Darkover
Darkover is the locus of a series of fantasy and science fiction novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1962.
During the early years space exploration and colonization humans planted a colony on Darkover, a planet which circles a red giant. Contact with the colonists was lost. The colonists developed independently, interacting and interbreeding with the native life of the planet. The ethnic background of the colonists are Celtic and Spanish. In time the colonists evolve strong psionic abilities, called "laran." These abilities become integrated into their cultural caste structure.
Those who have strong telepathic and other laran abilities become a ruling class and technological elite and are marked by genetically linked red hair.
The history of Darkover is marked by use, abuse, and eventual control of of laran powers.
Eventually the planet is rediscovered by a revitalized human space traveling civilization and a spaceport is established near the only city on Darkover.
The long-running Sword and Sorceress series of fantasy anthologies, edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, was also based in the Darkover universe.
Following Bradley's death in September 1999 a number of works which were in progress at the time have been published posthumously or are reported as planned for publication:
General Plot Summary
Books (in internal chronological order)
Bradley herself recommended that the books be read in the order in which they were written, rather than in internal chronological order, as her writing style changed considerably over her career.
