Marion Zimmer Bradley

Marion Zimmer was born in Albany, NY, on June 3, 1930, and married Robert Alden Bradley in 1949. Mrs. Bradley received her B.A. in 1964 from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, then did graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1965-67.

She was a science fiction/fantasy fan from her middle teens, and made her first sale as an adjunct to an amateur fiction contest in FANTASTIC/AMAZING STORIES in 1949. She had written as long as she could remember, but wrote only for school magazines and fanzines until 1952, when she sold her first professional short story to VORTEX SCIENCE FICTION. She wrote everything from science fiction to Gothics, but is probably best known for her Darkover novels.

In addition to her novels, Mrs. Bradley edited many magazines, amateur and professional, including Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine, which she started in 1988. She also edited an annual anthology called SWORD AND SORCERESS for DAW Books.

Over the years she turned more to fantasy; THE HOUSE BETWEEN THE WORLDS, although a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club, was "fantasy undiluted". She wrote a novel of the women in the Arthurian legends -- Morgan Le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and others -- entitled MISTS OF AVALON, which made the NY Times best seller list both in hardcover and trade paperback, and she also wrote THE FIREBRAND, a novel about the women of the Trojan War. Her historical fantasy novels, THE FOREST HOUSE and LADY OF AVALON are prequels to MISTS OF AVALON.

She died in Berkeley, California on September 25, 1999, four days after suffering a major heart attack. She was survived by her brother, Leslie Zimmer; her sons, David Bradley and Patrick Breen; her daughter, Moira Stern; and her grandchildren.

The Darkover novels which are not part of "mini series" within the Darkover series, are listed alphabetically. If you want/need a reading order listing, check out the official MZB site (link listed at the bottom of this page). - Webmaster

 
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DARKOVER
CLINGFIRE TRILOGY
Fall of Neskaya
Zandru's Forge
A Flame in Hali

DARKOVER
THE AGES OF CHAOS
Stormqueen!
Hawkmistress!

DARKOVER
STAND ALONE NOVELS
City of Sorcery
Darkover Landfall
Exile's Song
Rediscovery
Sharra's Exile
Star of Danger
Sword of Aldones
The Bloody Sun
The Forbidden Tower
The Heirs of Hammerfell
The Heritage of Hastur
The Planet Savers
The Shadow Matrix
The Shattered Chain
The Spell Sword
The World Wreckers
Thendara House
Traitor's Sun
Two to Conquer
Winds of Darkover

GLENRAVEN
Glenraven
In the Rift

STAND ALONE NOVELS
Tiger Burning Bright