Stars of Darkover

Return to the world of the Bloody Sun Over fifty years ago, master story-teller Marion Zimmer Bradley introduced readers to a compelling new world. Darkover, a distant planet circling a red sun, was home to telepaths and rebels, lovers and rivals, nonhuman races both friendly and deadly, ancient traditions and even more ancient feuds, and psychic gifts of unimaginable power, channeled through starstone gems and capable of changing not only individual lives, but the entire world. Generations of fans have fallen in love with Darkover, and many of them have gone on to notable literary careers of their own. Now editors Deborah J. Ross and Elisabeth Waters have gathered together luminaries of fantasy in this star-studded anthology of original stories that illuminate Darkover's rich history and culture. From the Ages of Chaos to re-contact with the Terrans, from the Dry Towns to the back streets of Thendara to the horse pastures of Armida, these tales offer action, courage, and humor, set in the wondrous world that is Darkover. This volume contains stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Rachel Manjia Brown, Barb Caffrey, Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald, Rosemary Edghill and Rebecca Fox, Leslie Fish, Gabrielle Harbowy, Steven Harper, Shariann Lewitt, Vera Nazarian, Diana L. Paxson, Janni Lee Simner, Kari Sperring, Judith Tarr, Ann Sharp and Elisabeth Waters.

Deborah J. Ross writes and edits fantasy and science fiction. After her first short story in 1983 in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s first volume of Sword & Sorceress, her short fiction has appeared in F&SF, Asimov’s, Star Wars: Tales From Jabba’s Palace, Realms of Fantasy, MZB’s Fantasy Magazine, and many other anthologies and magazines. Two of her short stories (＂Mother Africa＂ in Asimov’s 1997 and ＂The Price of Silence＂ in F&SF 2009) were awarded Honorable Mention in Year’s Best SF. She made her editorial debut in 2008 with Lace and Blade. Her most recent books include the Darkover novel The Children of Kings (with Marion Zimmer Bradley); Collaborators, an occupation-and-resistance story with a gender-fluid alien race (as Deborah Wheeler); and The Seven-Petaled Shield, an epic fantasy trilogy from DAW. She’s part of the secret cabal of former SFWA Secretaries and a member of the online writer’s cooperative Book View Café. Elisabeth Waters spent two decades working for Marion Zimmer Bradley and still works for the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust. She sold her first short story to Marion in 1980 for The Keeper’s Price, the first Darkover anthology. She then went on to sell short stories to a variety of anthologies. Her first novel, a fantasy called Changing Fate, was awarded the 1989 Gryphon Award. She is now working on a sequel to it, in addition to her short story writing and anthology editing. She also shares Marion’s love of opera and has worked as a supernumerary with the San Francisco Opera, where she appeared in La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Khovanschina, Das Rheingold, Werther, and Idomeneo.