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Das graue Schloß am Meer
Ein romantischer Thriller von der Königin der phantastischen Literatur!
Die junge Tänzerin Laura ist nach Paris gekommen, um dort im Variété zu arbeiten. Doch dann überrascht ein Unbekannt sie mit einer Bitte: Laura soll ihn, den Baron de Montigny, heiraten und sich als seine ermordete erste Frau Monique ausgeben, der sie zum Verwechseln ähnlich sieht. Laura nimmt das Angebot an - und befindet sich bald in größter Gefahr ...
Die junge Tänzerin Laura ist nach Paris gekommen, um dort im Variété zu arbeiten. Doch dann überrascht ein Unbekannt sie mit einer Bitte: Laura soll ihn, den Baron de Montigny, heiraten und sich als seine ermordete erste Frau Monique ausgeben, der sie zum Verwechseln ähnlich sieht. Laura nimmt das Angebot an - und befindet sich bald in größter Gefahr ...
222 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Marion Zimmer Bradley
824 books4,969 followersMarion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley was an American author of fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover series, often with a feminist outlook.
Bradley's first published novel-length work was Falcons of Narabedla, first published in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as Henry Kuttner, Edmond Hamilton, and Leigh Brackett, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the speculative fiction genre, including some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story The Planet Savers introduced the planet of Darkover, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with science fiction overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth colony where psi powers developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy fandom, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including male authors in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death in September of 1999.
Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon. A retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
Her reputation has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
(from Wikipedia)
Bradley's first published novel-length work was Falcons of Narabedla, first published in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as Henry Kuttner, Edmond Hamilton, and Leigh Brackett, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the speculative fiction genre, including some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story The Planet Savers introduced the planet of Darkover, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with science fiction overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth colony where psi powers developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy fandom, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including male authors in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death in September of 1999.
Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon. A retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
Her reputation has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 28, 2019
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
When we first meet Laura Monteith, she is an American singer working at the “Theatre Etoile,” a rough and tumble music hall smack dab in the middle of an equally rough Paris neighborhood.
Laura’s a long way away from what her parents had in mind for her all those years before, back when she was taking voice lessons at the conservatory. They viewed her singing lessons as a “proper ladylike pursuit,” she on the other hand, was always keen on an operatic career. Her parents were discouraging of this path due to the stigma they associated with people of “the stage.”
As fate would have it, both her parents were killed in a carriage accident which, despite her deep sense of grief, did allow her to pursue her dream.
But the working conditions at Theatre Etoile are about as far away from “dreamy” as possible, what with the lack of proper heating, the uncertainty of whether or not wages will be paid and on top of it all is the advances of some of the more brash patrons. But despite these challenges, Laura and her fellow performers from a kind of happy comradery amongst themselves.
Interestingly, a buzz arises amidst the performers, the subject of which is “Laura’s admirer.” He’s a man she describes as, “Tall, fine, elegant, with shining fair hair and a knife-edge profile, impeccably tailored and groomed.” He always seem to arrive at the theatre just in time for Laura’s performance and he leaves quite soon after she’s done.
On one particular evening the man knocks on Laura’s dressing room door, she, assuming it’s a fellow cast member, says, “Come in,” and when the man enters, she recognizes him immediately and is frightened. The man, for his part, is quite respectful, and casually mentions that he is friends with the theater manager. He then praises her French and says he has a proposition to make to her. Laura, fearing the worst, shrieks and the man steps back. By this time, the cast members seize the well-dressed intruder and show him the door.
That very evening, after the show a few of the cast visit a local café, and there, much to Laura’s surprise, is her admirer, well turned out, (except perhaps for the bruise on his cheek from the earlier tussle), making his way toward her. All jaws drop when he introduces himself as Etienne de Montigny (a count) along with his godmother, the Baroness de Lamonde.
The count then invites Laura to join him for dinner (the Baroness as chaperone), to discuss his proposition in greater detail. Laura agrees and the three of them leave the restaurant, entering a rather luxurious coach.
The dinner, he informs her, will be at the Baroness’s house, “The nature of my business with you, mademoiselle, makes it impossible to be seen with you in a public restaurant.” They proceed to the Baroness’s stately townhouse and once inside, gathered in the library. It was only then that the count revealed his outlandish proposal,
“Mademoiselle Laura Monteith, I wish you to do me the honor of becoming my wife…”
It turns out that Laura looks almost identical to Countess Monique. This is important to Count Etienne.
The count’s wife (Monique) is rumored to have left him for another man, or may be dead, no one is quite sure. All her husband knows is that she is missing. The count and countess have one small child, which is the most complicating factor of all, since the countess is the legal heir to the sprawling chateau. Count Etienne informs Laura that the family of Countess Monique are a devious pack of thieves, and if they were to find out that the inheritance were left for one helpless child to inherit, then that child’s very life may be in danger. Etienne’s plan is that Laura will impersonate Monique, and if they can pull it off, the family will assume the Countess Monique is the legal heir to the chateau, this saving the child from potential peril.
What follows are a series of extraordinary occurrences, including: Treacherous horseback rides, a terrifying scrape with injury or death in long closed off wing of the chateau and my favorites, a mysterious fragment of paper containing part of a clue and a dangerous outing to a shadowy old Norman tower.
“Souvenir of Monique” was a spellbinding, well written tale in the true Gothic Romance tradition, the only downside was that it ended far too soon!
When we first meet Laura Monteith, she is an American singer working at the “Theatre Etoile,” a rough and tumble music hall smack dab in the middle of an equally rough Paris neighborhood.
Laura’s a long way away from what her parents had in mind for her all those years before, back when she was taking voice lessons at the conservatory. They viewed her singing lessons as a “proper ladylike pursuit,” she on the other hand, was always keen on an operatic career. Her parents were discouraging of this path due to the stigma they associated with people of “the stage.”
As fate would have it, both her parents were killed in a carriage accident which, despite her deep sense of grief, did allow her to pursue her dream.
But the working conditions at Theatre Etoile are about as far away from “dreamy” as possible, what with the lack of proper heating, the uncertainty of whether or not wages will be paid and on top of it all is the advances of some of the more brash patrons. But despite these challenges, Laura and her fellow performers from a kind of happy comradery amongst themselves.
Interestingly, a buzz arises amidst the performers, the subject of which is “Laura’s admirer.” He’s a man she describes as, “Tall, fine, elegant, with shining fair hair and a knife-edge profile, impeccably tailored and groomed.” He always seem to arrive at the theatre just in time for Laura’s performance and he leaves quite soon after she’s done.
On one particular evening the man knocks on Laura’s dressing room door, she, assuming it’s a fellow cast member, says, “Come in,” and when the man enters, she recognizes him immediately and is frightened. The man, for his part, is quite respectful, and casually mentions that he is friends with the theater manager. He then praises her French and says he has a proposition to make to her. Laura, fearing the worst, shrieks and the man steps back. By this time, the cast members seize the well-dressed intruder and show him the door.
That very evening, after the show a few of the cast visit a local café, and there, much to Laura’s surprise, is her admirer, well turned out, (except perhaps for the bruise on his cheek from the earlier tussle), making his way toward her. All jaws drop when he introduces himself as Etienne de Montigny (a count) along with his godmother, the Baroness de Lamonde.
The count then invites Laura to join him for dinner (the Baroness as chaperone), to discuss his proposition in greater detail. Laura agrees and the three of them leave the restaurant, entering a rather luxurious coach.
The dinner, he informs her, will be at the Baroness’s house, “The nature of my business with you, mademoiselle, makes it impossible to be seen with you in a public restaurant.” They proceed to the Baroness’s stately townhouse and once inside, gathered in the library. It was only then that the count revealed his outlandish proposal,
“Mademoiselle Laura Monteith, I wish you to do me the honor of becoming my wife…”
It turns out that Laura looks almost identical to Countess Monique. This is important to Count Etienne.
The count’s wife (Monique) is rumored to have left him for another man, or may be dead, no one is quite sure. All her husband knows is that she is missing. The count and countess have one small child, which is the most complicating factor of all, since the countess is the legal heir to the sprawling chateau. Count Etienne informs Laura that the family of Countess Monique are a devious pack of thieves, and if they were to find out that the inheritance were left for one helpless child to inherit, then that child’s very life may be in danger. Etienne’s plan is that Laura will impersonate Monique, and if they can pull it off, the family will assume the Countess Monique is the legal heir to the chateau, this saving the child from potential peril.
What follows are a series of extraordinary occurrences, including: Treacherous horseback rides, a terrifying scrape with injury or death in long closed off wing of the chateau and my favorites, a mysterious fragment of paper containing part of a clue and a dangerous outing to a shadowy old Norman tower.
“Souvenir of Monique” was a spellbinding, well written tale in the true Gothic Romance tradition, the only downside was that it ended far too soon!
April 16, 2018
2.5 stars. This was alright, the writing was nothing amazing, but it also wasn't awful. The story was pretty average: While it wasn't bad per se, it was fairly predictable and got boring quite quickly (which is an achievement of its own with only about 200 pages).
October 29, 2013
really nice to read... love it although it`s kind of pulp fiction
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews