Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the origins of Darkover, September 12, 2003
A Darkover novel.Chronologically, this is the first Darkover novel. Here we are introduced to the founders of Darkover. We see how humans first came to the planet, and how they began to adapt to their new surroundings. Unlike many other fantasy series, humans were not created on Darkover, but rather there was a space ship on a trip to begin a colony on another planet when the ship had troubles and crashed on an uncharted planet. Granted, that is not a terribly original idea either, but the how Bradley treats the topic is very original, and very well done. The crew is faced with the dilemma of whether to try to rebuild the ship (which will take several years at best) or to try to settle in and adapt on the unnamed planet (the planet does not get the name Darkover for at least a hundred years of its history). The crew and colonists are divided on this. Before anything else can be done there must be preliminary exploration of the planet so that they will be able to survive for as many years as necessary and also because if they are to be trapped on the planet for a while they must know what kind of planet it is. We are given glimpses of an ESP power that will be refined throughout the series and are introduced to an alien (though native to Darkover) race. We are shown the Ghost Wind, which induces humans to release their inhibitions. ... This novel serves as an introduction to Darkover (I believe it was the first novel in the series that I read years ago) as well as an important time in the history of Darkover (obviously, it is the founding). Darkover Landfall may not be the best novel in the series, but it provided enough interest for me to want to read more in the series.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This series is a thrilling blend of Sci-fi and Fantasy!, June 24, 2003
Heroines: varied
Colonists journeying to a new home make an emergency landing on an inhospitable planet and are stranded there. The once technologically advanced people regress to a medieval type of feudalism but acquire some impressive psi powers along the way thanks to intermarrying with the planet's natives, a large supply of a psychic ability boosting flower called Kireseth, and matrix crystals. The Darkoverans' still spacefaring Terran cousins rediscover them a few thousand years later and culture shock ensues as they try to become members of a galactic Imperial society.
What worked for me:
You may already know her as the author of "The Mists of Avalon" and "The Firebrand", but Marion Zimmer Bradley was also an excellent writer of science fiction as well. I got into the "Darkover" series as a teen and slurped them up quite eagerly. (Bear in mind these novels were written from the early 1960s onward, so some of them have a heavy dose of pro-woman thinking. But I can live with that, as there were no stories of this sort in that day and age. DARKOVER was groundbreaking when it came to putting women at the forefront of science fiction and fantasy novels instead of relegating them to the cast of supporting characters behind a "more capable" male protagonist.) Size-wise the women come in every shape, size, and ability. What didn't work for me: Opinion is divided as to how to sort out all these books. There are 20+ novels set in this world, but the author did not write them "in order". You can go to her home page and see both the publication order and the chronological order of the books and decide for yourself how to read them. If you choose to start with the chronologically earliest novel be forewarned it's good and will give you a great sense of background on the world, but it isn't the very best of the series so read a few more titles as well before making your decision about the universe of DARKOVER. (There lots of enjoyable short stories about this world as well, but I suggest reading at least a few novels before trying an anthology.)
Overall:
Princess Leia meets Xena Warrior Princess in this blend of science fiction and fantasy where laser pistol shootouts occur alongside sword fighting. A must-read for fans of those two genres. Warning: There are some references to homosexuality in some of the books. If you liked the Darkover series you might also enjoy "Cosm", "HomeGoing", "A Civil Campaign", "Memory", "Mirror Dance", "Channeling Cleopatra", "Time Pressure", "Ascendant Sun", "StarKissed", "Star-Crossed Lovers", or "Oracle".
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best science fiction series ever, September 15, 2000
By A Customer
I recommend that a new reader of science fiction in general or of Marion Zimmer Bradley begin with this book, since it is chronologically the first Darkover novel. The series is my all time favorite, closely followed by the Riverworld series of Pilip Jose Farmer and the Dune Series. Anyway, the best book of all is "The Heritage of Hastur" but they are all terrific. MZB liked "The Heritage of Hastur" best, herself, I remember reading somewhere. This is a REAL science fiction series, not a fantasy series, and it is the best of the best.
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