Darkover series
The Planet Savers (1958), the first novel set in the Darkover universe
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| Author | Marion Zimmer Bradley |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | |
| Published | 1958–1996 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
The Darkover series is a science fiction-fantasy chronology consisting of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by author Marion Zimmer Bradley. The word "Darkover" is a registered trademark owned by the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust.
Commenting on the significance of the Darkover series, science fiction author Baird Searles said that the books were "destined to be The Foundation of the 1970s".
See also: List of Darkover books for a complete chronological bibliography of Darkover books, anthologies and series by date of publication.
This Darkover chronology uses the time period designations first provided by the author as "A Readers Guide to Darkover" in The Heirs of Hammerfell (1989). Some of these time periods overlap, particularly the Ages of Chaos and the Hundred Kingdoms eras. It's occasionally the case that the official readers guide places a book in one era, but internal plot evidence places it in another (or both). Additionally, Bradley was not particularly sympathetic to her fans' need to organize the books into a consistent chronology, and the timeline evidence from one book to another is sometimes in conflict. Commenting on this problem, Bradley wrote, "I have fiercely resisted any attempt to impose absolute consistency, straightforward chronology, or anything but the most superficial order on the chronicles of Darkover."
The books written between 1958 and 1996 were intended to be stand-alone stories, that did not require the reader to be familiar with previous books in the series. This is less true of the books published after 1996. Bradley herself recommended that the books be read in the order in which they were written, rather than the Darkovan chronological order, as her writing style changed considerably over her career.
At the end of the 21st century, Earth sends colony ships out to the stars. One of these ships becomes disabled and crash-lands on Darkover, the fourth planet in a red giant solar system. Unable to repair their ship and equally unable to contact with Earth, the survivors establish a colony.
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