Lythande

I liked these stories. However, the Idiot Award goes to author and editor for preceding the first story with an introduction that gives away the central plot twist: and after the author had worked so hard to keep the reader guessing. For that matter, the cover artist blows it even before you open the book. Why is it that SFF editors always seem to assume that short story anthologies are read by people who already know the characters, or even the stories? I've not read much M. Z. Bradley nor, as far as I remember, any Thieves' World fiction. All they needed to do was to put the author's notes about writing the story AFTER the story, not before it! Sheesh! MB 14-xi-2023

Not wonderful. I actually like several of the Lythande stories, individually - but all together like this they get very annoying. Particularly the fact that every story focuses on Lythande regretting her bargain - she must live as a man (or lose her power, and probably die), but wahhhh. First story, The Secret of the Blue Star - the intro to Lythande (and the only time MZB wrote her for Thieves World, which I hadn't realized) - it was better, I think, the first time I read it, before I knew what the twist was. It wasn't until the last couple paragraphs, when the story did The Big Reveal, that I realized that I wasn't supposed to know that Lythande was a woman. But wahhh, the girl can't love her. The Incompetent Magician - less of the show more wahhh but a lot of cogitating on the fact that Rastafyre's wand was related to his prowess - and a killing made necessary by her secret. It doesn't have any of the generally annoying bits, but Rastafyre is so stupid (though I like Ca-ca-Carrier) that I dislike the story. Oh, and the final bit where Lythande struggles to give up the woman she wanted to bind to her...wish she could have saved the lute, though. Somebody Else's Magic - MZB talks a lot about feminism (and the fact that Lythande does _not_ relate to it) in the foreword. But in the story, Lythande is really nasty about "women's magic" and how women react to things - and then finds out it wasn't the sword forcing her to everything, but her own idea, at least a little. Some of her twists and turns trying not to reveal herself while tied to "women's magic" are interesting, and the final scene would be amusing except I'm disgusted with both of them by then. And wahhh, she never had the chance to try women's magic, she had to go for men's - therefore she is stronger/better/whatever than these women. Hmmmph. Sea Wrack - again with the wahhh. Mercenary magician obsessing about whether she should help on this - and again, a strongly sex-based problem (and what's wrong with boys, then? Do boys fall in love before they get their growth, and girls after?). The mermaid starts with sex/love and only reduces to music when Lythande manages to resist, and even then tries to wrap it in love and 'sisterhood'. And Lythande regrets it wasn't real and she did what she came for. Wahhh. The Wandering Lute - this is the first story that continues in The Gratitude of Kings (published separately). And again, sex and gender are the primary focus. I like Alnath and Eirthe (and want to read Cold Fire), but Tashgan's primary characteristic is that he's a horndog and expects every other male to be the same. Lythande takes on his burden and deals with what his various host(esses) expect, until she runs up against Beauty. At least this time, she's not regretting not being herself - she's rather pleased at having escaped. And by the way, her Doom keeps changing - if her sex is proclaimed "by any Pilgrim-Adept" or "before any man" or... that really should have been checked, it does make a major difference! The last story is Looking for Satan by Vonda McIntyre - not sure why it's here, though. Lythande is a major secondary character but not a viewpoint one. I like Wess and the others (though Chan/Chad is conveniently obtuse an awful lot). I think some of them showed up again in other stories, too. But again, the obsession with sex/gender and with love and the confusion between the two. Bah. I think I like Lythande, as a person, but these stories don't show her in the best light. I'll be careful, in future, not to read too many Lythande stories in one go - leave enough time in between that I don't see only the common thread of gender politics, but can enjoy the individual stories. show less

A chance purchase in a second-hand bookshop turns out to be my favourite Marion Zimmer Bradley yet. Lythande is a mercenary magician minstrel, an adept of the Blue Star, using magic for the law in the face of the forces of chaos. So far, so good. But Lythande is also a woman, and if anyone were to find out her power would be diminished and she can be killed. Needless to say, this difficult state of affairs leads her into a fair few problems.
This lovely (and far too short) volume follows Lythande as she copes with the love of a young girl, an incompetent wizard, a magic sword which won't leave her alone (and unfortunately is known to be only able to be handled by women), and a magical lute which forces her to take an unwelcome path. show more Enchanting! show less

I love me a good sword and sorcery story: I remembered Lythande from her first appearance in Thieves World, a shared world anthology that included not just Marion Zimmer Bradley but Poul Anderson, John Brunner, and in other books in that world Philip José Farmer, David Drake, A.E. van Vogt, C.J. Cherryh. I'm also a Marion Zimmer Bradley fan, or at least, a fan of her Darkover books. Looking to winnow my book collection, I couldn't bear to get rid of even the weaker books in that world, but I find it easy to let go of Lythande.

This isn't a novel but six linked short stories about Lythande, an "Adept of the Blue Star" whose powers depend on keeping a secret--that's she's really a woman disguised as a man. In her introduction Marion show more Zimmer Bradley all but says Lythande is a lesbian, yet insists she doesn't want to cater to the "unhealthy curious male" by writing about lesbian women. It seemed an odd statement. Maybe it's just the times this was published in--1986, but I don't get why the question is even raised given it's obvious this is part of Lythande's identity. Actually, given her situation I think it would be more poignant if she were drawn to men--she can reveal her secret to women, but not men. In fact, Lythande doesn't relate to men at all--not as brother, father, mentor, colleague or friend and most of the men in these stories are fools, cads, or rapists. I didn't like how she made fun of the stammerer in "The Incompetent Magician." Sometimes details were inconsistent, and often repetitive as each story gives her background. Most important, I didn't remember any of the stories without rereading--they're just not that memorable. Indeed, my favorite story in the collection was the only one not by MZB but by Vonda McIntyre, "Looking for Satan." I'd recommend other books by MZB over this one, and the anthology Thieves' World over Lythande. show less

My favourite story in the first Thieves' World book was 'The Secret of the Blue Star' by Marion Zimmer Bradley, so when I came across this collection of stories about Lythande, the protaganist of that story, I snapped it up.

Lythande is a mysterious mage, a pilgrim Adept of the Blue Star. The power of every Adept is bound to a Secret and if any man discovers this secret, they would have power over the Adept. Lythande's secret is that he is in fact a woman who disguised herself as man in order to learn the secrets of the order of the Blue Star. Though now gifted with great power, she is also cursed to hide her secret from others, meaning intimacy is denied her.

1) The Secret of the Blue Star: 5/5
Lythande the mage battles a fellow mage of show more the order of the blue star. Introduces the character.

2) The Incompetent Magician: 3/5
Lythande agrees to retrieve another magician’s wand from a thief in return for a harp which holds special meaning for her...

3) Somebody Else’s Magic: 3/5
A dying sword-priestess gives Lythande her magical sword which binds the mage under a geas to return it to the temple of her goddess. The only problem is that only women may carry the sword and enter the temple, and Lythande is being tracked by an old enemy who may discover her secret.

4) Sea Wrack: 3/5
Lythande agrees to rid a fishing village of a sea-siren that draws fishermen (and women) to their doom by showing them their deepest desires.

5) The Wandering Lute: 4/5
Lythande acquires a lute which enchants her to move ever northwards until she comes upon someone powerful enough to break the enchantment.

6) Looking for Satan by Vonda McIntyre: 4/5
Northerners come to Sanctuary seeking a disappeared friend and quickly run afoul of its strange customs, racism and misogyny. Lythande helps out. Rather different in style and tone from the other stories, since its by a different author but pretty good all the same.

All in all, a pretty good collection. show less

This is a collection of short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of the popular Darkover science fantasy series. These stories are more typical fantasy though, many of them written for the Thieves' World shared world fantasy anthologies published during the 1980s- one of them was guest-written by Vonda McIntyre.

The main character is Lythande, a mercenary magician and part of the order of the Blue Star, of which each member's power depends on a specific personal secret being kept. Lythande's secret is that she is a woman- and should any man discover this, she will be rendered helpless and powerless. The stories center around Lythande as she takes on various tasks while traveling, and deal with the details and consequences of her show more keeping this secret. The tones of the stories vary from horrific to humorous, and the view of women other than Lythande is dated and sexist in parts, but despite the flaws I enjoyed reading this.

Two stories about Lythande not included in this volume were published in Spell Singers by Alan Bard Newcomer. show less

It took me a while to get into this- Lythande really isn't my sort of character. I stuck with her, however, and I remained interested enough that I enjoyed the book. MZB is a talented writer, of course, I just wasn't into Lythande's central dilemma.