The Saga of the Renunciates (The Shattered Chain, Thendara House, City of Sorcery) (Darkover) (Paperback)

by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Author), Romas Kukalis (Illustrator) "Night was lowering across the Dry Towns, hesitating as if, at this season, the great red sun were reluctant to set..." (more)
Key Phrases: housebound time, neutering operation, spaceport bars, Lady Rohana, Free Amazons, Dry Towns (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Long out of print, these three Darkover books tell the tale of two Free Amazon women whose lives are irrevocably entwined.

"Literate and exciting." (The New York Times Book Review)

Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: DAW (August 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756400929
• ISBN-13: 978-0756400927
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #181,927 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strong women's story, September 2, 2002

By	K. Watson (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The saga of the renunciates is an omnibus of MZB's three "Darkover" novels that deal with the Renunciate's Guild - a group within Darkovan society that allows women to free themselves from the oppressive rules of their world. At this point of Darkovan history, the planet (a lost colony of Earth) has been rediscovered by the Terran Empire. It works well as a single volume, as it's the three-part story of a "Terran" woman (Margali) who becomes involved in the guild by accident, and her personal growth as a result.

Personally, I find the third story rather tedious - it is a quest story in which a group of women go searching for a mythical or secret Women's City, involving a lot of walking through frozen mountains and (I thought) a fairly anticlimactic ending.

Some of the Terran gender relations in the book seem somewhat dated, reading like a reflection of the late 70s-early 80s period when the stories were written, although the alien Darkovan version seems much less so.

In general, a rewarding book, which should appeal to anyone who enjoys speculative fiction with strong feminist characters.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong novels, June 7, 2004

By	"naturegirl22" (PA) - See all my reviews

I disagree with the last review. I have been collecting all the Darkover novels, which has been difficult considering how most of them are out of print since the 70s. The Age of Chaos omnibus and the Saga of the Renunciates are some of my favorite Darkover books. I like the fact the MZB is not afraid to portray her female characters as strong, intelligent women. The stories in this omnibus are not "women against men" at all. There are strong male characters in all three books, and wonderful relationships between both male and female characters. The world of Darkover is one of women taking a submissive and passive role of keeping hearth and home and bearing children. The Renunciates are a totally different aspect of that world, one that is often disapproved of and shunned by the other part. While other novels have touched on the Renunciates in passing, none have given any of those women a chance to tell their stories of how and why they came to the Guild. These books are the stories of women, their lives, their relationships with men, and their friendships with one another. I would not call these books feminist at all. Unless you call well developed, realistic female characters in a story a feminist movement. I call it good writing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better on rereading, December 31, 2004

By	dandysmom "dandysmom" (washington, dc United States) - See all my reviews

I read these 3 novels in the late 70's-early 80's and loved them...recently found the 3 novel compendium and enjoyed it more the second time around. What a wonderfully imagined world!! How I wish we had something like the Guild here on Earth! As an old feminist in my 70's, I cannot recommend them more highly...READ!!