The Shadow Matrix begins shortly after the conclusion of Exile's Song. Marguerida - as Margaret Alton is now called - is at Arilinn, but her training is not going well. Unable to tolerate the high-level matrices for long periods of time, she is living in a guest-house. An adult of a decidedly independent and questioning nature, she is surrounded by other trainees who mistrust and fear her, and teachers who have no idea of how to deal with her. Thanks to Lew, she is able to go instead to Neskaya, where Istvana, the leronis who helped her during her threshold sickness, is Keeper.Meanwhile, Mikhail has been sent to test the laran potential of the last of the Elhalyn line; he discovers their mother deranged and in the thrall of an unethical leronis, her children neglected and emotionally damaged. Temporarily enthralled himself, he finally confronts the leronis, freeing the children, although their mother dies. He returns to Thendara with the children, but must report to Regis that none of the boys are capable of assuming the Elhalyn kingship - the two oldest are damaged too severely from their experiences, and Emun, the youngest, is frail and without laran. The girls, however, have better chances for a future, as Valenta has considerable laran, and Miralys has already attracted the attentions of Dani Hastur, Regis' son. Regis has been matchmaking for political gain - he has invited Lord Damon Aldaran and his daughter Gisela to Thendara, hoping that Mikhail can be persuaded to marry her, an alliance that would bring Aldaran back into the Comyn Domains. Mikhail suggests to Regis that one of his older brothers would be a better match.Both Mikhail and Marguerida - who have been in frequent telepathic content throughout these events - have been hearing a strange voice calling to them, speaking of Hali and Midwinter, underlying the eerie portent of the time they both saw the Tower of Hali, undamaged, on their journey together from Armida to Thendara.Marguerida comes to Thendara for Midwinter, and on the night of the Ball in Comyn Castle, the voice commands them to go to Hali immediately, while some unknown force holds the others motionless and unable to prevent their departure. Racing to Hali, they find the Tower seemingly undamaged again, and entering it, are drawn into the past, to the time of Varzil - and Ashara.Varzil is dying, and he dares not allow his matrix - which is both powerful and enhanced - to fall into Ashara's hands. He has called Marguerida and Mikhail into the past because they are in some way similar to the people who would have been his allies and successors, had they lived. Instead, it is Mikhail who receives Varzil's matrix, in a ceremony in which he and Marguerida are married di catenas.After the wedding, Varzil vanishes, after giving Mikhail a final message to they must return to the rhu fead, the repository of powerful artefacts at Hali, in forty days. After foiling the plan of a local lord to start a nuclear war with laran-refined uranium, they flee to Hali, plunging into the strange substance that fills the lake there in order to escape pursuit. When they emerge, they find Ashara there, but they enter the rhu fead and return to their own time, to learn that only hours have passed.With their marriage an established fact - and with Marguerida a month into a pregnancy that did not exist the day before - most of the Comyn eventually accept their account of what happened. When Dani Hastur, Regis' son, declares his love for Miralys and his opposition to being his father's heir, Regis declares him the heir to Elhalyn, and appoints Mikhail his heir. Marguerida renounces her claim to the Alton Domain in favour of her kinsman Gabriel, and it is decided that Istvana of Neskaya will come to Thendara to reform a Keeper's circle there, and to train Marguerida and Mikhail. And using her new understanding of her powers, Marguerida is able to partially cure her step-mother Diotima, giving her parents a few more years together.And thus the new generation - Mikhail and Marguerida, Dani and Miralys, and other young Comyn - is set in place to begin the next phase of Darkover's history.
I really feel like this book should have been a few short stories rather than a single book, because a lot of it felt barely connected to me. One thread is Margaret's attempt to master her laran and avoid getting drawn too much in to the politics of Darkover's families, one thread is Mikhail being sent to determine who the next heir to the Elhalyn throne will be, and one thread is Gabriel Lanart and Javanne Hastur continuing to try to control Mikhail's life. I didn't find any of these threads that interesting other Mikhail dealing with the Elhalyns, and I thought it resolved too quickly and left too much to the imagination to really satisfy me.The part I really liked was the part at the end, and I would gladly have read an entire book dedicated to Varzil the Good's attempt to solidify his legacy and make sure the Compact held over all of Darkover after he was no longer around to enforce it. Expand on why exactly Dom Padraig hates the Hasturs so much and why he wants to destroy Thendara. Expand Leonora's character and explain why she's willing to make people into slaves and where the idea to use uranium for weapons in the absence of clingfire and bonewater dust came from. Expand on Amirya and how she came to be Keeper at this ad hoc Tower that Padraig is putting together. And then have Varzil's plan to reach forward and pull back Mikhail and Margaret so that Ashara--who is criminally underutilized here for how important she's supposed to be--can't get her hands on his matrix. The "free-wheeling matrix technology" period of Darkover's history has always been my favorite part, and I would have much rather read a book about that that about the other plot threads here.You can argue that would have been a different book, and you'd be right. I'd rather have read that book than this one. It's not as bad as Exile's Song in terms of worldbuilding, though the threat posed to Darkover by the Terran Empire fell a bit flat because I don't know enough about the Empire to know exactly what the Expansionists want to expand into. Mention is made that they haven't fought a war in "generations," but who did they fight with? Is that some curbstomp where Imperial Marines came in and overthrew a planetary government, or are there nonhuman empires out there? Where do these non-Terran-but-human-inhabited planets come from? I don't know, because The Shadow Matrix sure doesn't tell you.I suppose my major problem is just the character of Margaret. She has the Aldon Gift, which makes sense because she's Lew's daughter, and then we learn that she also has the Aldaran Gift. And since getting the Shadow Matrix, she also develops healing power that let her singlehandedly cure virulent diseases and even travel through time. In addition, she's the daughter of an Imperial senator and the heir to planetary nobility, extremely rich, the most educated woman on Darkover, and the beloved of the heir to the planetary government. Woe is her, indeed. I'd characterize her whining as first world problems if Darkover wasn't a undeveloped frozen hellhole. The last part that takes place in the Ages of Chaos makes up for some sins, but not all of them, and the ending implies that future books in this series might get back toward the politicking that I like more than Margaret whining that she has too much laran. So maybe I'm giving The Shadow Matrix more credit than it deserves, but I think three stars is enough. Previous Review: Exile's Song.Next Review: Traitor's Sun.
What do You think about The Shadow Matrix (1999)?
On reading this again, I think it's stronger than Exile's Song, although the overall structure limps a little - the final third could have been expanded, and the center section shortened a little. Character motivations are clearer for the most part, though there are still a few illogical moments and minor inconsistencies. But again, I really like and relate to Margaret/Marguerida, and to Mikhail as well. For all its flaws, (and they are many), this series-within-a-series is my favorite among all the Darkover books... and it wasn't even written by Bradley, but by one of her proteges.(I may do a full review later.)
—The Bookwyrm's Hoard
After Exile's Song I was hoping for more about those characters and got it in this one (and, in fact, the next, and final, installment in the Darkover series is about them, too). I did really like this one, but I had been hoping for more of what Exile's Song was, a study in character. This one had more high adventure. I found that part of the book slightly uneven, but there was enough character study for me to overlook that and really enjoy the advancement of the main character's stories. In the end I am looking forward to the next one, but not to the same degree that I had been looking forward to this one.
—Gregory
I haven't read much of Darkover in the last couple of decades, but since I inherited a box of them, expect some updatesThis was a solid add to the Darkover mythos, once again blending a Terran raised Marguirda into the planets male dominated, rigid culture. She brings a classical music education to Darkover, upsets the locals with a surprise elopement, (to her and her intended,) saves the world of the past and upsets quite a few apple carts along the way.Lew Alton, her father, plays a minor role, but more of a father now than when Marguirda was growing up, taking pride in her accomplishments and amused by the feathers she ruffles.
—Jeff
