Rating: 
Summary: Sad, sad end to a career
Review: It is blatantly obvious that MZB did not write this book; at most, she might have outlined it or given Adrienne Martine-Barnes some ideas. The writing style is about as much like MZB's as hers was like David Weber's. The death of a significant character is handled much too clumsily , and much of the novel reads like an unedited first draft.A huge disappointment. I agree with the reviewer who thought that MZB should have devoted her last years to rewriting =The World Wreckers= so it made sense in context. What a sad way to end one of SF's most famous and beloved series.
Rating: 
Summary: the end
Review: Its almost as if she was trying to end the series with this book. To close the darkover chapter. In time line sequence the first is started with the crashlanding of the terran and ends with them leaving. Very poetic but not as exciting as I would hope the last book would be.
Rating:
Summary: A nice continuation of the Darkover Saga
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley continues to run an even keel with this latest installment in the Darkover series. The story itself is not especially dynamic but does leave one with the feeling of visiting old friends. That said, I have to say that I was disappointed by the lack of true development of any of the new characters in the storyline. Marguerida Alton Hastur continues to hold center stage in this novel with other characters fulfilling previously done roles (i.e. the offworlder adjusted to Darkovan society). There is little new development of the Darkover universe and many previous characters seemed to have vanished altogether. Finally, Gay and Lesbian readers will note the continuing "mainstreaming" of the Darkover series that has been ongoing since "Exile's Song" and the complete absence of any Gay and Lesbian characters in the storyline. All-in-all, enjoyable, but not deep, reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe the Best of the Darkovers
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley has been getting better and better through the years, and this latest series (Exile's Song, The Shadow Matrix, and Traitor's Sun) is my favorite of all the Darkover material. I care about even more of the characters than I did in earlier books, and I find the action most satisfying. I bought these books in hardback, since I just couldn't wait till they came out in paperback, and I've read them 3 or 4 times already, each time with enormous satisfaction. I particularly like the beginning of this book; remembering it is almost enough to make me get the book out and begin it again. I earnestly hope MZB has not stopped writing these. I want to know what happens to Alanna, Domenic, Mik, Marguerida, and the young Traveller girl.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of a great series.
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote stories set in her world of Darkover for something like 30 or 40 years; not surprisingly, the earliest novels were very different from the later ones. For one thing, they were written by someone with a great deal less experience as a writer (and as a person), and for another thing, they were written in a time that what was expected of Science Fiction was very different from what is expected now. In the '60s, most science fiction was still envisioned as juvenile fiction, pulps written for young readers. So "The Planet Savers", "World Wreckers", "Star Of Danger", and "Winds of Darkover" were interesting, but mostly unrefined novels with a very strong flavor of the pulp sci-fi novel. As time went on, Ms. Bradley evolved as a writer, and what was considered publishable in the science fiction genre also evolved, so the next few novels were somewhat different. "Heritage of Hasteur", Sharra's Exile", and "The Bloody Sun" were much better than her earliest novels, and at least "Heritage" and "Sharra" are still two of her best. But she continued to evolve, and the stories that interested her changed, so people who love her stories from one period don't always enjoy the stories from another period. That's one of the beauties of Darkover, however; it's big enough, and complex enough, that all kinds of stories can be written about it. There are some constants, however: on the down side, Ms. Bradley always has been a trifle sloppy in her copyediting. In this book, that shows up not only in the usual periodic typos that slip through, but in the scene toward the end of the book, in which a character who'd been sent home with a serious injury before the funeral train reached its destination (Hermes) gives a eulogy at the funeral. On the positive side, her characters have always been her strong suit, and this book is no exception. What's more, they actually change and grow, not just within a book, but from book to book as the same characters are seen at different stages of their lives. Interestingly, for most of her career, it was obvious that a big part of what fascinated Ms. Bradley about Darkover was the opportunity it provided for comparing and contrasting a highly technological Federation with an archaic, almost medieval culture. Generally, she found an interesting balance between the two, with Darkovan culture being found lacking in its treatment of women and education, and Federation culture being found wanting in terms of respect for individuality and honor. By this book, it seemed that she'd solved the question of which she found preferable in her own mind; there was no longer anything to recommend the Federation at all, so that Darkover, for all that it still had its failings, won by default. The only real flaw to this book, other than the nit-picking copyediting problems mentioned previously, is that it was left openended enough that she'd obviously intended to tell us more later.But having died, it seems unlikely that she'll ever show us the end to the storyline begun here. Unfortunate, but unavoidable. When you spend almost 40 years writing 21 Darkover novels, sooner or later, you won't get to write the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Obviously not pure MZB
Review: MZB was not the only one responsible for this novel, and, sadly, it shows. Repetition, no character development (do you really expect me to believe that Giz would change so much so soon?), and romances that belong in a Barbara Cartland novel. Give me a break!
Rating:
Summary: Her last and in many ways her worst
Review: MZB's last few Darkover books have been an enormous disappointment. I know she was very ill the last few years of her life, but instead of collaborating with her friends, she should done something useful like rewriting The Worldwreckers so it would make sense in context. As it is, this book was clearly not written by MZB. I cannot for one minute believe that she would kill off one of her major characters so poorly as this. I would advise every Darkover lover to avoid this like plague and read it through interlibrary loan. What a shame that MZB's last credited book will be this messy, poorly written, poorly plotted piece of junk.
Rating: 
Summary: My introduction to the darkovan series
Review: Ofcourse I would read the last book first, but I didn't mind since I thought it was positively a great book. The only thing that made it even close to difficult for me was the beginning. It started of a little slow for me (I like to be glued to the book from the beginning) but once I got a little further I was in for the long haul. I'm still reading the darkovan series since this one got me hooked, and since it's hard to tell the order of the darkovan books, it doesn't matter much if you don't read them in order. Bradley does a good job of telling the story from several character's view points and brings every character to life in this masterpiece. I've read the other reviews on this book and it may have been her last piece but that has nothing to do with the quality of it. I have not read all of her books, but if this is her worst one - be sure to read them all because this one was great!
Rating:
Summary: The end of an era...
Review: Taking place fifteen years after the end of "The Shadow Matrix", "Traitor's Sun" deals with the further adventures of Marguerida Alton, Mikhail Hastur and the others of the new generation on Darkover. As Regis Hastur grows closer to death, and the Terran Empire becomes increasingly imperialistic, the situation is becoming explosive, particularly since the "usual suspects" on Comyn Council are causing trouble. The story is interesting, with several new characters, especially Katherine and Hermes Aldaran. My one quibble is that Marguerida has retreated farther into the role of a proper Comyn lady, and both Gisela and Katherine seem to be a bit more interesting. The ending is open-ended enough to allow for sequels, unfortunately, with the sad passing of the great Marion Zimmer Bradley, it seems unlikely that it will continue. She will definitely be missed.
Rating:
Summary: The end of an era...
Review: Taking place fifteen years after the end of "The Shadow Matrix", "Traitor's Sun" deals with the further adventures of Marguerida Alton, Mikhail Hastur and the others of the new generation on Darkover. As Regis Hastur grows closer to death, and the Terran Empire becomes increasingly imperialistic, the situation is becoming explosive, particularly since the "usual suspects" on Comyn Council are causing trouble. The story is interesting, with several new characters, especially Katherine and Hermes Aldaran. My one quibble is that Marguerida has retreated farther into the role of a proper Comyn lady, and both Gisela and Katherine seem to be a bit more interesting. The ending is open-ended enough to allow for sequels, unfortunately, with the sad passing of the great Marion Zimmer Bradley, it seems unlikely that it will continue. She will definitely be missed.
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