Book description
On Darkover, it is the era of the Hundred Kingdoms - a time of nearly
continuous war and bloody disputes between minor kings who seek to
increase their power by usurping their neighbours' domains. A time when
Towers are conscripted to produce terrifying laran weapons - weapons
which kill from afar, poisoning the very land itself for decades to
come. In this dark time, there seems no limit to the violence men are
willing to wage against their adversaries in the name of power.
But in this terrifying time of greed and imperialism, two powerful men
have devoted their lives to changing their world and eliminating these
terrible weapons. For years King Carolin of Hastur and his close friend,
Varzil Ridenow have dreamed of a world without war. Now they petition
the domains of Darkover to adopt a decree that they call the Compact.
Their Compact, a law based on honour, will ban all distance weapons,
thus forcing one who seeks to kill another to fight hand to hand and
face equal risk.
But while Varzil and Carolin continue their difficult campaign to bring
peace to Darkover, another man hides in the alleys of Thendara, biding
his time, and plotting the destruction of these two heroic men. For
Eduin Delucido, the renegade laranzu who disappeared during the battle
which nearly destroyed Hestral Tower, still lives . . . and lives only
to see the demise of Carolin Hastur and his entire clan! Marion
Zimmer Bradley (1930 - 1999)
Marion Zimmer was born on a farm in Albany, New York, in 1930, and
married Robert Alden Bradley in 1949. She received a B. A. from Hardin
Simmons University, Texas, and did post-graduate work at the University
of California, Berkeley, during which time she helped found the Society
for Creative Anachronism. She sold her first story in 1952 and was a
writer of note for over four decades. Bradley is best known for two
signature series: the 'Darkover' science fantasy series and her
Arthurian masterpiece, The Mists of Avalon
and its sequels. She also edited anthologies for 14 years and published
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine
, which ran for 50 quarterly issues between 1988 and the end of 2000.
Marion Zimmer Bradley died in Berkeley, California, on September 25,
1999, four days after suffering a major heart attack. Deborah J. Ross
(1947 -)
Deborah J. Ross, who grew up in California and attended college in
Oregon, began telling stories at an early age and continued writing
throughout her school and work life. Around the time she decided to
write professionally, Ross became friends with Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Many of Ross's short stories were published by Bradley in her
anthologies and magazines, and they later collaborated on a number of
titles from the well-known Darkover series.
