''Darkover Landfall'' is a
science fiction novel in the ''
Darkover'' series by American writer
Marion Zimmer Bradley. It was originally published in 1972 by
DAW Books. It has since been republished several times and is included as part of the ''Darkover: First Contact'' omnibus. According to Bradley's obituary, the events of this book take place at the end of the 21st century.
Plot summary
''Darkover Landfall'' concerns the crew and colonists of a
spaceship that is forced to crash land on Cottman IV, an inhospitable planet in orbit around a
red giant
A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses ()) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface temperature around or ...
. The crew become accidental colonists when the ship loses contact with Earth and they realize rescue is impossible. The book introduces
surnames
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
,
religious and cultural themes that echo throughout the ''
Darkover'' series of books. This series spans millennia, as the ship's descendants populate the world and develop unique cultures and psi abilities. Though ''Darkover Landfall'' is not the first book written in the series, in the Darkover timeline its events are the beginning for all that follows.
Reception
Of this book, J. John Jones, writing for ''
Amazing Stories'', notes that "''Landfall'' has been a disappointment for some women. I've read reviews by some feminist critics who have vilified the work, expecting something more radical, apparently, from a woman writer. I still find her ideas provocative. No doubt some women are offended by the roles of planned breeding that her women characters portrayed. Still, stimulating rage is one way to effect social change so you might suppose that her works still gave some impetus for social change even with the roles that her women characters portray in this imagined society".
[Jones, J. John, "''No. 14 Marion Zimmer Bradley, Darkover, and the Sexual Identity of Telepaths''", Amazing Stories, 28 Apr 2013]
Major characters
* Captain Harry Leicester
* Rafael MacAran, one of the ship's officers
* Camilla Del Rey, one of the ship's officers
* Ewen Ross, medical officer
* Judith Lovat, biologist
* Father Valentine, order of St. Christopher of Centaurus
References
Sources
*
*
{{Darkover
Darkover books
1972 American novels
Novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley
American science fiction novels
DAW Books books