What do you think?
Rate this book
Thieves' World
Lythande
Lythande und Rohana, das ist wie Feuer und Wasser, wie Chaos und strenge Ordnung. Was haben die in Männerkleidung herumvagabundierende Zauberin und die in Samt und kostbare Pelze gehüllte Schloßherrin gemeinsam? Unter den fantastischen Frauengestalten von Marion Zimmer Bradley bilden diese beiden polare Gegensätze. Und doch: Blickt man hinter die Zauberwelt der Zwillingssonnen und die magische Kulisse, so erkennt man überraschende Gemeinsamkeiten. Rohana und Lythande sind nicht frei, nicht glücklich und erfüllt. So unterschiedlich ihre Lebensumstände auch sein mögen, sie sind "Schwestern unter der Haut", deren gegensätzliche Schicksale lehren, daß Fügsamkeit und Dulden allein ebenso wenig weiterhelfen wie Auflehnung und Widerstand, daß Glück nur in der eigenen Persönlichkeit gefunden werden kann. Der vorliegende Band vereinigt drei Lythande-Erzählungen und drei Rohana-Geschichten aus dem Darkover-Zyklus. In einer Nachbetrachtung eröffnet Verena C. Harksen einen neuen, überraschenden Zugang zum Gesamtwerk von Marion Zimmer Bradley, der 'First Lady of Fantasy'.
285 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
1038 people want to read
About the author
Marion Zimmer Bradley
800 books4,874 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)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 25, 2017
I read this book with mixed feelings. What the allegations of abuse and pedophilia, I can't say that Marion Zimmer Bradley is high on my list of authors to read, but I have a couple of her books floating around. Like this one, which was a lawn sale buy, I believe. Anyway, I was looking for something short to read during my lunches at work, so I grabbed this one off the shelf.
The stories themselves are fine. The ones written by Marion Zimmer Bradley are well-crafted, with strong plots and a decent emotional thread. I can't remember the name and I don't have the book with me, but my favorite was a story in which Lythande accidentally acquires a magical sword that compels her to return it, and is forced to face her life choices. I thought that it had a good balance of plot and emotional development, and was certainly the story that got deepest into the character.
Unfortunately, to add to my initial hesitance, there is also an introduction to each story, written by Zimmer Bradley herself. Most of these are OK, but in one of them she talks about the criticism that she's received for her writing not being feminist enough. Which basically amounts to her whining, and then sticking out her tongue and saying, "I'm gonna write what I want." Which is fine, but just the tone toward her critics really put me off, and like the abuse allegations that I mentioned above, I had a hard time separating out my reaction to the author from my reaction to the stories.
The highlight of the book was definitely the last story, which was written by Vonda McIntyre. On a basic level, I liked her writing more than Zimmer Bradley's. It had a better flow and was less workman-like. And on an overarching level, I enjoyed the group of characters that she centered the story on, both because of their differences socially, and because of how likable I found them. I found that I also liked Lythande better from an outside perspective, and I was glad to have this story give her this 'ending' (though Zimmer Bradley is quick to point out that it's no such thing). If you read nothing else of Lythande, I'd recommend this last story.
The stories themselves are fine. The ones written by Marion Zimmer Bradley are well-crafted, with strong plots and a decent emotional thread. I can't remember the name and I don't have the book with me, but my favorite was a story in which Lythande accidentally acquires a magical sword that compels her to return it, and is forced to face her life choices. I thought that it had a good balance of plot and emotional development, and was certainly the story that got deepest into the character.
Unfortunately, to add to my initial hesitance, there is also an introduction to each story, written by Zimmer Bradley herself. Most of these are OK, but in one of them she talks about the criticism that she's received for her writing not being feminist enough. Which basically amounts to her whining, and then sticking out her tongue and saying, "I'm gonna write what I want." Which is fine, but just the tone toward her critics really put me off, and like the abuse allegations that I mentioned above, I had a hard time separating out my reaction to the author from my reaction to the stories.
The highlight of the book was definitely the last story, which was written by Vonda McIntyre. On a basic level, I liked her writing more than Zimmer Bradley's. It had a better flow and was less workman-like. And on an overarching level, I enjoyed the group of characters that she centered the story on, both because of their differences socially, and because of how likable I found them. I found that I also liked Lythande better from an outside perspective, and I was glad to have this story give her this 'ending' (though Zimmer Bradley is quick to point out that it's no such thing). If you read nothing else of Lythande, I'd recommend this last story.
December 6, 2018
Every review of a book by Zimmer Bradley needs a trigger warning, so proceed carefully.
What to say about this book, a collection of short stories about the same character, the eponymous Lythande? I knew about the accusations against Zimmer Bradley and the conviction of her husband for child molestation, and I knew how people read that back into certain episodes of the Mists of Avalon. I still was expecting something like straight-up escapist fantasy from this. What I got was a tour of Zimmer Bradley's woman-hating, self-hating psyche. It's an ugly place. I don't want to spend any more time there than I need to complete the review so let me just say that almost every single story in this involves the rape or potential rape of a young girl. And that girl is always described as ... delectable. Irresistible. I want to vomit.
Still, the damned woman (I mean that literally) can write. I finished the whole thing, even after I put it down in the middle because I was so sickened by it. So that's why the three stars. Five or none would both have been justifiable.
What to say about this book, a collection of short stories about the same character, the eponymous Lythande? I knew about the accusations against Zimmer Bradley and the conviction of her husband for child molestation, and I knew how people read that back into certain episodes of the Mists of Avalon. I still was expecting something like straight-up escapist fantasy from this. What I got was a tour of Zimmer Bradley's woman-hating, self-hating psyche. It's an ugly place. I don't want to spend any more time there than I need to complete the review so let me just say that almost every single story in this involves the rape or potential rape of a young girl. And that girl is always described as ... delectable. Irresistible. I want to vomit.
Still, the damned woman (I mean that literally) can write. I finished the whole thing, even after I put it down in the middle because I was so sickened by it. So that's why the three stars. Five or none would both have been justifiable.
January 13, 2013
This anthology has long been a treasured part of my fantasy fiction library. I can't recommend it highly enough. Seek it out from second-hand bookstore and prepare to be entertained by twist endings and resolutions that will challenge your notions of what makes a sword and sorcery hero.
Lythande, the musician and pilgrim adept of the Blue Star, was one of the most compelling and popular characters of the Thieves World anthologies, appearing even on covers of editions in which the character didn't even appear. This collection of Lythande stories were written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Vonda N. McIntyre over seven years, from 1979 to 1986. They brought more of pilgrim adept's stories to life and filled a void that was left when Bradley stopped contributing Lythande tales to the Thieves World setting.
There's dark sword and sorcery, as you'd expect from The Secret of the Blue Star, which serves as an introduction to this character. All adepts keep a secret, the secret that is the source of their power. And when two pilgrim adepts meet, the stakes are raised, as each tries to uncover the secret of the other, and win power over them. Lythande must call upon a mighty, but dangerous illusion, to maintain that secret. But will a trusted ally's secret be betrayed in the process?
Not all the tales are grim and dark. Lythande is caught in quite the pickle in the humorous The Incompetent Magician. Less humorous, but no less vexing, is the magical compulsion Lythande must cope with in Somebody Else's Magic. Sea Wrack is Bradley's take on the alluring cry of the siren's song. Music -- and love -- prove bittersweet in The Wandering Lute.
The anthology closes with McIntyre's memorable take on Lythande in Looking for Satan, which stretched the bounds of what -- under the shared-world rules of writing for Thieves World -- one author could do to a character created by another author. Yet, this Lythande tale is so deftly handled, so compelling, the exception was made.
Lythande, the musician and pilgrim adept of the Blue Star, was one of the most compelling and popular characters of the Thieves World anthologies, appearing even on covers of editions in which the character didn't even appear. This collection of Lythande stories were written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Vonda N. McIntyre over seven years, from 1979 to 1986. They brought more of pilgrim adept's stories to life and filled a void that was left when Bradley stopped contributing Lythande tales to the Thieves World setting.
There's dark sword and sorcery, as you'd expect from The Secret of the Blue Star, which serves as an introduction to this character. All adepts keep a secret, the secret that is the source of their power. And when two pilgrim adepts meet, the stakes are raised, as each tries to uncover the secret of the other, and win power over them. Lythande must call upon a mighty, but dangerous illusion, to maintain that secret. But will a trusted ally's secret be betrayed in the process?
Not all the tales are grim and dark. Lythande is caught in quite the pickle in the humorous The Incompetent Magician. Less humorous, but no less vexing, is the magical compulsion Lythande must cope with in Somebody Else's Magic. Sea Wrack is Bradley's take on the alluring cry of the siren's song. Music -- and love -- prove bittersweet in The Wandering Lute.
The anthology closes with McIntyre's memorable take on Lythande in Looking for Satan, which stretched the bounds of what -- under the shared-world rules of writing for Thieves World -- one author could do to a character created by another author. Yet, this Lythande tale is so deftly handled, so compelling, the exception was made.
June 25, 2023
Everything Bradley wrote now comes with an asterisk and every review contains a paragraph like this one. The optics aren't helped when in the debut story Lythande expresses desire or longing towards a character set up as a sexual football and who is coded by modern eyes as being inappropriately young.
The rest of the stories less Wrede's "Looking For Satan" are embellishments on the elements introduced by that debut--with less creepiness, in most--deepening but not broadening the character. Lythande remains a one-note protagonist defined by the Adept of the Blue Star rules and by the constraints of those rules as they pertain to her. No story goes by without the direct tie to her hidden gender or by the sense of incompleteness that she could not choose both family and career, as it were. "Somebody Else's Magic" delves into this most deeply with an examination about more balanced paths not taken or unavailable at the time.
There's no story exploring the restriction that a Pilgrim Adept must eat and drink in privacy, for instance. That would have been an interesting diversion. As would stories about the rest of the Order and whatever weird Secrets and Vows constrain them: the only other Secret the reader is witness to is of an Adept that is explicitly a pervert, in a story playing it and male ego virility for comedy.
Wrede's story does it all one better by introducing a culture with completely fluid gender roles and relationship roles, and letting those characters react to the unreasonable and arbitrary constraints imposed by Sanctuary and by the Order of the Blue Star. Ultimately Lythande is forced to the question: why is she participating in a system that oppresses her?
The rest of the stories less Wrede's "Looking For Satan" are embellishments on the elements introduced by that debut--with less creepiness, in most--deepening but not broadening the character. Lythande remains a one-note protagonist defined by the Adept of the Blue Star rules and by the constraints of those rules as they pertain to her. No story goes by without the direct tie to her hidden gender or by the sense of incompleteness that she could not choose both family and career, as it were. "Somebody Else's Magic" delves into this most deeply with an examination about more balanced paths not taken or unavailable at the time.
There's no story exploring the restriction that a Pilgrim Adept must eat and drink in privacy, for instance. That would have been an interesting diversion. As would stories about the rest of the Order and whatever weird Secrets and Vows constrain them: the only other Secret the reader is witness to is of an Adept that is explicitly a pervert, in a story playing it and male ego virility for comedy.
Wrede's story does it all one better by introducing a culture with completely fluid gender roles and relationship roles, and letting those characters react to the unreasonable and arbitrary constraints imposed by Sanctuary and by the Order of the Blue Star. Ultimately Lythande is forced to the question: why is she participating in a system that oppresses her?
August 17, 2017
A fairly underwhelming and dated collection exploring the world of Lythande (a cross dressing lesbian wizard who has a blue star glued to her forehead... yeah, ok). Lots of awkward representations of women - even Lythande herself who could have been an interesting protagonist in theory was a little too Radclyffe Hall for my liking - so much angst and 'woe is me, a lesbian' moments.
January 3, 2022
there’s lots of fun to be had in this collection ; the twists and turns of Lythande’s adventures can be really compelling, and they are brimming with the wonders of medieval fantasy that draw readers like me to the genre in the first place.
…but the “gender curse” Lythande navigates, and which is pivotal to every story in this collection, reads less as conflict granting the character depth and more like a tortured relationship with gender in a cis-patriarchal society. If this was well-received at the time, I think it hasn’t aged well. I wonder what trans, genderfluid, & non-binary readers make of it !
This collection is also haunted by the allegations made against the author. The hypersexualized descriptions of young girls in these stories (excepting the story written by a different author) range from bizarre to downright disturbing. I really wanted the writing to stand for itself, but there is clearly no room in this collection to make some kind of moral separation between art and artist.
…but the “gender curse” Lythande navigates, and which is pivotal to every story in this collection, reads less as conflict granting the character depth and more like a tortured relationship with gender in a cis-patriarchal society. If this was well-received at the time, I think it hasn’t aged well. I wonder what trans, genderfluid, & non-binary readers make of it !
This collection is also haunted by the allegations made against the author. The hypersexualized descriptions of young girls in these stories (excepting the story written by a different author) range from bizarre to downright disturbing. I really wanted the writing to stand for itself, but there is clearly no room in this collection to make some kind of moral separation between art and artist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2015
This looked to be a promissing book.
It had al the aspects of what I like to read about:
A lesbian wizard posing as a man. Interesting stories.
Plus "slice of life" stories instead of the "only you can save mankind" ones.
Sadly I must admit, I skimmed a lot through this book, because it was incredibly angsty and repetitive.
This left me feeling like these stories belonged as side stories to several books, now put into one, without having pruned out the excess.
Still, the stories were just interesting enough that it did not land on my "not finishing" list.
It had al the aspects of what I like to read about:
A lesbian wizard posing as a man. Interesting stories.
Plus "slice of life" stories instead of the "only you can save mankind" ones.
Sadly I must admit, I skimmed a lot through this book, because it was incredibly angsty and repetitive.
This left me feeling like these stories belonged as side stories to several books, now put into one, without having pruned out the excess.
Still, the stories were just interesting enough that it did not land on my "not finishing" list.
October 2, 2020
I could not even finish the first story as Lythande uses a wraith creature to have sex with an underage child - yes the child is under a spell set upon her by a rival magician but the fact remains that this was highly inappropriate and just plain weird. I was willing to deal with the clunky writing as I was interested in the magic and the character, but there are definite boundaries being crossed here and, considering the claims of molestation and sexual abuse MZB has against her, it was a step too far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2008
I love this character and I was kinda bummed that she never got a full fledged novel to flush her out more. It would've been a great read
June 18, 2011
Really liked this read. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and when the key character is a strong female I'm especially pleased.
August 21, 2019
Die Geschichte um Lythande hat mir sehr gut gefallen, die um Rohana leider eher weniger.
January 14, 2019
I have read most of MZB’s fantasy work. I found this title on my travels and was looking forward to reading. However, I found it a bit blah, the stories seem repetitive in there plot line as well as the constant need to reiterate elements of Lythande’s character annoying.
There appeared to be a lacking for new inspiration in Lythande’s experience all of which include some kind of abuse towards woman, two are about attempting to rid herself of some kind of magical items she has been bound to. Perhaps, this work was rather provocative at the time it was published, I fear it is dated for me.
The last story written Vonda N. McIntyre was at least slightly refreshing with the change in plot line and character development.
There appeared to be a lacking for new inspiration in Lythande’s experience all of which include some kind of abuse towards woman, two are about attempting to rid herself of some kind of magical items she has been bound to. Perhaps, this work was rather provocative at the time it was published, I fear it is dated for me.
The last story written Vonda N. McIntyre was at least slightly refreshing with the change in plot line and character development.
October 5, 2025
Really enjoyed this anthology from MZB. I didn't even realize it was a Thieves World compilation until I got it home from the used bookstore, I was drawn to the wonderful cover art by Walter Velez and saw it was by MZB.
Very good stories - I gave it three stars only because of Vonda McIntyre's entry which sullied the book and did not get the setting or character correct. Lythande is interesting in a way that modern fantasy just can't get right; it's probably why much of my fantasy preference is for works prior to 2005 and generally focused in the 70's, 80's, and 90's.
I'm not an MZB fan usually, but I admit there was a period when her work was exemplary and this book was in that window.
Thieves World draws me back in now and again. Perhaps I'll begin a reread of the series.
Very good stories - I gave it three stars only because of Vonda McIntyre's entry which sullied the book and did not get the setting or character correct. Lythande is interesting in a way that modern fantasy just can't get right; it's probably why much of my fantasy preference is for works prior to 2005 and generally focused in the 70's, 80's, and 90's.
I'm not an MZB fan usually, but I admit there was a period when her work was exemplary and this book was in that window.
Thieves World draws me back in now and again. Perhaps I'll begin a reread of the series.
March 6, 2022
I didn't know this world before reading this book. It's an interesting world and I liked some aspects of it. Still other things sounded a bit ridiculous to me and not knowing this world, I was left with many blank spots. Still the stories and the characters were thrilling and I liked the bits that Zimmer Bradley wrote herself. Those were really good. Now the last story, by another author, was an absolutely different story. It was out of character and completely out of style. I understand that in this world writers are allowed to borrow a character, but in this case I didn't like it at all and I skipped parts of it. The end was horrible. I will wipe this off my knowledge of lythande.
March 18, 2022
Una ambientazione davvero interessante, con maghi dai diversi poteri, in alcuni casi derivati da grandi segreti.
Lythande è una maga il cui più grande segreto è di essere donna, e lo mantiene da sempre.
Dopo il primo racconto interessante e bello, coinvolgente, che ci immerge nell'ambientazione e ci presenta Lythande, gli altri perdono mordente, diventano a tratti banali, spesso ripetitivi.
L'ultimo riprende tono presentando personaggi diversi e popolazioni diverse rispetto agli umani dando un filo di luce nell'oscurità di questa antologia.
Lythande è una maga il cui più grande segreto è di essere donna, e lo mantiene da sempre.
Dopo il primo racconto interessante e bello, coinvolgente, che ci immerge nell'ambientazione e ci presenta Lythande, gli altri perdono mordente, diventano a tratti banali, spesso ripetitivi.
L'ultimo riprende tono presentando personaggi diversi e popolazioni diverse rispetto agli umani dando un filo di luce nell'oscurità di questa antologia.
October 25, 2022
The title character started off in the pages of Thieves' World anthology and the first and last stories can be found in the first and third volumes of that series. The middle four stories are entirely original to this book and do not take place - necessarily- in the world of the Ranken empire and Sanctuary. They are fun and not exactly the hack-and-slash fantasy one normally expects.
September 11, 2025
I must have read this in the 80's, before the Internet. Amazon.com and ebooks were popular. I loved the cover and enjoyed it. I still have the paperback on my shelf. Haven't done a re-read in ages,
Didn't know about Thieves World. My reading taste may have changed, but I have good memories. The Darkover series comes to mind when I remember Ms. Bradley.
Didn't know about Thieves World. My reading taste may have changed, but I have good memories. The Darkover series comes to mind when I remember Ms. Bradley.
July 31, 2023
Because of the way it is stories, it is really repetitive introducing the character again and again. It also has these unnecessary intros. Overall it wasn't bad to read, but also not that interesting.
July 11, 2025
Some interesting stuff in here. Some of the book's description is pretty skewed towards MZB's pedophilia, which was a downer. But Lythande is a very interesting character and complicated, lots of internalized misogyny. Impressive for the moment it was written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2019
A collection of 4 or 5 [long] short stories. Actually, the last story was the best.
December 18, 2020
A series of short stories making a quick easy read.
September 14, 2021
Quite enjoyed the world. I will be looking for other books set in this world
December 5, 2022
Hm ich weiß nicht
December 26, 2022
Repetitive, misogynistic, overall, not much good.
April 21, 2010
I love me a good sword and sorcery story: I remembered Lythande from her first appearance in Thieves World, a shared world anthology that included not just Marion Zimmer Bradley but Poul Anderson, John Brunner, and in other books in that world Philip José Farmer, David Drake, A.E. van Vogt, C.J. Cherryh. I'm also a Marion Zimmer Bradley fan, or at least, a fan of her Darkover books. Looking to winnow my book collection, I couldn't bear to get rid of even the weaker books in that world, but I find it easy to let go of Lythande.
This isn't a novel but six linked short stories about Lythande, an "Adept of the Blue Star" whose powers depend on keeping a secret--that's she's really a woman disguised as a man. In her introduction Marion Zimmer Bradley all but says Lythande is a lesbian, yet insists she doesn't want to cater to the "unhealthy curious male" by writing about lesbian women. It seemed an odd statement. Maybe it's just the times this was published in--1986, but I don't get why the question is even raised given it's obvious this is part of Lythande's identity. Actually, given her situation I think it would be more poignant if she were drawn to men--she can reveal her secret to women, but not men. In fact, Lythande doesn't relate to men at all--not as brother, father, mentor, colleague or friend and most of the men in these stories are fools, cads, or rapists. I didn't like how she made fun of the stammerer in "The Incompetent Magician." Sometimes details were inconsistent, and often repetitive as each story gives her background. Most important, I didn't remember any of the stories without rereading--they're just not that memorable. Indeed, my favorite story in the collection was the only one not by MZB but by Vonda McIntyre, "Looking for Satan." I'd recommend other books by MZB over this one, and the anthology Thieves' World over Lythande.
This isn't a novel but six linked short stories about Lythande, an "Adept of the Blue Star" whose powers depend on keeping a secret--that's she's really a woman disguised as a man. In her introduction Marion Zimmer Bradley all but says Lythande is a lesbian, yet insists she doesn't want to cater to the "unhealthy curious male" by writing about lesbian women. It seemed an odd statement. Maybe it's just the times this was published in--1986, but I don't get why the question is even raised given it's obvious this is part of Lythande's identity. Actually, given her situation I think it would be more poignant if she were drawn to men--she can reveal her secret to women, but not men. In fact, Lythande doesn't relate to men at all--not as brother, father, mentor, colleague or friend and most of the men in these stories are fools, cads, or rapists. I didn't like how she made fun of the stammerer in "The Incompetent Magician." Sometimes details were inconsistent, and often repetitive as each story gives her background. Most important, I didn't remember any of the stories without rereading--they're just not that memorable. Indeed, my favorite story in the collection was the only one not by MZB but by Vonda McIntyre, "Looking for Satan." I'd recommend other books by MZB over this one, and the anthology Thieves' World over Lythande.
May 11, 2020
Uno de mis libros de fantasía favoritos, y a mi juicio una de las mejores obras de Marion Zimmer Bradley, que por desgracia no tuvo la continuidad que merecía. Este volumen agrupa una serie de relatos breves que la autora escribió para el mundo compartido de "Thieves' World", protagonizados por Lythande, integrante de la poderosa orden de magos de la Estrella Azul. Tal como se establece desde el principio, cada uno de estos peligrosos hechiceros posee un secreto que, de pronunciarse en voz alta, les arrebataría sus poderes. En el caso de Lythande, su secreto, y aquello que debe esforzarse siempre en ocultar, es que es realmente una mujer.
Con esta de por sí interesante premisa Mario Zimmer Bradley construye una mirada al rol de las mujeres en el fantástico que está prácticamente al nivel de su obra más famosa, "Las nieblas de Avalón", y lo hace en apenas un puñado de historias cortas. El conflicto interno de una mujer que debe renunciar a su identidad para poder demostrar su valor es en ocasiones muy cruel, pero todavía hoy me cuesta encontrar un libro de fantasía que me haya obligado a releerlo en tantas ocasiones. Lo he recomendado mil veces y todavía lo siento como algo necesario, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que la saga de Avalón terminó por opacar prácticamente todo el resto de la voluminosa obra de su autora. Este libro no es fácil de conseguir, pero háganlo porque vale la pena.
Con esta de por sí interesante premisa Mario Zimmer Bradley construye una mirada al rol de las mujeres en el fantástico que está prácticamente al nivel de su obra más famosa, "Las nieblas de Avalón", y lo hace en apenas un puñado de historias cortas. El conflicto interno de una mujer que debe renunciar a su identidad para poder demostrar su valor es en ocasiones muy cruel, pero todavía hoy me cuesta encontrar un libro de fantasía que me haya obligado a releerlo en tantas ocasiones. Lo he recomendado mil veces y todavía lo siento como algo necesario, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que la saga de Avalón terminó por opacar prácticamente todo el resto de la voluminosa obra de su autora. Este libro no es fácil de conseguir, pero háganlo porque vale la pena.
November 12, 2013
2.5 stars. I didn't feel strongly enough about the stories to dislike them. They weren't riveting, but they were interesting enough that I didn't feel like I was wasting my time reading them. I do like MZB in general, but I must admit that this is my least favorite of anything she has written. Perhaps because she didn't create the world in which the stories took place, there were more elements that struck me as cliche. Maybe being confined to the short story format didn't give her space to do much interesting with the character. Or maybe I would have found them more interesting if I had read something else set in that world first.
August 2, 2013
I first read this as a kid when I was getting into fantasy, and I remember thinking it was pretty cool. Well, it has some good elements (Lythande is a cool character, and the plots of the short stories gathered here are all pretty enjoyable), but honestly, MZB is not the best writer in the world, and her prose is clunky at best. The final short story, not even by MZB but by another writer, is downright terrible. It would be fun if some other writer could pick up this character and spin some more tales, because I think the ideas are solid, but the quality of the writing just isn't there.
November 19, 2013
I'm not a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley - her ideas are good but her writing style is a mess.
BUT...
the last story in this collection, "Looking for Satan" by Vonda McIntyre, is worth it. It features Bradley's Lythande character but thankfully, this author can write. An enjoyable fantasy adventure with interesting world-building and likeable characters that can be read as a stand-alone story (the stories by Bradley give some more information on Lythande, but you can skip them and still understand McIntyre's work).
BUT...
the last story in this collection, "Looking for Satan" by Vonda McIntyre, is worth it. It features Bradley's Lythande character but thankfully, this author can write. An enjoyable fantasy adventure with interesting world-building and likeable characters that can be read as a stand-alone story (the stories by Bradley give some more information on Lythande, but you can skip them and still understand McIntyre's work).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews