Heritage and Exile: The Heritage of Hastur; Sharra's Exile (Darkover Omnibus) [Mass Market Paperback]

Good to see these books reissued, as they're among the best of the sprawling Darkover series. Nicely angsty and dark, with one of Bradley's best (sort-of) villains and some of her most engaging heroes. It's also nice to reread these after the post "Exile's Song" books, which were fairly dreadful (Lew Alton's & Regis's infuriating and improbably personality changes, for example). Lots of dramatic tension, the inevitable and entertaining Bradley homoeroticism (aren't they sweet?), and plenty of melodrama, magic and detailed worldbuilding. Good reads set in one of the best fantasy/sci-fi worlds around: this was definitely her best period as a writer.

The Heritage of Hastur:

Set in an alien and cold world where the relationship between the Terrans and Darkover's original colonists treads a delicate balance of co-existence, Heritage centres on those who seek to bring the planet out of its anachronistic existence and put it on an equal footing with the Terran words. While the people of Darkover reject the advances of Terran science they have developed their own special abilities, namely their mental powers of telepathy and their ability to control the matrix. At the core of the story are Lew Alton, caught between the aggressive young idealists looking to the future and his loyalty to the Comyn; and Regis, the very young potential Regent-heir of Hastur.

The story is a fine interweaving of the complex plot and the personal lives of the many characters. The Comyn people's beliefs rooted in a society where loyalty and honour reign above all else means that even the darker characters have their standards. But among the many individuals both Lew and Regis are particularly appealing characters. Regis especially as he struggles with his own desires; in his early teens and with the longing to travel off world (something denied him) he is a reluctant heir, he is hampered too in having the potential for telepathic powers but seemingly unable to realise them; and he begins to recognises in himself a desire to reach out to other men or youths. Particularly heart-warming is the relationship which develops between Regis his fellow cadet Danilo, a youngster of high moral standards who becomes devoted to Regis.

The Heritage of Hastur is an intense, compelling and intricate epic, but what make it especially appealing is that at its root is the people, the individual and varied characters who populate the story.

Sharas Exile

Note: Swords of Aldones was conceived when the author was just fifteen years old, before Heritage and Exile. Having subsequently written Heritage Marion Zimmer Bradley then considered Swords less than satisfactory and eventually decided that while Swords was basically a good idea it was written when she had neither the skill nor the maturity to handle it; she decided not to rewrite it but to write an entirely new book based on events in the same time frame as Swords; that book is Sharra's Exile.

Chronologically in Darkover's history Sharra's Exile follows on from Heritage and Exile after a gap of just a few years. Lew is living off world with his father seeking to save his damaged hand, he also has with him for the safety of Darkover the powerful Shara Matrix. On Darkover Regis is coming to terms with his role as his grandfather's eventual successor. We also learn very soon that his relationship with Danilo has progressed beyond the latter being sworn paxman, and with great subtly on the author's part we realise they are now also lovers. When Lew returns from exile to stand for his rights as Lord of his Domain, he inevitably brings with him the Shara Matrix, unleashing series of events that will threaten the very existence of Darkover.

Told as was Heritage and Exile, in alternate chapters in third person narrative and then narrated by Lew in the first person, Shara's Exile is a complex and involving story, full of political intrigue, drama and love as the Comyn struggle for their own survival, an anachronism in the time of an interstellar empire; events which will ultimately demonstrate that love conquers all. It is on the whole a gripping read; it does at times get bogged down and suffer occasionally from repetition of certain points, but other than that the writing is first rate, one feels absolutely confident the author's hands.