What do you think?
Rate this book
Darkover (Publication Order) #11
The Forbidden Tower
This is the novel of four who defied the powers of the matrix guardians - fanatics who protected those powers so that the planet of the ruddy sun might never fall beneath the influence of materialistic Terrans.
The four who found themselves fused into a terrifying unity in that defiance were two men and two women.
The men were Damon Ridenow, a Comyn of the ruling caste, and Andrew Carr, the Earthman who had won for himself the right of clan-entry.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
12 people are currently reading
1190 people want to read
About the author
Marion Zimmer Bradley
799 books4,866 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 89 reviews
May 9, 2016
And so I give up on the universe of Marion Zimmer Bradley forever. I don't do this triumphantly, mind you, but with a heavy heart. I must confess, I didn't even finish this book, only got about 2/3 of the way through, but it was no good, had never been good, and this is something I needed to face. Five minutes ago, I took a grudging walk over to my bookshelf to slide this thing in under "B", and lo! - I realized, surprised, that this was the sixth - the sixth! - Darkover book I had read. Scanning the titles, I grew concerned, because, let me ask you, how many of the previous ones would you guess I had loved? You know, given that this was my sixth? The answer, and I feel crazy admitting this, is NONE. Not a one. I have read Darkover: Landfall, I have read Star of Danger, I have read Two to Conquer, I have read Heritage of Hastur, and I have read Spell Sword, and not one of them, not a single one, is a great book. And yet here I was, trying yet another. I kept coming back, always coming back, every year or two, just to see if maybe, just maybe, this would be the great one.
But I have already read the great one. That was Mists of Avalon. That is her masterpiece. I feel confident in proclaiming, at this juncture, that the Darkover books are not remotely in the same league. I felt guilty not reading them, I suppose. I felt I was missing out on something. They are cultural genre landmarks, are they not? The Science Fiction Encyclopedia calls the Darkover novels the most important "planetary romance" yet written in the genre. That may be so. Perhaps they are "important." They may also be her "most personal," as Bradley claimed, and they may have been valuable to many pubescent girls in the 70's and 80's trying to come to terms with their own sexuality, but they are not, not by any definition we can all agree on, well-written books. They are well-intentioned. They have compelling ideas. They evoke important themes and crucial investigations into sexual mores and other social norms. That is what kept pulling me back, the courage of her themes, the brazenness with which she questioned our assumptions. And I do believe Bradley was an important innovator in terms of what sorts of topics science fiction could encompass. But Ursula K. Le Guin, she is not. She is not a natural-born writer, or a natural storyteller, and the weaknesses of her writing finally overcame my admiration for her good intentions.
I am so bothered, so drained, by my realization, that I barely have the energy to enunciate the writing problems. Her characters have no depth. They each have a single characteristic that defines them. The narrative voice is too on-the-nose. It delivers too much information. It uses a lazy 3rd-person omniscient voice to tell us, every step of the way, precisely what every single character in a scene is thinking, preventing us from connecting with any one of them in particular. She describes events in platitudes and cliches. She inserts adverbs after the word "said." She reports characters' emotions by listing them, like "with a mixture of dread and relief," or "with horror tinged by sadness." She...
Ach. I dunno. These books should be better. They have important things to say. But Bradley's writing abilities just aren't up to the task, and now that I've gotten this off my chest, I never need to pick up another Darkover book again.
But I have already read the great one. That was Mists of Avalon. That is her masterpiece. I feel confident in proclaiming, at this juncture, that the Darkover books are not remotely in the same league. I felt guilty not reading them, I suppose. I felt I was missing out on something. They are cultural genre landmarks, are they not? The Science Fiction Encyclopedia calls the Darkover novels the most important "planetary romance" yet written in the genre. That may be so. Perhaps they are "important." They may also be her "most personal," as Bradley claimed, and they may have been valuable to many pubescent girls in the 70's and 80's trying to come to terms with their own sexuality, but they are not, not by any definition we can all agree on, well-written books. They are well-intentioned. They have compelling ideas. They evoke important themes and crucial investigations into sexual mores and other social norms. That is what kept pulling me back, the courage of her themes, the brazenness with which she questioned our assumptions. And I do believe Bradley was an important innovator in terms of what sorts of topics science fiction could encompass. But Ursula K. Le Guin, she is not. She is not a natural-born writer, or a natural storyteller, and the weaknesses of her writing finally overcame my admiration for her good intentions.
I am so bothered, so drained, by my realization, that I barely have the energy to enunciate the writing problems. Her characters have no depth. They each have a single characteristic that defines them. The narrative voice is too on-the-nose. It delivers too much information. It uses a lazy 3rd-person omniscient voice to tell us, every step of the way, precisely what every single character in a scene is thinking, preventing us from connecting with any one of them in particular. She describes events in platitudes and cliches. She inserts adverbs after the word "said." She reports characters' emotions by listing them, like "with a mixture of dread and relief," or "with horror tinged by sadness." She...
Ach. I dunno. These books should be better. They have important things to say. But Bradley's writing abilities just aren't up to the task, and now that I've gotten this off my chest, I never need to pick up another Darkover book again.
January 22, 2015
One of the brilliant aspects of good fantasy is how it takes real world issues and re-examines them in a different milieu The Forbidden Tower examines themes of duty, desire, masculine and feminine, tradition versus modernity, the past versus the future, family ties, what it means to be from a different culture plunked into one completely alien, and of course sexuality. Oh and the use/abuse of psychic talents.
With such themes, a writer could be easily bogged down and the characters suffer. The late Marion Zimmer Bradley was a genius when it came to blending such disparate elements, and in The Forbidden Tower her brilliance truly shines. This isn't an easy read, but it was a book that was easy to get lost in. And much like my beloved Pern, Darkover is a fully-actualized world that could actually exist somewhere.
Damon, Callista, Ellemir and Andrew felt like real people with real issues. They were perfectly imperfect, making mistakes and learning from them. There were no bad guys as such, for even the one morally questionable character, had a compelling reason for his behaviour.
Funny, how most newer books still lack that sense of timelessness a lot of older books still retain. The Forbidden Tower could've been written now. It feels just that fresh. Granted, the one huge minus is the lack of diversity, which while I'm willing to forgive in this instance, would be absolutely INEXCUSABLE now. On the other hand, there is Cholayna Ayres in later Darkover novels. That's sadly better than still too many books these days.
With such themes, a writer could be easily bogged down and the characters suffer. The late Marion Zimmer Bradley was a genius when it came to blending such disparate elements, and in The Forbidden Tower her brilliance truly shines. This isn't an easy read, but it was a book that was easy to get lost in. And much like my beloved Pern, Darkover is a fully-actualized world that could actually exist somewhere.
Damon, Callista, Ellemir and Andrew felt like real people with real issues. They were perfectly imperfect, making mistakes and learning from them. There were no bad guys as such, for even the one morally questionable character, had a compelling reason for his behaviour.
Funny, how most newer books still lack that sense of timelessness a lot of older books still retain. The Forbidden Tower could've been written now. It feels just that fresh. Granted, the one huge minus is the lack of diversity, which while I'm willing to forgive in this instance, would be absolutely INEXCUSABLE now. On the other hand, there is Cholayna Ayres in later Darkover novels. That's sadly better than still too many books these days.
Read
June 23, 2012Andrew Carr of Earth and Damon Ridenow of Darkover fall in love with two twins of noble birth, Ellemir and Callista, but the world's against them!
I started this about twelve years ago and got a couple of hundred pages in. This month I've been trying to read one book at a time and to finish ones I've already started, so I picked up from where I'd left off. I was determined to finish this book, if only to rescue the bookmark that it had held captive all those years.
My initial impression was that it was awful. In some ways it seemed very much like a feminine counterpart to the Gor series. Gor is a world where Earthwomen learn to love sexual subjugation; Darkover is a world where Earthmen learn to love intimacy, talking about their feelings and - ugh! - cuddling. Not quite as reprehensible as Gor, but still not really my cup of tea. I like my heroes to be Ian Chestertons, guys who don't even think about romance until the adventure is over!
Much of the book (or at least the second half - I don't remember anything of the first half) is taken up with the bromance between Andrew and Damon. I've no issue with stories about the love between two men, of course. I've watched all the Lethal Weapon movies, and every episode of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys!
In general, though, I'd rather see such bonds form in battle. The budding relationship between Andrew and Damon comes into full flower after the latter starts crying in a bedchamber after someone is a bit testy with him in a meeting. At times it felt very much like reading the script of a female-friendly porn film...
More seriously (and quite Gor-ishly), the scenes where Andrew objected to being fondled by Damon during group sex irked me a bit, in that he's portrayed as a prude who has committed a huge faux pas. Afterwards he feels "awkward, still scared at the immensity of what he had done to Damon". One wonders if the author's take would have been the same if Damon had groped a girl instead of a boy!
But as the book wore on I did enjoy it more, and the cloying romantic scenes between all parties proved crucial to the plot's development. The council intrigues were interesting, and the book's overall message of love and tolerance is one that's always relevant. But thank goodness it's over.
Now fly free, little bookmark, fly!
I started this about twelve years ago and got a couple of hundred pages in. This month I've been trying to read one book at a time and to finish ones I've already started, so I picked up from where I'd left off. I was determined to finish this book, if only to rescue the bookmark that it had held captive all those years.
My initial impression was that it was awful. In some ways it seemed very much like a feminine counterpart to the Gor series. Gor is a world where Earthwomen learn to love sexual subjugation; Darkover is a world where Earthmen learn to love intimacy, talking about their feelings and - ugh! - cuddling. Not quite as reprehensible as Gor, but still not really my cup of tea. I like my heroes to be Ian Chestertons, guys who don't even think about romance until the adventure is over!
Much of the book (or at least the second half - I don't remember anything of the first half) is taken up with the bromance between Andrew and Damon. I've no issue with stories about the love between two men, of course. I've watched all the Lethal Weapon movies, and every episode of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys!
In general, though, I'd rather see such bonds form in battle. The budding relationship between Andrew and Damon comes into full flower after the latter starts crying in a bedchamber after someone is a bit testy with him in a meeting. At times it felt very much like reading the script of a female-friendly porn film...
More seriously (and quite Gor-ishly), the scenes where Andrew objected to being fondled by Damon during group sex irked me a bit, in that he's portrayed as a prude who has committed a huge faux pas. Afterwards he feels "awkward, still scared at the immensity of what he had done to Damon". One wonders if the author's take would have been the same if Damon had groped a girl instead of a boy!
But as the book wore on I did enjoy it more, and the cloying romantic scenes between all parties proved crucial to the plot's development. The council intrigues were interesting, and the book's overall message of love and tolerance is one that's always relevant. But thank goodness it's over.
Now fly free, little bookmark, fly!
February 26, 2019
9/10. Media de los 18 libros leídos de la autora : 8/10
En su día estaba colgadito de su saga de Darkover (Fantasía). Hace no mucho re-leí parte de uno de estos libros y me resultó simplón, pero como estoy manteniendo la nota que les puse en su día, pues queda la autora con una media fantástica de "8".
La saga artúrica Las nieblas de Avalon tb está muy bien, es una novelación distinta pero bien escrita. Lo de siempre pero con otro toque, vamos. Y sus incursiones en CF tampoco defraudan.
En su día estaba colgadito de su saga de Darkover (Fantasía). Hace no mucho re-leí parte de uno de estos libros y me resultó simplón, pero como estoy manteniendo la nota que les puse en su día, pues queda la autora con una media fantástica de "8".
La saga artúrica Las nieblas de Avalon tb está muy bien, es una novelación distinta pero bien escrita. Lo de siempre pero con otro toque, vamos. Y sus incursiones en CF tampoco defraudan.
July 2, 2012
Why did my Dad recommend this book to me? It's basically about 4 telepathic wizards having an orgy to defeat the forces of conservatism. Clearly science fiction books written in the seventies went through some strange phases..
April 5, 2020
Che bello tornare nel mondo di Darkover! Questo libro ha uno svolgimento più lento dei precedenti perché è ambientato in gran parte in un unico posto, ovvero all'interno di un castello, la dimora degli Alton. Marion Zimmer Bradley utilizza questa storia per riflettere sulla complessità dei rapporti di coppia e sui nostri schemi culturali, che si contrappongono a quelli del mondo dei telepati di Darkover. Anche qui il personaggio meno riuscito risulta essere l'unico terrestre presente nella storia, al contrario dei nativi che sono sempre molto sfaccettati e interessanti. Si tratta dunque di un libro molto riflessivo, con poca azione. Solo nelle ultime 60 pagine gli eventi precipitano e si susseguono in un ritmo quasi frenetico. Una delle cose che mi piace di più di questa saga e anche in questo libro è la visione scientifica di un mondo completamente diverso dal nostro: qui la conoscenza della materia, dell'universo e delle sue leggi non avviene tramite strumenti altamente tecnologici ma dalla forza di menti altamente potenti, telepatiche, che riescono a entrare in contatto diretto con gli elementi di studio.
December 27, 2018
This book was a huge disappointment.
The Mists of Avalon is one of my favorite books, so I’ve started reading the Darkover series. The first one was the Hawkmistress, which is quite good. Then, I managed to buy The Forbidden Tower. I live in Brasil and, like most of MZB’s titles, it was only published in Portuguese once during the early 1990’s, so it was not only hard to find a copy but also expensive.
My edition synopsis suggests that there is a lot of “sci-fi-fantasy” action and adventure, which unfortunately is not true.
The book tells the story of two recently married couples - twin sisters and two best friends. One of them is terraqueous, Andrew, the others are darkovans, Damon, Callista and Ellemir. They are all feudal rich telepaths who live together in the same property. One of the girls, Callista, was a Tower guardian in the past (in the Darkover universe, a Tower is where the most powerful telepaths go to develop their powers), who was dismissed from her duty in order to marry her beloved Andrew. She has sexual issues because of her previous guardian celibatary training and ALL the book is about this “Callista Quest” for her sexuality and Andrew, Damon and Ellemir doing everything (EVERYTHING) to help her.
Ok. No sci-fi battles, no adventures (like the Hawkmistress), but this could be a good outer-space-semi-erotic reading anyway IF characters were not so shallow and the plot was more like... a plot! Also, this sexuality self-discovery thing could be a lot more captivating if the narrative wasn’t so cold and distant. Dialogues seem so affected and, at some points, quite ridiculous.
After its almost 400 pages, you’ll find out that... that’s it! that’s the story. The end.
I would say that the book could be divided like this:
1) 70%: is about Callista’s lack of desire and difficulties in having sex, being sick or whimpering all around the castle, with the other three main charachters helping and comforting her. Healing process includes energy canalizations, taking magical teas and some attempts to make sex (oooohhh, sounds exciting? take a look at number 3).
2) 10%: astral projections and magical herbs.
3) 9%: sex, orgies, nudity and swingering practice between the two couples (homo affection between the two men is also suggested, but that’s all, it doesn't develop). But even these supposedly naughty parts don’t work, really. Actually, very few scenes include real sex, most of the time characters' sensuality is only suggested in dreams or, at most, they do preliminaries that never develop to anything concrete. Even the few “real” sex sequences are so poor and dated that I thought I was reading a bad script from a B movie made in the 70’s.
4) 11%: anthropological discussions on humans versus darkovans behaviours and beliefs.
Sincerely, if you're looking for eroticism, that 9% doesn’t worth reading this book at all. Try Hilda Hilst's books instead. And if you're hoping to find some sci-fi good reading, maybe you should try another one, too. I would recommend Solaris by Stanislaw Lem for a start.
I hope to find another of MZB book to amaze me as much as The Mists or, at least, The Hawkmistress.
The Mists of Avalon is one of my favorite books, so I’ve started reading the Darkover series. The first one was the Hawkmistress, which is quite good. Then, I managed to buy The Forbidden Tower. I live in Brasil and, like most of MZB’s titles, it was only published in Portuguese once during the early 1990’s, so it was not only hard to find a copy but also expensive.
My edition synopsis suggests that there is a lot of “sci-fi-fantasy” action and adventure, which unfortunately is not true.
The book tells the story of two recently married couples - twin sisters and two best friends. One of them is terraqueous, Andrew, the others are darkovans, Damon, Callista and Ellemir. They are all feudal rich telepaths who live together in the same property. One of the girls, Callista, was a Tower guardian in the past (in the Darkover universe, a Tower is where the most powerful telepaths go to develop their powers), who was dismissed from her duty in order to marry her beloved Andrew. She has sexual issues because of her previous guardian celibatary training and ALL the book is about this “Callista Quest” for her sexuality and Andrew, Damon and Ellemir doing everything (EVERYTHING) to help her.
Ok. No sci-fi battles, no adventures (like the Hawkmistress), but this could be a good outer-space-semi-erotic reading anyway IF characters were not so shallow and the plot was more like... a plot! Also, this sexuality self-discovery thing could be a lot more captivating if the narrative wasn’t so cold and distant. Dialogues seem so affected and, at some points, quite ridiculous.
After its almost 400 pages, you’ll find out that... that’s it! that’s the story. The end.
I would say that the book could be divided like this:
1) 70%: is about Callista’s lack of desire and difficulties in having sex, being sick or whimpering all around the castle, with the other three main charachters helping and comforting her. Healing process includes energy canalizations, taking magical teas and some attempts to make sex (oooohhh, sounds exciting? take a look at number 3).
2) 10%: astral projections and magical herbs.
3) 9%: sex, orgies, nudity and swingering practice between the two couples (homo affection between the two men is also suggested, but that’s all, it doesn't develop). But even these supposedly naughty parts don’t work, really. Actually, very few scenes include real sex, most of the time characters' sensuality is only suggested in dreams or, at most, they do preliminaries that never develop to anything concrete. Even the few “real” sex sequences are so poor and dated that I thought I was reading a bad script from a B movie made in the 70’s.
4) 11%: anthropological discussions on humans versus darkovans behaviours and beliefs.
Sincerely, if you're looking for eroticism, that 9% doesn’t worth reading this book at all. Try Hilda Hilst's books instead. And if you're hoping to find some sci-fi good reading, maybe you should try another one, too. I would recommend Solaris by Stanislaw Lem for a start.
I hope to find another of MZB book to amaze me as much as The Mists or, at least, The Hawkmistress.
December 3, 2016
I had a strange memory about this book. It seemed to me that it ended in tragedy and instead it has a sort of happy ending. The story is a bit confused, mostly based on overworld and Keepers. In origin, Keepers could be men or women, when Varzil the Good was Keeper, the role was destined to men but he changed everything and, at the time of the story, Keepers are women, pledged to chastity (better virginity) and for this purpose they are teached hard lessons. Callista, istructed as a keeper, found herself in love with Andrew Carr, a Earth man who saved her. And now, with the help of her twin sister Ellemir and her husband Damon (a powerful psy, who could have been a keeper himself) she's trying to undo the costrinctions about herself.
I loved this story. It was full of Darkover atmosphere. I loved Damon, a great man, so Darkovan in his feelings, his doubts, his love. A great book.
I loved this story. It was full of Darkover atmosphere. I loved Damon, a great man, so Darkovan in his feelings, his doubts, his love. A great book.
January 23, 2018
This is the happily ever after sequel to The Spell Sword and while Bradley claimed you can read the Darkover series in any order, read The Spell Sword first.
After rescuing Callista, can Andrew, an uptight, monogamous, cis male handle a marrying into a telepathic, polyamorous family and also cure Callista of her psionically induced frigidity? Can Damon, his new brother in law protect them from external threats from and those from within using his powerful PSI powers? Included for free in this family melodrama is plenty of star crossed and culturally blinded lovers.
Not a normal action adventure and a thoughtful, fun read.
After rescuing Callista, can Andrew, an uptight, monogamous, cis male handle a marrying into a telepathic, polyamorous family and also cure Callista of her psionically induced frigidity? Can Damon, his new brother in law protect them from external threats from and those from within using his powerful PSI powers? Included for free in this family melodrama is plenty of star crossed and culturally blinded lovers.
Not a normal action adventure and a thoughtful, fun read.
February 26, 2025
Depuis la victoire sur les Hommes-Tigres, rien ne s'oppose au bonheur d'Ellemir et Damon et de Callista et Andrew. Si ce n'est que Callista est incapable de contact physique et qu'Ellemir a du mal à procréer un fœtus viable puisque cousine de Damon.
Avec le cycle de Ténébreuse, j'ai eu une belle lecture et d'autres qui sans être désagréables n'étaient pas exceptionnelles pour diverses raisons (trop court, résolution insatisfaisante...). La Tour interdite est quant à lui le tome du malaise. Vraiment.
Pour commencer par le moins gênant, j'ai trouvé ce tome assez ennuyant, je me suis un peu endormi sur certains passages (le traitement des engelures par le laran par exemple) et je me suis un peu forcé à le terminer pendant une journée de congé maladie car j'avais l'impression de ne pas avancer. Fort heureusement, dans le dernier quart du roman, l'intrigue devient beaucoup plus intéressante lorsqu'il est question de meurtre, de jalousie pour un héritage ou encore d'affrontements. Le problème étant justement que ce quart étant le dernier, il faut auparavant souffrir de la principale intrigue, celle qui m'a dérangé et que je vais développer maintenant.
Nos deux couples issus de L'épée enchantée ont des problèmes de cul. Voilà. Si le problème de fertilité d'Ellemir lié à sa parenté avec Damon n'est pas encore trop dérangeant (après tout, rien d'incroyable dans une société médiévale), la frigidité de Callista est beaucoup plus dérangeante. Car oui, nous allons passer notre temps avec Andrew à le voir se lamenter sur son incapacité à sexer avec Callista. Jusqu'à LA scène. Celle où Callista propose la brillante solution de demander à Andrew de l'assommer puis de la prendre inconsciente... Et si vous soufflez de soulagement en entendant Andrew s'offusquer et refuser, vous grincerez sûrement à nouveau des dents lorsque Damon lui dira qu'il trouve que c'était une excellente idée pour vaincre la barrière mentale de Callista. A l'aide...
Et si cela n'était pas suffisant pour mon malaise, sachez que la véritable solution se trouvera dans l'amour partagé à 4. Si je n'avais rien contre les moeurs libres de Ténébreuse (aucun problème lorsqu'Andrew féconde Ellemir avec l'accord bienveillant de Damon, après tout, chacun ses kinks), là nous parlons quand même de quatre personnes couchant ensemble dont DEUX SOEURS JUMELLES. Non vraiment, il y a un truc dérangeant.
C'est clairement un 1,5 maximum pour moi entre l'ennui et l'intrigue totalement étrange avec l'appel au viol consenti....
Je vous laisse des citations pour "apprécier" ces passages improbables :
"-Andrew, veux tu faire quelque chose pour moi ? Quelque chose qui ne te plaira pas ? Promets, Andrew.
-Je ne vois pas ce que je pourrais te refuser, dans ce monde ou dans l'autre, Callie, dit-il avec passion. Ma chérie, mon trésor, je ferai n'importe quoi pour te faciliter cette expérience.
Elle le regarda tremblante.
-Alors, dit-elle, assomme-moi. Prends-moi de force pendant que je serai sans connaissance et ne pourrai te résister..."
"-Tu sais ce qu'elle m'a demandé ? reprit-il en un souffle. De... de l'assommer, et de la violer pendant qu'elle... ne pourrait pas me résister.
-Et ça aurait pu réussir, dit-il. C'était intelligent d'y penser. Ca montre au moins qu'elle comprend le problème."
Avec le cycle de Ténébreuse, j'ai eu une belle lecture et d'autres qui sans être désagréables n'étaient pas exceptionnelles pour diverses raisons (trop court, résolution insatisfaisante...). La Tour interdite est quant à lui le tome du malaise. Vraiment.
Pour commencer par le moins gênant, j'ai trouvé ce tome assez ennuyant, je me suis un peu endormi sur certains passages (le traitement des engelures par le laran par exemple) et je me suis un peu forcé à le terminer pendant une journée de congé maladie car j'avais l'impression de ne pas avancer. Fort heureusement, dans le dernier quart du roman, l'intrigue devient beaucoup plus intéressante lorsqu'il est question de meurtre, de jalousie pour un héritage ou encore d'affrontements. Le problème étant justement que ce quart étant le dernier, il faut auparavant souffrir de la principale intrigue, celle qui m'a dérangé et que je vais développer maintenant.
Nos deux couples issus de L'épée enchantée ont des problèmes de cul. Voilà. Si le problème de fertilité d'Ellemir lié à sa parenté avec Damon n'est pas encore trop dérangeant (après tout, rien d'incroyable dans une société médiévale), la frigidité de Callista est beaucoup plus dérangeante. Car oui, nous allons passer notre temps avec Andrew à le voir se lamenter sur son incapacité à sexer avec Callista. Jusqu'à LA scène. Celle où Callista propose la brillante solution de demander à Andrew de l'assommer puis de la prendre inconsciente... Et si vous soufflez de soulagement en entendant Andrew s'offusquer et refuser, vous grincerez sûrement à nouveau des dents lorsque Damon lui dira qu'il trouve que c'était une excellente idée pour vaincre la barrière mentale de Callista. A l'aide...
Et si cela n'était pas suffisant pour mon malaise, sachez que la véritable solution se trouvera dans l'amour partagé à 4. Si je n'avais rien contre les moeurs libres de Ténébreuse (aucun problème lorsqu'Andrew féconde Ellemir avec l'accord bienveillant de Damon, après tout, chacun ses kinks), là nous parlons quand même de quatre personnes couchant ensemble dont DEUX SOEURS JUMELLES. Non vraiment, il y a un truc dérangeant.
C'est clairement un 1,5 maximum pour moi entre l'ennui et l'intrigue totalement étrange avec l'appel au viol consenti....
Je vous laisse des citations pour "apprécier" ces passages improbables :
"-Andrew, veux tu faire quelque chose pour moi ? Quelque chose qui ne te plaira pas ? Promets, Andrew.
-Je ne vois pas ce que je pourrais te refuser, dans ce monde ou dans l'autre, Callie, dit-il avec passion. Ma chérie, mon trésor, je ferai n'importe quoi pour te faciliter cette expérience.
Elle le regarda tremblante.
-Alors, dit-elle, assomme-moi. Prends-moi de force pendant que je serai sans connaissance et ne pourrai te résister..."
"-Tu sais ce qu'elle m'a demandé ? reprit-il en un souffle. De... de l'assommer, et de la violer pendant qu'elle... ne pourrait pas me résister.
-Et ça aurait pu réussir, dit-il. C'était intelligent d'y penser. Ca montre au moins qu'elle comprend le problème."
November 2, 2008
This has to be the best Darkover book ever written, even trumping Heritage of Hastur. Instead of battles, MZB treats the reader to an almost claustrophobic story of the twins Callista and Ellemir Lanart and their joint marriage to Damon Ridenow and Andrew Carr (a terran).
Callista has handed back her Keeper's oath of chastity, not realising that Leonie Hastur had essentially stopped her sexual development pre-puberty and put in place a mechanism where she would kill anyone who got near her in a sexual fashion, including her beloved new husband. This book discusses the overcoming of Callista's inhibitions and also the development of a laran-working tower outside of the rigid social setup of Darkover's ancestral Towers.
The treatment of sex as a spectrum, the fact is is possible to love both people of the opposite sex and the same sex, that it is possible to love outside of a monogamous marriage set-up was eye opening to me as a 15 year-old reader, and as a 30-something now, this book still stands as a discussion of love and sex, intimacy and jealousy.
This was one of the first Darkover books I read, and although it is almost expected that the reader will have some familiarity with the Darkover milieu, it is certainly possible to pick the series up here as the story is just so strong.
Callista has handed back her Keeper's oath of chastity, not realising that Leonie Hastur had essentially stopped her sexual development pre-puberty and put in place a mechanism where she would kill anyone who got near her in a sexual fashion, including her beloved new husband. This book discusses the overcoming of Callista's inhibitions and also the development of a laran-working tower outside of the rigid social setup of Darkover's ancestral Towers.
The treatment of sex as a spectrum, the fact is is possible to love both people of the opposite sex and the same sex, that it is possible to love outside of a monogamous marriage set-up was eye opening to me as a 15 year-old reader, and as a 30-something now, this book still stands as a discussion of love and sex, intimacy and jealousy.
This was one of the first Darkover books I read, and although it is almost expected that the reader will have some familiarity with the Darkover milieu, it is certainly possible to pick the series up here as the story is just so strong.
June 24, 2008
I am rereading a lot of Marion Zimmer Bradley books this summer. I had forgotten how much I liked her writing. I found them in a box in my garage. I wonder what other treasures are out there.
February 1, 2023
The Forbidden Tower is the 11th Darkover book that Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote, and was approximately the 4th in chronological order at the time it was published (it's now about 13th because more recent novels are set earlier in the chronology). It's a direct sequel to The Spell Sword. There are some really interesting and progressive ideas in this story, although the writing (or the editing in my 1977 edition) is at times melodramatic and repetitive.
The novel centres around four characters. Damon Ridenow and twin sisters Callista and Ellemir Lanart are natives of Darkover and members of the ruling Darkovan aristocracy. Andrew Carr is an Earthman whose original encounter with the other three characters is told in The Spell Sword. The Darkover natives all have telepathic powers, which have been bred into their families for generations. Damon and Callista are highly trained in how to use these powers, but Ellemir is not. Andrew also has a telepathic gift, but is totally untrained and is still grappling with the reality of these abilities.
Damon and Ellemir are a couple, as are Andrew and Callista. Both couples live in the same household, the manorial estate of the Lanart family. The major plot complication is that Callista was a "Keeper", a telepathic leader who coordinates and directs the work of a team of other telepaths in such tasks as long-range communication and mining. Keepers are trained from before puberty to block all sexual responses because the psychic energy that they must channel through their bodies leaves no spare capacity for sexual energy. Callista has renounced her Keeper's oath to marry Andrew, but is unable to respond to him sexually because of her training. Although Andrew is patient and kind, no one seems sure how to undo Callista's training.
Meanwhile, Damon, a former telepathic worker, is frustrated that telepathic work is confined to monastery-like settings called "towers". He sees a great need for such work outside the towers, such as in providing medical care in Darkover's medieval, pre-industrial world. Tradition and ritual, such as the rules around Keepers, have limited society's use of its telepaths. Damon seeks ways to, first, retrain Callista so she can fully participate in her marriage, and second, safely practice psychic work outside a formal tower.
One of the most innovative and intriguing aspects of the novel is the portrayal of marital and sexual intimacy in a household of telepaths. Andrew and Callista are telepathically aware of when Damon and Ellemir are making love. This is normal and welcome to the Darkovans, but shocking to Earthman Andrew (who, despite the futuristic setting, has the sexual morality of an upstanding, proper 20th-century American). The four-way bond that develops between the characters is, I think, ahead of its time for 1970s science fiction.
The writing, like the setting, has a medieval tone, which makes it read as melodramatic, with many oaths and exclamations. A subplot involving a resentful cousin brings out some of the worst melodrama. In addition, Bradley invents several stock phrases and folk sayings for her characters to use, to give some Darkovan flair, but I find she repeats a phrase several times in a short span, and then never uses it again. Also, in my edition of the book, there are a few typos or editing errors, such as using the wrong character's name.
I was introduced to Darkover around 1980 and bought and read many of the books during the '80s. I moved on to other things in the '90s, but I still go back to my Darkover collection from time to time. This is the first time in over a decade that I've returned to them. In preparing this review, I looked up Marion Zimmer Bradley on Wikipedia and learned that she has been posthumously accused of participating in or covering up child sexual abuse. I don't know enough to comment on the specifics, but I am faced with what to think about an artist whose work I've enjoyed but whose personal life is revealed to be disturbing and possibly criminal.
The nature of the accusations casts a new light on some of the themes Bradley explored in her work, such as gender roles and sexuality. Did her fiction influence her behaviour, or vice versa? Is the fiction, which seemed thoughtful and nuanced, now tainted by the author's off-page actions? I think a bad person can produce good art, but I must admit my feelings about Darkover have changed since I learned of the accusations. The Forbidden Tower confronted me with ideas I hadn't considered at the time, and I appreciate the experience. It may be time, however, for me to move on.
The novel centres around four characters. Damon Ridenow and twin sisters Callista and Ellemir Lanart are natives of Darkover and members of the ruling Darkovan aristocracy. Andrew Carr is an Earthman whose original encounter with the other three characters is told in The Spell Sword. The Darkover natives all have telepathic powers, which have been bred into their families for generations. Damon and Callista are highly trained in how to use these powers, but Ellemir is not. Andrew also has a telepathic gift, but is totally untrained and is still grappling with the reality of these abilities.
Damon and Ellemir are a couple, as are Andrew and Callista. Both couples live in the same household, the manorial estate of the Lanart family. The major plot complication is that Callista was a "Keeper", a telepathic leader who coordinates and directs the work of a team of other telepaths in such tasks as long-range communication and mining. Keepers are trained from before puberty to block all sexual responses because the psychic energy that they must channel through their bodies leaves no spare capacity for sexual energy. Callista has renounced her Keeper's oath to marry Andrew, but is unable to respond to him sexually because of her training. Although Andrew is patient and kind, no one seems sure how to undo Callista's training.
Meanwhile, Damon, a former telepathic worker, is frustrated that telepathic work is confined to monastery-like settings called "towers". He sees a great need for such work outside the towers, such as in providing medical care in Darkover's medieval, pre-industrial world. Tradition and ritual, such as the rules around Keepers, have limited society's use of its telepaths. Damon seeks ways to, first, retrain Callista so she can fully participate in her marriage, and second, safely practice psychic work outside a formal tower.
One of the most innovative and intriguing aspects of the novel is the portrayal of marital and sexual intimacy in a household of telepaths. Andrew and Callista are telepathically aware of when Damon and Ellemir are making love. This is normal and welcome to the Darkovans, but shocking to Earthman Andrew (who, despite the futuristic setting, has the sexual morality of an upstanding, proper 20th-century American). The four-way bond that develops between the characters is, I think, ahead of its time for 1970s science fiction.
The writing, like the setting, has a medieval tone, which makes it read as melodramatic, with many oaths and exclamations. A subplot involving a resentful cousin brings out some of the worst melodrama. In addition, Bradley invents several stock phrases and folk sayings for her characters to use, to give some Darkovan flair, but I find she repeats a phrase several times in a short span, and then never uses it again. Also, in my edition of the book, there are a few typos or editing errors, such as using the wrong character's name.
I was introduced to Darkover around 1980 and bought and read many of the books during the '80s. I moved on to other things in the '90s, but I still go back to my Darkover collection from time to time. This is the first time in over a decade that I've returned to them. In preparing this review, I looked up Marion Zimmer Bradley on Wikipedia and learned that she has been posthumously accused of participating in or covering up child sexual abuse. I don't know enough to comment on the specifics, but I am faced with what to think about an artist whose work I've enjoyed but whose personal life is revealed to be disturbing and possibly criminal.
The nature of the accusations casts a new light on some of the themes Bradley explored in her work, such as gender roles and sexuality. Did her fiction influence her behaviour, or vice versa? Is the fiction, which seemed thoughtful and nuanced, now tainted by the author's off-page actions? I think a bad person can produce good art, but I must admit my feelings about Darkover have changed since I learned of the accusations. The Forbidden Tower confronted me with ideas I hadn't considered at the time, and I appreciate the experience. It may be time, however, for me to move on.
January 31, 2021
This Darkover book tells a complete story and could stand alone. It is part of the ongoing history of the planet Darkover, also called Cotman IV. This book picks up the story and characters begun in The Spell Sword, but provides enough details on its own.
The Fantasy genre often combines romance and sometimes that also means a lot of erotic steam. This book does that in an unusual way. There is almost no description of the physical components of sex beyond kissing and some groping. Instead the steam consists of extended discussion of the emotional aspect. It includes discussion of taboos . MZB presents an erotic world with seemingly no taboos. There are introspective discussions of different aspects of coercion in sex including frequent mention of rape, but also less violent means of coercion. The discussions are mostly a rejection of all such coercions and no rape ever takes place, at least not by any living character in the story. These discussions and the benign actions that are closely associated with them take up a significant amount of the text.
There are a few eventful episodes before the climax, but there are also extended periods lacking much excitement.
I am impressed with the worldbuilding. MZB has created a complex world with what I think of as classic elements of Fantasy genre. The principles behind Darkover's matrix use and Overworld travel are maturely developed. There is a hint of Sci-Fi since this all takes place on a world settled by human explorers in the far distant future, but Fantasy dominates far more than Sci-Fi. The world of Darkover is backwards even by standards of our own 20th and 21st centuries. They still use swords and knives to fight.
There are heroes, but not perfect ones. There are villains both with evil motives and good intentioned ones. There's romance as the two main couples are still growing in their relationships. There is character development since the main characters are not set in stone.
Mature themes: I mentioned the sexuality and it is enough for me to flag this book by shelving it as mature. I would not be comfortable recommending it to anyone pre-adult. There is an element involving mind control. There are some battles but they are more of a fantasy nature than bloody.
The Fantasy genre often combines romance and sometimes that also means a lot of erotic steam. This book does that in an unusual way. There is almost no description of the physical components of sex beyond kissing and some groping. Instead the steam consists of extended discussion of the emotional aspect. It includes discussion of taboos . MZB presents an erotic world with seemingly no taboos. There are introspective discussions of different aspects of coercion in sex including frequent mention of rape, but also less violent means of coercion. The discussions are mostly a rejection of all such coercions and no rape ever takes place, at least not by any living character in the story. These discussions and the benign actions that are closely associated with them take up a significant amount of the text.
There are a few eventful episodes before the climax, but there are also extended periods lacking much excitement.
I am impressed with the worldbuilding. MZB has created a complex world with what I think of as classic elements of Fantasy genre. The principles behind Darkover's matrix use and Overworld travel are maturely developed. There is a hint of Sci-Fi since this all takes place on a world settled by human explorers in the far distant future, but Fantasy dominates far more than Sci-Fi. The world of Darkover is backwards even by standards of our own 20th and 21st centuries. They still use swords and knives to fight.
There are heroes, but not perfect ones. There are villains both with evil motives and good intentioned ones. There's romance as the two main couples are still growing in their relationships. There is character development since the main characters are not set in stone.
Mature themes: I mentioned the sexuality and it is enough for me to flag this book by shelving it as mature. I would not be comfortable recommending it to anyone pre-adult. There is an element involving mind control. There are some battles but they are more of a fantasy nature than bloody.
July 5, 2015
Against the Terrans - The First Age (Recontact)
30 years before Star of Danger
THE FORBIDDEN TOWER:
30 years before Star of Danger
THE FORBIDDEN TOWER:
January 8, 2020
I recently re-read, for the first time in over 20 years, "The Spell Sword", the book that this is a sequel to. I gave it an excellent review and rating, because I was pleasantly surprised at how well it had held up over the years; it was still enjoyable even though I was not the young man I was when I first read it. But having re-read this book now, I can only say that it's astonishing how much Bradley grew as a writer between 1974 (when Spell Sword was copyrighted) and 1977 (when this book was copyrighted). "Spell Sword", for all that it is still a fun read, is clearly a Fantasy/Science Fiction pulp novel; the love story involved is shallow and trite, a "love at first sight", "love conquers all" romance. The psychic powers the characters have are very cartoonish, designed to do what the writer needs done and little more, and the culture clash between the Darkovans and the Terrans interesting but not well fleshed-out (although that was probably the best part of that book.) This book, by contrast, shows us the continuation of the romance begun in "Spell Sword", and shows that for all the love the characters have for each other, it does not solve everything and they still need to work to overcome the issues that were introduced in that story but mostly glossed over, the culture clash goes beyond the obvious, comparatively easy to deal with problems (comparatively easy to deal with BECAUSE they're obvious) and goes into the subtle, more "minor" issues that are harder to deal with because they catch the characters by surprise and go back to very BASIC issues in cultural differences, things that are hard to adapt to because they are so unexpected. The main plot conflict is much more nuanced and mature than that in "Spell Sword". Overall, I would have to say that this is one of the very best of the Darkover novels, and it's astonishing that it was written only three years after its predecessor.
October 19, 2022
Although Marion Zimmer Bradley always said that each of her Darkover novels could be read as a stand-alone story, I'm not sure The Forbidden Tower would be the best one to start with. You would get more out of it if you understood how very different Darkover society is from that on Earth and also, how it came to be that way.
Darkover was a lost human colony that reverted to feudalism because the planet was rather inhospitable. Some of the people also developed psychic abilities - the author postulates a natural rather than a supernatural cause, this isn't a sword and sorcery world in the usual sense. Over centuries a high ranking psychic caste grew up who submitted to very strict rules about how their abilities should be used. This book is set some time after Darkover has been rediscovered by mainstream humanity.
One of the key themes in the book is the culture shock experienced by Andrew, a young man from Arizona, who marries into one of the high ranking Darkover families. Almost the entire first half is an exercise in cross culture communication, how, even with good will and a desire to learn on both sides, misunderstanding and confusion can reign. Misunderstanding that can have drastic consequences. I must say that as I read through these sections, I started to think that future humanity hadn't moved on much from the fears and mores of the 1970s!
The other key theme is when Damon, one of Darkover's psychic adepts, starts to believe that the strict training and rigid code of behaviour imposed on working telepaths, may be unnecessary and even downright injurious. When he begins to push at the boundaries, he arouses the fears and wrath of those who have invested a lot of their time and effort in the old system. This too, leads to drastic consequences.
Darkover was a lost human colony that reverted to feudalism because the planet was rather inhospitable. Some of the people also developed psychic abilities - the author postulates a natural rather than a supernatural cause, this isn't a sword and sorcery world in the usual sense. Over centuries a high ranking psychic caste grew up who submitted to very strict rules about how their abilities should be used. This book is set some time after Darkover has been rediscovered by mainstream humanity.
One of the key themes in the book is the culture shock experienced by Andrew, a young man from Arizona, who marries into one of the high ranking Darkover families. Almost the entire first half is an exercise in cross culture communication, how, even with good will and a desire to learn on both sides, misunderstanding and confusion can reign. Misunderstanding that can have drastic consequences. I must say that as I read through these sections, I started to think that future humanity hadn't moved on much from the fears and mores of the 1970s!
The other key theme is when Damon, one of Darkover's psychic adepts, starts to believe that the strict training and rigid code of behaviour imposed on working telepaths, may be unnecessary and even downright injurious. When he begins to push at the boundaries, he arouses the fears and wrath of those who have invested a lot of their time and effort in the old system. This too, leads to drastic consequences.
August 22, 2022
I’m re-reading my way through a few of the books that have influenced me during my life. I’ve just finished Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “The Forbidden Tower” and “Spell Sword” it’s prequel. Both are set in the Darkover world, where telepathy, mental powers and crystals play a large part. I think I was about 15 when I first read it. I’m not overly bothered by the world itself, but I really find the story fascinating.
Basically a “Terran” gets stranded and, close to dying mentally connects with a young woman native to the planet. It turns out (never explained, and an example of the authors sometimes casual approach) that he too is a telepath. The book is about culture shock, taboos (both Terran and Darkovan), the role of women, the power of tradition, sex in a telepathic relationship, sex in a situation with two telepathic sisters, sex with two telepathic men, sex with…. Anyway, you get the idea. Not particularly erotic - it wasn’t written that way, but it was a very interesting take on what is “normal” or “taboo”. It does explore a lot of things that society is struggling with right now as we are moving away from the two genders concept and the importance of loving relationships between people and “offworlders”.
It really affected me as a kid, and it’s something that has stayed with me, and I often think about the situations mentioned in the book and it’s always encouraged me to think about things a little differently. Interestingly I don’t think it was particularly well written and there’s a lot of really vague stuff going on, but the plot elements were fascinating to me then, and still very relevant now.
Basically a “Terran” gets stranded and, close to dying mentally connects with a young woman native to the planet. It turns out (never explained, and an example of the authors sometimes casual approach) that he too is a telepath. The book is about culture shock, taboos (both Terran and Darkovan), the role of women, the power of tradition, sex in a telepathic relationship, sex in a situation with two telepathic sisters, sex with two telepathic men, sex with…. Anyway, you get the idea. Not particularly erotic - it wasn’t written that way, but it was a very interesting take on what is “normal” or “taboo”. It does explore a lot of things that society is struggling with right now as we are moving away from the two genders concept and the importance of loving relationships between people and “offworlders”.
It really affected me as a kid, and it’s something that has stayed with me, and I often think about the situations mentioned in the book and it’s always encouraged me to think about things a little differently. Interestingly I don’t think it was particularly well written and there’s a lot of really vague stuff going on, but the plot elements were fascinating to me then, and still very relevant now.
June 3, 2025
Damon had built a tower in the overworld to heal the soldiers that were injured when they fought the cat men. In that tower, he was the Keeper and used Andrew, Callista, Ellemir and Dezi where they worked like any others in the tower did to save those men. But they could not heal Dom Estaban of his injuries, he lost the use of his legs.
There is a lot of intrigue in this story. Dezi is the bastard son of either Dom Estaban or his brothers. But he kept Dezi close but never recognized him which most men did because it was not a bad thing to have a bastard child. Dezi, on the other hand, was very hurt by not being recognized. That caused him to be the catalyst of a lot of unfortunate things including harm to others. His ending is not pretty.
Andrew and Callista get married in a double wedding with Damon and Ellemir. But Callista’s training to become a Keeper, kept them from consummating their marriage. Since it was a Free Amazon marriage it is not official until it is consummated. That was the cause a lot of tension and later problems. She wants to be with Andrew, but her body refuses to allow it. Can there be a solution to this?
The story was very interesting because Damon actually meets Varzil in the overworld, and he names Damon a Keeper. In the end, Leonie of Arilinn Tower challenges Damon because he wants to change how the towers are run. What happens at the end is a very good thing.
There is a lot of intrigue in this story. Dezi is the bastard son of either Dom Estaban or his brothers. But he kept Dezi close but never recognized him which most men did because it was not a bad thing to have a bastard child. Dezi, on the other hand, was very hurt by not being recognized. That caused him to be the catalyst of a lot of unfortunate things including harm to others. His ending is not pretty.
Andrew and Callista get married in a double wedding with Damon and Ellemir. But Callista’s training to become a Keeper, kept them from consummating their marriage. Since it was a Free Amazon marriage it is not official until it is consummated. That was the cause a lot of tension and later problems. She wants to be with Andrew, but her body refuses to allow it. Can there be a solution to this?
The story was very interesting because Damon actually meets Varzil in the overworld, and he names Damon a Keeper. In the end, Leonie of Arilinn Tower challenges Damon because he wants to change how the towers are run. What happens at the end is a very good thing.
January 19, 2025
This book was recommended to me by my mom who has read a lot of classic sci-fi but I was surprised as this was a pretty deep cut being book 12 in a fairly obscure series. It stood up just fine as a stand alone read though and was an absolutely fascinating introduction to Bradley and Darkover, I didn't have very high expectations going in but was pleasantly surprised by how well well this book, which mind you was released in 1977, handled complex topics like sexuality and relationships, cultural conflicts, and most surprisingly, a complex polyamorous relationship, like it would not be an exaggeration to say that this book features the most authentic well written polyamorous representation I have ever read in fiction and I have read a fair amount of contemporary queer fiction featuring polyamorous relationships. The other thing that I appreciated about this book is much like my favorite Pern books, despite the overarching conflict of the book being a epic one, that takes a backseat to complex character relations and interactions which are the main focus of the book, making it feel very grounded in a way I enjoy a lot. I'm not sure how much more of the series I'll read but I was a big fan of this book and it was an excellent recommendation for me.
July 26, 2020
It's definitely as much pulp fantasy as the title and this garish cover suggest, but if you know that's what you're getting into, this is a pretty great installment. The worldbuilding is intricate and detailed, if intermittently inconsistent (i honestly think MZB was just categorically unwilling to take notes on her own writing decisions and was also too lazy to go back and read her own work in order to make things consistent, and instead she tries to wave off her bad decision with a breezy little paragraph at the front of every Darkover novel about how all 25 or so novels stand alone - they don't - and how, essentially, consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds). Regardless, if you're willing to suspend disbelief around persistent internal inaccuracies, they're also really fun. This one is rich with detail on the four protagonists' inner lives, and I have to shout-out the beautifully polyamorous and queer-friendly conclusions the plot comes to.
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* (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.
March 12, 2021
So much MELODRAMA and Fantasy bullshit. Fantasy bullshit is when all of the complications in a story revolve around silly rules and made up politics without any relatable connection. Bradley's grasp on romance has been fairly juvenile in the previous entries in the series, and this is no exception. Except in the other entries, there were other things going on. Here, it's just "we can't be together" and "I did this because you agreed" and "eww gross boy stuff" and "do I love my wife's sister?" It's exhausting. The novel does eventually get around to being okay with homosexuality and polycules, but it takes forever. Honestly, I liked The Spell Sword, but this ground down any enjoyment I had for them.
June 14, 2021
Senza infamia e senza lode. Pagine e pagine di ripetizioni verbali ed emotive e la riscoperta di capacità e tecnologie che immediatamente verranno dimenticate nuovamente. Manca un filo di coerenza ma in una saga così lunga che non si è evoluta in modo lineare non stupisce. Una specie di inno al poliamorismo (non viene descritta una società con trutture sociali diverse ma qualcosa che desta scandalo anche nel mondo, per alcuni versi più "libero" di Darkover dobve in condizionamenti sociali sono volti ad una selezione della specie ed al mantenimento di caratteri selezionati) che scritto in epoca diversa dai tardi anni '70 forse avrebbe destato più scandalo.
Con un occhio adulto, argomenti anche interessanti che però non vengono approfonditi a sufficienza e sviluppati fino in fondo.
Con un occhio adulto, argomenti anche interessanti che però non vengono approfonditi a sufficienza e sviluppati fino in fondo.
September 6, 2023
I'm pretty sure I read this one before, but it came up again in my quest to read all the Darkover books in chronological order. It's not one of my favorite books in the series. It's a continuation of The Spell Sword. Andrew Carr, a Terran, marries Callista, while Damon marries her twin, Ellemir. The book tells the story of their growing bonds as they struggle to repair the damage inflicted on Callista from her training as a Keeper. I loved this part of the book, but there's also a side plot with Desi, the unacknowledged illegitimate son of the women, that bogs down the book, in my opinion.
This book does explain a lot of the work of the Tower as well as the relationships between those attuned to each other in a matrix. On to the next book.
This book does explain a lot of the work of the Tower as well as the relationships between those attuned to each other in a matrix. On to the next book.
April 13, 2024
This dragged itself into the bottom of a 2 * review on the basis of the last 30% of the novel. A direct follow up from The Spell Sword, the first half is a tedious repetition of sexual frustration for Andrew and Callista. Given that the first 60% is essentially a romance, it is remarkable how two dimensional and stereotypical all the characters are.
Once they get to the capital, the fantasy element begins to cut in, but conflicts remain one dimensional and the continuing obsession with ‘sexual channels’ is tedious.
Once they get to the capital, the fantasy element begins to cut in, but conflicts remain one dimensional and the continuing obsession with ‘sexual channels’ is tedious.
June 9, 2025
I grew up loving the Sword and Sorceress anthologies edited by Bradley. When I started diving into her novels, it was more a mixed result. The Forbidden Tower is my least liked one to this point.
For a "location" that is part of the title and part of the back blurb, it sure turned out to be a minor conflict that lasted "less than a-quarter-of-an-hour" or only a few pages. Honestly this was more everyday life, juggling of personal and political matters, and look how weird this man from Earth is than an adventure of those fighting against power.
For a "location" that is part of the title and part of the back blurb, it sure turned out to be a minor conflict that lasted "less than a-quarter-of-an-hour" or only a few pages. Honestly this was more everyday life, juggling of personal and political matters, and look how weird this man from Earth is than an adventure of those fighting against power.
Read
June 10, 2014This edition has the same cover picture as the copy I have: but I'm still not sure it's the edition I have. The copy I have may be a first edition.
The dedication is important, as with many books written in collegial genres: "For DIANA PAXSON, who asked the question which directly touched off this book; and for THEODORE STURGEON, who first explored the questions which, directly or indirectly, underlie almost everything I have written."
Rereading the entire series in anything like (internal) chronological order, as I've pointed out, poses some serious problems. Part of The Shattered Chain takes place before even the events of The Spell Sword, and part of it takes place after (or at the same time as) events in this book.
Dating is established by often slightingly-mentioned details. You get a better idea of what life at Armida was life in this period than in any other books in the series, and you often see bits of things that appear in other books in more detail. Thus, the very influential Valdir Alton appears in this book as a solemn 10 year old, fresh from Nevarsin, with his paxman Valentine Aillard (who himself made his debut in The Shattered Chain as the infant brother of the then teenage Jaelle).
There's an odd mixture of people who are in later (according to internal chronology) books and those who are not. Valentine Aillard is mentioned in several books, and then he seems to just disappear. He wouldn't have been very prominent figure on his own (male Aillards don't get a seat in Council unless their sisters and female cousins aren't available for some reason, even if they're pure Comyn--and Valentine's father was a Dry-Towner, Jalak of Shainsa). But he does appear as a party to a funeral in this book, participating in the charming ritual wherein each mourner recalls a consoling memory of the recently deceased, with the refrain of 'let this memory lighten the grief'.
I personally would have liked to know more about what became of him after that.
This volume focuses mostly on the origins of the Forbidden Tower, and why it was created. The question which Diana Paxson asked was likely one of the central questions in the book, namely, how can a person who has been successfully conditioned against all human (and especially sexual) response be deconditioned? Complicated, in this case, by the fact that the Keeper who is trying to lay down her vows is an Alton, who may not be able to prevent her reflexes from killing herself and others.
It's made clear in this book that the usual way the conditioning becomes unraveled is that the conditioning didn't take properly in the first place--that the child or young adult was unable to bear the burden of the training, and failed to get completely conditioned. This is NOT what happened to Callista Lanart-Alton. In her case, the conditioning was successful--but it broke down during the period of isolation and loneliness in The Spell Sword. It then slowly reasserted itself after the imprisonment ended.
There's an odd coyness about what was done to Callista to ensure that her conditioning was successful. It seems to have involved hormonal alterations which prevented Callista from completely maturing sexually. But it's clearly not ONLY that. Some things did mature, and others did not: so that the adult Callista, though thin, has developed a full set of breasts: but has never passed menarche, and has never developed her menstrual cycles.
But there are other issues. One is the heirship of the Alton Domain. The then-current Lord Alton was Dom Esteban. He and his wife had five children: Coryn, who died in childhood, the twins Callista and Ellemir, Domenic, and the 'baby' Valdir. There were also at least three other (nedestro) children. There may have been more--nedestro sons often get acknowledged, nedestro daughters less so (except among the Aillard and, presumably, the Elhalyns). If Coryn hadn't died, he would clearly have been the heir. But with him dead, the matter is up in the air--especially in matters like who should become Captain of the Guard. Esteban is disabled, and Domenic, though widely liked, is considered by most too young to be his father's lieutenant. The sisters are out of the reckoning by custom--but there are persistent mumbles about Lady Bruna Leynier.
There's another major issue in this book, however. Since the Ages of Chaos, the training and use of telepaths on Darkover has been confined to the Towers. Damon Ridenow, who was (quite fraudulently, as it turns out) driven out from the Towers, begins to wonder whether the practices are in ANYBODY'S best interests. Varzil The Good plays the part of deus ex machina, for reasons that amount to a condemnation of the lousy archives on Darkover. And there's another loose end here. Varzil leaves an open invitation to Damon to come back for a more comprehensive meeting when Damon has become the potentially successful Keeper he has the power to become. So did he? Still waiting for an update...
People in later books seem to have completely forgotten the Forbidden Tower. They find themselves having to rediscover what was discovered in this period. This is more bitter revenge on the part of the 'traditional' Towers than even they seem to have contemplated. One would like to hope that the archives of the Forbidden Tower are still there somewhere, and can be recovered...
The dedication is important, as with many books written in collegial genres: "For DIANA PAXSON, who asked the question which directly touched off this book; and for THEODORE STURGEON, who first explored the questions which, directly or indirectly, underlie almost everything I have written."
Rereading the entire series in anything like (internal) chronological order, as I've pointed out, poses some serious problems. Part of The Shattered Chain takes place before even the events of The Spell Sword, and part of it takes place after (or at the same time as) events in this book.
Dating is established by often slightingly-mentioned details. You get a better idea of what life at Armida was life in this period than in any other books in the series, and you often see bits of things that appear in other books in more detail. Thus, the very influential Valdir Alton appears in this book as a solemn 10 year old, fresh from Nevarsin, with his paxman Valentine Aillard (who himself made his debut in The Shattered Chain as the infant brother of the then teenage Jaelle).
There's an odd mixture of people who are in later (according to internal chronology) books and those who are not. Valentine Aillard is mentioned in several books, and then he seems to just disappear. He wouldn't have been very prominent figure on his own (male Aillards don't get a seat in Council unless their sisters and female cousins aren't available for some reason, even if they're pure Comyn--and Valentine's father was a Dry-Towner, Jalak of Shainsa). But he does appear as a party to a funeral in this book, participating in the charming ritual wherein each mourner recalls a consoling memory of the recently deceased, with the refrain of 'let this memory lighten the grief'.
I personally would have liked to know more about what became of him after that.
This volume focuses mostly on the origins of the Forbidden Tower, and why it was created. The question which Diana Paxson asked was likely one of the central questions in the book, namely, how can a person who has been successfully conditioned against all human (and especially sexual) response be deconditioned? Complicated, in this case, by the fact that the Keeper who is trying to lay down her vows is an Alton, who may not be able to prevent her reflexes from killing herself and others.
It's made clear in this book that the usual way the conditioning becomes unraveled is that the conditioning didn't take properly in the first place--that the child or young adult was unable to bear the burden of the training, and failed to get completely conditioned. This is NOT what happened to Callista Lanart-Alton. In her case, the conditioning was successful--but it broke down during the period of isolation and loneliness in The Spell Sword. It then slowly reasserted itself after the imprisonment ended.
There's an odd coyness about what was done to Callista to ensure that her conditioning was successful. It seems to have involved hormonal alterations which prevented Callista from completely maturing sexually. But it's clearly not ONLY that. Some things did mature, and others did not: so that the adult Callista, though thin, has developed a full set of breasts: but has never passed menarche, and has never developed her menstrual cycles.
But there are other issues. One is the heirship of the Alton Domain. The then-current Lord Alton was Dom Esteban. He and his wife had five children: Coryn, who died in childhood, the twins Callista and Ellemir, Domenic, and the 'baby' Valdir. There were also at least three other (nedestro) children. There may have been more--nedestro sons often get acknowledged, nedestro daughters less so (except among the Aillard and, presumably, the Elhalyns). If Coryn hadn't died, he would clearly have been the heir. But with him dead, the matter is up in the air--especially in matters like who should become Captain of the Guard. Esteban is disabled, and Domenic, though widely liked, is considered by most too young to be his father's lieutenant. The sisters are out of the reckoning by custom--but there are persistent mumbles about Lady Bruna Leynier.
There's another major issue in this book, however. Since the Ages of Chaos, the training and use of telepaths on Darkover has been confined to the Towers. Damon Ridenow, who was (quite fraudulently, as it turns out) driven out from the Towers, begins to wonder whether the practices are in ANYBODY'S best interests. Varzil The Good plays the part of deus ex machina, for reasons that amount to a condemnation of the lousy archives on Darkover. And there's another loose end here. Varzil leaves an open invitation to Damon to come back for a more comprehensive meeting when Damon has become the potentially successful Keeper he has the power to become. So did he? Still waiting for an update...
People in later books seem to have completely forgotten the Forbidden Tower. They find themselves having to rediscover what was discovered in this period. This is more bitter revenge on the part of the 'traditional' Towers than even they seem to have contemplated. One would like to hope that the archives of the Forbidden Tower are still there somewhere, and can be recovered...
April 6, 2025
Bei diesem Buch habe ich an manchen Stellen die Moralvorstellungen aus dem Buch und der Realität verglichen, bin dann aber immer wieder zu dem Schluss gekommen, dass mir die "realen" Vorstellungen deutlich lieber sind.
May 5, 2017
Research read. Interesting concepts to consider about how sexuality and roles can constrain us. Problematic in some aspects.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews