Customer Reviews

Rediscovery: A Novel of Darkover

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This Darkover novel is similar to "Darkover Landfall" in that it deals with the discovery (in this case, rediscovery) of the planet Darkover by Terrans landing on the planet. There are rather significant differences, of course. "Rediscovery" takes place a couple of thousand years after "Darkover Landfall" and the ship that colonized Darkover is known only as one of the "Lost Ships" that was unaccounted for. The Terran spacecraft has been traveling for several years, looking for a habitable planet on which to land and conduct experiments to determine whether or not the planet is able to be colonized. The novel's viewpoint switches back and forth between the ship and the telepath's who learn the ship is coming.

Part of the novel (that which is suggested by the title) is focused on the ship, its crew, and the discovery that the people of Darkover are comprised of the descendants of former Terran colonists. The other viewpoint is that of the native Darkovans. We see Leonie Hastur, a woman going to train her extremely powerful laran in one of the Towers. Even though I know the novel's focus was truly on the rediscovery of Darkover, it was the Leonie chapters that interested me the most.

The events of this novel were a turning point in the history of Darkover as there will now be a Terran presence on Darkover and a greater technological impact on what was once a low-tech world. This was not one of the best Darkover novels, but I enjoyed it and it was a story that needed to be told as it allows for all of the novels that are set after "Rediscovery". I would not start the series with "Rediscovery", but if you like the series then there is no reason you shouldn't read this one, too.

... if I hadn't read the Renunciates trilogy.

While trying to avoid several spoilers to said trilogy, there is a completely unresolvable conflict between Rediscovery and the trilogy. Minor distortions of time and space, little contradictions, don't bother me so much -- but this one can't be resolved in any way that makes any sense.

(Not to mention, given Lorill Hastur's supposed experiences in this book, as well as his twin Leonie's, their subsequent denial in both The Shattered Chain and The Forbidden Tower that ANY Terran could have laran ability just flat-out makes no sense. *sigh*)

Read it, and try to enjoy it, because seeing the great Keeper Leonie of Arllinn as a mischevious teenager is fun. But try to keep it separate in your mind from the rest of the Darkover series.

okay, this book is about when the terrans rediscovered darkover. the two main characters are Elizabeth MacKintosh (later to become Elizabeth Lorne) and Leonie Hastur. It switches back and forth from their points of view. On the terran ship, there are colonists that are looking for a planet where they can settle, and they find darkover, although they do not know it's darkover yet, and they keep of seeing strange things going on. But on darkover there is Leonie who is being sent to the tower of Daleruth, who is feeling annoyed because she feels that her twin brother Lorill is getting in her way of becoming a keeper because she has a ton of power and the hastur gift because Lorill got to go to Arilinn while Leonie had to go to Daleruth. so when the terrans land, they land in the hellers and are met by the aldarans and start to build a spaceport. and then leonie sents lorill up to the hellers and finds himself in a difficult situation.

this is a good book to start reading darkover with, but is awful for people who notice inconsistantcies (lorill and leonie see that some of the terrans have laran). but i thought it was really good even though it doesn't support lorill and leonie's argument in the shattered chain.

Bad? Not at all. I thought it was fascinating. It is particularly interesting to read about how the people of Darkover came to become such powerful telepaths, why the Comyn mostly have red hair and other really interesting insights.

My only complaint is was too short and I wanted more. Of the dozen or so Darkover books I've read, I really did enjoy this one too.

I'm an MZB / Darkover fan from way back. Was quite excited to find this book. It started well, had lots of potential to be a good novel but towards the end it just faded away. After the death of Ysaye and the severing of Leonie Hastur's links to Ysaye, allowing Ysaye to die and Leonie to live, it collapsed completely. It read as if the last half of the book had been deleted and a couple of pages substituted. All in all, it filled some gaps in Darkover history, but left a lot of unanswered questions. As other reviewers have noted, perhaps the weakest book in the series. Worth a read for all that but expect to be disappointed with what it doesn't cover.

I had read critics' reviews of this book and wondered what could have possible gone so wrong to cause such lackluster reviews. I'm still trying to figure out what was wrong as this was a well-written, intriguing story. My only complaint would be that so much time is spent laying the background that the exciting parts are towards the end and seem very short. I can only hope a sequel is coming to further develop the plot line explored in this book.

I truly enjoyed this book. Being the first of Marion Zimmer Bradley's that I read, it is the one that hooked me on Darkover. I would say that, not only do we get a glimpse into a differnt family (the Aldarans) and meet Margaret's mother, but we get to learn in detail about one of the most signifigant events in Darkoverian history. The characters are well portrayed, and your heart alternately breaks and leaps with joy as the characters cross hurdles. My favorite character was Ysaye. This book makes a powerful statement about abortion and the differnce between love and lust. I would recommend it to anyone...

Absolutely horrible. Your scale of stars should include some with negatives...in which case this book would receive -5 from me instantly.

I'm a diehard Darkover and MZB fan. I can't believe MZB would lend her name to this mediocre effort. Mercedes Lackey has done her best to ruin the one story of Darkover I have been wanting to read since I first started this series back in the 70's.

The dialogue between the crew members is appallingly juvenile. There is an awesome lack of characterization, plot, theme and just plain common sense about this entire story. Please, someone keep Mercedes Lackey far, far away from Darkover!

it starts out with a ship from earth sending a team down to darkover for exploration. this shuttle crashes and ends up standed in the middle of a blizzard. an interesting subplot also
tells the story of a young leonie hastur and her first trip to
a tower for training of her laran. this i find slightlty more
interesting becasue most darkover novels potray her in later life
as a very unapproacable keeper and this book shows a more softer
human side. anyway one of the people on the shuttle is also telepathic and her and leonie develop a friendship that is forbidden. the outcome of all of this is just superb and well worth reading.

I found this book a repetition of situations seem in other darkover books, but not as well written. I waited years to read this book (because it was not available printed in my country) and was disapointed.