Zandru's Forge

sob(i did not know that marion had passed). i am not sure whether this was done before her death or not but it is beautifully written and a credit. why does it seem all the good authors pass so quickly(v.c andrews was another).anyway this book chronicles the lifes of the famous keep varzil the good and the hastur king carolin hastur and their many trials from adolescent to points that their separate destiny's take them.for these 2 men meet at arillian for training in their laran. while carolin is a minor telepath, varzil is one of extraoridary ability and is soon put in keeper training. carolin soon returns home to assume his duties as heir to the throne and all the political strifes that were rampant in this period of darkover history.the book keeps you interested from beginning to end and you are almost upset that you have to wait for the 3rd book in this story to come out to see the ending. for all darkover fans, this is definitely one you do not want to miss.

In this text the reader is treated to a different POV of the times around Hawkmistress! (a Zimmer-Bradley novel). Varzil, one of the greatest Keepers, is shown from the beginning of this training AND this novel takes up a few years after the first book in the trilogy left off (but that news is slow in being told to the reader).Several different subplots are skillfully woven together, and at the end enough is left hanging to leave me wondering how Deborah will interpret Marion's notes. That said, this is not a book to start with if one has never read any of Zimmer-Bradley or Ross' work, but it is an excellent and worthy addition to the Darkover fold.

Hi, Steve Y. Normally, I don't respond to reviews personally, but I want you to know that Marion and I worked together on the concept of this 3-book project before she passed away. Many of the ideas, as well as characters and settings, are hers. You probably noticed that a number of scenes appeared in HAWKMISTRESS!She left several partial manuscripts, which I will be finishing over the next few years, and they will appear with both our names. After that, we'll see where the saga of Darkover leads us...I hope you enjoy how I have developed and completed these stories. Thank you for your input!Best,DeborahAlso, I'm not tooting my own horn with the stars. They wouldn't let me post a reply without them. Consider it a comment on your comment!

MZB chose well in making Deborah Ross heir to her rich Darkover literary legacy and DJR does her predecessor proud in this rich and engaging novel. How uncanny it seems when Ross develops her plots and characters using techniques of which MZB was unequivably the mistress! This and it's sister and prequel THE FALL OF NESKAYA add much to the vivid and always enchanting world. Reviewers elsewhere stated that while this would be eagerly embraced by Darkover fans, it would fail to attract new readers. Not so! Indeed, the quick-moving plot and lush details would serve well as an introduction to one of the most long-lived fantasy series. However, the proofreading and editing here lack miserably. Frankly, I expect better from DAW Books and, as a college English professor, was appalled at the mistakes even my weakest Freshman Comp students would catch in a moment.

On the world of Darkover during the age of THE HUNDRED KINGDOMS, petty kings make the Towers (places where people with strong psychic powers gather) build laran (psychic) weapons that can be used without the combatants ever coming face the face. In the tower of Arilinn two young men strike up a friendship that will last them all their lives and change their world for the better.Carolin Hastur, destined to become king, is sent to Arillinn tower to learn how to use and control his laran powers. Varzil Ridenow, whose family was former enemies of Hastur and now become wary allies, goes against his father's wishes to enter the Tower because he feels Darkover needs his powers as they are the strongest in the land. They share a dream of making The Towers independent of Kings and banning all distance weapons. That goal has a chance of being fulfilled if Aerlin and Carolin elude the evil sorcery of Eduin, whose father is the outlawed ex-keeper Rumail Deslucido. Carolin must also wrest the kingdom away from his cousin Rokhal who seized it when the old king died.ZANDRU'S FORGE is a powerful sword and sorcery tale starring two heroes who share a dream and fight to make it a reality. Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross have written a novel so fulfilling and satisfying that it is impossible to put down. There is plenty of action and the characters are fully developed, even the villains, making it easy to understand what motivates them. Fans of Darkover will not want to miss out on this work that adds more detail to the age of The Hundred Kingdoms.Harriet Klausner