana Paxson (Bera, Norse Voelva). But there are many fine one-shot stories here, and no bad ones. If this is the end of the line for the series, it is going out in fine style. Hopefully, there will be more to come.

This book is an omnibus edition of two books-Stormqueen and Hawkmistress. I know why she put them in omnibus and I usually like omnibus books. However, the title-The Ages of Chaos- may be confusing as the two books are not very close to each other in time and during the second book the events are described as taking place in the next era-The Hundred Kingdoms. That aside the books in themselves weren't anything more than mediocre. The characterization was decent but not great. I never felt truly connected to any of the characters. Many times I predicted what would happen in the book, however, I have read a lot of fantasy and you become more adept at spotting foreshadowing and plotlines the more you read. The editing was horrendous. Either they didn't BOTHER to edit them or the editor was drunk. He instead of she, completely misspelled words, odd phasing, these errors do intrude considerably into the enjoyment of reading these books. Usually I don't even spot typos as I just change them for myself. However, these typos were so blatantly obvious that they made me want to take a pen to the book to correct them! It's not a bad book. In fact it's fairly decent as books go. However for a more interesting read I would recommend Mercedes Lackey, Tanya Huff, Anne MacCaffrey, Kate Elliot, Jennifer Roberson, and even though they're 'young adult' books-Tamora Pierce. I would say that Marion Zimmer Bradley has mediocre characterization in all of the books I've read by her-only a few as I've just begin the Darkover series-Darkover Landfall and The Mists of Avalon, have decent but not great characterization. Although this review may seem alarmingly negative I have still not finished the Darkover series (I just finished this book today) but I plan to. I encourage you to at least read Darkover Landfall if you are intrigued by these books to get an idea if you like her writing style.

Having just started on my Darkovan journey I must say I loved these books. Have not read Sci/Fi Fantasty literature for quite awhile since Pamela Sargent's The Shore of Women and since I love MZB thought this would be a perfect place to begin again.
I was right!
I thoroughly enjoyed both books. However I liked Stormqueeen best. I found the plot twists and the perspective of different characters intriguing. I was riveted from start to finish. And I liked the descriptions quite a bit as well.
Although I enjoyed Hawkmistress, I found the plot less fresh and not as compelling. The "girl dresesed up as boy in a male dominated society and coming into her own power and making good" is a little too predictable.
Two things:
The editing is absolutely atrocious. It was either left entrely to the computer or someone edited it who does not speak English fluently. I too found this distracting. A disservice to both author and reader.
In addition it would be nice to have a chronology and or Darkovan historical timelene at the beginning of these books. Maybe a map too! I always like it when that is done and not just in scifi fantasy books. but in general. hmmm but that does sound kind neurotic doesn't it? But oh well just my opinion
Truly enjoyable! Read and and enjoy and be charmed!

What a tale! The storyline is very involved, but with characters as clearly drawn as Ms. Bradley has presented them, it is easy to keep them all straight. Even with two different stories, it is hard to put the book down.

My only negative comment is there are more typographical errors in this book than I have encountered before. There were enough, however, that this did distract me.

While the story about Lythande was fairly interesting, I found myself asking at the end, "So, what was the point?" The book reads more like a short story. While somewhat entertaining, it just didn't seem to have enough plot to it to warrant making a whole book from it. I can understand printing it as a selection in an anthology, but not in this format. I have thoroughly enjoyed Bradley's wonderful Darkover series but this just falls short of the quality I expect of her. I believe this book is simply a way to make money off Bradley's name.

...is my impression of this fairy tale like story. The female magician is conjuring her way in the usual charming wit and manners through one of her many old friend's (in no way surprising after a few centuries of lifetime) wedding ceremony in a medieval setting. With a cheerful smile on my face, I finished reading the little book with the pretty cover (hardcover, therefore its price). Just too short. I'd recomend it as a gift to casual readers or as a children's book for second grade. Isn't there someone you've always wanted to turn onto MZB?

I am delighted to have the opportunity to read yet another story of Lythande the magician. Previously I've read stories in magazines or anthologies and was quite surprised to see one long enough to rate its own book. I was first attracted to the book by the wonderful dragon on the cover and by the author's name. What a wonderful surprise to find it was a story about an old friend. Those who are looking for a meaty story may be disappointed, this is not heavy-duty "literature", but for plain old reading enjoyment I find Bradley's Lythande stories to be just right and her latest episode is an enjoyable romp through a most unusual wedding.

Armistead, Barbara: "On the Trail" features two of Kindra's band from _The Shattered Chain_.

Bigelow, Jane M.H.: "Tactics" Neither Bronwyn or her cousin Danilys are Renunciates. Bronwyn's marriage is disintegrating, as her husband Donal cares only for warfare; when he isn't fighting, he talks tactics at the dinner table. When he's killed in battle, however, the tedium stands the cousins in good stead.

Boal, Nina: "The Meeting" A magician from another culture, with reversed male/female social roles, strays onto Darkover.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer: "The Legend of Lady Bruna" was cut from _Thendara House_, where it would have been a story-within-a-story read to Margali and Jaelle.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer: "Knives" Marna, a contemporary of Gwennis of _Thendara House_, has often ventured to the local Guildhouse on business - but this time, although she's a year underage, she seeks sanctuary from her stepfather's abuse and her mother's disbelief.

Breen, Walter and Jaida n'ha Sandra each present a version of the oath - Breen's analysis of *the* oath, Jaida's a version tailored to 20th century society. Breen was MZB's husband, incidentally.

Carter, Margaret: "Her Own Blood" Gwennis' putative father often called her six-fathered when he beat her for her 'seizures', but she didn't know it was true until her mother brought her to Dom Elric - the only man who could have given her flame-colored hair, let alone the untrained, unidentified laran that brings on the seizures. Gwennis' life as a junior servant is a vast improvement, but given that Elric's only son is like to die of haemophilia, her life may not remain peaceful for long.

Holtzer, Susan: "The Camel's Nose" Seven Domains society is notoriously technophobic, but there are anomalies in every society. Elinda's love of technology drew her into the Renunciates, and from thence to study Terran engineering. Upon seeing her first bicycle, she feels it's obviously superior to a horse, and Cholayna Ares is willing to let her try this unusual entering wedge for technology, which falls outside the ban on powered devices.

Kramer, Sherry: "The Banshee" Janet Rhodes, Terranan biologist, gets more than she bargained for when her hosts introduce her to the fine art of banshee-removal.

Lackey, Mercedes: "A Different Kind of Courage" Rafi's rejection from Keeper training drove her into the Guildhouse to escape being sold into marriage as a broodmare. Her oathsisters see her as a disastrous failure at everything she tries: she's almost supernaturally clumsy, and timid to boot. But when a courier team is to be sent to Caer Donn, her familiarity with Keeper protocol puts her on the team, despite her inability to defend herself. (Compare her with the more assertive Herald-Chronicler Myste in _Exile's Honor_ - neither lady can fight her way out of a henhouse. If you like this story, try Elizabeth Moon's 'Gut Feelings' in _Lunar Activity_, where a similarly timid personality develops backbone under pressure.)

Paxson, Diana: "The Mother Quest" Caitrin raised her son to the age of four - but no male past five may live in a Guildhouse, so she finally gave him up to his father's custody. Four years later, word has come of his death - but Donal's half-sister follows hard on its heels to mount a rescue operation.

Riggs, P. Alexandra: "To Open a Door" Buartha fled rape and betrayal in the Domains to a hermit's life in the Hellers with her daughter. But now her daughter's laran is beginning to flower

Shannon, Maureen: "Recruits" The narrator is the housemother of the Sisterhood of the Sword's new house in Caer Donn, left to the Sisterhood in gratitude by a man whose sister left a life of prostitution to join the Sisterhood. Since they're forbidden to actively recruit, Maellen worries over how anybody will find out they're here - needlessly, as it turns out. *Everybody's* heard of old Larren's will. There's an old saying that every Renuciate's story is a tragedy, but the motley crew of recruits who appear on the first day test that theory.

Shaw-Matthews, Patricia: "Girls Will Be Girls" My favorite. Catlyn, Dalise, and Ariane react to the standard 'your childhood has put chains on you' with laughter - 'well, they *tried*.' They're wild - a living challenge to sober Renunciate discipline, even without the practical jokes. :)

Shwartz, Susan: "Growing Pains" Like 'Girls Will Be Girls', this story makes the point that a misfit in the outside world may also be a misfit in the Guildhouse. After the fall of the Forbidden Tower, Catriona can't get laran training even at Neskaya. She plans to follow her foster-brother into the Empire, but her oath-sisters see Ann'dra's payback of old debts as a violation of the oath.

Silvestri, Margaret: "Cast Off Your Chains" Marissa Del Gado has hired Guild guides to take her into the desert - but her real goal is to rescue her sister Teri. Teri, it turns out, fell into the hands of Dry-Town slavers - and after escaping, has her own goal: establishing a new Underground Railroad.

Verba, Joan Marie: "This One Time" A childhood story of Lady Bruna Leynier, told from her mother's viewpoint. When Lord Alton leaves a skeleton force at home during a bandit-hunt, another band of raiders attack the estate.

Waters, Elisabeth: "Child of the Heart" As with Caitrin in 'The Mother Quest' (see above), Jamilla has given birth to a son - but she has chosen to give him up at birth.

Wheeler, Deborah: "Midwife" Trapped in a banshee's nest while travelling alone, Gavi helps the egg hatch - only to have the giant predator imprint on her. :)

If you've grown tired (as I occasionally do) of fantasy and science fiction filled with either damsels in distress or "women warriors" who seem to spend most of their time half-dressed, give this collection a read. You'll feel much better.

The quality is uneven, of course, and there were some stories I didn't particularly care for (which kept this from being a five-star review). My two favorites were "Knives" and "A Different Kind of Courage," but your mileage may vary, as always.

There's something for almost everyone here, unless you WANT half-dressed warrior women and damsels in distress. :)

A foundation stone to understanding the Guild of Renunciates (Free Amazons). The characters have great depth, and the plot is compelling. They should reprint this book!

Scholar Cendri and her husband, Master Scholar Dal, come to the xenophobic planet of Isis/Cinderella. Because this planet has a very strict matriarchal society, Cendri poses as the master scholar while Dal is relegated to the role of her possession and assistant. They are nominally there to study what may be ruins from the race that seeded the galaxy, but while there they find that their own assumptions about gender and power are called heavily into question.

I'd like to stress that this isn't a bad book, and MZB completists will certainly not regret reading it, but the ideas that are sketched out here are developed more fully and with much more grace in both the Darkover and Avalon books. The gender politics come over a little bit too heavy-handed and occasionally make it difficult to focus on the plot.

I have to say I started reading MZB via her mainstream novels the Avalon series. But moving onto her other works, 'The Ruins of Isis' ain't that bad. It's about an anthropologist travelling and exploring the Matriachate Isis/Cinderella under the disguise of an archaeologist. There's conflict between her and her husband, the planet's politics, people and an unveiling of those mysteries that hold the city together. Shows insights into anthropology and our society. Defintely recommended.

This is a classic Bradley book. Travel to another world called ISIS/CINDERELLA. A world where the woman is the dominant sex and the men are just playthings and slaves - wonderful. It's quite enlightening and i think more men should read it and take a few tips. Anyway it all comes crashing down around them in the end. I wont give it all away and spoil it. READ IT! I loved the book so much i even named my daughter Isis Cinderella after it.

This anthology contains stories that are mostly good, if not great, writing. But there is one of them that I must point out is decidedly NOT a canonical Darkover story; Ms. Bradley has always said that she doesn't necessarily consider stories in these anthologies to be canonical, but "Cradle of Lies", by Deborah Wheeler, is several orders of magnitude less canonical than most; in it, Ashara Alton is the chosen successor of Varzil the Good, and still a young and unproven keeper when he dies. This is distinctly NOT what we saw in Bradley's own novel, "Shadow Matrix", and although the story was well-written and interesting, I found the inconsistency distracting.

The rest of the stories are all interesting, of varying quality, but ranging from so-so to excellent; none of them were bad. Also, in her introduction to "Poetic License" by Mercedes Lackey, Bradley indicates that Lackey is her chosen heir to the Darkover series, a relevant and interesting fact now that Bradley is dead. I wonder if this also applies to the "Sword and Sorceress" series? I suppose we'll find out eventually.

The book was good, though, as with most anthologies, a bit uneven in talent. The stories seemed from different periods of Darkover's history, which could make it difficult to understand if you're not familiar with the world itself. Still it gave multifaceted views on some familiar characters and introduced well-rounded new ones. I can honestly say that there was no bad or boring story in the book, though this would not be a choice place to begin the series.

I liked the Darkover shorts in this book and particulary liked a very short one called A Matter of Perception by Lena Gore.. I have never seen this author before but I very much liked her style.. I would like to see more... I think she has a good grasp of the vagaries of Darkover... I like the way she sort of yanked you back and forth until the very end... Good style..I wish Ms. Bradley had prompted her for more.

While I enjoyed reading Edghill's very accurate take on large-scale Pagan outdoor festivals (she captured the logistical nightmares perfectly!), I thought the "Whodunit" aspect was her weakest link.

Some mysteries do reveal the muderer's identity up front, so the book has to focus on the protagonist's hunting skills in discovering the killer. Unfortunately, Bast does everything else but that! She deals with the realities of no longer being able to lean on her old coven for support, and wrestle with the prospect of founding a new one. There's her struggle in sorting out how she's going to find a stable magical partner. And, to cap it off, inter-Community politics rears its ugly head once again and requires Bast to make the painful choice of keeping a trust or doing what is right.

Meanwhile, there's blessed little sleuthing. I think Bast's single intimate encounter with the killer was a rather obvious attempt by the author to drop a Major Hint early on.

As a foray into modern Neo-Paganism, it hits the target. For a mystery novel, its more than a tad weak.

As with the previous two Bast mysteries, this one is a rollicking good read. Edghill has a talent for moving the story along with nary a lull in the action. And I must admit, I have a soft place in my heart for the Bast books because they focus on My People. :) However, this particular book was a tad disappointing in that the killer's identity is ridiculously obvious from the moment the body is discovered. For some reason it takes Bast until the end of the book to figure it out, leaving the reader to think, "Well, DUH!" Also, a few loose ends were left hanging, such as who shot the townie? The character of Bast herself is not as strong in this book as in the previous two. She seems a bit lost as she drifts between Lark and Julian, struggles with whether to start her own coven, and generally just gets pushed around by various other characters in the book. Still, it's a good read, and the descriptions of the HallowFest attendees is hilarious. Edghill nails the neopagan community as closely as Sharon McCrumb nailed the sci-fi fan community in Bimbos of the Death Sun.

For less money, you can buy "Bell, Book, and Murder" instead, which is a compilation of all three Bast books (including this one). Wish someone had told me before I bought all four!

It's good to have read the other reviews before writing this one, because a couple of them confirmed what I had suspected -- that some references were to books that I haven't read yet. Although much of the action in HEARTLIGHT takes place before GHOSTLIGHT, WITCHLIGHT, and GRAVELIGHT, part takes place after these, so it should be read last. (Alternatively, you could start with HEARTLIGHT and save chapter 24 through the end of until after you've read the other three.) This book didn't seem overlong to me. I started late yesterday morning and continued reading even though I didn't finish until after midnight and I had to fight off the effects of three nights of too-little sleep. I wanted to learn more about the mysterious Colin MacLauren who was alluded to in the other volumes. I liked seeing younger versions of characters I'd met already, even though I felt a bit as I did when I saw "The Phantom Menace" after having seeing the three "Star Wars" movies that were made first although they take place later -- sorry because I knew the sad outcomes for some of those characters. MacLauren's various battles with Evil didn't make me feel that they were too repetitious. I would expect someone in his line of work to have to go through more than one such battle in his lifetime. I think there's enough variation in the details. In a way, it's a shame that this book came out before the shambles that is the final USA Presidential election of the 20th century -- it's fun to speculate how that might have been worked in with the other historical events and overall plot. Random comments: (Chapter one) 1956 was the 6th decade of the 20th century, not the 5th. This is a common mistake that I shared until reading about various decades of life in my library's medical journals forced me to work it out. Your first decade of life is from zero [birth] through age 10. Your second is from ages 11 through 20, and so on. It's the same with each century. By the same reasoning, the first century AD was from zero through 100, the second from 101 through 200, and so on. The 20th century is called that because it began in 1901 and will end on 31 December 2000. That is why this book is correct in stating that the real turn of the millennium is 2,000, not 1999. (Chapter 4) I'm not sure if it's true, but I read somewhere that President Kennedy screwed up his German and actually told the people of Berlin that he was a [jelly?] doughnut. Given Toller's secret, I don't feel at all bad about what Colin does to him. In fact, I thought our hero's guilty feelings were excessive. Simon's dreadful accident didn't seem so horrifying after finding out what he had done earlier. (Chapter 16) If MacLauren's birthday is February 2nd, then he was born on Candlemas, the old celebration of the purification of the Virgin Mary -- any symbolic significance? I thought that "elide" into all the other late-night emergency calls of Colin's life bit was a typo for "slide", but the word is real. (Chapter 18) As I recently learned, the real McCoy is spelled "Wedgwood", not "Wedgewood," so that heirloom plate may not have been so valuable. (Chapter 19) MacLauren's guilt seems even more senseless after reading his self reminders about persons of the Light who turn to the Dark. Chapters 22 and 23 are a real treat for the Lovecraft fan. Also, the description of the old Lattimer house delighted me because it made me think of Jackson's Hill house. I assume that the old TV Show Barnabas Sally named the cat for was Barnabas Collins of "Dark Shadows". The one aspect of MacLauren's beliefs that I found truly offensive was that before we are reborn, each of us choses the suffering we deal with in our current lives. To me that sounds like the ultimate in "blame the victim" mentality. However, I acknowledge that my viewpoint might be different if I were a true believer in reincarnation. HEARTLIGHT is not a book for those seeking easy entertainment, but I think readers looking for something to sink their mental teeth into will find it very rewarding.

As many have pointed out, this book tours several of MZB's previous series...the Dark Satanic, Inheritor, etc., and the Light series...but the part I truly found best about (both Heartlight and Ghostlight) is that you find out more of the Fate of all the major characters of the Fall of Atlantis (2 books, which I read in a compendium). It was very touching for me to find out what finally became of Riveda....and to know that he became friends with Domaris, if not Deoris.

HEARTLIGHT is the fourth occult/gothic novel in Bradley's LIGHT sequence (following GHOSTLIGHT, 1995; WITCHLIGHT, 1996 and last year's GRAVELIGHT. This latest (and obviously) final installment not only picks up characters from these three books, but it also picks up characters and storylines from Bradley's previous gothics DARK SATANIC (1972), THE INHERITOR (1984) and WITCH HILL (1990) and adds new details and new perspectives to the old stories. In HEARTLIGHT Colin McLaren must battle against Toller Hasloch, who tries to destroy the American spirit by means of Black (Nazi) magick in order to establish a Fourth Reich. The book spans four decades from the 1960s to the 1990s and chronicles not only Colin's battle against Hasloch, but also his attempts to rescue people who got in trouble with supernatural and evil powers. I can really recommend this book to every reader who has enjoyed one of Mrs. Bradley's previous gothics. HEARTLIGHT combines strong characterization wit! ! h a moving and involving story (being German Bradley's description of the fall of the Berlin Wall REALLY touched me). And although some stories will be familiar to readers, be sure not to miss this great novel of the eternal fight between LIGHT and DARKNESS. And by the way don't believe everything that you've read in the review from KIRKUS REVIEW. You better find out for yourself.

There are 26 short stories in this 16th addition to the female-oriented fantasy anthology, Sword & Sorceress, as summarized below:

A Japanese woman encounters a turtle-like creature whose fate is in her hands when she accidentally injures it in Fujiko's "The Kappa's Gift". >> A mythical room known as "The Changeless Room" (by Charlotte Carlson) materializes in a young girl's family cellar one day. Marion considers this one horror, but I don't. It's not very scary, just confusing. >> "Isabelle and the Siren" by Mary Catelli -- A woman with acute depression avoids the fatal song of a siren, though the townsfolk aren't as lucky. People with depression can probably relate to this one. >> "Dragon's Tear" by Sonya Fedotowsky -- An elf and her three companions travel to a dragon's cave in search of a jewel that will save her island. A good one. >> "A Sister's Blood" by Patricia B. Cirone -- Confined in a dungeon, two sisters--one a swordswoman, the other a sorceress--try to find a way out of their prison cell. >> "Changed" by Lisa Deason -- A woman visits a magician, known as the Collector, who shapeshifts her--as well as others--into half-human/half-animal creatures, then keeps them as caged circus freaks. Vaguely reminded me of Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn". >> A ruthless king demands a sorceress to help him attain "The Power to Change the Shape of the Land" in Dayle A. Dermatis' story. The ending was a bit unfinished. Not bad though. >> "The Frog Prince" by Linda J. Dunn -- A princess is forced to kiss frog after frog in a king's attempt to find his shapeshifting son. A unique twist on the same-named fable. >> "Honey From the Rock" by Dorothy J. Heydt -- A sorceress tries to heal a dying Greek goddess, Artemis.

"The Will of the Wind" by Christina Krueger -- A teacher ignores the regulations and traditions of her school in order to initiate one of her talented students into the Priesthood. Bittersweet ending. >> A martial arts student is asked to judge a kata contest in Carol E. Leever's "Moonlight on Water". Cat & martial arts lovers should like this one. >> "Nine Springs" by Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch -- A warrior searches for a sacred spring that will heal her dying friend. Another good one. >> This poetic story deals with the reincarnation of a "Mistweaver" (by Terry McGarry). >> "Waking the Stone Maiden" by Cynthia McQuillin -- A young woman searches for the Stone Maiden. Another good one. >> "City of No-Sleep" by Vera Nazarian -- A city is transformed every night when the king falls asleep. Imaginative setting. >> "Daughter of the Bear" by Diana Paxson -- When a woman is blamed for killing a man, she calls on a Viking bear god to prove her innocence. >> "The Wishing Stones" by Lisa S. Silverthorne -- A captured sorceress plots her freedom through three little wishing stones. Nice & short. >> "A Fool's Game" by Selina Rosen -- A woman seeks the teachings of a legendary swordswoman. Good lesson on life in general.

"The Anvil of Her Pride" by Lawrence Schimel -- A swordsmith's profession proves to be the demise of the man she loves. >> "The Dancing Men of Ballyben" by Laura J. Underwood -- A mageborn woman attempts to rescue a young man who's been transformed into stone during the day. >> "Salt & Sorcery" by Elisabeth Waters & Michael Spence differs from the others, in that it's more of a present-day story set on a college campus. Some spellwork/magic. >> "Weaving Spells" by Lawrence Watt-Evans -- A woman searches for her missing fiancee in a wizard's castle. >> "Enaree: An Azkhantian Tale" by Deborah Wheeler -- A woman tires to break her traditional role in this desert setting. >> "The Day They Ran Out of Princesses" by Gail Sosinsky Wickman -- A servant is ennobled as a princess in order to sacrifice her to a tyrannical winged slug. (laughing) Yes, a flying slug. :) Glad we don't have those in the Northwest. >> "Taking Flight" by Susan Wolven -- A woman's sister's hawk returns with a message for her. >> Katherine L. Rogers' "The Vision That Appeared" I had to read twice, even though it was, like, 2 pages. It's about a woman who attempts an old family spell. Not a terrific ending to this book, but it'll do.

As with most short story anthologies, this collection has a mixture of excellent stories, mediocre ones, and ones that are easily forgotten by the next page. But what probably bugged me the most in this book was how Marion had to give her two cents in every author bio. Still, fans of fantasy should like this series, not just feminists/women readers, though it tends to attract a female audience.

Okay, this book is set up just like all the others in the Sword & Sorceress series. However, this one seems to be one of the better ones of the series. Marion Zimmer Bradley seems to know what her readers/fans like to read. Excellent stories!

As usual MZB came out with another enjoyable collection of Sword & Sorceress. # 16 isn't quite as good as 8 or 9, my favorites, but it's still great fun. My favorite story in this volume is Choices by Lisa Deason, a really original take on shapeshifting that entertained me and made me think. Also worthy of special mention are Moonlight on Water by Carol Leever and Enaree by Deborah Wheeler--it's refreshing to read great fantasy stories based on ethnicities other than Western European. The only reason I'm not giving this anthology five stars is because of the sprinkling of mediocre, highly forgettable stories in among the gems--so forgettable I've already forgotten what they were called. There's nothing truly bad here, however, and this is a very solid entry in the series.