
In this, Bradley's latest, the many colorful threads of that part-human, part-alien world are rewoven into a strikingly different literary tapestry. One such thread could be called the Heritage of Ardais, for the heir to the Ardais Domain has vanished and must be found. The major thread and pattern concerns the role of women. While only women can command the power of the matrix and the secret sciences which keep Darkover from Terran hands, in most respects they are still chattel – indeed in some barbaric parts even kept enchained. Yet there are the strange bands of pledged women known as the Free Amazons, equal to men and outside the laws that keep the rest of their sex subservient. And it is the Free Amazons who provide the key both to the Ardais mystery and the Terran-Darkover dilemma.
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Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Zimmer Bradley was an American fantasy and science fiction author. She was born 1930 and died 1999 after suffering a major heart attack.
Writing for over 4 decades, Marion Zimmer Bradley is best known for her Darkover science fantasy series and her Arthurian masterpiece, The Mists of Avalon. She also edited anthologies for several years and published Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine.
Photo by Modern Arts Studio, Oakland, California. Source: Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust.
Darkover :: Series
Related series The Clingfire Trilogy
Related series Children of Kings
Related series Darkover (anthologies)