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Heartlightis the story of Bradley's greatest champion of good, Colin MacLaren, as he carries the banner of Light through the second half of the twentieth century. Ghostbuster, exorcist, student and teacher of the mystic arts, Colin meets Claire Moffat, who becomes his dearest friend, when he rescues her from a cult bent on human sacrifice. The leader of that cult, Toller Hasloch, becomes one of Colin's greatest enemies. Working behind the scenes for the next thirty years, Hasloch subtly show more manipulates politics and the economy to turn America away from the Light. Colin, busy saving lives and teaching the next generation of psychic warriors, realizes almost too late how Hasloch has warped America's promise. Now, Colin MacLaren is the only one who can face Hasloch and the hellhounds the younger man has unleashed. He must fight on, while the fate of America, and perhaps all mankind, hangs in the balance. show lessTags
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The last in Bradley's 'Light' series; although it was published the year before Bradley died (1999), I don't think that Bradley wrote this book at all. Rosemary Edghill may have collaborated on some of the other books in this series, but I think that this one is completely her work. The feel of the writing is completely different from the others in the series. This is also a completely unnecessary book. It contributes nearly nothing new to the series; rather, it goes through all of the events already told in the previous books in the series, linking them through the character of Colin MacLaren, White Adept, and also trying to give them a sense of 'history' by going on endlessly and pedantically about historical events that happened in show more each time. It also frames all of these events in the context of Colin's fight against the resurgence of evil Nazi-linked occultism.
While the earlier books in this series had an authentic 'feel' of time & place, (mostly the 70's), this book does not feel authentic. All the historical details contribute to a sense of 'trying too hard'. The Nazi theme is cheesy. It's also a very long, slow-moving book; not a good thing in 'light' fiction such as this. As well, there are continuity problems; things in this book that contradict the 'facts' of earlier books in the series. Overall, I'd recommend the 'Light' series for any fans of occult/paranormal fiction, but give this book a miss. show less
While the earlier books in this series had an authentic 'feel' of time & place, (mostly the 70's), this book does not feel authentic. All the historical details contribute to a sense of 'trying too hard'. The Nazi theme is cheesy. It's also a very long, slow-moving book; not a good thing in 'light' fiction such as this. As well, there are continuity problems; things in this book that contradict the 'facts' of earlier books in the series. Overall, I'd recommend the 'Light' series for any fans of occult/paranormal fiction, but give this book a miss. show less
Heartlight is a peculiar book. It's almost a meta-book - a collection of backstory for the other three *light books. It doesn't really have a plot of its own, and it meanders from decade to decade more like a high-school history paper than a novel. There are some decent sub-plots here and there, but on the whole it's pretty flat and charmless.
(It is worth noting that this book, and the rest of the series, were published years after MZB's death, and are in fact copyrighted to Rosemary Edghill, who is a consistent if second-rate purveyor of what I fondly call "mall-elf fiction." I strongly suspect that Bradley herself had minimal involvement with this series. I'm not entirely thrilled by the deception.)
(It is worth noting that this book, and the rest of the series, were published years after MZB's death, and are in fact copyrighted to Rosemary Edghill, who is a consistent if second-rate purveyor of what I fondly call "mall-elf fiction." I strongly suspect that Bradley herself had minimal involvement with this series. I'm not entirely thrilled by the deception.)
This was a pretty good close to the "Light" books. It covers all of the events from The Inheritor throught Witchlight in self-contained sections which could easily be short stories, then follows with a final section in which the main character, Colin McLaren, confronts an old enemy while looking for his student and heir. It's interesting to read the events of the previous books from a different perspective, and Bradley does a good job with continuity. It would be possible if rather spoiler-rich for a reader to pick this book up first and then decide to read the rest of the books.
A great intellectual thriller, for readers interested in the fight between Good and Evil. Beginning in the aftermath of Hitlers Reich and rumours of the surviving "Armanenschaft", it moves through the Sixties to the Eighties, and moves the heart too!
One of my favorite works of contemporary fiction. Definitely the best of the "Light" series.
'War die Organisation, der Toller Hasloch angehörte, größer, als er vermutet hatte?' Das muss sich Colin MacLaren fragen, als er nach den Schüssen von Dallas 1963 erste Rückschlüsse über die Hintergründe des Mordes an John F. Kennedy zieht.
MacLarens Hoffnung auf eine Zeit der Ruhe jedenfalls hatte Hasloch gründlich zerstört. Auf die hatte der Adept des 'Pfades zur rechten Hand' nach seiner Rückkehr aus Europa gehofft. Doch knapp nach seinem Amtsantritt als Universitätsdozent im Kalifornien des Jahres 1960 muss MacLaren erkennen, dass sich an der Lehranstalt finstere Gestalten herumtreiben. Ihr Anführer Hasloch entpuppt sich bald als spiritueller Gegner im Kampf zwischen Gut und Böse. MacLaren kann zwar eine erste Schlacht show more für sich entscheiden, doch er weiß, dass die Auseinandersetzung noch lange nicht zu Ende ist. Es gilt, Haslochs Pläne für eine Machtübernahme in den USA zu vereiteln. Diesen Kampf trägt MacLaren über eine Spanne von vierzig Jahre hinweg aus und gleichzeitig muss er zudem versuchen, einen Nachfolger heranzuziehen, denn seine magischen Kräfte verleihen ihm keine Unsterblichkeit.
Mit Magier der Nacht hat Zimmer Bradley Colin MacLaren, einem Nebencharakter aus Dämonenlicht, gleich ein ganzes Buch gewidmet. Doch trotz dieses geschickten Kniffes hinterlässt ihr Roman von der klassischen mythischen Auseinandersetzung zwiespältige Gefühle: Einerseits nutzt sie geschickt das Zeitkolorit der Phase zwischen 1960 und dem Jahrhundertausklang als Teil dieses Konfliktes, andererseits wäre hier stellenweise weniger etwas mehr gewesen, aber das wird Fans der 1999 verstorbenen Fantasy-Lady sicherlich nicht davon abhalten, das Buch zu genießen. --Joachim Hohwieler -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels. show less
MacLarens Hoffnung auf eine Zeit der Ruhe jedenfalls hatte Hasloch gründlich zerstört. Auf die hatte der Adept des 'Pfades zur rechten Hand' nach seiner Rückkehr aus Europa gehofft. Doch knapp nach seinem Amtsantritt als Universitätsdozent im Kalifornien des Jahres 1960 muss MacLaren erkennen, dass sich an der Lehranstalt finstere Gestalten herumtreiben. Ihr Anführer Hasloch entpuppt sich bald als spiritueller Gegner im Kampf zwischen Gut und Böse. MacLaren kann zwar eine erste Schlacht show more für sich entscheiden, doch er weiß, dass die Auseinandersetzung noch lange nicht zu Ende ist. Es gilt, Haslochs Pläne für eine Machtübernahme in den USA zu vereiteln. Diesen Kampf trägt MacLaren über eine Spanne von vierzig Jahre hinweg aus und gleichzeitig muss er zudem versuchen, einen Nachfolger heranzuziehen, denn seine magischen Kräfte verleihen ihm keine Unsterblichkeit.
Mit Magier der Nacht hat Zimmer Bradley Colin MacLaren, einem Nebencharakter aus Dämonenlicht, gleich ein ganzes Buch gewidmet. Doch trotz dieses geschickten Kniffes hinterlässt ihr Roman von der klassischen mythischen Auseinandersetzung zwiespältige Gefühle: Einerseits nutzt sie geschickt das Zeitkolorit der Phase zwischen 1960 und dem Jahrhundertausklang als Teil dieses Konfliktes, andererseits wäre hier stellenweise weniger etwas mehr gewesen, aber das wird Fans der 1999 verstorbenen Fantasy-Lady sicherlich nicht davon abhalten, das Buch zu genießen. --Joachim Hohwieler -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels. show less
May 16, 2009German
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408+ Works 98,782 Members
Marion Zimmer Bradley is a science-fiction and fantasy writer, novelist, and editor. She was born in Albany, New York on June 3, 1930. Bradley attended the New York State College for Teachers from 1946 to 1948. She earned a B.A. from Hardin Simmons University in 1964. Bradley did graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley from 1965 show more to 1967. Bradley sold her first story to Fantastic Amazing Stories as part of an amateur fiction contest. She sold her first professional story to Vortex Science Fiction in 1952. Her novels include The Sword of Aldones and The Planet Savers. Both novels were set on Darkover, the setting for more than 20 subsequent Bradley novels. Bradley also wrote The Mists of Avalon, a reworking of the King Arthur legend with more emphasis on the female characters. She used the same approach with The Firebrand, which was based on The Iliad. In addition to writing more than 85 books, Bradley was the editor of an annual anthology for DAW Books, as well as the editor of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine. Bradley died in 1999. (Bowker Author Biography) Marion Zimmer Bradley was the bestselling author of "The Mists of Avalon", "Lady of Avalon", "The Forest House", & "The Firebrand", as well as the popular Darkover series of science fiction novels. She died in 1999. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Heartlight
- Original title
- Heartlight
- Original publication date
- 1998-09
- People/Characters
- Colin MacLaren; Claire Moffatt; Toller Hasloch
- Epigraph
- Thus, this single most inflammatory and crucial document of the Third Reich had its origins in that strange twilight world were occultism and espionage meet, a world we will visit again and again in the course off this study.... (show all)
-- Peter Levenda, Unholy Alliance
Move along these shades
in gentleness of heart;
with gentle hand
Touch -
William Wordsworth
Enough of science and of art;
Close up these barren leaves.
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
Taht watches and receives.
--William Wordsworth - Dedication
- I would like to thank Rosemary Edghill, who has been instrumental in preparing this manuscript (as well as those of the three previous books in this series) for publication.
- First words
- Did I love Colin MacLaren?
- Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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