Darkover Landfall

Darkover Landfall is a science fiction novel in the Darkover series by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. It was originally published in 1972 by DAW Books.^[1] It has since been republished several times and is included as part of the Darkover: First Contact omnibus. According to Bradley's obituary, the events of this book take place at the end of the 21st century.^[2]

Darkover Landfall

Cover of the first edition
Author	Marion Zimmer Bradley
Cover artist	Jack Gaughan
Language	English
Series	Darkover
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	DAW Books
Publication date	1972
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	160
OCLC	715454
Preceded by	Chronologically first in the series
Followed by	Arilinn

Plot summary

Darkover Landfall concerns the crew and colonists of a spaceship that is forced to crash land on Cottman IV, an inhospitable planet in orbit around a red giant. The crew become accidental colonists when the ship loses contact with Earth and they realize rescue is impossible. The book introduces surnames, religious and cultural themes that echo throughout the Darkover series of books. This series spans millennia, as the ship's descendants populate the world and develop unique cultures and psi abilities. Though Darkover Landfall is not the first book written in the series, in the Darkover timeline its events are the beginning for all that follows.

Reception

Of this book, J. John Jones, writing for Amazing Stories, notes that "Landfall has been a disappointment for some women. I've read reviews by some feminist critics who have vilified the work, expecting something more radical, apparently, from a woman writer. I still find her ideas provocative. No doubt some women are offended by the roles of planned breeding that her women characters portrayed. Still, stimulating rage is one way to effect social change so you might suppose that her works still gave some impetus for social change even with the roles that her women characters portray in this imagined society".^[3]

Major characters

• Captain Harry Leicester
• Rafael MacAran, one of the ship's officers
• Camilla Del Rey, one of the ship's officers
• Ewen Ross, medical officer
• Judith Lovat, biologist
• Father Valentine, order of St. Christopher of Centaurus