Publication
c1972. In http://www.librarything.com/work/150134/summary/27128695
Series
Status
Available
Description
Darkover, planet of wonder, world of mystery, has been a favorite of science fiction readers for many years. For it is a truly alien sphere--a world of strange intelligences, of brooding skies beneath a ruddy sun, and of powers unknown to Earth. In this novel, Marion Zimmer Bradley tells of the original coming of the Earthmen, of the days when Darkover knew not humanity. This is the full-bodied novel of what happened when a colonial starship crashlanded on that uncharted planet to encounter for the first time in human existence the impact of the Ghost Wind, the psychic currents that were native only to that world, and the price that every Earthling must pay before Darkover could claim him for itself
Media reviews
Bien que conventionnel et sans grandes surprises dans l'intrigue, La Planète aux vents de folie est un ouvrage plaisant, qui donne envie de se plonger dans ce cycle de Ténébreuse, ici à peine esquissé, mais déjà très appétissant. On n'en demande pas plus.
Les prémices d'une saga... mais écrits bien après. Intéressant, car on voit plein d'élèments connus se mettrent en place... Cependant ce n'est pas le plus réussi des romans de Ténébreuse...
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
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
Although some books are loosely connected, having characters in common, they were written to be read independently and were written out of sequence. This makes it difficult without a guide to know what story to start with. Darkover Landfall comes first chronologically in terms of the timeline of the events of the series, but it isn't where I'd recommend you start. First, it comes relatively early in MZB's career, when she was just coming into her own as a writer, and there are much stronger books in the series. Second, I think you get more pleasure out of this origins book if you first enjoy other books in the series, so as to get the most enjoyment out of seeing how it all started. 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 and books that should be read first before tackling this one.
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a star-spanning high-tech human federation, giving the series a feel of both science fiction and fantasy. The Darkover series as a whole features strong female characters, but it has enough swashbuckling adventure to draw the male of the species, and indeed this series was recommended to me by a guy (when we were in high school!)Although some books are loosely connected, having characters in common, they were written to be read independently and were written out of sequence. This makes it difficult without a guide to know what story to start with. Darkover Landfall comes first chronologically in terms of the timeline of the events of the series, but it isn't where I'd recommend you start. First, it comes relatively early in MZB's career, when she was just coming into her own as a writer, and there are much stronger books in the series. Second, I think you get more pleasure out of this origins book if you first enjoy other books in the series, so as to get the most enjoyment out of seeing how it all started. 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 and books that should be read first before tackling this one.
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LibraryThing member bookcrazed
MZB is one of my favorite story tellers. This prequel that chronologically becomes "the beginning" of her Darkover series is imaginative, entertaining, and even believable. Another one Hollywood shouldn't have missed.
LibraryThing member uvula_fr_b4
This was actually the first Darkover book that I read -- yes, I'm geeky enough so that I try to read series in order -- and only the fact that the series is over 20 books long convinced me to not let it be the last that I read. Darkover Landfall is the brief story of how Earthmen first crash-landed
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on Cottman IV, the world that they would eventually name Darkover; since the series proper doesn't start until at least a couple thousand years after the events in Darkover Landfall, and since the premise of said series largely revolves around the idea of a super-advanced, space-faring society encountering offshoots marooned in the Middle Ages (albeit with psi powers pinch-hitting for magic), Ms. Bradley can't quite escape from the aura of time-killing here. Basically Darkover Landfall struck me as a warmed-over and (necessarily) open-ended sci-fi/fantasy-dress version of Lord of the Flies; I might re-read it once I've read as many of the Darkover books as I intend to, but since I'm only on the 11th book (The Forbidden Tower), that will probably be at some indeterminate point in the far, far future. Show Less
LibraryThing member heinous-eli
I read this book first since it came first in terms of Darkover time, and it was enough that I didn't read another book of the series.
LibraryThing member willowcove
A very short book about how Darkover was populated. A decent read but probably not too interesting unless you've read some of the series beforehand.
LibraryThing member LJT
I loved the Darkovan series, and enjoyed this one only because I read it well after being hooked by those published earlier. It answers some questions on how humans got to the planet way back when, but is almost like an 160-page outline-draft rather than a fully realised novel. I believe it the
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worst in the series. And yet, I still held on to my 1972 copy.... Show Less
LibraryThing member Nanakitteh
This is the book that tells the story of how the Terrans first came to Darkover and started some of the legends. It's okay but a bit too explanatory to be a really good story.
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
The story of the crash landing, of the Skye colony declaring that one planet is as good as another for them - and of their help in saving the non-colonizing members of the ship.
The first experience of a Ghost Wind, of the meeting of the Cherie - and of how the Darkover we know today began to be
It also tells us WHY there are SO MANY red-headed Darkovans.
The first experience of a Ghost Wind, of the meeting of the Cherie - and of how the Darkover we know today began to be
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born.It also tells us WHY there are SO MANY red-headed Darkovans.
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LibraryThing member ragwaine
So this was interesting. It was really more about the characters than an amazing new world or it's inhabitants. For it's age it held up well minus some gender issues with the male characters. Not a lot happened so it was a little slow and there definitely didn't seem like there was a conclusion or
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a climax to the story. I'm curious about what happens to this marooned colony of humans but not sure if I'm curious enough to read the next book. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1972-12