β Scribed by Marion Zimmer Bradley; Deborah J. Ross
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
After generations of struggle to protect the unique native culture of Darkover from the ambitions of the ruthless Terran Federation, the Terrans have finally been forced to abandon Darkover due to interstellar civil war. As Lew Alton wrestles with the dark shadows from his past, his daughter Marguerida's psychic Gifts warn of her of impending danger. But danger to whom? Her husband Mikhail as powerful head of the Hastur Domain is her most obvious worry, for many would stand to gain from his demise. Her son Domenic searches for his place in a world of shifting loyalties, torn by his love for two very different women and troubled by his destiny as the heir to Hastur.
But while Darkover's powerful rulers face their personal demons, desperate refugees flood the streets of Thendara, Darkover's capital city, for in the mountains and ancient menace is once again on the risea power against which neither sword nor the psychic sorcery of Darkover can prevail.
The late Marion Zimmer Bradley's influence can still be detected in her posthumous Darkover "collaborations" with Ross. This opener to the Children of Kings trilogy (after 2004's A Flame in Hali, which concluded the Clingfire trilogy) focuses on a chilling threat: the resurgence of trailman's fever, a disease that could wipe out Darkover's population. The key to a cure is Jeremiah Reed, a Terran battle survivor whose memories were wiped by Lewis-Kennard Alton via the Alton Gift of forced rapport. As the medical crisis worsens, Mikhail Lanart-Hastur, Lew's son-in-law and Regent of Darkover, must fend off a political takeover by his power-hungry rival, Francisco Ridenow. Meanwhile, Mikhail's son, Domenic, finds himself torn between romances with Alanna, his unstable cousin, and lovely Illona, a Gifted under-Keeper. Though a slow start and arcane historical references might dissuade new readers, the teasing resolution will excite anticipation in those familiar with the memorable land of the Bloody Sun.
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In the sequel to Traitor's Sun (1999), the Terrans have left Darkover, and little of their technology remains. Remnants of the Comyn are finding that governing the planet takes more energy and personnel than they have. Changes are needed, but squabbling over what changes continues. Its dream of a Terran-less world fulfilled, the conservative faction strives to restore its unquestioned lordship of the Domains. Domenic Hastur, heir to lordship of the Comyn, travels the Domains to assess the people's problems. When his father, the regent Mikhail, is assassinated, Domenic must assume the lordship just as a plague strikes Thendara. Sure to please Darkover fans. Murray, Frieda
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