Rating: 
Summary: great story
Review: sob(i did not know that marion had passed). i am not sure whether this was done before her death or not but it is beautifully written and a credit. why does it seem all the good authors pass so quickly(v.c andrews was another).anyway this book chronicles the lifes of the famous keep varzil the good and the hastur king carolin hastur and their many trials from adolescent to points that their separate destiny's take them. for these 2 men meet at arillian for training in their laran. while carolin is a minor telepath, varzil is one of extraoridary ability and is soon put in keeper training. carolin soon returns home to assume his duties as heir to the throne and all the political strifes that were rampant in this period of darkover history. the book keeps you interested from beginning to end and you are almost upset that you have to wait for the 3rd book in this story to come out to see the ending. for all darkover fans, this is definitely one you do not want to miss.
Rating: 
Summary: Clingfire and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction
Review: The world of Darkover is a richly imagined place, with a long not-completely-remembered history, a society rich in intrigue and appropriate niches for many kinds of people, a technology solidly grounded in its people's unique laran abilities - in short, this is a complete world. A world that you can easily get lost in for many hours of enjoyment, a world so complete that at times you find yourself feeling that it is more real than the one we inhabit. This book, the second entry in the Clingfire trilogy, is very much a book in the mold of previous books in the set, even though written by Ross instead of Bradley. Ross shows in this book that she has mastered not only Bradley's styles and methods of telling a story, but has found the 'feel' of this world, where she can make additions to it that fit. This book is set during the Hundred Kingdoms era, and deals specifically with how the Compact forbidding use of laran weapons that act at a distance was first formed. Varzil the Good is one of three main characters here, a man gifted with a very strong laran ability and a healthy dollop of common sense entwined with an idealistic dream. His friend and compatriot is Carolin Hastur, heir to the throne, who, while not as well gifted as Varzil, has the character traits needed to be a competent ruler. In opposition is Eduin, son of Rumail Deslucido, who was instrumental in destruction of two towers in the prior book, The Fall of Neskaya. Eduin has been inculcated from birth with his father's obsession with wiping out the Hastur line. The last major player is Rakhal, Carolin's brother, who is never really developed as a character, but is rather the mover of major events as seen from a distance, as he usurps Carolin's right to the throne and institutes some draconian measures in an attempt to stamp out all resistance to his rule. The stories of each of the three major characters are well developed. Varzil grows from laran neophyte to Keeper and his burgeoning love interest with a lady, who is one of Eduin's targets for elimination, is both believable and provides an emotional charge to the final tally of events. Carolin grows from boy to a sturdy man, one who knows and values friendships and finds himself bound by duty to those who swear allegiance to him. Eduin may be the most interesting character, a man conflicted between the desires of his father that are so strongly engrained that they may be impossible to eliminate, and his basic good nature, that yearns for the friendship that Varzil and Carolin so freely offer to him. Some of the underlying methods and processes of matrix technology are shown within this book, but more to the point, the true horror of some of the laran weapons is shown, the driving impetus behind Varzil's and Carolin's idea to ban such weapons and have the towers answer only to themselves, not subject to the commands and whims of the local ruling lord. This thematic point is one with high relevance in today's world with its talk of 'dirty bombs', biological weapons, and chemical pollution of essential drinking supplies. Unfortunately, I don't think the purveyors of such ideas and weapons are reading this book, or if they do, will not take its message to heart. A fine addition to the Darkover universe, a good adventure, another time spent within the spell of this incredibly imagined world. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
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