Rating: 
Summary: One of the best of the Darkover novels.
Review: Certainly exceptional at the time it was written; it is not one of the
earliest written Darkover novels, but it was written much closer to
the beginning than to the end of MZB's career, and it is at least as
good as, and perhaps better than, many of the books that were written
after she'd developed a great deal more experience and seasoning as a
writer. It is one of the best "coming of age" stories I've
ever seen, partly due to the fact that it involves the coming of age
of not one or two, but three main characters, and partly due to the
fact that it is perhaps the single most tasteful, insightful,
believeable, and moving story of the coming of age of a young man
coming to terms with his own homosexuality that I've ever seen. If this
concept truly bothers you, then perhaps this book isn't for you, but
if you're even willing to attempt open-mindedness on the subject, give
it a try.In the chronology of the Darkover series, this book falls
just before "Sharra's Exile" and "Winds of
Darkover", and just after "The Bloody Sun". It is the
story of the Sharra rebellion (often referred to in the books that
fall later in the series) and is the story of the coming of age of
Regis Hasteur, Lew Alton, and Danilo Syrtis, all characters seen in
other books as older adults. If you're looking to start reading the
series, this is as good a book to start with as any. If you've read
any other book in the series and liked it, this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the Darkover novels.
Review: Certainly exceptional at the time it was written; it is not one of the
earliest written Darkover novels, but it was written much closer to
the beginning than to the end of MZB's career, and it is at least as
good as, and perhaps better than, many of the books that were written
after she'd developed a great deal more experience and seasoning as a
writer. It is one of the best "coming of age" stories I've
ever seen, partly due to the fact that it involves the coming of age
of not one or two, but three main characters, and partly due to the
fact that it is perhaps the single most tasteful, insightful,
believeable, and moving story of the coming of age of a young man
coming to terms with his own homosexuality that I've ever seen. If this
concept truly bothers you, then perhaps this book isn't for you, but
if you're even willing to attempt open-mindedness on the subject, give
it a try. In the chronology of the Darkover series, this book falls
just before "Sharra's Exile" and "Winds of
Darkover", and just after "The Bloody Sun". It is the
story of the Sharra rebellion (often referred to in the books that
fall later in the series) and is the story of the coming of age of
Regis Hasteur, Lew Alton, and Danilo Syrtis, all characters seen in
other books as older adults. If you're looking to start reading the
series, this is as good a book to start with as any. If you've read
any other book in the series and liked it, this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the Darkover novels.
Review: Certainly exceptional at the time it was written; it is not one of theearliest written Darkover novels, but it was written much closer tothe beginning than to the end of MZB's career, and it is at least asgood as, and perhaps better than, many of the books that were writtenafter she'd developed a great deal more experience and seasoning as awriter. It is one of the best "coming of age" stories I'veever seen, partly due to the fact that it involves the coming of ageof not one or two, but three main characters, and partly due to thefact that it is perhaps the single most tasteful, insightful,believeable, and moving story of the coming of age of a young mancoming to terms with his own homosexuality that I've ever seen. If thisconcept truly bothers you, then perhaps this book isn't for you, butif you're even willing to attempt open-mindedness on the subject, giveit a try.In the chronology of the Darkover series, this book fallsjust before "Sharra's Exile" and "Winds ofDarkover", and just after "The Bloody Sun". It is thestory of the Sharra rebellion (often referred to in the books thatfall later in the series) and is the story of the coming of age ofRegis Hasteur, Lew Alton, and Danilo Syrtis, all characters seen inother books as older adults.If you're looking to start reading theseries, this is as good a book to start with as any. If you've readany other book in the series and liked it, this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the best Darkover novel
Review: Everyone goes through an identity crisis as an adolescent or young adult. Compound that with political intrigue, emerging psychic powers, sexual confusion, love, hate, parental power struggles . . . . and even this is a fairly limited description of this wonderful book. I have rarely seen the internal turmoil of a character treated with such compassion - and that applies to both Regis Hastur and Lew Alton. I could not help crying at various key points in the book. This was a magnificent story, well-told and sensitively written.
Rating:
Summary: This is the one of the Greatest books I've ever read!!!!
Review: From: Marjorie Scott The Heritage of Hastur is on of my all time favorites! It's about betrayal to the Comyn, hate,war, power, and love. The Terran Empire is trying to take over Darkover and make it a Terran Colony. But the seven Domains and the Comyn don't want that. So they send Lew Alton to Aldaran to find out what the sneaky Aldarans are up to. He finds out more than he ever wanted to know. Danilo Syrtis gets captured by some people from Aldaran because of his telepathic abilities. Danilo was captured so he could run a very powerful matrix, rarely used since the Age of Chaos. Danilo is Regis Hastur's sworn paxman and when he hears of Danilo;s mysterious disapearence he goes to seek the truth. When he finds that Lew is involved he is greatly disturbed. Now the rest is for you to read and find out if they can survive the strain of the matrix and also of the evil Aldarans!
Rating:
Summary: My favourite book, ever
Review: I have read this book consistently the last ten years since I first read Heritage of Hastur. I've never seen such complex characterization, nor ever felt such complete identification and sympathy with Lew Alton's and Regis Hastur's plights and their struggle for identity. Not only is the plot extremely well woven together but the way each character's relationships and feelings excellently described. Reading this and Sharra's Exile has made me an unending fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley and I hope very much that she will continue writing such excellent novels.
Rating: 
Summary: The epic of Darkover
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The heritage of Hastur" is not only one of the longest if not the longest Darkover novels, but is also one of the most complicated and thus rewarding to the reader. Many of the Darkover novels, most notably earlier novels such as "The Spell Sword" or "Winds of Darkover", are simple adventure stories that deal with a common theme of culture shock between a society based on technology (the Terran empire) and one based on keeping people safe from their very different technology, the science of telepathy (Darkover). "Heritage", while it does retain some of the adventure- novel elements, delves more extensively into the psychology of the two main characters, Lewis Alton and Regis Hastur, and the motivations that bring about the rebellion in which they become entangled.
Lewis Alton's narrative, told in the first person, is straightforward enough, relating the young man's disillusionment with his culture that leads him to use his telepathic skill ("laran") to aid an illegal group. The group is intending to show the encroaching and hugely powerful Terran empire that Darkover, too, has power. Lew's character is passionate in the extreme, almost melodramatically so, and his tempers and romance with a member of the group are a bit overly dramaticized by Ms. Bradley. The characterization here is rather weak-- a fact that may be attributed to Lew's character having been created when the author was very young.
The real interest of the story is in the alternating chapters, told in the third- person perspective of Regis Hastur, who is the grandson of the head of the Darkovan government. Regis' character is investigated in greater detail, showing a boy coming of age into more than one heritage, full of internal conflict: the dream of travelling vs. the need to become a responsible adult, hope of and fear for emerging telepathy, among them. The biggest issue is Regis' dilemma over his emerging homosexuality, and his suppression of love for one of his close friends. Through the instrument of his telepathy, Ms. Bradley brings this conflict out onto the physical as well as internal scale, as Regis' life hangs in the balance between his respect for his friend, and his physical needs.
The book ends true to the traditional epic- fantasy format: planets hanging in the balance, et cetera, drama and lights flashing everywhere. It is, after all, a science fiction/ fantasy novel. For those interested in a quick read, the book's romance and drama are enough to satisfy. Although Ms. Bradley's writing is not terribly refined, and the events are a bit overblown, the characters a little too rigid, still the basic ideas covered are quite interesting, and the book is very exciting. I found "The Heritage of Hastur" enjoyable and actually liked some of the overblown events, which are suited to Ms. Bradley's style. I would recommend it to those who like fantasy as an exceptional fantasy novel-- but not to anyone who is looking for enlightenment
Rating:
Summary: Blood family or chosen family?
Review: The struggles between the two are the central theme of the novel. The conflict started years before the action of the book, when Kennard Alton made the choice to marry a half-Terran, half-Aldaran woman. His two sons, Lewis and Marius, end up as a consequence unable to fit into the Six Domains of the Comyn, the renegade "Seventh Domain" of Aldaran, or the world of the Terrans. This, in turn, leads Lew to his participation in the infamous Sharra Rebellion.Meanwhile, the orphaned Regis Hastur is caught between following his heart and going on one of the Terran starships, and doing his duty to his grandfather and his family by taking his place in the Comyn Council and marrying. Regis is embarassed by his seeming lack of laran ability, and has been told by Lew that he has the gift but it is for some reason barriered. After a long struggle, he realizes that, since laran and sexual awareness often awaken together, he had repressed his laran along with his desire for other men. He has fallen in love with his best friend in the Guardsmen, which is complicated by the presence of a sexual predator with a taste for very young men among the trainers of the Guardsman cadets. It is also complicated by Danilo's cristoforo religious beliefs, which frown upon homosexuality. Regis and Danilo's love story has a much happier ending than that of Lew and Marjorie, another member of the Sharra circle. In the end, Lew's desire to break away from family and tradition leaves him closer than ever to his father, even as he wishes he could blame his father for leading him into the tragedy of the Sharra Rebellion.
Rating:
Summary: Blood family or chosen family?
Review: The struggles between the two are the central theme of the novel. The conflict started years before the action of the book, when Kennard Alton made the choice to marry a half-Terran, half-Aldaran woman. His two sons, Lewis and Marius, end up as a consequence unable to fit into the Six Domains of the Comyn, the renegade "Seventh Domain" of Aldaran, or the world of the Terrans. This, in turn, leads Lew to his participation in the infamous Sharra Rebellion. Meanwhile, the orphaned Regis Hastur is caught between following his heart and going on one of the Terran starships, and doing his duty to his grandfather and his family by taking his place in the Comyn Council and marrying. Regis is embarassed by his seeming lack of laran ability, and has been told by Lew that he has the gift but it is for some reason barriered. After a long struggle, he realizes that, since laran and sexual awareness often awaken together, he had repressed his laran along with his desire for other men. He has fallen in love with his best friend in the Guardsmen, which is complicated by the presence of a sexual predator with a taste for very young men among the trainers of the Guardsman cadets. It is also complicated by Danilo's cristoforo religious beliefs, which frown upon homosexuality. Regis and Danilo's love story has a much happier ending than that of Lew and Marjorie, another member of the Sharra circle. In the end, Lew's desire to break away from family and tradition leaves him closer than ever to his father, even as he wishes he could blame his father for leading him into the tragedy of the Sharra Rebellion.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue, love, hate, and the Sharra Matrix
Review: This book gives the readers an insight into the power struggles and lives of the Comyn and namly Regis, Danilo, and Lew. It tells the tale of the how Danilo became the faithful friend of Regis and what made Lewis Alton become the bitter, drunk man he was. It gives a unique insight into the politics of the Comyn Council, and why a matrix like the Sharra was banned in the first place.
|
