Primer volumen de los diez que componen la saga Darkover. Para el terrano Jeff Kerwin, su verdadero hogar se encuentra en el distante planeta de la estrella oscura -Darkover-, que sólo recuerda como un sueño de la infancia. Cuando por fin regresa, descubre que allí no hay paz para él. No hay paz para alguien que posee la cabellera pelirroja de un lord Comyn, que lleva consigo una joya de procedencia desconocida y que causa recelo entre los propios habitantes del planeta.

Always like stories with Kennard. Wish there were more stories that fill out his life. Wish to know Jeff Kerwin Jr. real name. Wish I knew what happened to Domenic Ridenow and Hilary who was Cassilda's sister. This is how one gets wrapped up in a series and want all the details. ( )

Version 1964 - then later the 1979 retread. Still much as I remembered, but that wasn’t too much. ( )

Noted during my 1980's attempt to read every book in my small town library.

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 into a medieval society. Ruled by a psychic aristocracy, it is later rediscovered by a star-spanning high-tech human federation after centuries, giving the series a feel of both science fiction and fantasy. Most books in the series examine this culture clash and this book is no exception as it focuses on a Terran, Jeff Kerwin, returning to Darkover only to discover it's very much part of his heritage. The 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, as MZB really didn't come into her own as a writer until the mid-seventies, and books published before that are among the weaker in the series. This book, although originally published early on in 1964, was however, later expanded and extensively rewritten in 1979. Make sure you get that later edition. If you do, than this makes a good entry point into a captivating series. ( )