Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover remains one of the longest-running and best-loved series of all time, one that has touched the hearts and fired the imaginations of generations of readers. Now Darkover comes alive as never before in the hands of talented authors, many of whom found inspiration for their own careers in the world of the Bloody Sun. On a wondrous planet of telepaths and swordsmen, non-humans and ancient mysteries, a technologically advanced, star-faring civilization comes into inevitable conflict with one that has pursued psychic gifts and turned away from weapons of mass destruction.Darkover offers many gifts, asked for and unexpected. Those who come here, ignorant of what they will find, discover gifts outside themselves and within themselves. The door to Darkover's magic swings both ways, however, and many a visitor leaves the people he encounters equally transformed.This anthology includes stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Jane M. H. Bigelow, Barb...

“The combination of love and blades is a match to be enjoyed in many highly diverse ways.” – SF Revue A decade ago, readers thrilled to the debut of a new series of elegant, romantic fantasy stories. Best-selling author Jacqueline Carey hailed the first Lace and Blade as “a banquet of adventure, intrigue, and romance.” Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Readers will be left starry-eyed and hoping for the series to continue.” Now those hopes are fulfilled in this new volume, brimming with tales that enchant and delight. Here are stories of love and betrayal, of alchemy and swordplay, of lovers lost and found, of dreams denied and fulfilled — from the secret heirs of Alexander the Great to a bard who sings traumatized dragons back to sanity to  an African girls’ cricket team to an American patriot on the eve of the Revolutionary War, from the rooftops of Victorian Paris to 17th Century India to imaginary but no less...

Fantasy short story. Against all custom, Rayzel is chosen to carry the warrior pearl into battle. Day by day, it sets her apart, transforming her into a soulless killer, until the son of her enemy steps into a sunlit glade, sees her dancing, and changes her world forever.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's beloved world of Darkover encompasses many realms, from glacier-shrouded mountains to arid wastelands, from ancient kingdoms to space-faring empires. Now this all-new anthology welcomes old friends and new fans to explore these landscapes of time and place, history and imagination. Darkover's psychic gifts known as laran bestow the ability to reach across the stars, meld with another's mind, and experience past and possible futures. These talents are not limited to Darkover's human inhabitants, for the planet is also home to nonhuman races, many with powerful mental abilities of their own. In these stories, a swordsman on the track of an assassin forges a telepathic bond with a great owl...a shapeshifter from Earth discovers kinship with a Darkovan catman...a boy from the desert Dry Towns displays a deadly form of weather-control...rescuers make their way across blizzard-cloaked mountains, afoot or on skis...and an intrepid young woman challenges the...

Darkover’s position on the galactic arm renders it strategically important, a crossroads in space.  It’s also a place where cultures meet and clash, where strangers encounter one another, and where lives are forever transformed. Whether the tale features a literal branching of the road, a fateful decision, a twist of fate, or a life-changing realization, the theme of “crossroads” echoes through these pages. Here assumptions are challenged, dangers braved, and hidden truths revealed. Add a touch of Darkover’s special romance, a bit of humor here and there, and the result is a thrilling journey, no matter which road you follow.This volume includes stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Jane M. H. Bigelow, Evey Brett, Rosemary & India Edghill, Leslie Fish, Rebecca Fox, Gabrielle Harbowy, Shariann Lewitt, Pat MacEwen, Deborah Millitello, Diana L. Paxson, Jenna Rhodes, Robin Rowland & Deborah J. Ross, and Marella Sands.

The third and final volume of The Seven-Petaled Shield series! For Shannivar, warrior of the Azkhantia Steppe, the future is grim. She faces twin threats: the mighty Gelon empire, ruthessly conquering independent nations like her own, and the malevolent entity of Fire and Ice, unleashed from its prison in the Far North. And she must face them alone. After meeting Zevaron, an exiled prince in search of aid from Azkhantia, Shannivar and Zevaron had traveled together and fallen in love. But their journey to the north to investigate dangerous omens failed when Zevaron was enthralled by the monstrous Fire and Ice. Now Zevaron's hatred for Gelon, the empire that destroyed his kingdom and killed his mother, threatens to consume not only him, but all the living world.

Strongholds of rock . . . fortresses of the spirit . . . a planet set apart . . . A castle high in snow-covered mountains beneath a ruddy sun, a place at once romantic and bleak, alien and richly nostalgic . . . a heart besieged and then re-awakened . . . secrets locked away by stone and spell . . . the last refuge of desperate folk . . . Towers where laran-Gifted circles work their magic . . . and Darkover itself, a world apart, yet under repeated assault by those who would exploit its natural resources, including its unique telepathic Gifts . . . Citadels can be psychic, emotional, and cultural as well as military, and the wonderfully imaginative contributors to this volume have taken the basic idea and spun out stories in different and often unexpected directions. This volume contains stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Jane M. H. Bigelow, Barb Caffrey, Evey Brett, Lillian Csernica, Leslie Fish, Rebecca Fox, Steven Harper, Shariann Lewitt, Diana L. Paxson,...

Orbiting a distant red sun, the planet Darkover was settled long ago by human colonists and then cut off from the rest of civilization. Over millennia of isolation, it gave rise to a rich culture ruled by a telepathic aristocracy, but was also home to nonhuman races, both hostile and friendly. As kingdoms rose and fell, the enhanced psychic gifts called laran, channeled through starstone gems, transformed not only individual lives, but the entire world.In the spirit of a masqued revel, here is a gala presentation of tales set in Marion Zimmer Bradley's beloved world of the Bloody Sun. Some of these stories are humorous, others dark, some gritty, and others whimsical or romantic, but all reflect the richness and breadth of adventures to be found on Darkover.This volume includes stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Jane M. H. Bigelow, Evey Brett, Leslie Roy Carter and Margaret L. Carter, India Edghill, Rosemary Edghill, Rebecca Fox, Steven Harper, Shariann Lewitt, Meg...

From lands distant or nearby, familiar or utterly strange, historical or imaginary, from ancient times to the Belle Époque comes a treasury of luscious, elegant, romantic fantasy. Come with us on a journey through time and across boundaries, inspired by the longings of the heart and the courage residing in even the meekest person. Your guides will be stellar authors such as Harry Turtledove, Doranna Durgin, Lawrence Watt-Evans, India Edghill, and Dave Smeds.This volume contains stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Doranna Durgin, India Edghill, Steven Harper, Anne Leonard, Shariann Lewitt, Pat MacEwen, Gillian Polack, Marella Sands, Dave Smeds, Adam Stemple, Harry Turtledove, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Julia H. West.

In the spirit of classic period swashbucklers, Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and D'Artagnan, brimming with romantic courtly intrigue and dangerous liaisons, with cloak and dagger and perfumed handkerchiefs, the language of the fan and stolen glances, with the manners of Jane Austen and the sparkling rapier wit of Oscar Wilde, here are fantastic stories of adventure, derring-do, love, and glamorous yet subtle magic.Don't hesitate another moment... step into a sophisticated other world where passion is a courtly mistress, mystery is moonlight on steel, and magic is the god of love.En garde, mon amour!This volume includes stories by Rosemary Hawley Jarman, Mary Rosenblum, Diana L. Paxson, Francesca Forrest, Robin Wayne Bailey, Daniel Fox, Sherwood Smith, Traci N. Castleberry, Pauline Zed, Elisabeth Waters, Tanith Lee, and Madeleine E. Robins.

In the spirit of classic period swashbucklers, Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and D'Artagnan, brimming with romantic courtly intrigue and dangerous liaisons, with cloak and dagger and perfumed handkerchiefs, the language of the fan and stolen glances, with the manners of Jane Austen and the sparkling rapier wit of Oscar Wilde, here are nine fantastic stories of adventure, derring-do, love, and glamorous yet subtle magic, by such stellar authors as Tanith Lee, Catherine Asaro, Diana L. Paxson, Madeleine E. Robins, Robin Wayne Bailey, Dave Smeds, Mary Rosenblum, Chaz Brenchley, and Sherwood Smith.

Shannivar is a young warrior, skilled in horsemanship and archery and raised by her uncle, the clan chieftain. When all the other young warrior-women have set aside their bows and arrows for husbands, she still dreams of glory. Desperate to resist the imperialistic arm of the nearby growing empire, all of the clans of her nation are gathering to propose an alliance with each other and nearby, still-independent countries. As Shannivar and her fellow delegates travel to the meeting, they encounter a stranger, Zevaron, heir to the magical Seven-Petaled Shield. Zevaron also seeks to halt the empire’s expansion on behalf of his own fallen lost nation and joins forces with Shannivar. Shannivar has never met anyone like Zevaron, with his aura of power and quiet assurance. Soon the clan gathering is ready, except for the mysterious absence of the clan from the far north. When the ragged band of the missing delegates finally arrive, they tell strange and ominous stories of wolves running mad, reindeer turning cannibal, and man-sized, upright lizards, called stone-drakes. Zevaron, bestowed with the ancient central petal of the mystical Seven-Petaled Shield, feels a great emanation of danger from the north upon learning this news. Together, he and Shannivar set out on a journey to discover the source of these dangers—a quest even the prophets believe will fail.**

For more than six decades, readers have fallen in love with Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover, a "Lost Colony" world of telepaths, swordsmen, intelligent alien races, and long-buried mysteries. From the glacier-shrouded Hellers Mountains to the arid Dry Towns, the ancient realms of the Ages of Chaos, and the star-faring Terran Federation, Darkover is brimming with adventure, intrigue, and romance. Editor Deborah J. Ross proudly presents this all-original collection in the finest spirit of Darkovan tales for your reading delight. Evey Brett + Barb Caffrey + Margaret L. Carter and Leslie Roy Carter + Lillian Csernica + India and Rosemary Edghill + Leslie Fish + Shariann Lewitt + Marella Sands + Deborah Millitello + Diana L. Paxson + Rhondi Salsitz

Eons ago, a great king used a magical device—the Seven-Petaled Shield—to defeat the forces of primal chaos, but now few remember that secret knowledge. When an ambitious emperor conquers the city that safeguards the Shield, the newly-widowed young Queen, guardian of the heart-stone of the Shield, flees for her life, along with her adolescent son. As one land after another falls to the empire, they become separated and her son fears the emperor has executed his mother. Consumed with grief and vengeance, he transforms himself into the agent of chaos, a ravening destroyer who threatens all the living world. The only ones standing in the way of annihilation are the mother he thinks is dead, a dispossessed enemy prince, a demented prophet, and the nomadic horsewoman whose love alone can heal the heart of the heir to the magical Shield. Review“Rejoice… Ross's literary strength [is] her sensitivity to human needs and talents.”(Publishers Weekly (for Darkover series)) “Deborah has contrived to express the rich tapestry of the characters and backdrop of Darkover in a way that would make Marion proud.”(ConNotations (for Darkover series)) “Ross succeeds in keeping [Darkover] true to Bradley’s style.”(Booklist (for Darkover series)) “Fans will be pleased, and those new to the world of Darkover have a treat in store.”(VOYA (for Darkover series)) About the AuthorDeborah J. Ross is the author of the acclaimed Darkover novels collaborating and following in the footsteps of bestselling writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. Ross became friends with Bradley when she sold a short story for the first Sword and Sorceress anthology. Bradley continued to encourage her over the next two decades, through births, deaths, divorces, a sojourn in France, her literary apprenticeship, four dozen more short stories, two novels, and finally her work with Darkover. Ross is also the author of The Seven-Petaled Shield series. Ross now lives in California with her husband, writer Dave Trowbridge. She can be found online at deborahjross.blogspot.com.

Far in the future, an interplanetary civil conflict has ground to an uneasy halt, leaving its human victims bitter and desperate: Kithri, the daughter of a scientist, abandoned on a desolate mining planet with no hope to use her talents, and Eril, shell-shocked pilot, finding adapting to peace more difficult than he dreamed. A freak accident sends them back to a time when their desert world was lush and green, when an alien civilization stands on the brink of a war of total destruction. And they must choose - to remain outside the conflict or to stand up for what they believe, even at the cost of never getting home again.