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Hastur Lord: A Novel of Darkover by Marion…
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Hastur Lord: A Novel of Darkover (edition 2011)

by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Author), Deborah J. Ross (Author)

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2415110,480 (3.71)2
A gripping fantasy novel set in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover universe. Regis Hastur was the heir to the most powerful domain on Darkover. When his grandfather died, he would inherit the title Hastur of Hastur, Regent of Darkover--king in everything but name. But ironically, this mantle was the last thing Regis had ever wanted. For he dreamed of a different kind of life--a life with the freedom to live and love like an ordinary man, without the expectations and responsibilities of his position. Yet even Regis recognized Darkover's desperate need for strong, rational leadership--leadership only he had been trained to provide. But now that his time was at hand, was Regis willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to lead his world? Or would he turn away from his destiny and finally make his real dreams come true? For on his grandfather's deathbed Regis learns that he has a brother--an older half-brother who could finally relieve Regis of the burden of title he had never wanted.... Would Regis finally let himself be free to be the man he had always dreamed of being?… (more)
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Title:Hastur Lord: A Novel of Darkover
Authors:Marion Zimmer Bradley (Author)
Other authors:Deborah J. Ross (Author)
Info:NY: DAW Books Inc. (distributed by Penguin Group (USA)), 2011; ed.: reprint (1st ed.), mass market paperback; aperback, 486 pps.
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:fiction, science fantasy, darkover series, psi-fi, daw books, paperback original

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Hastur Lord by Marion Zimmer Bradley

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Showing 5 of 5
It was nice to visit Darkover again after many years away but I picked a very turbulent time to drop in. The Terran Empire is on the verge of becoming the Terran Federation and dispensing with the designation of Protected World. Darkover finds itself in danger of being taken over as a military base or being otherwise exploited by the Expansionist Party.

Regis Hastur is facing lots of pressure from his grandfather too who is determined to see him married with heirs. Since Regis is in a long-time committed relationship with his Paxman Danilo this seems like a vain hope. His grandfather suffers a stroke and dies but not before telling Regis that he has a nedesto older brother. Regis clings to this idea of an older brother both to let him gain some family and to have someone to take over the responsibilities of the Domain of Hastur - responsibilities that he never wanted.

Regis learns that his brother has been raised as a monk in Neversin Monastery. He is a devout christoforos. Regis takes him from the monastery and brings him to Thendara. He wants to honor his brother by having him recognized by the Comyn. But it doesn't take long for his brother Rinaldo to fall under the influence of Valdir Ridenow who is in favor of Darkover joining the Federation and Tiphani Lawson, Terran Council Dan Lawson's wife, who is also very religious.

Things get chaotic when Rinaldo usurps Regis's place and becomes a religious fanatic who is determined to convert all of Darkover to the cristoforos faith. One of the major tenets of which is the banning of any homosexuality. He causes Regis and Danilo to separate and forces Regis to marry. Fortunately, Regis chooses Linnea to be his wife. She is a former keeper who has already had his daughter and who is pregnant with his son. They have a close relationship but it took some time and heartache before Linnea could accept that Danilo would always be part of Regis's life.

Rinaldo's fanaticism leads him to kidnap the children of the Comyn, including his niece Ariel, and send them to a "school" to educate them in the cristoforo religion. Fearing that his daughter will be kidnapped next, Regis brings her to the chieri in the Yellow Forest to hide her from Rinaldo. While he is gone, Rinaldo has himself declared King.

This is the final straw for Regis. He can no longer make excuses for his brother and his brother's actions. He has to act or Darkover will be put under martial law by the Terrans.

This story was exciting and emotionally wrenching. Both Regis's relationship with Danilo and his relationship with Linnea were filled with emotional agony. The political maneuvering for the fate of Darkover was twisty and complex. I enjoyed the story very much and am very tempted to add further Darkover books to my TBR mountain. ( )
1 vote kmartin802 | Jan 6, 2014 |
I read the Darkover books before I was old enough to have the slightest bit of literary discernment. They offered me a world very far from the unhappy one I lived in. Some of them I can stand to re-read, but some of them are unrelievedly awful, and for the most part I prefer my memories of them to the actual books. When Bradley died in 1999, her world lived on and various others began publishing "Darkover" books based on alleged conversations with MZB or outlines left behind.

I think one of the more memorable of the original Darkover series is [b:The Heritage of Hastur|472778|The Heritage of Hastur (Darkover)|Marion Zimmer Bradley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175044337s/472778.jpg|461050]. Hastur Lord is a sequel, and one MZB talked about in print before her death. There's no way I could ignore it, once I knew it actually existed.

I must address the egregious mistakes. There's nothing like a glaring error to bring me out of the flow of a story, and there are plenty of them here. "Flout" for "flaunt" was relatively mild compared to this nonsensical combination of words:

"Regis raked his hair back from his face, pulled on the dressing robe that lay across the foot of the bed, and stumbled about in a semblance of his morning ablutions." Say what? Or this about going in to dinner: "Our brother has superceded (sic) you and is anxious for us all to be together..."

That aside, the writing just isn't very good. The plot is clunky, the dialog wooden, and the prose alternately turgid and purple. It's preachy, it's pedantic, and it fits into the canon the way a hand-carved wooden spoon fits into the ancestral silverware.

( )
  satyridae | Apr 5, 2013 |
A wonderful book and now one of my favorites in the series. Marion would be very proud. ( )
  willowcove | Sep 1, 2010 |
Bradley's unfinished manuscript fleshed out by Ross, filling the gap between The World Wreckers and Exile's Song. Only for completists. I did skim all the way to the end, rather than put it down unfinished. ( )
  readinggeek451 | Jan 11, 2010 |
Showing 5 of 5
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Marion Zimmer Bradleyprimary authorall editionscalculated
Ross, Deborah J.main authorall editionsconfirmed
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To Cynthia McQuillin, who allows me to indulge my favorite vice, talking about Darkover.
MZB, July 26, 1998
To Betsy Wollheim who preserved what Marion had written, until it was to time to finish it.
DJR, Dec 19, 2008
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Above the ancient city of Thendara, the great crimson sun of Darkover crept toward midday.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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A gripping fantasy novel set in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover universe. Regis Hastur was the heir to the most powerful domain on Darkover. When his grandfather died, he would inherit the title Hastur of Hastur, Regent of Darkover--king in everything but name. But ironically, this mantle was the last thing Regis had ever wanted. For he dreamed of a different kind of life--a life with the freedom to live and love like an ordinary man, without the expectations and responsibilities of his position. Yet even Regis recognized Darkover's desperate need for strong, rational leadership--leadership only he had been trained to provide. But now that his time was at hand, was Regis willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to lead his world? Or would he turn away from his destiny and finally make his real dreams come true? For on his grandfather's deathbed Regis learns that he has a brother--an older half-brother who could finally relieve Regis of the burden of title he had never wanted.... Would Regis finally let himself be free to be the man he had always dreamed of being?

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Regis Hastur
was the heir to the most powerful domain on Darkover. When his grandfather died he would inherit the title of Hastur of Hastur, Regent of Darkover- king in everything but name. But ironically, this mantle was the last thing Regis had ever wanted. For he dreamed of a different kind of life - a life with the freedom to live and love like an ordinary man, without the expectations and responsibilities of his position.

Yet even Regis recognized Darkover's desperate need for strong, rational leadership - leadership only he had been trained to provide. But tow that his time was at hand, was Regis willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to lead his world? Or would he turn away from his destiny and finally make his real dreams come true? For on his grandfather's deathbed Regis learns that he has a brother - an older half-brother who could finally relieve Regis f he burden of the title he had never wanted...Would Regis finally let himself be free to be the man he had always dreamed of being?
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