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Darkover Anthology #13
Music of Darkover
An anthology of stories, songs, and articles about Darkover and its music. Contents include:
The Ballad of Hastur and Cassilda, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Outlaw, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Darkover through the Flowinglass, by Margaret Davis
Right to Choose, by India Edghill
All Who Breathe Are Chained, by Rosemary Edghill
The Horsetamer's Daughter, by Leslie Fish
Tower of Horses, by Leslie Fish
Poetic Justice (reprint), by Mercedes Lackey
Darkovan filksongs, by Cynthia McQuillin
Danila's Song (reprint), by Vera Nazarian
The Starstone and the Mirror Ball, by Raul S. Reyes
The Music of the Spheres, by Michael Spence
A Capella (reprint), by Elisabeth Waters
A Song for Capella, by Elisabeth Waters
The Ballad of Hastur and Cassilda, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Outlaw, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Darkover through the Flowinglass, by Margaret Davis
Right to Choose, by India Edghill
All Who Breathe Are Chained, by Rosemary Edghill
The Horsetamer's Daughter, by Leslie Fish
Tower of Horses, by Leslie Fish
Poetic Justice (reprint), by Mercedes Lackey
Darkovan filksongs, by Cynthia McQuillin
Danila's Song (reprint), by Vera Nazarian
The Starstone and the Mirror Ball, by Raul S. Reyes
The Music of the Spheres, by Michael Spence
A Capella (reprint), by Elisabeth Waters
A Song for Capella, by Elisabeth Waters
246 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2013
21 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Elisabeth Waters
133 books57 followersElisabeth Waters sold her first short story in 1980 to Marion Zimmer Bradley for The Keeper's Price, the first of the Darkover anthologies. She then went on to sell dozens of short stories to a variety of anthologies. Her first novel, a fantasy called Changing Fate, was awarded the 1989 Gryphon Award. Its sequel is Mending Fate, published in 2016.
She currently writes short stories and has edited the Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which ended with Sword and Sorceress 34.
She has also worked as a supernumerary with the San Francisco Opera, where she appeared in La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Khovanschina, Das Rheingold, Werther, and Idomeneo.
She currently writes short stories and has edited the Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which ended with Sword and Sorceress 34.
She has also worked as a supernumerary with the San Francisco Opera, where she appeared in La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Khovanschina, Das Rheingold, Werther, and Idomeneo.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 30, 2015
The Music of Darkover, edited by Elisabeth Waters and Leslie Fish, is a rather special anthology - in addition to the stories - some new, but with three reprinted from earlier volumes in the series because of the role that music plays in them - it collects the songs that Bradley herself wrote for the Darkovan series, the original (mostly Scottish Gaelic) songs Bradley based them on, "traditional" Darkovan songs written by others, and various filksongs with a Darkovan theme. Elisabeth Waters says in her Introduction:
... this anthology started with a song: “The Horsetamer’s Daughter,” written by Leslie Fish in 1983. It was hardly her first filk song; I owned a copy of her record (and I’m talking about an LP here) Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain’t Even Been Yet, which was released in 1976.
Leslie, in addition to being a gifted songwriter, also writes fiction, so eventually she wrote the story behind the song. When Deborah J. Ross and I started working on STARS OF DARKOVER, the new Darkover anthology scheduled for June 2014, Leslie sent us “Tower of Horses.” The problem is that it is over 30,000 words long and would take up more than a third of the anthology, so I came up with the idea of slipping an extra anthology into the schedule a year early.
Fish's novella, "Tower of Horses" comes first in the anthology, and it is a good one. Set a generation after the destruction of the Tower of Hali, it is the tale of a young woman with the Hastur gift born into a family of horse-trainers. Fish presents the Ages of Chaos as a time when the ordinary working classes suffered greatly from the arrogance and excesses of the Comyn and the deadly laran weapons used in their endless wars. Free of overlordship for years after the fall of Hali, when the Comyn and their laranzus and leronis return, the people resist, and even though she has no matrix and no training, Cath is able to form a Keeper's circle with horses rather than humans, in order to protect her people, her land, and her beloved wild horses.
India Edghill's story "Right to Choose" is a variation on the story of Melora Aillard from The Shattered Chain - in this tale, the Renunciates hired to free a kidnapped Comyn woman from a Dry-Towner discover that the young woman is no victim, but a willing bride, who eloped with her lover and freely chose his chains. The story is complemented by the lyrics of a song written by Edghill's sister Rosemary Edghill, which has as its refrain
But all who breathe are chained
For power, love, or wealth
By laran, breeding, family
By others or by self.
Vera Nazarian's "Danila's Song" is a reprint from the eighth Darkover anthology, Renunciates of Darkover (1991). It is the story of psychological healing following trauma, triggered by a song. While some things bothered me - reference to a male Keeper in a time when the Terrans have just arrived on Darkover, and a debate over whether a person can inherit two donas, or laran abilities - I enjoyed the story, although I found that I wanted to know much more about the eponymous Danila than the few bits of information Nazarian gives us.
Raul S. Reyes' "The Starstone and the Mirror Ball" begins with a whimsical premise - after unknown centuries, Terrans still love disco. When a young Ridenow explores the Thendara disco scene, the lights and music trigger threshold sickness, and the development of an unusual and feared form of laran.
In Michael Spence's "Music of the Spheres, set - at least in the beginning - in the era of the Hundred Kingdoms, a quartet of retired Tower technicians take to writing and performing music, with unexpectedly transcendent results.
"Poetic Licence" by Mercedes Lackey is another reprint, having first been published in the twelfth Darkover anthology, Snows of Darkover (1994). Set in the time of Varzil the Good, it is a light, almost comic account of a young noble with a predilection for plagarising the work of his fellow music students and the ultimate consequences of his folly.
Elisabeth Waters' "A Capella," another reprint from Snows of Darkover, features Gavin Dellaray, a minor character from The Heirs of Hammerfell, caught in the difficult position of trying to teach Capella Ridenow, the tone-deaf nedestra cousin of the King, the soprano part in his next cantata.
The final story of the anthology, also by Waters, is a comic sequel to her reprint, "A Song for Capella," in which Gavin Dellaray is hard put to produce a suitable musical program to celebrate the marriage of Capella to Lord Alton.
As for the music of Darkover, Margaret Davis, one of several musicians in Bradley's circle of companions, presents a brief account of the role Bradley and other played in the creation of several published works, including a suite of songs taken from Tolkien's work with music written by Bradley, and a record of songs from the Darkover books, written or adapted by Bradley or other musicians, and arranged by Davis and her husband Kristof Klover. Following this account are the lyrics of the songs themselves - including all twenty-odd verses of the ballad of Callista and Hastur. An anthology with a difference, and a most enjoyable one, especially for those who have always been interested in the songs of Darkover.
*Of the eight pieces of short fiction in this anthology, six are identifiable as being written by women.
... this anthology started with a song: “The Horsetamer’s Daughter,” written by Leslie Fish in 1983. It was hardly her first filk song; I owned a copy of her record (and I’m talking about an LP here) Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain’t Even Been Yet, which was released in 1976.
Leslie, in addition to being a gifted songwriter, also writes fiction, so eventually she wrote the story behind the song. When Deborah J. Ross and I started working on STARS OF DARKOVER, the new Darkover anthology scheduled for June 2014, Leslie sent us “Tower of Horses.” The problem is that it is over 30,000 words long and would take up more than a third of the anthology, so I came up with the idea of slipping an extra anthology into the schedule a year early.
Fish's novella, "Tower of Horses" comes first in the anthology, and it is a good one. Set a generation after the destruction of the Tower of Hali, it is the tale of a young woman with the Hastur gift born into a family of horse-trainers. Fish presents the Ages of Chaos as a time when the ordinary working classes suffered greatly from the arrogance and excesses of the Comyn and the deadly laran weapons used in their endless wars. Free of overlordship for years after the fall of Hali, when the Comyn and their laranzus and leronis return, the people resist, and even though she has no matrix and no training, Cath is able to form a Keeper's circle with horses rather than humans, in order to protect her people, her land, and her beloved wild horses.
India Edghill's story "Right to Choose" is a variation on the story of Melora Aillard from The Shattered Chain - in this tale, the Renunciates hired to free a kidnapped Comyn woman from a Dry-Towner discover that the young woman is no victim, but a willing bride, who eloped with her lover and freely chose his chains. The story is complemented by the lyrics of a song written by Edghill's sister Rosemary Edghill, which has as its refrain
But all who breathe are chained
For power, love, or wealth
By laran, breeding, family
By others or by self.
Vera Nazarian's "Danila's Song" is a reprint from the eighth Darkover anthology, Renunciates of Darkover (1991). It is the story of psychological healing following trauma, triggered by a song. While some things bothered me - reference to a male Keeper in a time when the Terrans have just arrived on Darkover, and a debate over whether a person can inherit two donas, or laran abilities - I enjoyed the story, although I found that I wanted to know much more about the eponymous Danila than the few bits of information Nazarian gives us.
Raul S. Reyes' "The Starstone and the Mirror Ball" begins with a whimsical premise - after unknown centuries, Terrans still love disco. When a young Ridenow explores the Thendara disco scene, the lights and music trigger threshold sickness, and the development of an unusual and feared form of laran.
In Michael Spence's "Music of the Spheres, set - at least in the beginning - in the era of the Hundred Kingdoms, a quartet of retired Tower technicians take to writing and performing music, with unexpectedly transcendent results.
"Poetic Licence" by Mercedes Lackey is another reprint, having first been published in the twelfth Darkover anthology, Snows of Darkover (1994). Set in the time of Varzil the Good, it is a light, almost comic account of a young noble with a predilection for plagarising the work of his fellow music students and the ultimate consequences of his folly.
Elisabeth Waters' "A Capella," another reprint from Snows of Darkover, features Gavin Dellaray, a minor character from The Heirs of Hammerfell, caught in the difficult position of trying to teach Capella Ridenow, the tone-deaf nedestra cousin of the King, the soprano part in his next cantata.
The final story of the anthology, also by Waters, is a comic sequel to her reprint, "A Song for Capella," in which Gavin Dellaray is hard put to produce a suitable musical program to celebrate the marriage of Capella to Lord Alton.
As for the music of Darkover, Margaret Davis, one of several musicians in Bradley's circle of companions, presents a brief account of the role Bradley and other played in the creation of several published works, including a suite of songs taken from Tolkien's work with music written by Bradley, and a record of songs from the Darkover books, written or adapted by Bradley or other musicians, and arranged by Davis and her husband Kristof Klover. Following this account are the lyrics of the songs themselves - including all twenty-odd verses of the ballad of Callista and Hastur. An anthology with a difference, and a most enjoyable one, especially for those who have always been interested in the songs of Darkover.
*Of the eight pieces of short fiction in this anthology, six are identifiable as being written by women.
January 29, 2020
Great music and singing but the rest is kind of Meh...
February 1, 2019
This book is mostly songs, filks, descriptions of MZB and her friends interest in music. Three of the stories were ones already read in previous anthologies. However, the first story The Horse Tamer's Daughter was worth the entire book. The story of how the seventh domain came into being after the destruction of Hali.
February 8, 2026
It was good, but to many reprints that I had already read, recently. Highlights: Tower of Horses, dumb name, great story; A Song for Cappella, nice sequel, both funny and moving in 5 pages. Also, it felt like a leitmotif, recalling the opening story, to use a music reference.
May 27, 2018
This addition to the series of Darkover Anthologies is made up in part of lyrics to songs from the Darkover series.
July 22, 2020
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
September 26, 2020
More Darkovan wonders and this time with music
September 3, 2014
In this I have found not only stories and songs of Darkover, but a new musical artist to follow.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's daughter Moira Greyland/Stern released her album 'Avalon's Daughter' and if Marion's voice was anything like Moira's it is a shame nothing of her voice was recorded. I would love to hear one day Moira sing Darkover songs in a album.
Moira's album 'Avalon's Daughter' is available at Amazon.com.
Rothesay Bay
Oro Mo Bhaidin
A Maid That's Deep in Love
(Note, I could not find 'Guinevere's Song', 'The Pretty Girl Milking a Cow', 'Brochan Lom', 'The Bonny Boy', 'The Spinning Wheel', 'She Moved Through the Fair', 'Birnie Bouzle', 'Danny Boy', 'Lament for Eoin Ruadh', 'Leezie Lindsay', 'Black Is the Color', 'Sunrise Over Stonehenge'.)
Other songs which Moira Greyland sings that can be found on YouTube, but are not on the album 'Avalon's Daughter'.
The Mira
Come By The Hill
Maid On The Shore
Paint It Black
Courtyard Lullaby
O Holy Night
John Anderson My Jo
Crazy Man Michael
Drive The Cold Winter Away
---
Also in this collection is Leslie Fish's short story 'Tower of Horses', based on the song by Leslie Fish and Julia Ecklar The Horse Tamer's Daughter.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's daughter Moira Greyland/Stern released her album 'Avalon's Daughter' and if Marion's voice was anything like Moira's it is a shame nothing of her voice was recorded. I would love to hear one day Moira sing Darkover songs in a album.
Moira's album 'Avalon's Daughter' is available at Amazon.com.
Rothesay Bay
Oro Mo Bhaidin
A Maid That's Deep in Love
(Note, I could not find 'Guinevere's Song', 'The Pretty Girl Milking a Cow', 'Brochan Lom', 'The Bonny Boy', 'The Spinning Wheel', 'She Moved Through the Fair', 'Birnie Bouzle', 'Danny Boy', 'Lament for Eoin Ruadh', 'Leezie Lindsay', 'Black Is the Color', 'Sunrise Over Stonehenge'.)
Other songs which Moira Greyland sings that can be found on YouTube, but are not on the album 'Avalon's Daughter'.
The Mira
Come By The Hill
Maid On The Shore
Paint It Black
Courtyard Lullaby
O Holy Night
John Anderson My Jo
Crazy Man Michael
Drive The Cold Winter Away
---
Also in this collection is Leslie Fish's short story 'Tower of Horses', based on the song by Leslie Fish and Julia Ecklar The Horse Tamer's Daughter.
August 2, 2016
I have been a long time fan of Darkover for years and I was excited to see that their were new Anthologies. I am giving this four stars instead for five for several reasons. One reason is that I felt that there was a lot of filler in this book. While it was nice to have copies of the lyrics to Darkover filk music and an essay by Margaret Davis on her and her husband working with Marion Zimmer Bradley on the music she wrote to Tolkien songs from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings it took away from having more actual stories.
The main story which is the longest Tower of Horses by Leslie Fish was the longest and the main reason I bought the book. One of my favorite filk songs has always been Horse Tamer's Daughter and I was super excited to finally have a story based on the song.
Leslie Fish is a good writer and I enjoyed the character of Kieran Alton quite a bit. I liked finding out the how and why the lords and wizards came again to Hali town. My issue was with the main character Cath. One thing that bothered me was her having black hair I had always been under the impression that anyone with laran had to have red hair. The other thing is she is thirteen years old and of course just knows what is best for her family in spite of what her father and grandmother think. I know a lot of kids think that and as a middle age woman it annoys me no end. I did like how she figured out how to use her power. The other main issue I had was in the filk song is does not say who attacked who first. I was quite angry with how the conflict between Cath and the wizard band played out. It is not a bad story just a tad disappointing for me.
The other stories are great and add much to the Darkover lore my favorite was The Starstone and the Mirror Ball by Raul S Reyes.
This is a must read for any fan of Darkover.
The main story which is the longest Tower of Horses by Leslie Fish was the longest and the main reason I bought the book. One of my favorite filk songs has always been Horse Tamer's Daughter and I was super excited to finally have a story based on the song.
Leslie Fish is a good writer and I enjoyed the character of Kieran Alton quite a bit. I liked finding out the how and why the lords and wizards came again to Hali town. My issue was with the main character Cath. One thing that bothered me was her having black hair I had always been under the impression that anyone with laran had to have red hair. The other thing is she is thirteen years old and of course just knows what is best for her family in spite of what her father and grandmother think. I know a lot of kids think that and as a middle age woman it annoys me no end. I did like how she figured out how to use her power. The other main issue I had was in the filk song is does not say who attacked who first. I was quite angry with how the conflict between Cath and the wizard band played out. It is not a bad story just a tad disappointing for me.
The other stories are great and add much to the Darkover lore my favorite was The Starstone and the Mirror Ball by Raul S Reyes.
This is a must read for any fan of Darkover.
March 3, 2014
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series inspired a number of people to write in her universe, and multiple collections have been published with stories set on or about Darkover. (Darkover anthologies).
Music of Darkover, the latest of these, is uneven. The book description says "An anthology of stories, songs, and articles about Darkover and its music."
One of the articles went into detail about how various songs written by MZB were arranged and recorded. This may be of interest to people who have actually heard the songs, but went way over my head. Similarly, there were lyrics of some songs, including alternate versions of source material. This part reminded me of Christopher Tolkien's books annotating J.R.R. Tolkien - interesting if you already know the polished version, but not particularly helpful if you don't know what the goal is.
There is a wonderful new story by India Edgehill about a young woman who doesn't want to be rescued, and a corresponding song by Rosemary Edgehill. Those were the high points of this anthology for me. I also enjoyed the stories by Mercedes Lackey and Elisabeth Waters which had been in other Darkover anthologies and a coda by Elisabeth Waters which I think was new. The longest story, "Tower of Horses" by Leslie Fish (100 pages) was an attempt to expand a filk song into prose. The song, "The Horse Tamer's Daughter", was interesting, but the story struck me as fan fiction not ready for professional publication.
Music of Darkover, the latest of these, is uneven. The book description says "An anthology of stories, songs, and articles about Darkover and its music."
One of the articles went into detail about how various songs written by MZB were arranged and recorded. This may be of interest to people who have actually heard the songs, but went way over my head. Similarly, there were lyrics of some songs, including alternate versions of source material. This part reminded me of Christopher Tolkien's books annotating J.R.R. Tolkien - interesting if you already know the polished version, but not particularly helpful if you don't know what the goal is.
There is a wonderful new story by India Edgehill about a young woman who doesn't want to be rescued, and a corresponding song by Rosemary Edgehill. Those were the high points of this anthology for me. I also enjoyed the stories by Mercedes Lackey and Elisabeth Waters which had been in other Darkover anthologies and a coda by Elisabeth Waters which I think was new. The longest story, "Tower of Horses" by Leslie Fish (100 pages) was an attempt to expand a filk song into prose. The song, "The Horse Tamer's Daughter", was interesting, but the story struck me as fan fiction not ready for professional publication.
February 26, 2016
This new anthology has stories and articles about the role of music plays on the planet Darkover. The stories are interesting and some funny. Readers will enjoy this collection.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews