Marion Zimmer Bradley: Star of Danger

Star of Danger (pub. 1965) is one of the earliest written of the Darkover books, but in terms of the internal chronology of the series, it falls well after the time of first contact. Lorill Hastur, who is well advanced in years in this novel, was a boy of 15 or so when the Terrans came to Alderan. Valdir Alton, who was a child when the Forbidden Tower was formed, is now the father of two sons, the younger of whom is 16. And the third generation of Montrays comes home to Darkover. There are inconsistencies between this early novel and many of the ones that follow, but as with The Bloody Sun and The Planet Savers, certain key elements of Darkovan history were already well formed in the author's mind when the book was written.

In Star of Danger, Wade Montray returns to Darkover with his teenage son Larry after spending more than a decade on Earth. Larry, a curious young man with a desire to explore this new world, ventures into the Trade City and makes friends with Kennard Alton, son of Valdir, cadet guardsman. But when Larry is invited to spend the summer with Kennard at Armida, disaster strikes - Larry is kidnapped by bandits who mistake him for Kennard. Feeling personally responsible for Larry's fate, and knowing that if harm comes to Larry, his father will be caught up in a major diplomatic incident, Kennard sets out to rescue him.

The rescue succeeds, but in evading pursuit, Kennard and Larry are lost and must find their way through the rugged terrain of Darkover - forests inhabited by the non-human trailmen and mountains harbouring dangerous predators - to reach safe territory. During their difficult journey, Larry's latent telepathy is awakened and he and Kennard bond more deeply - although the harmony of that bond is often threatened by cultural issues. Eventually the two find ways to work together, relying on both Kennard's psi training and Darkovan survival skills, and Larry's scientific knowledge, to survive in the wilds.

As they near the territories of the Hastur domain, they encounter a lone chieri, who takes them in, offers them hospitality, tells them of the true history of humans on Darkover, and then teleports them to safety, just in time to ward off the brewing diplomatic firestorm. Larry's father explains that his late wife - Karry's mother - had in fact been a Darkovan woman, kin to the Alderan clan, who had followed him to Earth, and that Larry's laran comes from her. There is great hope that the friendship Larry and Kennard have formed will help to improve relations between Terrans and Darkovans.

As a "boy's adventure" story with no female characters at all, there is little to comment on in terms of portrayals of gender and sexuality in this novel. One thing that does strike me, though, is the odd history of Terran knowledge of and attitudes toward the Comyn and their use of laran. All through the series (at least up to the time of the waking of Sharra at Alderan, which is still to come at this point) the Terrans are portrayed as knowing very little about these issues, and by turns disbelieving, or desperately curious, about them. Even in this story, where one of the main characters is the product of a marriage between a Terran man who spent his youth on Darkover and a Darkovan of the ruling classes and a telepath in her own right, the Terrans see Larry's invitation to Armida as a chance to learn something about the Comyn and their abilities. One would think by this time the Terrans would have more clues than they appear to. But perhaps Darkovans have been more successful at keeping quiet, even when they marry Terrans, than one would think possible.

Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Winds of Darkover

The Winds of Darkover (pub. 1970), which takes place a few years after Star of Danger, begins the tale of Sharra that will be continued much later in The Heritage of Hastur and Sharra's Exile. Though we never really learn exactly what Sharra is - goddess, half-sentient rogue matrix, metaphysical psi focus, or something even stranger - it is a powerful force that was once worshipped by the forge-folk (yet another of the many non-human peoples of Darkover) and it plays a large part in the resolution of the novel.

The book opens with two apparently unrelated events. First, Terran Dan Barron, the high-tech version of an air traffic controller, makes a serious error in which a major crash is narrowly avoided only by the skill of the pilots. Decertified from his former position, he is given a chance to redeem himself when the Lord of Armida asks for Terran assistance in setting up a warning system using telescopes to watch for fire and bandits. What Barron has not said - because he can't understand it himself - is that he has been having involuntary visions of places and thing he has no context for, including a chained woman wreathed in flames. As it happens, one of his guides to Armida is Lord Valdir's foster-son Lerrys, aka Larry Montray. Lerrys picks up on some of Barron's visions and is prompted to offer him a knife, thus firming a bond of brotherhood between them.

Meanwhile, in the high Hellers, the bandit leader Brynat Scarface has succeeded in his siege of the ancient castle of Storn, forcibly wedded the Lady of Storn, and seeks to solidify his position. The Lord of Storn, blind from birth and thus incapable of mounting a defence, is nonetheless a powerful telepath, and after warding himself against all physical harm, has entered a trance. He is able to communicate with his younger sister Marietta, urging her to escape and travel to Carthon. He is also able to enter Barron's mind, and plans to take over his body and meet Marietta in Carthon. In fact, it is his efforts to build the necessary link with Barron - who Storn views as a legitimate target for a psychic invasion that would be unthinkable if directed at any Darkovan - that have been causing Barron's visions.

Long story made short - Marietta escapes, Storn overshadows Barron, they meet in Carthon. Finding no help there, they head to Aldaran. While the Lord of Aldaran offers no help, they meet Desideria, a powerful telepath trained to act as a Keeper, who upon learning that there are still forge-folk who worship Sharra at Storn, offers to help them by focusing the energies of the worshippers through Sharra to fight Brynat and his men. On the way to Storn, Barron regains control but upon figuring out what is happening, agrees to help Marietta and Storn of his free will. They defeat Brynat, take back Storn, and it seems very likely that there will soon be a double wedding - Barron and Marietta, Desideria and Storn.

This story is essentially self-contained, with only a few links to other installments in the Darkover series. The presence of Larry Montray in the opening sequences - and the brief mention of Valdir's foster-daughter Cleindori - place the story on the timeline. And we will see a much older Desideria in The World Wreckers. The most important element is the introduction of Sharra.

From time to time in the Darkover series, we are told that the women of the Hellers are not as sheltered as women of the lowlands. Here we see Marietta as a strong woman, competent in riding, capable of travelling by herself between Storn and Carthon without suffering insult. While we could argue that Desideria's independence comes from her status as a telepath with the power and skill of a Keeper, Marietta's actions suggest that at least some women of higher class - especially those who are unmarried and take part in the management of their family's estates have certain freedoms to act, and the confidence and experience to do so when needed.