Saving A World

I just finished reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's To save A World. As you probably know, if you've read my older posts, I've read several of the Darkover novels, and usually I like them. I never did post about The Saga of The Renunciates, which I never did finish because I thought that the second story in it, Thendara House, was too boring.

To Save A World is a different matter. I could hardly put this one down. As with most of the other Darkover novels in print, this is an omnibus edition containing The Planet Savers, The World Wreckers and the short story "The Waterfall." Unlike some of the other Darkover omnibuses, these novels both take place in the same time frame and share some of the same characters.

Dr. Jason Allison and Regis Hastur are major characters in both stories. In The Planet Savers, the pair is on an expedition to find a cure for a deadly plague that decimates Darkover's population every few decades. In The World Wreckers, The pair are part of study on telepathy that ultimately saves Darkover from some sort of corporate interests who are undermining the planet's infrastructure so the Darkoverans will be forced to become part of the Terran Empire.

The Planet Savers was the first Darkover novel to see print. As such, this omnibus makes a pretty decent introduction to the Darkover series, so if you haven't read any Darkover novels, buy this one. I give To Save A World 5 yo-yos.



Up next, I'm reading something slightly different, Kornwolf: A Novel by Tristan Egolf. It isn't marketed as fantasy, but since it's about a werewolf, I thought it would be worth a try. I got it because a local newspaper mentioned that it was about a werewolf in Amish country and that the author had lived in Lancaster, PA. So, I thought that a locally written book set in my neck of the woods with a werewolf, cool! Anyway, have fun and read, everybody.

An Interesting And Popular Saga That, Somehow, I've Missed

The Bloody Sun is not only the first Darkover novel I’ve read; it’s also the first novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley I’ve ever read. After reading it, I can see that I’ve missed out on a lot of good stuff.

This is the story of Jeff Kerwin, who is half-Terran and half-Darkovan. He was raised by Terrans, but as an adult, he returns to Darkover, the planet he thinks of as home. Once there, he learns that he is descended from the Darkovan lords and is heir to their psychic abilities. He is soon accused of betraying Darkover to his Terran masters.

This book is extremely exciting. There are fight scenes, several mysteries, and a surprise twist that even I didn’t see coming. It’s definitely interesting enough to make me put the rest of the Darkover novels on my want list. Just about the only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it’s no longer available except in an omnibus edition—I was lucky enough to get my copy second hand. Anyway, I love omnibus editions, so I’d recommend buying it. I give The Bloody Sun 5 yo-yos.

Up next, The Book of Years, Volume 1