Sharra's Exile

Note: Swords of Aldones was conceived when the author was just fifteen years old, before Heritage and Exile. Having subsequently written Heritage Marion Zimmer Bradley then considered Swords less than satisfactory and eventually decided that while Swords was basically a good idea it was written when she had neither the skill nor the maturity to handle it; she decided not to rewrite it but to write an entirely new book based on events in the same time frame as Swords; that book is Sharra's Exile. Chronologically in Darkover's history Sharra's Exile follows on from Heritage and Exile after a gap of just a few years. Lew is living off world with his father seeking to save his damaged hand, he also has with him for the safety of Darkover the powerful Shara Matrix. On Darkover Regis is coming to terms with his role as his grandfather's eventual successor. We also learn very soon that his relationship with Danilo has progressed beyond the latter being sworn paxman, and with great subtly on the author's part we realise they are now also lovers. When Lew returns from exile to stand for his rights as Lord of his Domain, he inevitably brings with him the Shara Matrix, unleashing series of events that will threaten the very existence of Darkover. Told as was Heritage and Exile, in alternate chapters in third person narrative and then narrated by Lew in the first person, Shara's Exile is a complex and involving story, full of political intrigue, drama and love as the Comyn struggle for their own survival, an anachronism in the time of an interstellar empire; events which will ultimately demonstrate that love conquers all. It is on the whole a gripping read; it does at times get bogged down and suffer occasionally from repetition of certain points, but other than that the writing is first rate, one feels absolutely confident the author's hands.

This Darkover novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley begins a couple of years after the events of The Heritage of Hastur. Lew Alton, now somewhat disfigured because of his use of the Sharra Matrix, is recovering offworld with his father and is a bitter young man. Everything that he cared about was taken from him, including his wife and unborn child, and he is partially responsible for the destruction of a city by the Sharra Matrix. The Sharra Matrix is a focus for incredible and ancient power and has been used as a nearly uncontrollable weapon in the past. Lew is one of the handful of men and women who rediscovered the matrix and through betrayals sought to use it, though with one final betrayal he helped to stop the destruction. Sharra's Exile covers several years that Lew spent off world in possession of the Matrix (he is so strongly linked to the Matrix that if he gets too far from it he may die), and then covers the events that follows his return to Darkover carrying the forbidden Matrix. Sharra's Exile is told in alternating chapters between the first person perspective of Lew Alton and the third person perspective dealing with other characters, mostly Regis Hastur. This is a novel rife with conflict. Lew is emotionally a wreck and has a very difficult time controlling his emotions after the Sharra incident and because he is a telepath in a caste of telepaths, he is unintentionally broadcasting his pain to anyone nearby. Lew is also half Terran, so there are some in the Comyn ruling class who look down on Lew and his family even though he is the heir to his family's Domain. This is another conflict. Yet another has to do with the Sharra Matrix. In the Regis chapters there are conflicts regarding his views about Terran Culture and that Regis is far more progressive than his grandfather as well as most of the Comyn. Sharra's Exile is a complete rewrite of one of Bradley's earliest novels The Sword of Aldones and while I haven't read that first book I thought this was a very solid entry into the Darkover Chronology. Bradley has multiple conflicts and plot points going and there is plenty of intrigue and even some action. The novel flows well and because of all of the conflict, Darkover is a conflicted society, there was plenty to hold my interest as she moved the primary story along of the re-emergence and fear of the Sharra Matrix. There is a bit of absurdity (The Sword of Aldones, the Terran woman) and Bradley has recycled a couple of story techniques she has used in the past but this time it is more dues ex machina than necessary plotting, but overall Sharra's Exile is a good Darkover story and an entertaining read. That's all I really ask for out of a book. -Joe Sherry

Like The Heritage of Hastur, Sharra's Exile is told in chapters that alternate between the first-person narrative of Lew Alton, and the third-person focus on other characters (Diotima Ridenow and Regis Hastur, in particular). It takes up where the previous book left off, where struggles between birth family and chosen family are concerned. On a larger scale, there is also the battle between those who want to preserve the traditional culture of Darkover "by any means necessary" (including use of the Sharra Matrix, which is definitely against the Compact), and those who wish to become part of the Terran Empire. The central characters become caught up in this struggle, while also dealing with the conflicting loyalties in their personal lives. Regis Hastur has to face his grandfather's disapproval of his lover Danilo, Lew Alton is haunted by the last words of his dead father, and Diotima Ridenow has to sort through her feelings for Lew when their marriage ends in disaster following the premature birth of their horribly deformed son.Those who were touched by the madness of the Sharra Circle are drawn back to it, and the attempts to harness Sharra's power could easily spell disaster for Darkover.

An outstanding expedition into the power of emotions and the internal struggles faced by Lew Alton in returning home to his native Darkover. The author has "tidied up" a number of time lines from the original publication. However, I found the original to be both more enjoyable and imaginative. While the reader can understand the desire of Ms. Bradley to have her work reflect a more mature self, the naivete of Lew and Marjorie is exchanged for a less dedsirable physical lust. While both versions entertain, and are excellent presentations of the Darkover venue, the original holds a special place in my childhood memories.