Stormqueen

Rating:
Summary: A Cautionary Tale
Review: "Man is the only animal that thinks not to improve his race...Should we not seek to better ourselves as well our world and our surroundings?"

This is a quote from Stormqueen, but it won't be long before someone raises this question in the real world, or before we have the scientific capacity to create such a future. Marian Zimmer Bradley's prescient tale, written in the '70's, explores the very real consequences, the temptations and dangers, of such genetic manipulation.

For those not familiar with Darkover, think of it as the Middle Ages with psychic powers. It is warlike, patriarchal and pre-industrial. The lack of machines is made up for by crystals, or matrixes, which greatly amplify naturally occuring psychic powers, or laran. These have been developed to take the place of mechanical technology, for both peaceful or warlike means. (There is a striking and again, prescient, parallel between the "relay screens" and the internet.)

Like any talent, skills vary from person to person. These psychic gifts being the very foundation of Darkover civilization, people have been bred over generations for specific gifts, much like an animal breeding program. For the resulting children, death is common, as is mental/emotional instability.

All of the characters in Stormqueen have lives maimed by the breeding program. Mikhail of Aldaran has seen all of his children die; Allart has been cursed with a gift that shows him all possible consequences of each act; Renata has worked desperately to have a life beyond a childbearing pawn; Donal is forced into an intolerable situation due to his stepfather's desire for an heir.

And of course there is Dorilys, the young Stormqueen, a child with a gift far beyond her ability to handle it. A lesser writer would have made Dorilys a one-dimensional spoiled brat or "witch girl." The typical male SF writer would probably have turned her into an evil sex nymph. (See lurid cover art, which is the original from the '70's.)

In Bradley's hands, Dorilys is a fully human young girl, sometimes arrogant and spoiled, but also courageous and loving. These two aspects of her character pull her either way; until the end, it's never certain which will prevail.

The story does have its rough spots and slow places. I could have done with a little less about Allart and Cassandra's marriage, for example. You won't miss much if you skim those chapters. Since it was in there, I would have preferred a little more about how Cassandra grows from a highly dependent, girlish character into a tried and true woman.

As another reviewer noted, this is a tragedy in the classic Greek sense. At each turning or crossroads, there seems only one option, yet inevitably it leads to a tragic conclusion. The flaws of more than one character bring about the tragedy, but still it's hard to see how it could have been avoided.

This book is powerful sci-fi/fantasy with underlying serious issues. If you are concerned about some of the questions the world is facing, Stormqueen will speak to you.

I also recommend MZB's other early Darkover novels: Hawkmistress, Heritage of Hastur, Thendara House, even The Forbidden Tower (though it's not a favorite). They all feature intelligent characters dealing with complex ethical or emotional questions, with plenty of action thrown in.

Rating:
Summary: Can't put it down
Review: "Stormqueen!" was the second Darkover book I read. It shows that good writing is when you read a book, and no matter how awful things are going on in the story, no matter how much you want to put it down for sheer exhaustion (emotionally and physically!), you just can't, you have to see it through. The characters are some of the best MZB ever created; compelling, well-drawn, and so familiar to the way people feel and act, be it noble or obscene. No one does anything by halves in this book; you've got all the ingredients for a titillating mix. Love found, and lost; unrelenting hatred; jealousy; incest; coldly manipulating authority figures; exotic locales; action and adventure! It sounds like the usual fare for your daytime soap, but in "Stormqueen!" it works. You'll fall in love with Allart and Donal, and have mixed feelings about the Stormqueen herself. A great enjoyable read!

Rating:
Summary: Can't put it down
Review: "Stormqueen!" was the second Darkover book I read. It shows that good writing is when you read a book, and no matter how awful things are going on in the story, no matter how much you want to put it down for sheer exhaustion (emotionally and physically!), you just can't, you have to see it through. The characters are some of the best MZB ever created; compelling, well-drawn, and so familiar to the way people feel and act, be it noble or obscene. No one does anything by halves in this book; you've got all the ingredients for a titillating mix. Love found, and lost; unrelenting hatred; jealousy; incest; coldly manipulating authority figures; exotic locales; action and adventure! It sounds like the usual fare for your daytime soap, but in "Stormqueen!" it works. You'll fall in love with Allart and Donal, and have mixed feelings about the Stormqueen herself. A great enjoyable read!

Rating:
Summary: Like a Greek Tragedy in Emotional Content
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley spins a tale of selctive breeding and genetic manipulation that plays out like a Greek tragedy. When a curse is put on Lord Aldaran at the birth of his daughter, the web of fate begins to work. We watch the children Donal and Dorilys grow and become involved in court intrigues. In the end, the curse comes to fruition with grim results for Lord Aldaran and his line. Bradley tells the tragic tale in high style. Sophocles would be proud.

Rating:
Summary: Like a Greek Tragedy in Emotional Content
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley spins a tale of selctive breeding and genetic manipulation that plays out like a Greek tragedy. When a curse is put on Lord Aldaran at the birth of his daughter, the web of fate begins to work. We watch the children Donal and Dorilys grow and become involved in court intrigues. In the end, the curse comes to fruition with grim results for Lord Aldaran and his line. Bradley tells the tragic tale in high style. Sophocles would be proud.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and beautiful, like its protagonist
Review: Most Darkover books I *can't* put down. This one, I *had* to put down here and there because it was so disturbing -- I guess I needed the reassurance of knowing I was on Terra after all. :)

This is not an easy book to read, but it is WELL worth the effort. As you might expect of someone who was considered "precocious" as a girl, I could definitely identify with Dorilys the Stormqueen. But don't let the book's title lead you to ignore the other well-drawn characters -- Dorilys would certainly enjoy the attention if she were around for it, but there are other powerful and interesting characters central to the sad tale.

Stormqueen! is the kind of book you want to read and get a good friend to read so that you can discuss all the issues it brings up -- the ethical questions it raises have no easy resolution either within the story or in real life, but the book is worth reading and the issues it raises worth discussing.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and beautiful, like its protagonist
Review: Most Darkover books I *can't* put down. This one, I *had* to put down here and there because it was so disturbing -- I guess I needed the reassurance of knowing I was on Terra after all. :)

This is not an easy book to read, but it is WELL worth the effort. As you might expect of someone who was considered "precocious" as a girl, I could definitely identify with Dorilys the Stormqueen. But don't let the book's title lead you to ignore the other well-drawn characters -- Dorilys would certainly enjoy the attention if she were around for it, but there are other powerful and interesting characters central to the sad tale.

Stormqueen! is the kind of book you want to read and get a good friend to read so that you can discuss all the issues it brings up -- the ethical questions it raises have no easy resolution either within the story or in real life, but the book is worth reading and the issues it raises worth discussing.

Rating:
Summary: Very Touching
Review: Of all the Darkover novels (a wonderful series, everyone of them), this is the one that most captures the beauty of the planet Darkover and the horror of laran gone wrong. The protagonist Dorilys Rockraven is understandable and amusing. A true heart-breaker, especially the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Ages of Chaos Books
Review: Stormqueen! is set in the chaotic age of Darkover where people were bred for increasingly powerful (and lethal) forms of psychic ability, called laran. Although, like all Darkover books, this is a stand-alone novel, Darkover fans will enjoy the familiar place-names and legendary characters fleshed out. (Example: Varzil the Good, who appears or is referenced in The Forbidden Tower, The Shadow Matrix, and Traitor's Sun, is a character in this work.) The majority of this story takes place in and around castle Aldaran where we follow the life of Dorilys Aldaran, whose frightening lethal-gene linked psychic ability allows her to tap into the planet's magnetic field. Like all women of this age on Darkover, Dorilys is a mere pawn in kingdom land struggles and the ever-present laran human breeding program. It is a classic tale of the quest for justice in an injust system. High drama. Good tale.

Rating:
Summary: a deep, rich novel of Darkover's early days
Review: This Darkover novel is set in Darkover's Age of Chaos. It is set several hundred years after Darkover Landfall. The ruling powers in Darkover ruled in what feels like a feudal system. I would compare this period in Darkover's history to the European Dark Ages. At the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Donal, an 8 year old boy. Donal is the son of a woman who was the mistress of Mikhail Aldaran, lord of the Aldaran. Mikhail raises Donal like his own son, despite Donal being the child of another man. Donal's mother dies giving birth to Dorilys, the only living child of Mikhail.

The first section of the novel serves to introduce us to some of the major players of the novel and also works as a perfect setup to describe the world and background of the characters that will act throughout the novel. The ESP type abilities hinted at in Darkover Landfall exist in a wild, but powerful form. These abilities are called Laran, and the ruling classes are participating in a breeding program to both harness and control these laran. This breeding program has a huge flaw and drawback, few children actually live past childhood. When they start to become in full possession of their laran, death is by far the most common result. Another common result is emotional instability because of the laran. This is the world and heritage that Dorilys was born into. After she was born the novel skips ahead 11 years. Donal is now a man and beloved by Mikhail. Dorilys is a spoiled child with a wildly powerful laran.

This novel deals with the personal implications of the laran breeding plan as well as how the feudalistic society plays out in Darkover. Dorilys has been handfasted (or, betrothed) but since she has no control over her laran, when she gets frightened she lashes out with her power and unintentionally kills with it. Donal wants to marry Renata, but the circumstances with Aldaran force him into a different alliance. Renata was sent by the nearby Tower (where those with Laran work with their power) to help train Dorilys to control her laran. We are also introduced to Allart, a former monk but potential heir to the throne at Thendara. He has been hiding away trying to control his laran (he has the ability to see all possible futures resulting from every action and potential action), but is involved in this story, too.

While Darkover Landfall was little more than an introduction to the world of Darkover and how it was founded, Stormqueen! was a much richer novel. In this novel, Bradley gives us a sense of the world and strong, well written characters. It was easy to get wrapped up in the story, and it was intense at times. Reading Stormqueen only confirmed my desire to keep reading the Darkover series. Excellent fantasy novel.