inutile ( )

Same cast of characters as Thendara House and same engrossing story lines. Kept me up really late to finish..could not put it down. ( )

Abbastanza carino. ( )

Re-read, first time in years. Pretty much stock feminist romance writing with some mind-boggling credulity-straining passages. ( )

Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote 18 Darkover novels--more if you include collaborations. Darkover is a "lost colony" of Earth that falls into a medieval society ruled by a psychic aristocracy and is later rediscovered by a star-spanning advanced human federation after centuries, giving the series a feel of both science fiction and fantasy. Most books in the series examine this culture clash and this book is no exception as it focuses on a Terran, Magda, and a native of Darkover, Jaelle.

The books were designed to be read independently, and so you could start here, but some books are somewhat connected and that's the case here, and you may see it marked as book two of the "Renunciates Trilogy." The Renunciates are also known as the "Free Amazons" and the first book in the trilogy, The Shattered Chain also deals with Jaelle and Magda and makes an excellent entry into the series. Indeed, it's the book I started with on the recommendation of a friend, and the book that hooked me on the series. The two later books in the trilogy are certainly good reads, even if I do like Shattered Chain best. I quite liked City of Sorcery, one of the last books set in Darkover MZB ever wrote, even if not the last chronologically. It's about five women, including Jaelle and Magda, who go on a journey to "the Wall Around the World." (Think Himalayas.) I liked the comraderie among the women and the sheer adventure. It has a different, more reflective feel than I usually found in MZB. ( )