Customer Reviews

The Forbidden Circle: The Spell Sword / The Forbidden Tower

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Putting together -The Spell Sword- and -The Forbidden Tower- was a great idea, & this edition fills the bill. This classic entry in the saga of Darkover -- a lost [in time as well as space] colony of Humans who interbred with the alien cheryi, evolved into a feudal society with the addition of "magic" as laran psi-powers, then were rediscovered by humans from Earth [Terrans] -- is an especially good 'textbook' for people learning to use their own inner strengths.

Watching the almost-typical fairytale romance of Keeper Callista Lanart and Terran spacer Andrew Carr bloom into something else is magical in the best sense of the word. Damon Ridenow -- outcast from his beloved Arilinn Tower because he's actually more than just a Matrix technician -- and his love Ellemir [sister to Callista] are not just pretty people filling a need for extra faces in -The Spell Sword-. The four craft a friendship that becomes more than just friendship ... and will have a crucial effect on Darkovan history.

The action really kicks in as the tale progresses in -The Forbidden Tower-. Callista discovers -- painfully -- that the heritage she thought she had left behind as virginal Keeper of Arilinn Tower is almost more than she can bear to shatter [the fact that it nearly kills Andrew isn't just peripheral, either]. Ellimir discovers that she actually is gifted with the power of laran, and Damon takes centre stage as he discovers that he is a Keeper himself ... Keeper of what leronis Leonie Hastur scornfully calls "the Forbidden Tower". As the four individuals become more than just two married couples, they uncover vital knowledge lost in the millenia known as the Ages of Chaos.

The tragic denoument is kept away, which perhaps is just as well. If you truly want to be depressed, pick up -The Bloody Sun- to learn the fates of the four and their children. Although not quite as tragic as the hinted ending of another group of similar people, hinted at in -Sharra's Exile-, it can be a true 'downer' after the triumphant ending of -The Forbidden Tower-.

At least the knowledge is kept, however. It seems that no one can truly vanquish Varzil the Good! Although even *that* might be up for re-examination with -The Fall of Neskaya-...

If you are, like me, trying to fill out your Darkover series, then these Omnibus editions are for you. I am SO glad that I picked up the three I needed (Forbidden Circle, Heritage and Exile, and A World Divided). I am sure that the other Omnibus editions are just as wonderful. Make sure that you note which books are included in the omnibus, as it may not be evident from the title. Now that MZB has passed on, getting her books has been difficult.

The stories are well-written, the characters and world well-developed, and the books are hard to put down. You can start with any book in the series, really. But once you've read one, you'll want more!

Now if they will come out with an omnibus with the Hundred Kingdoms novels (Two to Conquer, and Heirs of Hammerfell), my series will be complete! :)

I'm happy to see this novel still available in this 2-in-1 edition. I read it 25 years ago, it was a symbol of my teenage rebellion.

The culture of the early Darkover novels was absorbing and great in that it made you suspend belief, so much so, the culture came alive.

This novel in the series brings a Human from Earth into the culture, giving you the whole fish out-of-water fish-eye view. The character Andrew suffers culture shock due to the fact the two married couples (the wives are sisters), basically; share some intimate quarters. They are also rebels together, going against the ruling parties of Darkover.

Depending where you are in the Chronology of Darkover, sometimes only women can be matrix tower keepers, other time periods, only the men are permitted.

There is some interesting use of Psychic powers that some of the Darkover people have developed, it makes the resistance to Science more easily understandable, especially by the High-born, who rule this medieval like society.

This novel is my favorite in the Darkover series. If you liked this novel, "Stormqueen' is another great Darkover novel. The novels before the 'Terrans' arrived were more fantastic fantasy.

Whew! Talk about a total challenge to a person's views on sexuality and practices in an uptight, promiscuous, sex and pornography addicted so called "Christian" nation like America! Then, contrast it to a fictional world where sexual mores are approximately 180 degrees different. On Darkover, sexual congress is considered and respected as a sacred human interaction without guilt, punishment or any of the other vileness seen in our own "modern" culture. Even for those who read with an open and receptive attitude this book will definitely blow your mind.

The story centers on Andrew, an off world man from old Terra. He has drifted aimlessly from one planet to another trying to find his niche and an emotional connection to make his life valid and meaningful. He lands on Cottman IV, called Darkover, to work with the newly relocated Terran enclave in the Mapping and Exploration Department during his brief stay over. The M&E plane crashes in a sudden, terrible storm in a remote mountainous area and he is the sole survivor. Throughout the crash aftermath he experiences profound dreams/delusions and near death. One "delusion" is of a woman who guides him toward safety and rescue. This is achieved through the mental "laran" projections by a powerful psychic, Callista, who Andrew discovers in these "lucid dreams" has been captured by an alien race called the "cat people". Her capture is for the purpose of stealing her matrix stone to enhance an illegal, gigantic matrix stone being manipulated by the cat people for the purpose of achieving their evil goal. The shape-shifting "cat people" want to destroy Darkover's current rule by humanity and achieve dominance of the planet.

Eventually Andrew is "guided" by Callista to her home in order to help her family rescue her. Once he gains guarded acceptance for the psychic experiences he has had with Callista, he is invited to work with Damon, a psychic trained at Arilinn. Damon, a cousin to Callista and her twin Ellemir, has just arrived to help in the rescue effort. Although Damon is a powerful psychic "laran" technician he was dismissed from Arilinn by Leonie as being "too sensitive" to do a Keeper's work. In fact, Damon has always been hopelessly in love with Leonie, but she cannot allow that threat to herself and her overall work as the Keeper. Damon, as a consequence, is filled with self doubt and issues about his manliness. He doubts his abilities as a psychic which he had repudiated out of fear and self loathing. His inner conflict hinders the rescue effort until Andrew joins the psychic circle to help him.

After Callista's rescue Damon marries Ellemir and eventually becomes a real Keeper of a "Forbidden Tower" in a major power struggle with the Arilinn Keeper Leonie. She repudiates him again and refuses to acknowledge him or his Forbidden Tower. During this power stuggle, Andrew, the Terran, and Callista unite in a common law marriage. They know that she cannot consummate their marriage until an answer is found to unblock her psychic energy channels. These "blockages" have been imprinted in her mind when she first went to Arilinn as a very young girl for training as a Keeper. They are seen as a requirement to free a Keeper to do only psychic work. Andrew finds himself in a huge struggle with his frustrated sexual energy. He is angry and conflicted because he cannot touch Callista without causing her irreparable harm or death. He will not reject or leave her despite his struggles. Damon, Callista and Ellemir agree to allow Andrew to bed Ellemir. This cultural practice is a common sexual more in Darkover for occasions when women are pregnant or ill and their men need that outlet.

As the story unfolds, Damon, Ellemir, Callista and Andrew become a group united as one to establish their Forbidden Tower. There is abundant sabotage, betrayal and personal sacrifice involved. They overcome their many struggles by utilizing psychic powers to do battle on both the material and spiritual planes. The wins, however, are not without grave losses. Much of these challenges are focused upon breaking through Callista's deeply programmed rejection of sexual congress to maintain her purity as a Keeper. As a consequence the foursome get involved in what,in our modern society, is called a "gang bang". This is viewed as "necessary" so that Callista can claim to be truly married. She does not want to be forced to leave Andrew, or to return to Arilinn as Keeper. It is their task to either achieve this act of "consumation" or Callista will be forced to legally marry a Comyn Noble. This viewpoint toward the "evil Terranan" Andrew and Callista's common law marriage results in a power struggle enabled by Leonie and fomented by the council of Comyn Overlords who rule the nation.

Andrew is a pathetic pawn in his conflicted Terran sexual consciousness. He is locked in a struggle to accept vastly different sexual mores of his new home on "primitive" Darkover. It is a fascinating treatise on how this man was conditioned to think and react relevant to sexual issues. He must reconcile his conscience over sexual congress between in-laws, group sex and same sex experiences. Along with this struggle he is forced to grapple with potent challenges to his world view and life experiences of space age technology, medicine, and other expectations. These conflicts define an emerging consciousness that contrast his vastly advanced technologically superior Terran origins versus the technologically primitive survival culture on Darkover.

The author clearly delineates the slavishness that men have to their sexuality, and how women are forced into a certain proscribed sexual roles, welcome or not, even in the most primitive cultures. It is a profoundly powerful statement. This exposition rang a number of bells in my personal experience as a psychologist who has treated women with issues of frigidity, repugnance toward, and repudiation of sex. Issues on an unconscious level that define rebellion against proscribed roles.

These sexual role expectations to serve a putative "divine mandate" were written in ancient times by male priests and remain today. Such imbalanced socio-religious teachings ignore any input from the feminine aspect in creation. Proof of male dominance in religious practices is seen in various cultures today which force women to wear veils, total body coverings, certain body markings, or into human trafficking as if women were inherently evil and punished accordingly or for the purpose of sexual perversion. However, for enlightened and learned people the feminine is regarded as the "key" to the greatest mystery confronting mankind. The literature from ancient times forward reveals the fact that in most biologically higher life forms and in many lower species only females can bear offspring. This feminine reproductive gift reveals the answer to ancient mankind's quest for the "holy grail" or Eternal Life. It begs the question why some cultures deny the sacredness of the feminine and revile females with acts of contempt, debasement and punishment. In this Darkovan story the issue is made less obscure.

There is also a brief introduction of a woman who is a Free Amazon from the Order of Renunciates who eschew all male dominance. This topic is addressed more fully in another one of MZB's outstanding books. Overall, this story is a shocker and real eye opener. For me it was a deeply profound psychological and philosophical exploration and one that will remain with me for a very long time intellectually and emotionally. A risky and brave work by MZB. Bravo.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's masterful "Spell Sword" and "Forbidden Tower" are grouped together in an omnbius edition linking the stories. Both stories involve Terran Andrew Carr, Darkovan Damon Ridenow,and the sisters Callista and Ellemir. In both tales,this quartet challenges the psychic power structure of Darkover. Darkover was MZB's amazing,heady blend of science fiction, fantasy, and social commentary. Other than Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, few writers have been able to blend science fiction with fantasy successfully.

In "Forbidden Tower",Andrew enters a common law marriage with Callista,who saved his life from the evil "cat people" using her laran (psychic powers). There is one major problem- how can they consummate their marriage, when Callista has been psychically trained to remain a virginal Keeper? The sexually frustrated Andrew is shocked when Damon, Callista, and Ellemir permit him to sleep with Ellemir. He is also shocked on Darkover when he sees their society has no problems with group sex/polyamory,homosexuality,and bisexuality.

At the same time,the quartet defies the psychic establishment,embodied in Leonie Hastur. In MZB's books,the unleashing of laran (psychic power) is connected with sexuality. In "Heritage of Hastur", Regis Hastur is finally free to use his psychic gifts when he comes out of the closet in his love for Danilo Syrtis. In "Forbidden Tower",a magical flower enables Callista to unblock herself&consummate her marriage with Andrew. There's also a foursome of Andrew/Damon/Callista/Ellemir. Ironically,it's their psychic,not sexual,connections that challenge Darkover society.

"Forbidden Tower" is a fascinating,heady blend of science fiction and fantasy.

Having read almost all of the Darkover series, and being a firm fan of it, I'd like to be just a little more critical.

First let's get one thing out of the way: this is an important book, and for anyone interested in Darkover, this two-novel volume is a must-have.

The two stories are two of the best. But having read most of MZB's love stories, I'm beginning to wonder whether her heroines are not a mite too precious. Yet, one wonders whether it is possible to make Callista and her sister more real, without risking losing the reader's positive disposition towards them. Perhaps the risk would be worth it.

One tries to see what must be going through the author's mind; what is she thinking when she writes these stories? There is a sense that she is trying too hard to create a heroine, and creates a goddess instead.

Andrew Carr, the poor earthman who plays second-fiddle to Callista Lanart finds himself teleported psycho-kinetically to where Callista is held prisoner at one time. This occurence is sort of glossed-over; IMO the pseudo-reality of the genre demands a little more attention to that sort of detail. Andrew Carr is also an example of how hard it was for MZB to get inside the mind of her male characters. She has partially succeeded, but if only she had done it fully!

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