Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of
fantasyFantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...
novels such as
The Mists of AvalonThe Mists of Avalon is a 1982 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.-Plot introduction:...
and the
Darkover seriesThe Darkover series consists of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley.-Darkover chronology:...
, often with a feminist outlook. Her first child, David R. Bradley, and her brother,
Paul Edwin ZimmerPaul Edwin Zimmer , the brother of science fiction and fantasy author Marion Zimmer Bradley, was a noted poet and an established author in his own right...
were also published science fiction & fantasy authors in their own right.
Born on a farm in
Albany, New YorkAlbany is a city in the United States of America; it is the capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. The city sits on the Hudson River and...
, during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, she began writing in 1949 and sold her first story to
VortexA vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
magazine in 1952.
Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of
fantasyFantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...
novels such as
The Mists of AvalonThe Mists of Avalon is a 1982 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.-Plot introduction:...
and the
Darkover seriesThe Darkover series consists of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley.-Darkover chronology:...
, often with a feminist outlook. Her first child, David R. Bradley, and her brother,
Paul Edwin ZimmerPaul Edwin Zimmer , the brother of science fiction and fantasy author Marion Zimmer Bradley, was a noted poet and an established author in his own right...
were also published science fiction & fantasy authors in their own right.
Biography
Born on a farm in
Albany, New YorkAlbany is a city in the United States of America; it is the capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. The city sits on the Hudson River and...
, during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, she began writing in 1949 and sold her first story to
VortexA vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
magazine in 1952. She was married to Robert Alden Bradley from October 26, 1949 until their divorce on May 19, 1964. They had a son, David Robert Bradley (1950 – 2008). During the 1950s she was introduced to the cultural and campaigning
lesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
group the
Daughters of BilitisThe Daughters of Bilitis /bɪ’li:tis/ , is the first lesbian rights organization in the United States. It was formed in San Francisco, California in 1955. The group was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were considered illegal and thus subject to raids and police harassment...
. After her divorce she married numismatist
Walter H. BreenWalter H. Breen was an American author. He is best known among coin collectors for writing Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins. "Breen numbers", from his encyclopedia, are widely used to attribute varieties of coins...
on June 3, 1964. They separated in 1979 but remained married, and continued a business relationship and lived on the same street for over a decade. They officially divorced on May 9, 1990, the year Breen was arrested on child molestation charges. She had known about Breen's sexual interests and previously accepted his sexual affair with a 14 year old boy. Her daughter by Breen, Moira Stern, is a professional harpist and singer.
In 1965 Bradley graduated with a
Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
degree from
Hardin-Simmons UniversityHardin-Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas.-History:Hardin-Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher education to the...
in
Abilene, TexasAbilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in the central part of the U.S. state of Texas. The population is about 120,000 in 2008. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. Afterward, she moved to
Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, to pursue graduate studies at the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines...
between 1965 and 1967. In 1966, she helped found and named the
Society for Creative AnachronismThe Society for Creative Anachronism , is a historical reenactment group founded in 1966, with the aim of studying and recreating pre-17th century Western European cultures and their histories...
and was involved in developing several local groups, including in New York after her move to Staten Island.
Religion
In the 1980's Bradley was a neopagan but by the 1990's she was a devout Episcopalian telling an interviewer: "I just go regularly to the Episcopalian church. . . . That pagan thing....I feel that I've gotten past it. I would like people to explore the possibilities."
After her death her co-author confirmed that for a number of years Bradley had indeed been a faithful
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
.
Death
After suffering declining health for years, Bradley died at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley on September 25, 1999, four days after suffering a debilitating
heart attackMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, is the interruption of blood supply to part of the heart, causing some heart cells to die...
. Her ashes were scattered at
Glastonbury TorGlastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St. Michael's Tower. The site is managed by the National Trust....
, in
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, two months later.
Literary career
Bradley's first published novel-length work was
Falcons of NarabedlaFalcons of Narabedla is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley set in the universe of her Darkover book series. It was first published in book form in English by Ace Books in 1964, Tête-bêche with Bradley's collection The Dark Intruder and Other Stories...
, first published in the May 1957 issue of
Other WorldsOther Worlds Science Stories was an American science fiction magazine, edited by Raymond A. Palmer with Bea Mahaffey. It was published by Palmer's Clark Publishing in Evanston, Illinois beginning in the late 1940s...
. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as
Henry Kuttner,
Edmond HamiltonEdmond Moore Hamilton was a popular author of science fiction stories and novels during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania...
, and
Leigh BrackettLeigh Douglass Brackett was an American author, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep , Rio Bravo , The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back .-Life:Leigh Brackett was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California...
, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the
speculative fictionSpeculative fiction is a fiction genre speculating about worlds that are unlike the real world in various important ways. In these contexts, it generally overlaps one or more of the following: science fiction, fantasy fiction, horror fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and...
genre, including some
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
and
lesbian pulp fictionLesbian pulp fiction refers to any mid-20th century pulp novel with overtly lesbian themes and content. Lesbian pulp fiction was published in the 1950s and 60s by many of the same publishing houses that other subgenres of pulp fiction including Westerns, Romances, and Detective Fiction...
novels. For example,
I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered
pornographicPornography or porn is the depiction of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement.Over the past few decades, an immense industry for the production and consumption of pornography has grown, with the increasing use of the VCR, the DVD, and the Internet, as well as the...
when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story
The Planet SaversThe Planet Savers is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published in book form in English by Ace Books in 1962, dos-à-dos with Bradley's novel The Sword of Aldones. The story first appeared in the November 1958 issue of the magazine Amazing...
introduced the planet of
DarkoverDarkover is the focus of the Darkover series of science fiction novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1958...
, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth
colonyIn politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their...
where
psi powersParapsychology is a controversial discipline that seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities and life after death using the scientific method...
developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy
fandomFandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture. In 1966, Bradley became a cofounder of the
Society for Creative AnachronismThe Society for Creative Anachronism , is a historical reenactment group founded in 1966, with the aim of studying and recreating pre-17th century Western European cultures and their histories...
, and is credited with coining the name of that group. In the 1970s, as part of the contemporary wave of enthusiasm for
J. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from...
's fictional world of
Middle-earthMiddle-earth is an imaginary place which is the setting for most of the stories of author J. R. R. Tolkien. These stories include The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings...
, she wrote two short fanfic stories about
ArwenArwen Undómiel is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. She appears in his best-known novel, The Lord of the Rings, usually published in three volumes...
and published them in
chapbookChapbook is a generic term to cover a particular genre of pocket-sized booklet, popular from the sixteenth through to the later part of the nineteenth century. No exact definition can be applied....
format; one of them, "The Jewel of Arwen", also appeared in her professional anthology
The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley (1985), although it was dropped from later reprints.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running
Sword and SorceressThe Sword and Sorceress series is a series of fantasy anthologies edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. As she explained in the foreword to the first volume, she created the anthology to redress the lack of strong female protagonists in the sub-genre of sword and sorcery...
anthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including males in her anthologies.
Mercedes LackeyMercedes "Misty" Lackey is an American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final
Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death.
Probably her most famous single novel is
The Mists of AvalonThe Mists of Avalon is a 1982 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.-Plot introduction:...
. A retelling of the
CamelotCamelot is the most famous castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the fabulous Arthurian...
legend from the point of view of
MorgaineMorgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician...
and
GwenhwyfarGuinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. She was most famous for her love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot, which first appears in Chrétien de Troyes' Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart...
, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
In 2000, she was posthumously awarded the
World Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
for lifetime achievement.
Novels
- Falcons of Narabedla
Falcons of Narabedla is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley set in the universe of her Darkover book series. It was first published in book form in English by Ace Books in 1964, Tête-bêche with Bradley's collection The Dark Intruder and Other Stories...
(1957)
- The Door Through Space
The Door Through Space is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It is not part of her Darkover book series, but Darkover is mentioned in passing in the book. It was first published in book form in English by Ace Books in 1961, bound tête-bêche with Rendezvous on a Lost World by A....
(1961)
- Seven from the Stars (1961)
- The Colours Of Space (1963)
- Castle Terror (1965)
- Souvenir of Monique (1967)
- Bluebeard's Daughter (1968)
- The Brass Dragon (1970)
- In the Steps of the Master - The Sixth Sense #2 (1973) (based on television series The Sixth Sense, created by Anthony Lawrence)
- The Jewel of Arwen (1974) (novelette)
- The Parting of Arwen (1974) (novelette)
- Can Ellen Be Saved? ([1975]) (adaptation of a teleplay by Emmett Roberts)
- The Endless Voyage (1975)
- Drums of Darkness (1976)
- Ruins of Isis (1978)
- The Catch Trap (1979)
- The Endless Universe (1979) (rewrite of The Endless Voyage)
- The House Between the Worlds (1980)
- Survey Ship (1980)
- The Colors of Space (1983) (unabridged edition)
- Night's Daughter (1985)
- Warrior Woman (1987)
- The Firebrand (1987)
- Black Trillium (1990) (with Julian May
Julian May is an American science fiction writer, best known for her Saga of Pliocene Exile and Galactic Milieu books.-Biography:...
and Andre NortonAndre Alice Norton, née Alice Mary Norton was an American science fiction and fantasy author under the noms de plume Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston...
)
- Lady of the Trillium (1995)
- Tiger Burning Bright (1995) (with Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes "Misty" Lackey is an American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
and Andre NortonAndre Alice Norton, née Alice Mary Norton was an American science fiction and fantasy author under the noms de plume Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston...
)
- The Gratitude of Kings (1997) (with Elisabeth Waters
Elisabeth Waters is an American fantasy author, best known for her association with Marion Zimmer Bradley.She won the Gryphon award in 1989 for her first novel Changing Fate. Since then, she has published a large number of short stories, mostly in the anthology series Sword and Sorceress.- Novels...
)
Short story collections
- The Dark Intruder and Other Stories (1964)
- The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley (1985)
- Jamie and Other Stories (1988)
- Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover is a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books in October, 1993....
(Darkover collection) (1993)
Series
- Atlantean series
- Web of Light (1983)
- Web of Darkness (1983)
- The Fall of Atlantis (1987) (omnibus edition of Web of Light and Web of Darkness)
- Avalon Series
The Avalon Series is a series of novels written by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with help from Diana L. Paxson. Paxson later took over sole authorship after Bradley's death in 1999.- Plot :...
- The Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon is a 1982 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.-Plot introduction:...
(1979)
- Mistress of Magic (audiobook edition of The Mists of Avalon, part 1) (1994)
- The High Queen (audiobook edition of The Mists of Avalon, part 2) (1994)
- The King Stag (audiobook edition of The Mists of Avalon, part 3) (1994)
- The Prisoner in the Oak (audiobook edition of The Mists of Avalon, part 4) (1994)
- The Forest House
This is about the novel, for Forrest House, see Melbourne High SchoolThe Forest House is a fantasy novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson, though the latter is uncredited by the publisher...
(1993) (with Diana L. PaxsonDiana L. Paxson is a novelist and author of nonfiction, primarily in the fields of Paganism and Heathenism. Her published works include fantasy and historical fiction novels, as well as numerous short stories...
) (also now known as The Forests of Avalon)
- Lady of Avalon
-Plot:Lady of Avalon is the sequel to The Forest House and the prequel to The Mists of Avalon. It is divided into 3 parts.-Part 1:The first part shows us Caillean and Gawen , who we know from the prequel, The Forest House....
(1997) (with Diana L. Paxson)
- Priestess of Avalon
Priestess of Avalon is a 2000 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley and completed posthumously by Diana L. Paxson. It follows detailing the life of Helena, first wife of Western Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and mother of Constantine....
(2000) (with Diana L. Paxson)
- Ancestors of Avalon
Ancestors of Avalon is a 2004 fantasy novel written by Diana L. Paxson, and based on an idea of the late Marion Zimmer Bradley.The book is one of 5 prequels to Bradley's popular fantasy novel Mists of Avalon. The characters of Ancestors of Avalon have appeared earlier in Bradley's fantasy novel The...
(2004) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
- Ravens of Avalon (2007) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
- Sword of Avalon (forthcoming in 2009) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
- Colin MacLaren series
- Witch Hill (1972)
- The Inheritor (1984)
- Dark Satanic (1988)
- Heartlight (1998)
- Shadow's Gate series (with Rosemary Edghill
Rosemary Edghill is an American writer and editor, who has often used that pseudonym in place of her legal name, eluki bes shahar. Her primary genres are science fiction and...
)
- Ghostlight (1995)
- Witchlight (1996)
- Gravelight (1997)
- Heartlight (1998)
- Darkover series
The Darkover series consists of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley.-Darkover chronology:...
(See: List of Darkover books for complete details)
- The Planet Savers
The Planet Savers is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published in book form in English by Ace Books in 1962, dos-à-dos with Bradley's novel The Sword of Aldones. The story first appeared in the November 1958 issue of the magazine Amazing...
(1958)
- The Sword of Aldones
The Sword of Aldones is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1962, dos-à-dos with Bradley's novel The Planet Savers...
(1962)
- The Bloody Sun
The Bloody Sun is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1964...
(1964)
- Star of Danger
Star of Danger is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1965.-Plot introduction:...
(1965)
- The Winds of Darkover
The Winds of Darkover is a science fiction fantasy novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1970, as an Ace Double bound tête-bêche with The Anything Tree by John Rackham.-Plot introduction:...
(1970)
- The World Wreckers
The World Wreckers is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1971.-Plot introduction:...
(1971)
- Darkover Landfall
Darkover Landfall is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in the Darkover book series. It was originally published in 1972 by DAW Books...
(1972)
- The Spell Sword
The Spell Sword is a fantasy - science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in the Darkover series. It concerns the earthman Andrew Carr and his psychic contact with a beautiful sensitive native of Darkover, Callista, who is being held captive by a non-human race of Darkover, the cat-people.The...
(1974) (with Paul Edwin ZimmerPaul Edwin Zimmer , the brother of science fiction and fantasy author Marion Zimmer Bradley, was a noted poet and an established author in his own right...
(uncredited))
- The Heritage of Hastur
The Heritage of Hastur is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley as part of the Darkover series. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1975.- Setting :Main article: Darkover...
(1975)
- The Shattered Chain
The Shattered Chain is a novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover series. The Shattered Chain is the first Darkovan novel to explore the world of the Renunciates - the Free Amazons or comhii letzi...
(1976)
- The Forbidden Tower
The Forbidden Tower is a fantasy novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was originally published by DAW Books in 1977.-Plot introduction:...
(1977)
- Stormqueen!
Stormqueen! is a fantasy novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in the Darkover book series. Originally published in 1978. It was republished in 2002 as part of the Ages of Chaos omnibus.-Plot summary:...
(1978)
- The Bloody Sun
The Bloody Sun is a science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1964...
(1979) rewritten and expanded edition
- Two To Conquer
Two To Conquer is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley as part of the Darkover series and is set in the Hundred Kingdoms time period.- Setting of Two To Conquer :...
(1980)
- Sharra's Exile
Sharra's Exile is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley as part of the Darkover series and is a sequel to The Heritage of Hastur. This novel is a complete rewrite of The Sword of Aldones published by Ace in 1962...
(1981)
- Hawkmistress!
Hawkmistress! is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley as part of the Darkover series and is set in the "Hundred Kingdoms" time period.- Setting of Hawkmistress! :Main article: Darkover...
(1982)
- Thendara House
Thendara House is a fantasy science fiction novel novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series and is a sequel to The Shattered Chain. It was originally published by DAW Books in 1983.-Plot introduction:...
(1983)
- City of Sorcery
City of Sorcery is a fantasy science fiction novel novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Darkover book series and is a sequel to Thendara House. It was originally published by DAW Books in October 1984.-Plot introduction:...
(1984)
- The Heirs of Hammerfell (1989)
- Rediscovery (1993) (with Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes "Misty" Lackey is an American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
)
- Exile's Song (1996) (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes)
- The Shadow Matrix (1997) (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes)
- Traitor's Sun (1999) (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes)
- The Clingfire trilogy
- The Fall of Neskaya
The Fall of Neskaya is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross as part of the Darkover series and is set in the "Hundred Kingdoms" time period. This book is also part one of the Clingfire Trilogy.- Setting :...
(2001) (with Deborah J. RossDeborah J. Ross , once Deborah Wheeler, is an American published science fiction and fantasy author.- Biography :Deborah was born in April 1947 and grew up in California. She has always told stories, even as a very young child...
)
- Zandru's Forge
Zandru's Forge is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross as part of the Darkover series and is set in the "Hundred Kingdoms" time period. This book is also part two of the Clingfire Trilogy.- Setting :...
(2003) (with Deborah J. Ross)
- A Flame in Hali
A Flame in Hali is a fantasy novel written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross as part of the Darkover series and is set in the "Hundred Kingdoms" time period. This book is also part three of the Clingfire Trilogy.-Plot summary:...
(2004) (with Deborah J. Ross)
- Modern Darkover (also known as The Children of Kings trilogy) (written principally by Deborah J. Ross
Deborah J. Ross , once Deborah Wheeler, is an American published science fiction and fantasy author.- Biography :Deborah was born in April 1947 and grew up in California. She has always told stories, even as a very young child...
)
-
- Omnibus editions
- The Children of Hastur (omnibus edition of The Heritage of Hastur and Sharra's Exile) (1982)
- The Oath of Renuciates (omnibus edition of The Shattered Chain and Thendara House) (1984)
- The Darkover Saga (a slipcase set containing Hawkmistress, Sharra's Exile; The Shattered Chain; Stormqueen!; Sword of Chaos) (1984)
- The Ages of Chaos (omnibus edition of Stormqueen! and Hawkmistress!) (2002)
- The Forbidden Circle (omnibus edition of the Spell Sword and The Forbidden Tower ) (2002)
- Heritage And Exile (omnibus edition of The Heritage of Hastur and Sharra's Exile) (2002)
- The Saga of the Renunciates (omnibus edition of The Shattered Chain, Thendara House and City of Sorcery) (2002)
- A World Divided (omnibus edition of Star of Danger, Winds of Darkover and The Bloody Sun) (2003)
- First Contact (omnibus edition of Darkover Landfall and Two to Conquer) (2004)
- To Save a World (omnibus edition of The Planet Savers and World Wreckers) (2004)
- Glenraven series (with Holly Lisle
Holly Lisle is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance and romantic suspense novels. She is also known for her work in educating writers, including her e-book Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love And Money and the Forward Motion Writers' Community web...
)
- Glenraven (1996)
- In the Rift (1998)
- Survivors series(with Paul Edwin Zimmer)
- Hunters of the Red Moon (1973)
- The Survivors (1979)
Anthologies
- The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine (1994)
- The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine — Vol. II (1995) (with Elisabeth Waters
Elisabeth Waters is an American fantasy author, best known for her association with Marion Zimmer Bradley.She won the Gryphon award in 1989 for her first novel Changing Fate. Since then, she has published a large number of short stories, mostly in the anthology series Sword and Sorceress.- Novels...
)
- Darkover
Darkover is the focus of the Darkover series of science fiction novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1958...
anthologies (edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with some short stories by her, but mostly by other writers)
- The Keeper's Price
The Keeper's Price and Other Stories is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books in February, 1980...
(1980)
- Sword of Chaos
Sword of Chaos and Other Stories is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books in April, 1982.-Contents:...
(1982)
- Free Amazons of Darkover
Free Amazons of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books Free Amazons of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short...
(1985)
- The Other Side of the Mirror
The Other Side of the Mirror and Other Darkover Stories is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books The Other Side of the Mirror and Other Darkover...
(1987)
- Red Sun of Darkover
Red Sun of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books in November, 1987.-Contents:...
(1987)
- Four Moons of Darkover
Four Moons of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books Four Moons of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories...
(1988)
- Domains of Darkover
Domains of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books Domains of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited...
(1990)
- Renunciates of Darkover
Renunciates of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books Renunciates of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories...
(1991)
- Leroni of Darkover
Leroni of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books in November, 1991.-Contents:...
(1991)
- Towers of Darkover
Towers of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books in July, 1993.-Contents:...
(1993)
- Snows of Darkover
Snows of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories are set in Bradley's world of Darkover. The book was first published by DAW Books Snows of Darkover is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories edited by...
(1994)
- Greyhaven (1983) (with Paul Edwin Zimmer
Paul Edwin Zimmer , the brother of science fiction and fantasy author Marion Zimmer Bradley, was a noted poet and an established author in his own right...
)
- Lythande (1986) (with Vonda N. McIntyre)
- Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine (1988-2000)
- See Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine was a quarterly fantasy magazine founded and initially edited by fantasy and science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley. Fifty issues appeared from summer 1988 through December 2000. It was published by MZB Enterprises from 1988-1989, Marion Zimmer Bradley...
for details.
- Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Worlds (1998)
- Sword and Sorceress series (1984-2008) (edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, after her death by Elisabeth Waters
Elisabeth Waters is an American fantasy author, best known for her association with Marion Zimmer Bradley.She won the Gryphon award in 1989 for her first novel Changing Fate. Since then, she has published a large number of short stories, mostly in the anthology series Sword and Sorceress.- Novels...
and Diana L. PaxsonDiana L. Paxson is a novelist and author of nonfiction, primarily in the fields of Paganism and Heathenism. Her published works include fantasy and historical fiction novels, as well as numerous short stories...
)
- See Sword and Sorceress series
The Sword and Sorceress series is a series of fantasy anthologies edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. As she explained in the foreword to the first volume, she created the anthology to redress the lack of strong female protagonists in the sub-genre of sword and sorcery...
for details.
Novels under pen names
- Writing under the pseudonym
A pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
Lee Chapman
- Writing under the pseudonym John Dexter
- Writing under the pseudonym Miriam Gardner
- My Sister, My Love (1963)
- Twilight Lovers (1964)
- The Strange Women (1967)
- Writing under the pseudonym Morgan Ives
- Spare Her Heaven (1963)
- Anything Goes (1964)
- Knives of Desire (1966)
Music
- Songs from Rivendell (a.k.a. The Rivendell Suite) music and arrangements for several poems from the novel The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by philologist and Oxford University professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
by J.R.R. Tolkien (1960)
Editorial positions
- The Darkover Newsletter (1975 to early 1990s)
- Starstone a Darkover
Darkover is the focus of the Darkover series of science fiction novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1958...
fanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
(5 issues 1978-1982)
- Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine was a quarterly fantasy magazine founded and initially edited by fantasy and science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley. Fifty issues appeared from summer 1988 through December 2000. It was published by MZB Enterprises from 1988-1989, Marion Zimmer Bradley...
(50 issues 1988 - 2000)
Scholarly work
- Bradley, M.Z. "Feminine equivalents of Greek Love in modern fiction". International Journal of Greek Love, Vol.1, No.1. (1965). Pages 48-58.
- Checklist: A complete, cumulative checklist of lesbian, variant, and homosexual fiction in English (1960).
- A Gay Bibliography (1975).
- The Necessity for Beauty: Robert W. Chambers & the Romantic Tradition (1974)
She also contributed to
The LadderThe Daughters of Bilitis /bɪ’li:tis/ , is the first lesbian rights organization in the United States. It was formed in San Francisco, California in 1955. The group was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were considered illegal and thus subject to raids and police harassment...
and
The Mattachine ReviewThe Mattachine Society was one of the earliest lasting homophile organizations in the United States, founded in 1950. The Society for Human Rights in Chicago predated the Mattachine Society, but was shut down by the police after only a few months....
.
See also
- Darkover
Darkover is the focus of the Darkover series of science fiction novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1958...
- Darkover series
The Darkover series consists of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley.-Darkover chronology:...
- Darkover Map: a large detail map of Darkover
- List of Darkover books
External links