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Darkover (Publication Order) #5
The Winds of Darkover
paperback
197 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
6 people are currently reading
811 people want to read
About the author
Marion Zimmer Bradley
802 books4,901 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fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.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 - 30 of 57 reviews
September 12, 2024
communications expert Dan Barron, a Terran stationed on wintry Darkover, is given a punishment-assignment to teach lenscrafting to the tech-phobic Darkovans, after a temporary telepathic takeover targeting Dan causes a near-crash at the spaceport. adventures ensue, including increasing mental incursions by a psychic mountain lord who is determined to use Barron's body to reclaim his castle. this was an early Darkover novel, and so is a quick, pulpy, exciting read, despite it also being largely forgettable. dialogue and inner monologues were stilted and best read quickly. positives: an eerie scene where a "Ghost Wind" deranges the senses of neighboring nonhumans; a great sequence when blind Lord Storn finally fully takes control of Barron and immediately has to deal with escape into the mountains and parlaying with the creepy, misogynist Drytown folk for aid.
despite not reaching anywhere near the escalated emotions, ethical quandaries, and surreal weirdness of later installments, this fifth novel in the series still dips its toes in the strange waters that later books would swim in. including those stories' occasional fixation on sexuality: our resourceful heroine Melitta hesitates to sleep with Lord Storn-in-Barron's body, not because it's her brother who's currently inhabiting Barron's body (incest apparently not a problem for mountain folk), nor because she basically just met this body (mountain lasses are apparently very welcoming in that way), but because she's sort of unsure if she wants to even get with a Terran, they're foreigners, ugh. classic Darkover dilemma LOL.
despite not reaching anywhere near the escalated emotions, ethical quandaries, and surreal weirdness of later installments, this fifth novel in the series still dips its toes in the strange waters that later books would swim in. including those stories' occasional fixation on sexuality: our resourceful heroine Melitta hesitates to sleep with Lord Storn-in-Barron's body, not because it's her brother who's currently inhabiting Barron's body (incest apparently not a problem for mountain folk), nor because she basically just met this body (mountain lasses are apparently very welcoming in that way), but because she's sort of unsure if she wants to even get with a Terran, they're foreigners, ugh. classic Darkover dilemma LOL.
November 18, 2020
I like pulpy scifi, but unfortunately this is poorly executed pulp. The pacing is lurching, the characters are shallow, and the plot has some holes I could drive a pick up through. I'll keep on trying the series, because I like the combo of scifi and fantasy, but this book is extremely skippable.
April 4, 2008
Maybe reading the Darkover books in order of publication wasn't such a hot idea, after all. I'm now on the fifth one, and I'm not sure that I want to go much further. The Winds of Darkover is a clunky, sloppily edited story that lurches along to an improbable ending.
So why not just quit reading Darkover books now? Here's why I'm torn: I'm still impressed with the complex, interesting world that Zimmer Bradley has created. There are so many great stories to be told about it.
But the great stories aren't the ones being told so far.
Our protagonist, a guy from Earth named Barron, is kind of a small minded jerk. Not an interesting jerk, mind you, just your garden variety dude whose usual response to intrigue is, and I quote: "what the devil?"
The Winds of Darkover takes us on a journey with Barron as he is psychically manipulated, drawn against his will to save people who are being held captive after their castle is stormed and overtaken. He is unhappily pulled outside his comfortable, Earth-like spaceport home, and into Darkover proper, where he generally fumes about his situation.
Then he disappears for a good portion of the book, his personality completely subsumed under that of the force using him to save those prisoners. Maybe that force is the true protagonist. That's part of the problem, here. As readers, we're not sure whose story this is, and it never does become clear.
The story does move along fairly briskly -- this isn't a long book. But I never was able to connect with the skin-deep characters or to believe what was happening. It didn't help that poor editing leaves the reader with moments that stutter like a badly cut sitcom: you know when you see an actor showing a certain emotion, the camera angle changes, and the actor's expression is completely different? Yeah, like that, except in print. Small inconsistencies and really awkward sentences abound.
And the ending? Let's just say that Barron doesn't exactly develop so much as undergo an abrupt change of heart without a shred of plausibility.
If you want to try a couple of Darkover books, avoid this one and scan the reviews for something better. If you're a completist, well, The Winds of Darkover is readable enough. Speed through it, then move along, please -- there's nothing to see here.
So why not just quit reading Darkover books now? Here's why I'm torn: I'm still impressed with the complex, interesting world that Zimmer Bradley has created. There are so many great stories to be told about it.
But the great stories aren't the ones being told so far.
Our protagonist, a guy from Earth named Barron, is kind of a small minded jerk. Not an interesting jerk, mind you, just your garden variety dude whose usual response to intrigue is, and I quote: "what the devil?"
The Winds of Darkover takes us on a journey with Barron as he is psychically manipulated, drawn against his will to save people who are being held captive after their castle is stormed and overtaken. He is unhappily pulled outside his comfortable, Earth-like spaceport home, and into Darkover proper, where he generally fumes about his situation.
Then he disappears for a good portion of the book, his personality completely subsumed under that of the force using him to save those prisoners. Maybe that force is the true protagonist. That's part of the problem, here. As readers, we're not sure whose story this is, and it never does become clear.
The story does move along fairly briskly -- this isn't a long book. But I never was able to connect with the skin-deep characters or to believe what was happening. It didn't help that poor editing leaves the reader with moments that stutter like a badly cut sitcom: you know when you see an actor showing a certain emotion, the camera angle changes, and the actor's expression is completely different? Yeah, like that, except in print. Small inconsistencies and really awkward sentences abound.
And the ending? Let's just say that Barron doesn't exactly develop so much as undergo an abrupt change of heart without a shred of plausibility.
If you want to try a couple of Darkover books, avoid this one and scan the reviews for something better. If you're a completist, well, The Winds of Darkover is readable enough. Speed through it, then move along, please -- there's nothing to see here.
March 23, 2009
The thing I've always appreciated about Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series is that it works as both scine fiction and fantasy; not many authors can pull that off. I first read the darkover series about twenty five years ago or so, when I bought or was given an omnibus of five or so novels calleed 'Children of Hastur'; this was when I was a member of the SF Book Club and just took whatever two books they sent monthly.
THat being said, I'm not sure I would like this book very much if I hadn't read the other Darkover books. TH elater ones in the series are much better written and much more thoughtfully written. I figured out the "hook" in this book a couple of pages into it--that Dan and the women in the woods were telepathically linked. Dan, an earther, has strong estrasensory perception powers, although he doesn't know it, since most Earthers don't really believe in telepathy. Natives of Darkover do, and Dan keeps on doing things he doesn't understand that inteferes with his duties because he keeps blanking out during telepathic incidents.
Still, worth reading if you like Bradley, and I do find her work well worth reading.
THat being said, I'm not sure I would like this book very much if I hadn't read the other Darkover books. TH elater ones in the series are much better written and much more thoughtfully written. I figured out the "hook" in this book a couple of pages into it--that Dan and the women in the woods were telepathically linked. Dan, an earther, has strong estrasensory perception powers, although he doesn't know it, since most Earthers don't really believe in telepathy. Natives of Darkover do, and Dan keeps on doing things he doesn't understand that inteferes with his duties because he keeps blanking out during telepathic incidents.
Still, worth reading if you like Bradley, and I do find her work well worth reading.
September 23, 2023
2.5 stars. Not my favorite Darkover novel. Storn and his sister and Barron. (And the other sister and brother, but no need to discuss them, I guess?) I understand that each book within the series may be read on its own, but I benefited greatly from having previously read the Shattered Chain (as part of the Oath of the Renunciates) and thus had knowledge of the Dry Towns culture.
As another reader had noted, this book is all about traveling - traveling to escape, traveling to find each other, traveling to return, traveling traveling traveling, and then suddenly BAM there's the battle and then the book's done.
As another reader had noted, this book is all about traveling - traveling to escape, traveling to find each other, traveling to return, traveling traveling traveling, and then suddenly BAM there's the battle and then the book's done.
June 24, 2025
Le château de Storn a été pris par Brynat le Balafré qui en a épousé de force une des femmes. Seul l'héritier en titre, enfermé dans une méditation qu'on ne peut interrompre, lui résiste encore. Pendant ce temps, Dan Barron, un Terrien puni pour une mauvaise manœuvre, voit des visions lui apparaître.
Peu de choses à dire sur ce roman qui n'est pas mauvais comme j'ai pu le reprocher à d'autres mais qui est loin également d'être excellent. J'ai eu l'impression d'une redite de L'Etoile du danger à certains moments et le livre laisse clairement la sensation d'une oeuvre alimentaire plus que la volonté d'écrire une réelle intrigue.
L'histoire est sympathique à suivre car, étant courte, elle n'a pas le temps de nous lasser. Contrecoup de cet aspect : on n'a pas vraiment le temps de s'attacher aux personnages.
La fin me laisse un peu perplexe, je trouve que Dan pardonne facilement et que l'amour entre les deux personnages naît bien vite. Par ailleurs, on notera comme toujours des remarques très gênantes sur la condition féminine sur Ténébreuse, nous inculquant que si une femme a par erreur éveillé le désir d'un homme, elle se doit de le satisfaire par la suite...
Ce serait techniquement un 2.5/5, ramené pour Goodreads à 3 car le roman m'a tout de même paru plus sympathique que les derniers que j'ai pu lire : je n'ai pas eu envie de hurler comme avec La Tour interdite ni ne me suis endormi dessus comme pour L'étoile du danger.
On reste tout de même loin des deux premiers romans de cette saga que j'ai pu lire, à savoir Reine des orages et surtout La Belle fauconnière.
Peu de choses à dire sur ce roman qui n'est pas mauvais comme j'ai pu le reprocher à d'autres mais qui est loin également d'être excellent. J'ai eu l'impression d'une redite de L'Etoile du danger à certains moments et le livre laisse clairement la sensation d'une oeuvre alimentaire plus que la volonté d'écrire une réelle intrigue.
L'histoire est sympathique à suivre car, étant courte, elle n'a pas le temps de nous lasser. Contrecoup de cet aspect : on n'a pas vraiment le temps de s'attacher aux personnages.
La fin me laisse un peu perplexe, je trouve que Dan pardonne facilement et que l'amour entre les deux personnages naît bien vite. Par ailleurs, on notera comme toujours des remarques très gênantes sur la condition féminine sur Ténébreuse, nous inculquant que si une femme a par erreur éveillé le désir d'un homme, elle se doit de le satisfaire par la suite...
Ce serait techniquement un 2.5/5, ramené pour Goodreads à 3 car le roman m'a tout de même paru plus sympathique que les derniers que j'ai pu lire : je n'ai pas eu envie de hurler comme avec La Tour interdite ni ne me suis endormi dessus comme pour L'étoile du danger.
On reste tout de même loin des deux premiers romans de cette saga que j'ai pu lire, à savoir Reine des orages et surtout La Belle fauconnière.
March 21, 2021
Con questo volume si conclude l'era dei Comyn di Darkover e in effetti il libro ha tutto il sapore delle storie che segnano un passaggio fra un'epoca e l'altra all'interno di una saga. Il che mi stupisce tantissimo considerando che invece è il 5° in ordine di pubblicazione... L'autrice ha davvero tutta la mia ammirazione per aver saputo costruire questa corposa saga nel corso di così tanti anni. Questo libro in particolare non è male, ma i personaggi hanno meno spessore rispetto a quello a cui si è abituati con gli altri volumi darkovani. Il difetto principale sta comunque in una narrazione che mi è sembrata un po' affrettata, soprattutto nei capitoli conclusivi, e che non lascia il tempo al lettore di godersi a pieno la storia.
December 8, 2024
This novel takes place on Darkover, a planet where the local humans had natural psionic abilities in a much higher proportion than the people of Terra. As a result, their culture and technology developed along different lines, what Terrans would consider “magic.” However, for some reason, telepathy and the other psychic abilities have been fading from the general population, so a lot of the old technology has been lost, and civilization had somewhat fallen apart.
Relatively recently, the starfaring Terran Empire has made contact with Darkover. While the Empire has an outpost there, the Comyn that’s the closest thing to an overall government of Darkover is concerned about the introduction of Terran superscience destroying their culture, and therefore has limited what they’ll accept. Most of the Darkover stories involve individual Terrans interacting with Darkoveran culture and its “magic.” This story starts with an introduction describing the previous books and their approximate timeline. (Characters from those are mentioned in this novel.)
Our first protagonist is Dan Barron, who was an air traffic controller for the Imperial starport on Darkover. He’s been having hallucinations of being a completely different person in another place and time, and of a chained goddess. But he hasn’t told anyone about this. When he had an episode at work and nearly caused an air disaster that would have killed thousands of people (averted by a skilled pilot who is the hero of another story), Barron still didn’t bring up the hallucinations as he thought they would be treated as a thin excuse.
As a result, Barron has become a pariah in the Terran Station, but the brass recognize it wasn’t a deliberate action, and he has an excellent service record. So while he can’t be an air traffic controller anymore, they don’t want to discharge him either. As it happens, a Comyn lord has decided that optical lenses will not be too disruptive to Darkoveran culture, and has asked for someone to train a select group on lens grinding. And Dan Barron has lens grinding as a hobby! Off he goes. heading into the “real” Darkover for the first time.
The second protagonist is Lady Melitta of Storn Castle. The mountain fastness her family controlled has been taken over by Brynat Scarface, a cunning bandit. Though mighty in battle, Brynat cares little for the responsibilities of lordship to those under them and will be a cruel ruler. Melitta’s blind brother, the Storn of Storn, is holed up in a tower, protected by a forcefield but in deep trance, so he can’t be harmed directly, but also cannot rout the invaders.
Melitta is a very active young woman, skilled at riding and climbing, and has a bit of telepathy herself. When Storn contacts her telepathically and asks her to seek help from a distant city, she’s the one person in the castle who might be able to escape by the ancient secret passages.
The third protagonist is Storn himself. Blind since birth, he’s self-taught in the ancient arts of Darkoveran psychic ability. He knows by peeking into the future that Barron is somehow important to freeing his castle and people, so has been influencing events to that effect. But to fully take control of his destiny, Storn must commit a horrific crime, violating an ancient taboo.
This winds up being more science fantasy than science fiction, using sciencey-sounding explanations to justify what is basically magic. The story is very much in the planetary romance tradition, and quite well written in that type of story.
One especially appreciated feature is that Darkover is not a monoculture, but the different cultures aren’t defined by “hats.” The mountain people have different ideas about politeness and hospitality than the Drytowners, and the Comyn lords have different social rules to both (and have internal disagreements about what level and speed of social and technological change is acceptable.)
There’s a particularly difficult conversation between Storn and Lord Aldaran about the conflict between doing what’s best for everyone in the long run, and helping out an individual or small group in the immediate timeframe. Lord Aldaran has invested fully in preparing for the future, but that means he has no military forces to rescue Storn Castle. The bandit problem does need to be dealt with at some time, but it’s way down the priority list. Storn understands, but can’t be patient for the decade or two it might take before Lord Aldaran and his allies are prepared to free his people.
Surprisingly for a book of this type, there’s relatively little violence. The siege and overthrow of Storn Castle is over by a few days when we first join the story, and our protagonists avoid having to fight as much as possible. The final battle is rather impersonal though the implications are horrific, and we understand why the Comyn bans weapons that go outside a man’s reach.
We only get a little time with Brynat, but it’s clear that while he’s a cruel and brutal man, he also understands the rules of his society and is prepared to follow them when it doesn’t directly interfere with his plans. If he can just hold Storn Castle long enough, and follow the forms, the other mountain people may just shrug and accept him as the new lord of the area. The peasants have had bad lords before, and their affections might eventually be won or worn down.
The ending might be a little too neat, but it works well with this sort of story.
Content note: Death in war, threats of violence. Rape is done off-page, and threatened on-page. Storn briefly considers incest, which is not a taboo among the mountain folk. He steals a horse, and commits something all Darkoverans consider highly taboo (and the Terrans would also consider a crime even if the exact thing isn’t in their laws.) The Drytowners consider women property. Older teens and up.
The Winds of Darkover is recommended to science fantasy fans.
Relatively recently, the starfaring Terran Empire has made contact with Darkover. While the Empire has an outpost there, the Comyn that’s the closest thing to an overall government of Darkover is concerned about the introduction of Terran superscience destroying their culture, and therefore has limited what they’ll accept. Most of the Darkover stories involve individual Terrans interacting with Darkoveran culture and its “magic.” This story starts with an introduction describing the previous books and their approximate timeline. (Characters from those are mentioned in this novel.)
Our first protagonist is Dan Barron, who was an air traffic controller for the Imperial starport on Darkover. He’s been having hallucinations of being a completely different person in another place and time, and of a chained goddess. But he hasn’t told anyone about this. When he had an episode at work and nearly caused an air disaster that would have killed thousands of people (averted by a skilled pilot who is the hero of another story), Barron still didn’t bring up the hallucinations as he thought they would be treated as a thin excuse.
As a result, Barron has become a pariah in the Terran Station, but the brass recognize it wasn’t a deliberate action, and he has an excellent service record. So while he can’t be an air traffic controller anymore, they don’t want to discharge him either. As it happens, a Comyn lord has decided that optical lenses will not be too disruptive to Darkoveran culture, and has asked for someone to train a select group on lens grinding. And Dan Barron has lens grinding as a hobby! Off he goes. heading into the “real” Darkover for the first time.
The second protagonist is Lady Melitta of Storn Castle. The mountain fastness her family controlled has been taken over by Brynat Scarface, a cunning bandit. Though mighty in battle, Brynat cares little for the responsibilities of lordship to those under them and will be a cruel ruler. Melitta’s blind brother, the Storn of Storn, is holed up in a tower, protected by a forcefield but in deep trance, so he can’t be harmed directly, but also cannot rout the invaders.
Melitta is a very active young woman, skilled at riding and climbing, and has a bit of telepathy herself. When Storn contacts her telepathically and asks her to seek help from a distant city, she’s the one person in the castle who might be able to escape by the ancient secret passages.
The third protagonist is Storn himself. Blind since birth, he’s self-taught in the ancient arts of Darkoveran psychic ability. He knows by peeking into the future that Barron is somehow important to freeing his castle and people, so has been influencing events to that effect. But to fully take control of his destiny, Storn must commit a horrific crime, violating an ancient taboo.
This winds up being more science fantasy than science fiction, using sciencey-sounding explanations to justify what is basically magic. The story is very much in the planetary romance tradition, and quite well written in that type of story.
One especially appreciated feature is that Darkover is not a monoculture, but the different cultures aren’t defined by “hats.” The mountain people have different ideas about politeness and hospitality than the Drytowners, and the Comyn lords have different social rules to both (and have internal disagreements about what level and speed of social and technological change is acceptable.)
There’s a particularly difficult conversation between Storn and Lord Aldaran about the conflict between doing what’s best for everyone in the long run, and helping out an individual or small group in the immediate timeframe. Lord Aldaran has invested fully in preparing for the future, but that means he has no military forces to rescue Storn Castle. The bandit problem does need to be dealt with at some time, but it’s way down the priority list. Storn understands, but can’t be patient for the decade or two it might take before Lord Aldaran and his allies are prepared to free his people.
Surprisingly for a book of this type, there’s relatively little violence. The siege and overthrow of Storn Castle is over by a few days when we first join the story, and our protagonists avoid having to fight as much as possible. The final battle is rather impersonal though the implications are horrific, and we understand why the Comyn bans weapons that go outside a man’s reach.
We only get a little time with Brynat, but it’s clear that while he’s a cruel and brutal man, he also understands the rules of his society and is prepared to follow them when it doesn’t directly interfere with his plans. If he can just hold Storn Castle long enough, and follow the forms, the other mountain people may just shrug and accept him as the new lord of the area. The peasants have had bad lords before, and their affections might eventually be won or worn down.
The ending might be a little too neat, but it works well with this sort of story.
Content note: Death in war, threats of violence. Rape is done off-page, and threatened on-page. Storn briefly considers incest, which is not a taboo among the mountain folk. He steals a horse, and commits something all Darkoverans consider highly taboo (and the Terrans would also consider a crime even if the exact thing isn’t in their laws.) The Drytowners consider women property. Older teens and up.
The Winds of Darkover is recommended to science fantasy fans.
February 6, 2021
This Darkover book tells a complete story and could stand alone. It does have ties to the earlier Star of Danger through the characters of Larry and Valdir. It leads, somewhat indirectly through Sharra, to the Heritage of Hastur.
This book is a bit short for a full novel, but more than a novella. I think it could have been longer without losing anything. One thing would be stretching out things after meeting Desideria, especially the wrap up. For another, see below.
The character Barron is mostly a pawn. If there is a hero with any integrity in this book, it is Melitta whose home has been invaded, her sister forced into marriage by the plunderer, and herself mishandled short of that. Melitta sets out alone through a mountain wilderness to seek help. Actually that journey is almost ignored and probably because it never could have happened.
Another plot theme which is shortchanged is the relationship between Melitta and Barron. In general there is not much text spent on developing any relationship. Melitta expresses in her own mind some distaste for Barron and then suddenly without much happening between them her whole attitude changes dramatically.
The character of interest is Loran Storn. He is a blind invalid and incapable of defending or retaking his home. To do so, he violates one of the most sacrosanct taboos of Darkover - he invades Barron's mind. And that is not the only taboo violated by the protagonists.
After sister and brother reunite, Storn considers sleeping with his sister and only resists because she might be turned off by the stranger's body (Barron) inhabited by her brother. Such incest is not taboo in the mountains of Darkover. MZB has introduced this illicit behavior in other books. MZB frequently challenges traditional morality which is interesting in the light of accusations made against her after her death. (For my thoughts on this see my footnote on my review of The Bloody Sun. https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...)
Mature themes: I have already mentioned some. Allira, Melitta's sister, was forced to marry the bandit and while it is never explicitly stated or described she was then raped. While describing Dry Towners, their custom of keeping all women, including wives, in chains is mentioned. I mentioned the reference to incest. There is was and fantasy violence.
This book is a bit short for a full novel, but more than a novella. I think it could have been longer without losing anything. One thing would be stretching out things after meeting Desideria, especially the wrap up. For another, see below.
The character Barron is mostly a pawn. If there is a hero with any integrity in this book, it is Melitta whose home has been invaded, her sister forced into marriage by the plunderer, and herself mishandled short of that. Melitta sets out alone through a mountain wilderness to seek help. Actually that journey is almost ignored and probably because it never could have happened.
Another plot theme which is shortchanged is the relationship between Melitta and Barron. In general there is not much text spent on developing any relationship. Melitta expresses in her own mind some distaste for Barron and then suddenly without much happening between them her whole attitude changes dramatically.
The character of interest is Loran Storn. He is a blind invalid and incapable of defending or retaking his home. To do so, he violates one of the most sacrosanct taboos of Darkover - he invades Barron's mind. And that is not the only taboo violated by the protagonists.
After sister and brother reunite, Storn considers sleeping with his sister and only resists because she might be turned off by the stranger's body (Barron) inhabited by her brother. Such incest is not taboo in the mountains of Darkover. MZB has introduced this illicit behavior in other books. MZB frequently challenges traditional morality which is interesting in the light of accusations made against her after her death. (For my thoughts on this see my footnote on my review of The Bloody Sun. https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...)
Mature themes: I have already mentioned some. Allira, Melitta's sister, was forced to marry the bandit and while it is never explicitly stated or described she was then raped. While describing Dry Towners, their custom of keeping all women, including wives, in chains is mentioned. I mentioned the reference to incest. There is was and fantasy violence.
November 20, 2025
Marion Zimmer Bradley, and her literary work, must be viewed through two, often competing, lenses.
First, she was writing stories with strong, relatable female protagonists battling male oppression at a time when very few other authors were prepared to do so. Many modern readers cannot conceive of a time when women were not allowed to have a credit card in their own name, which was but one of the policies Bradley was dealing with in her time. She was a feminist long before it became fashionable. She was one of a very few voices that spoke powerfully to young women about their own worth. Much of her writing, read today, can be seen as trite, obvious, or overbearing, but it must be remembered that it was none of those things at the time it was written. This was a woman who co-founded, and named, the Society for Creative Anachronism, who championed pagan rights when the mainstream saw them as satanic, and who encouraged and published unknown female authors like Mercedes Lackey. Viewed through this lens, Bradley was a progressive woman to be lauded, as she was, posthumously, when she received the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement in 2000.
Second, and hideously, Bradley was a pedophile, who molested her own children. She also procured and groomed children for her husband, Walter Breen, to assault. She admitted to knowing what he was doing to these children, but refused to stop helping him, much less report him or interfere with his desires. Her own daughter was her accuser, so we can be assured this is not a "he said, she said" situation. Viewed through this lens, then, her life and work become irredeemably tainted.
We are, perhaps, used to evaluating art for art's sake, commenting on Ender's Game, or Harry Potter, as though their authors' views, hateful as they are, should not condemn the output of their minds and hands. Perhaps we are right to do so; after all, these views are only beliefs and words, no matter how widespread a bully pulpit their famous speakers are able to command. However, when beliefs and words turn into actions, we must draw the line. Since 2014, when definitive proof finally came to light, I have found myself unable to recommend anything written by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I remain so appalled by her actions that I can never give more than one star to anything she has written, no matter how groundbreaking, how heartfelt, how astounding it may be. I urge everyone reading this to join me in boycotting her work forever.
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* (extremely rare) There is something very wrong with this book &/or this author; never again.
** (seldom) Has flaws, or I just couldn’t get into it; no thanks.
*** (usual) Not great, not bad; no need to return to it.
**** (often) Better than average; I’d read it again.
***** (rare) A superb example of the genre, &/or an incredible piece of art; I re-read it often.
First, she was writing stories with strong, relatable female protagonists battling male oppression at a time when very few other authors were prepared to do so. Many modern readers cannot conceive of a time when women were not allowed to have a credit card in their own name, which was but one of the policies Bradley was dealing with in her time. She was a feminist long before it became fashionable. She was one of a very few voices that spoke powerfully to young women about their own worth. Much of her writing, read today, can be seen as trite, obvious, or overbearing, but it must be remembered that it was none of those things at the time it was written. This was a woman who co-founded, and named, the Society for Creative Anachronism, who championed pagan rights when the mainstream saw them as satanic, and who encouraged and published unknown female authors like Mercedes Lackey. Viewed through this lens, Bradley was a progressive woman to be lauded, as she was, posthumously, when she received the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement in 2000.
Second, and hideously, Bradley was a pedophile, who molested her own children. She also procured and groomed children for her husband, Walter Breen, to assault. She admitted to knowing what he was doing to these children, but refused to stop helping him, much less report him or interfere with his desires. Her own daughter was her accuser, so we can be assured this is not a "he said, she said" situation. Viewed through this lens, then, her life and work become irredeemably tainted.
We are, perhaps, used to evaluating art for art's sake, commenting on Ender's Game, or Harry Potter, as though their authors' views, hateful as they are, should not condemn the output of their minds and hands. Perhaps we are right to do so; after all, these views are only beliefs and words, no matter how widespread a bully pulpit their famous speakers are able to command. However, when beliefs and words turn into actions, we must draw the line. Since 2014, when definitive proof finally came to light, I have found myself unable to recommend anything written by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I remain so appalled by her actions that I can never give more than one star to anything she has written, no matter how groundbreaking, how heartfelt, how astounding it may be. I urge everyone reading this to join me in boycotting her work forever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* (extremely rare) There is something very wrong with this book &/or this author; never again.
** (seldom) Has flaws, or I just couldn’t get into it; no thanks.
*** (usual) Not great, not bad; no need to return to it.
**** (often) Better than average; I’d read it again.
***** (rare) A superb example of the genre, &/or an incredible piece of art; I re-read it often.
January 7, 2026
The story holds up well. 4.5 stars.
Brynat has invaded and taken over Storn castle. Storn himself has gone into a trance. His sisters, Melitta and Allira, are at the mercy of Brynat. He’s already raped Allira and has plans on claiming the castle as his own before any of Storn’s allies think of helping. At the Terran port, Dan Barron has had daydreams or visions that interfered with his job and has nearly ruined his seventeen years in the service. Rather than being sent away in disgrace Barron is sent out of the Terran zone to give training on how to make lenses and telescopes. He’s getting more visions, we know it’s Storn.
In the end there’s questions about the levels of technology. The Darkovans don’t want any Terran weapons or industry on their planet. There are other ethical issues that the characters have to assess. Nice balance. The story holds up well. 4.5 stars.
Brynat has invaded and taken over Storn castle. Storn himself has gone into a trance. His sisters, Melitta and Allira, are at the mercy of Brynat. He’s already raped Allira and has plans on claiming the castle as his own before any of Storn’s allies think of helping. At the Terran port, Dan Barron has had daydreams or visions that interfered with his job and has nearly ruined his seventeen years in the service. Rather than being sent away in disgrace Barron is sent out of the Terran zone to give training on how to make lenses and telescopes. He’s getting more visions, we know it’s Storn.
In the end there’s questions about the levels of technology. The Darkovans don’t want any Terran weapons or industry on their planet. There are other ethical issues that the characters have to assess. Nice balance. The story holds up well. 4.5 stars.
June 5, 2025
There is a lot of interesting elements floating through The Winds of Darkover, mostly in the background. It has aspects of being a sword-and-planet tale, and from another perspective it's also a dying Earth (or dying Darkover) type of novel. Themes of colonization (of places, of people, of cultures, of bodies) run through the whole story. An intriguing conversation between a few characters about breaking taboos and cultural stagnation is probably the heart of the novel. It's not great, feels like a small part of a much larger and possibly less coherent saga, and the ending is rushed.
January 6, 2026
This story shows what happened after Lerrys and Kennard’s return from their trials. Also, it gives a huge insight into the culture and traditions of the hill folk like Storn and Aldaran.
This story takes you on an adventure into the hills of Darkover where the Comyn really do not rule or have a lot of influence. Sharra, the goddess of the force, is a dangerous power that the Comyn has banned. But she seems to appear a lot in this story.
Dan Barron, a Terran, who accidently ends up as a catalyst for something that he never wanted or thought he needed. When the castle of Storn is taken over by Brynat Scarface, the family of Storn are faced with how to retake their castle and power.
This story takes you on an adventure into the hills of Darkover where the Comyn really do not rule or have a lot of influence. Sharra, the goddess of the force, is a dangerous power that the Comyn has banned. But she seems to appear a lot in this story.
Dan Barron, a Terran, who accidently ends up as a catalyst for something that he never wanted or thought he needed. When the castle of Storn is taken over by Brynat Scarface, the family of Storn are faced with how to retake their castle and power.
December 23, 2019
Bradley has an excellent way of writing in such a simplistic fashion that allows for a reader of any level to be able to engage with her stories, and this book is no different. I do see a pattern with her writing where she finds a way to quickly solve a problem in the story rather than drawing it out, which can be both good and bad. In this case, the ending of the story felt almost too rushed once a solution was thought of. The good news is that this also makes the reader want to continue reading the other Darkover books!
November 26, 2017
One of the earlier stories, more like a novella these days. It's not an essential part of the chronology, but explains more about the issues between Aldaran, Storn and the Compact as well as giving insight into some of the societal limitations.
Many of the plot elements recur in other Darkover stories, but I think this was probably the first to introduce them.
Many of the plot elements recur in other Darkover stories, but I think this was probably the first to introduce them.
April 28, 2019
What a boring story the star of danger is a much better read. I suffered and tried to like the characters in this book but traveling all over darkover just to be back at storn castle so that the main villain slipped and fell to his death and the family storn can have their castle back. No sword battles. The ya- men are in just one chapter. What a joke of a fantasy novel.
February 7, 2021
Another Darkover novel with a fantastic start, but the end seems more condensed than it needs to be. I would have liked some more conclusion with the psychic stuff and the romance. On that note, I hope Bradley gets better at writing romance because this one was quite strange. Anyway, strong start, weak finish, decent novel.
May 5, 2017
Research read. A bit distracted by the heroine's name.
April 20, 2018
I have a 1978 edition published by Arrow Books Ltd
August 15, 2020
Meh.
MZB's early books in the series are just not as interesting. Oh well.
MZB's early books in the series are just not as interesting. Oh well.
September 4, 2020
I still want to punch that bird dude.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2021
Capable action scenario meets conflicted characters on a distant world where telepathy is becoming a science.
September 7, 2021
Devo aver letto questo libro una decina di anni fa, ma non mi ricordo molto della trama… parlava del contatto telepatico che si instaurava tra un nobile darkovano ed un terrestre se ricordo bene… però mi aveva lasciato comunque una buona impressione, anche se non molto incisiva…
December 16, 2022
Enjoyable!
January 13, 2023
The book cover is totally misleading. The story is good, but there were numerous typos and a few inconsistencies.
May 11, 2023
A very easy read. I'd forgotten a lot of the Darkover universe, and am rereading it.
December 17, 2023
3.5* Holds up well.
March 9, 2024
I read this book first, not knowing there was a whole series. It did get me interested in the Darkover series so I may go back to the beginning.
October 19, 2019
Another early DO abt a terran who integrates into DO culture.
June 30, 2025
Three and a half stars.... really...
Darkover always fascinated me, but relying as I did almost completely on seconds hand book shops it was hard to get a sequenced view of the world and I was very happy to come across this book - I had read it years ago, but I thought it might be good to re-visit Darkover and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
So, MZB - One of the iconic sci-fi writers of the 60's - 70's ish era, though I discovered her in my teens in the 80's and mostly through short story collections such as the swords and sorceries.. There were not all that many of the really strong women authors on the scene and MZB, when I could get her books, was... Unusual. There was always adventure and excitement in her stories and often female characters (the lack of those in the genera never bothered me especially, but it was nice when they were there). On the down side; MZB has been outed as having been into some bad stuff and it makes one a bit more critical of her characters - especially her female characters, but anyway.
There is a lot to love about this book; the worldbuilding was always a major part of all these books, with it's strongly sci-fi / fantasy setting. Darkover was settled by humans, at some stage, but then isolated from any further contact with Terra for a long time. Long enough for a strong social clan structure to become established and for families to contract alliances in order to strengthen the inordinately strong psi-powers than the settlers develop *ahem* we won't get into how, since it is not relevant to this book.
This story begins after contact with Terra has been re-established, our leading man is Dan Barron, who works in the spaceport but who has been having strange mental fugues. He is sent on a mission into the part of Darkover usually closed to Earth people. Our leading lady is Melitta, of clan and castle Storn. Her home has been conquered by a bandit and she is desperate to save it.
Between the two main characters and their stories, we gat a lot of traveling adventures, we see a lot of Darkover, the good and the terrible, we watch a pretty awesome adventure unfold though there are a couple of things that bring it down from a full star experience.
MZB writes, complex, rich and intelligent stories, there is more of a Tolkien influence than I remembered (seriously, that song on 54-55 could have been lifted STRIGHT out of Tolkien, symbolism and all). Reading this book though, also reminded me why I slowly stopped reading her over time. The richness of the writing cannot disguise the fact that it is often heavy. There is never any humour or lightness in her stories and her characters never crack a joke or smile (unless it is a grim smile) and the heaviness of the writing brings it down a bit.
Another thing that struck me about this book (and I seem to remember it carrying through to others) is a certain disproportionate weighing of certain types of events over others
Lets mention the feminist aspect: This book was trademarked 1970, there was a lot less female autonomy then and having a female sci-fi writer with female characters was maybe, not the norm. That said, the Darkover women are, many of them, living in a medieval type scenario, where they are virtually men's possessions and that never sat especially well with teenage me. However accurate it might be to that type of society. The chains on the drylander women, which they wear proudly *shudder*. She was probably trying to make a point, but I never quite got it, so I have never quite seen her as a feminist writer.
Would not mind reading more Darkover, if I can find them. Incidentally, this is not my copy, GR does not admit my copy exists, which is annoying since cover art in the early sci-fi was such a big thing.
Darkover always fascinated me, but relying as I did almost completely on seconds hand book shops it was hard to get a sequenced view of the world and I was very happy to come across this book - I had read it years ago, but I thought it might be good to re-visit Darkover and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
So, MZB - One of the iconic sci-fi writers of the 60's - 70's ish era, though I discovered her in my teens in the 80's and mostly through short story collections such as the swords and sorceries.. There were not all that many of the really strong women authors on the scene and MZB, when I could get her books, was... Unusual. There was always adventure and excitement in her stories and often female characters (the lack of those in the genera never bothered me especially, but it was nice when they were there). On the down side; MZB has been outed as having been into some bad stuff and it makes one a bit more critical of her characters - especially her female characters, but anyway.
There is a lot to love about this book; the worldbuilding was always a major part of all these books, with it's strongly sci-fi / fantasy setting. Darkover was settled by humans, at some stage, but then isolated from any further contact with Terra for a long time. Long enough for a strong social clan structure to become established and for families to contract alliances in order to strengthen the inordinately strong psi-powers than the settlers develop *ahem* we won't get into how, since it is not relevant to this book.
This story begins after contact with Terra has been re-established, our leading man is Dan Barron, who works in the spaceport but who has been having strange mental fugues. He is sent on a mission into the part of Darkover usually closed to Earth people. Our leading lady is Melitta, of clan and castle Storn. Her home has been conquered by a bandit and she is desperate to save it.
Between the two main characters and their stories, we gat a lot of traveling adventures, we see a lot of Darkover, the good and the terrible, we watch a pretty awesome adventure unfold though there are a couple of things that bring it down from a full star experience.
MZB writes, complex, rich and intelligent stories, there is more of a Tolkien influence than I remembered (seriously, that song on 54-55 could have been lifted STRIGHT out of Tolkien, symbolism and all). Reading this book though, also reminded me why I slowly stopped reading her over time. The richness of the writing cannot disguise the fact that it is often heavy. There is never any humour or lightness in her stories and her characters never crack a joke or smile (unless it is a grim smile) and the heaviness of the writing brings it down a bit.
Another thing that struck me about this book (and I seem to remember it carrying through to others) is a certain disproportionate weighing of certain types of events over others
Lets mention the feminist aspect: This book was trademarked 1970, there was a lot less female autonomy then and having a female sci-fi writer with female characters was maybe, not the norm. That said, the Darkover women are, many of them, living in a medieval type scenario, where they are virtually men's possessions and that never sat especially well with teenage me. However accurate it might be to that type of society. The chains on the drylander women, which they wear proudly *shudder*. She was probably trying to make a point, but I never quite got it, so I have never quite seen her as a feminist writer.
Would not mind reading more Darkover, if I can find them. Incidentally, this is not my copy, GR does not admit my copy exists, which is annoying since cover art in the early sci-fi was such a big thing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews