The Fall of Neskaya: The Clingfire Trilogy, Volume I

When the next ship leaves for Darkover, I plan to be on it. I'm so glad Ms. Ross has taken over for whoever was ghost-writing the last few books! Great story, interesting characters. We're back to the true flavor of the series. For those new to Darkover: Hawkmistress!, Two to Conquer, and Stormqueen! are all wonderful stories from the Ages of Chaos, and can help pass the time till the next volume of the Clingfire Trilogy appears! And BTW, there were certainly horses on Darkover since before Terran re-contact.

The latest Marion Zimmer Bradley, although Posthumously, has continued to give me more of Darkover, which I would like to see continued. Although, we tragically lost MZB in 1999, I am still thrilled at the prospect of her legacy living on through her collaborations. This is a wonderful story of good deeds and suspense, of the evils of greed and lust for power, of the great saying that the road to hell is led by good intentions and of a story well written and of purpose. I only hope that we will get to see and read the next two parts of this trilogy in the next few years. I recommend this story to any MZB fan and for those who would like to fill in some of the pieces to the Darkover saga in a time of strife and chaos that leads to the years known as the "Hastur Rebellion." I also want to know more about the development of King Carolin and his relationship with Varzil the Good - a sorceror known well into the modern day Darkover fold.

When MZB died a couple of years ago, I truly expected that there would be no more Darkover novels and that her literary estate would have sense enough not to farm her creations out to lesser writers. Gladly, that is not the case. Ms. Ross is an absolutely excellent heir to the entire Darkover milieu. While she superbly echoes Bradley in much of the content and even style, she aptly adds to the mythos in important details and concepts. Her extrapolatory gifts appear great. The book is truly a page-turning delight with memorable characters, as heart-achingly real as MZB's own. I greatly anticipate much more from DJR, especially the promised final two volumes of this Clingfire Trilogy.

For lovers of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Darkover, this book is pure delight. Written by Marion and her friend, Deborah Ross, this book proves that both Marion and Darkover will live on. I have enjoyed Ms. Ross short stories in Marion's Sword & Sorceress anthologies and will be interested to see where she takes the next chapter of this story.

The Terran colony of Darkover sunk into a feudal state because of a lack of communication between the planet and earth. It is a world where several kingdoms vie for prominence and war is a way of life. The most destructive weapons are created from laran, a form of psychic energy, which can be used at great distances to harm an enemy. One of the greatest tyrants of the time is Damian Deslucido, who is absorbing small kingdoms in his goal to rule the world. However, his success in absorbing Acorta may prove to be the seeds of his own destruction because the despot planned for his son to marry Acorta's Queen Taniel Hastur-Acorta, but she escapes. On the road she meets Coryn, a near master Laranzu, who helps her regain her health and spirit. They quickly learn the meaning of love, but fate separates them to fight Damian on different fronts with littler hope of victory or getting back together. Fans of Darkover will know that this novel occurs during the Hundred Kingdom era before the compact by Varzil the Good was instituted. The beloved Marian Zimmer Bradley and her cohort Deborah J. Ross make it clear how they feel about a civilized society containing weapons of mass destruction. THE FALL OF NEKAYA is the opening installment of a new trilogy that lives up to the greatness label of the entire series. The interesting and complex characters will either receive reader empathy or the audience's antipathy depending on who they are. This exciting novel will light up the fantasy universe.Harriet Klausner