Exile's Song
| Author | Marion Zimmer Bradley and Adrienne Martine-Barnes |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Romas Kukalis |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Darkover |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
|
Publication date
|
1996 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 435pp |
| ISBN | |
| Preceded by | Hastur Lord |
| Followed by | The Shadow Matrix |
Exile’s Song is a science fiction novel by American writers Marion Zimmer Bradley and Adrienne Martine-Barnes, part of the Darkover series. It was first published in hardcover by DAW Books in 1996. The book takes place during the era of Darkover's history known as the second age post-Comyn and after the coming of the Terrans.
The book is part of a trilogy within the series comprising Exile's Song, The Shadow Matrix, and Traitor's Sun. The book takes place fifteen years before Traitor's Sun.
Exile's Song represents a dramatic alteration of Bradley's view of the masculine/feminine, technological/ecological, Terran/Darkover dichotomies that she has explored throughout the Darkover series. In her earliest Darkover writing (1960s), she portrayed the planet's semi-feudal culture as played-out and in need of saving by the technologically superior Terrans. In the middle period (1970s-1980s), the books display a growing ambivalence to both views But in Exile's Song, Bradley reverses direction exclusively in favor of the feminine/ecological/Darkover view, describing the Terran Federation as played-out. This makes Exile's Song a pivotal book in the development of the series.
Marguerida Alton, a music scholar, accompanies her friend and employer, Professor Ivor Davidson, to Darkover where the two intend to study local folk music. She hires two children to guide them to Music Street in Thendara. Her conversation with the children ignites long-forgotten memories of the five years she lived on Darkover as a child.
Several days after their arrival, Ivor dies in his sleep and is buried on Darkover. After the funeral, Marguerida is approached by Captain Rafe Scott, who tries to explain how they are related, but discovers that she knows nothing of her own family history.
At Rafe's suggestion, Marguerida hires Rafaella n'ha Liriel, a Renunciate guide, to assist her in her folk music gathering project. They successfully gather many songs, but Marguerida's dreams begin to be troubled by long-repressed memories of her childhood on Darkover.
Marguerida becomes ill and the pair take shelter at the Ardais estate. When the illness appears to be Threshold Sickness lasting several weeks, her host, Lady Marilla Aillard, sends for Istvana Ridenow, keeper of Neskaya Tower.
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