What do You think about Lythande (Thieves World) (1985)?
I'm not a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley - her ideas are good but her writing style is a mess.BUT...the last story in this collection, "Looking for Satan" by Vonda McIntyre, is worth it. It features Bradley's Lythande character but thankfully, this author can write. An enjoyable fantasy adventure with interesting world-building and likeable characters that can be read as a stand-alone story (the stories by Bradley give some more information on Lythande, but you can skip them and still understand McIntyre's work).
—Spiderorchid
I love me a good sword and sorcery story: I remembered Lythande from her first appearance in Thieves World, a shared world anthology that included not just Marion Zimmer Bradley but Poul Anderson, John Brunner, and in other books in that world Philip José Farmer, David Drake, A.E. van Vogt, C.J. Cherryh. I'm also a Marion Zimmer Bradley fan, or at least, a fan of her Darkover books. Looking to winnow my book collection, I couldn't bear to get rid of even the weaker books in that world, but I find it easy to let go of Lythande.This isn't a novel but six linked short stories about Lythande, an "Adept of the Blue Star" whose powers depend on keeping a secret--that's she's really a woman disguised as a man. In her introduction Marion Zimmer Bradley all but says Lythande is a lesbian, yet insists she doesn't want to cater to the "unhealthy curious male" by writing about lesbian women. It seemed an odd statement. Maybe it's just the times this was published in--1986, but I don't get why the question is even raised given it's obvious this is part of Lythande's identity. Actually, given her situation I think it would be more poignant if she were drawn to men--she can reveal her secret to women, but not men. In fact, Lythande doesn't relate to men at all--not as brother, father, mentor, colleague or friend and most of the men in these stories are fools, cads, or rapists. I didn't like how she made fun of the stammerer in "The Incompetent Magician." Sometimes details were inconsistent, and often repetitive as each story gives her background. Most important, I didn't remember any of the stories without rereading--they're just not that memorable. Indeed, my favorite story in the collection was the only one not by MZB but by Vonda McIntyre, "Looking for Satan." I'd recommend other books by MZB over this one, and the anthology Thieves' World over Lythande.
—Lisa (Harmonybites)
