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Loading... Hawkmistress! (Darkover) (original 1982; edition 1982)by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Work InformationHawkmistress! by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1982)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 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. ( ) 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 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.
C'est dans ce troisième volume du cycle qu'apparaissent les thématiques féministes de Marion Zimmer Bradley. Les femmes ténébranes n'ont qu'une place minime et secondaire : elles sont tout juste bonnes à faire des femmes au foyer. Il est hors de question qu'elles puissent occuper d'autres places et développer leurs talents. En révolte contre cette société misogyne, Romilly MacAran rejoint la Sororité de l'épée, une association de guerrières qui regroupe des femmes en rupture de tradition, bien décidées à vivre pleinement leur vie et à s'épanouir à l'abri des hommes. Ce féminisme militant ne tombe cependant ni dans l'excès ni dans le manichéisme. Les personnages sont particulièrement nuancés et complexes, faisant bien ressortir toutes les ambiguïtés et parfois les impasses d'un féminisme trop militant. L'homosexualité, qu'elle soit féminine ou masculine, est présente en toile de fond. Plusieurs personnages affichent plus ou moins leurs préférences, là encore sans tomber dans la caricature. Cette thématique se retrouve dans plusieurs autres volumes du cycle, de manière naturelle et plus ou moins diffuse. Ainsi la coutume des « bredins », les frères jurés, recèle beaucoup d'ambiguïtés qui ne sont pas toujours levées. La Belle Fauconnière est un roman équilibré qui se lit avec beaucoup de plaisir. L'intrigue se déroule sans incohérences et les personnages sont riches et nuancés. La place et l'ampleur des pouvoirs psi sont beaucoup mieux définis que dans le volume précédent : nous ne sommes déjà plus dans l'ambiance « fantasy » de Reine des orages. Belongs to SeriesDarkover (03) Belongs to Publisher SeriesDAW Book Collectors (496) Moewig bei Ullstein (63886) AwardsNotable Lists
Romilly uses her power to communicate with and control animals to aid the battle to depose the usurper of the throne of Darkover. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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