Great story, loved every word. Story was enjoyable on its own, but more importantly it added so much more detail to several previous books. Really helped flesh out the entire saga”world”. Great characters, plots and even some twists and turns to keep it interesting. Another great addition to one of my favorite series.

Laran and Darkover

It’s been some time since I’ve read any Darkover novels. There’s a few favs I return to now and again though.
I’ve been a passionate follower of Marion Zimmer Bradley since I first came across her novels some 40 plus years ago.
The Darkover arc is fascinating. Arilinn adds to the backstory of that planet and its inhabitants.
The importance of laran, the idea of using it as a weapon, the ethics of such moves, the story behind the founding of the tower of Arilinn, all recall Bradley’s earlier books that explored various aspects and formation stages of Darkover, the towers and circles that were so important.
Names give remembrance to the stories. The Hasturs, Alliards, and Lindars.
In Arilinn we see the picture unfold through the eyes of Leora Hastur, a potential leronis, a Keeper, who comes late to the gift of laran, almost dying in the process.
Her father is trying to establish a council of Comyn lords, a place where disputes can be settled without psychic use. Again influences that will strongly mark Darkover’s story.
Coincidentally the men from the Dry Lands have been stealing women, chaining them, and taking them back to there. Leora becomes a prisoner. She finds the strength to use her laran in an unexpected way.
I’m completely sold on this tale.
A hefty storyline inclusion from Ross that adds to Bradley’s well loved creation.

A Marion Zimmer Bradley Trust /Victory ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I really enjoyed the book. I wish that I had longer as I prefer to read the book twice to get the in-depth feel of it. I had a very busy month and only managed once. The characters were deep and felt authentic for the plot & setting. I had a couple of things to comment on but I was unable to annotate these and would prefer to now wait until I have the book in front of me so that I can take notes as necessary. I am a huge fan of all Darkover stories so Deborah Ross is a very familiar author and I have a large collection of books by many authors who I first found through Darkover and other related fantasy collections of short and novellette sized books. I hope to read many more of her books.

Excellent book, love it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

Thank you to Netgalley, Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, and Deborah J Ross for the ARC of Arilinn.

As a reader of Darkover books of over 20 years, I was happy to see the new titles that have been published recently, and have enjoyed them. Arilinn was another good addition, and I think it will be well received, as it answers another small piece of Darkoven lore: the mysterious Tower of Arilinn.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS:
One small criticism is purely from the viewpoint of a knowledgeable fan of the books - there was a LOT of new lore material in the book, which was quite different to the usual Darkover books. Flora, fauna, and other distinct concepts which were very specific, were hammered into the text in a way which didn't feel organic. It lacked the normal, natural flow of previous novels. It was almost as if Ross had a list she was working down and was determined to work each term in, regardless of if it made sense, or not. Many of the terms were ones that didn't feel familiar at all, and I wonder if they were perhaps new, or terms uncovered in notebooks which were felt needed to be included? I'm not sure, but it felt like some kind of strange infodump. And I'm no stranger to an infodump - they say as they infodump their criticism.

Overall, I enjoyed Arilinn, and hope there will be more books in the future, plugging more Darkover history gaps.

Well written story which continues the Age of Chaos background of Darkover. I prefer Ms Ross's writing style on these stories compared to the modern Darkover stories. Recommended. Well plotted, written, and a good read.

I loved the book. A great addition to the Darkover books. I've already shared my thoughts with you on Facebook. I shared it both on your page as well as my own. Thank you again for letting me read your work.

I must confess that I loved this book more than the previous one. Not just because of the age of chaos that is my favorite, but for the richness of characters and the way many origins were explained.
Each phase, each origin, each story was so naturally linked that it became a pleasant and complete reading, enjoying each character and stories well, without a swollen or tiring reading.
Oh and for fans of Easter Eggs (just like me) will be quite satisfied here. One thing I found interesting was the way some characters evolved, capable of getting some of us by surprise, pleasantly.
What I didn't like was the fact that it doesn't address two more specific parts in history, but nothing that causes loss in reading and perhaps can generate a sequence.
Anyway, this is a reading of those that we read for hours without realizing the time passing and, when it ends, we regret it over. It is worth it for those who are a fan of Darkover and also for those who have never read a line of any book in the saga.

Early history of the domains of Darkover, before the founding of the Comyn Council, when laran was beginning to be used for war. In those times, many laran users were untrained, many gifts were not yet found, and breeding to strengthen them had not yet begun. Arilinn Tower was only a dream of the future.

Readers who are still enjoying Darkover will want to read this. It is well-written, with believable characters and an interesting plot. Ross does a good job extending the world.