Hawkmistress!

Romilly MacAran, a noble girl with telepathic laran gifts for handling animals, flees strict gender roles. She disguises herself as a boy to work with hawks and horses, eventually becoming involved in a rebellion during the Age of Chaos.

I'm a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley, but my affection for her rests not on the Avalon books, which I didn't care for, but her Darkover series. Darkover is a "lost colony" of Earth that falls back into a medieval society. Ruled by a psychically gifted aristocracy, after centuries it's rediscovered by a star-spanning high-tech human federation, giving the series a feel of both science fiction and fantasy. Most books focus on the clash between the two cultures. This is one of the exceptions, set before the time of rediscovery during the era of the "Hundred Kingdoms." Romilly, a member of a minor branch of the Comyn aristocracy, is gifted with the ability to communicate with animals. (Thus the title, "Hawkmistress.")

Although some of the show more Darkover books are loosely connected, having characters in common, this one can be read completely independently. The series was written out of sequence, and that can make it hard to know where to start. That's particularly so given MZB didn't come into her own as a writer until the mid-seventies, and books published earlier, even though they may fall later chronologically, are much weaker books. Hawkmistress!, however, was published in 1982, when MZB's powers were at their height. However, even though Hawkmistress! is a very entertaining book, with a winning heroine, I wouldn't count it among the best of the Darkover books. (Although it's very, very far from one of the weakest--it's one of the better ones.) However, I'd suggest the (1979 version) of The Bloody Sun or The Spell Sword and its sequel The Forbidden Tower or The Shattered Chain (my own introduction) or Heritage of Hastur as better starting places. show less

It's been a good 15 years or more since I last read this. The first two thirds are great, but that last third drags on, perhaps because the main character suddenly turns into a teenage brat after being perfectly sensible for 200 pages.

Bechdel: pass.

This is one of my favorite fantasies from the mistress of fantasy. Gender equality comes close to rule. This is one of the books that I reread frequently, not only because it is good fantasy, but also because it is good social commentary. We have come so far in the real world today, or have we?

This is a stand-alone book in MZB's Darkover universe. You don't need to have read the rest of the books to read this one (I still haven't read most of the Darkover books).

The universe "Hawkmistress" is set in is rich and detailed, without being overwhelming. The book focuses on Romilly, the daughter of a local lord, who has laran (a telepathic gift that allows her to communicate primitively with animals). The book deals with Romilly's struggles to be considered a person, rather than as a piece of chattle, a useful tool, a freak, etc. MZB has her characters react realistically, which is to say some people disappoint you, and others surprise you.

This is the back story of Romilly MacAran who made a substantial appearance in Zandru's Forge. She is a remarkable character and the first close up of a girl (she is 15 when she arrives at the Sister House) woman who goes on to become a Sister of the Sword/Renunciate. I enjoyed this book a lot.

A young girl leaves her home because her father wants to marry her off. These books always start off slow and then pick up at the end. Better that way than the other.