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For readers and aspiring writers of my generation, as well as the generations that followed, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover represented the best of science fiction/fantasy: the world we wanted to run away to, the place we wanted to write adventures in, and the people we wanted to know and to be. In the early years when copyright infringement was not an issue, Marion was immensely generous with her “sandbox,” welcoming fans to create their own stories in her wonderful world. From the magazines and newsletters put out through the Friends of Darkover to the series of professional-level anthologies edited by Marion and published by DAW Books, Darkover has nourished the imaginations of readers and writers alike.
I cannot claim to have sold my first professional short story to a Darkover anthology. “Midwife” in Free Amazons of Darkover was my second sale (the first being to the first volume of Sword & Sorceress, another of Marion’s anthology series). Even before those sales, I had the honor of receiving Marion’s kind words of encouragement on stories I submitted to Starstone, the Friends of Darkover fiction magazine. Over the decades that followed, Marion became not only my teacher and mentor but my friend and co-writer. Or maybe I became hers, the relationship was so mutual. Collaborating with her on a series of Darkover novels, and then continuing the series under the supervision of her Literary Works Trust, presented an extraordinary opportunity to carry forward her vision of this world and its people.
I have gone on to create my own world and characters, as well as editing a number of anthologies. Marion influenced my editing as well as my writing style, and I hope I have been as supportive to the many writers who over the years have entrusted me with their stories as she was to me. In a fannish corner of my heart, I always hoped that someday I might get the chance to edit a Darkover anthology. This anthology, the first of a renewed annual series, pays tribute to Marion’s legacy, both in the world of the Bloody Sun and in the community of superb writers who began their careers with her.
I did not restrict the lineup to authors whose first sales had been to Marion’s anthologies and her fantasy magazine. In the marvelous way that we are all connected, every contributor has benefitted, either directly or through the tradition of “paying it forward,” from Marion’s commitment to young writers. As she wrote, “One generation plants the trees, the next eats the fruit.”
We follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before us, forging the trail and planting the Yellow Forest. An anthology of short fiction by different writers offers a landscape of the secret places, minor but fascinating characters, and hidden histories that novels can suggest but not explore. Editing such an anthology is an unfolding wonder as themes, histories, races human and nonhuman, Gifts, and Domains are woven together in a dance, sometimes echoing and complementing one another, other times offering sharp contrasts, but always engaging and exciting.
I invite you to come with me on a journey of time and space and heart, whether you are a traveler new to the world of Cottman IV, popularly known as Darkover, or whether you have a treasure trove of dog-eared paperbacks from the 1960s, when Lew Alton, Regis Hastur, and many other beloved characters first saw print. Here you will find strangers and friends, and even stranger beings and happenings, for Marion never shrank from tackling difficult issues with courage and sensitivity, and we who walk in her footsteps can do no less. I hope these tales of wonder and despair, of love and betrayal and hope, will delight and challenge you as much as they did me.
