Marion Zimmer Bradley was a prominent American author, best known for her works in the fantasy and science fiction genres. She was born in Albany, New York, in 1930 and went on to receive her B.A. from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, in 1964. Bradley began writing professionally in 1952, selling her first short story to VORTEX SCIENCE FICTION. She wrote in various genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and even produced some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels under pseudonyms.
Bradley is most famous for her Darkover series, which is set on a lost earth colony where psi powers have developed to an unusual degree. The series began with the publication of her 1958 story, The Planet Savers, and has since grown to include many novels written by Bradley and other authors. In addition to her work on the Darkover series, Bradley also edited the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology, which gave many young authors, including Mercedes Lackey, their start in publishing.
Feminist views were a common theme in Bradley's fiction. Her 1983 novel, The Mists of Avalon, is a retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, and is probably her most famous single novel. The book grew into a series, which has continued to appear after Bradley's death in 1999.
It should be noted that Bradley's reputation has been marred posthumously by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
Darkover Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Planet Savers
1962
2
The Sword of Aldones
1962
3
The Bloody Sun
1964
4
Star of Danger
1965
5
The Winds of Darkover
1970
6
The World Wreckers
1971
7
Darkover Landfall
1972
8
The Spell Sword
1974
9
The Heritage of Hastur
1975
10
The Shattered Chain
1976
11
The Forbidden Tower
1977
12
Stormqueen!
1978
13
Two to Conquer
1980
14
Sharra's Exile
1981
15
Hawkmistress!
1982
16
Thendara House
1983
17
City of Sorcery
1984
18
The Heirs of Hammerfell
1989
19
Rediscovery
1993
20
Exile's Song
1996
21
The Shadow Matrix
1997
22
Traitor's Sun
1999
23
Zandru's Forge
2003
24
A Flame in Hali
2004
25
Hastur Lord
2010
26
Death of Brendan Ensolare
2011
27
The Children of Kings
2013
28
Thunderlord
2016
29
Ski the Hellers
2020
30
The Laran Gambit
2022
Darkover Series in Chronological Order
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Darkover Landfall
1972
2
Stormqueen!
1978
3
Thunderlord
2016
4
Traitor's Sun
1999
5
Hawkmistress!
1982
6
The Heirs of Hammerfell
1989
7
Rediscovery
1993
8
The Shattered Chain
1976
9
The Spell Sword
1974
10
The Forbidden Tower
1977
11
Thendara House
1983
12
City of Sorcery
1984
13
Star of Danger
1965
14
The Winds of Darkover
1970
15
The Bloody Sun
1964
16
The Heritage of Hastur
1975
17
The Planet Savers
1962
18
Sharra's Exile
1981
19
The Sword of Aldones
1962
20
The World Wreckers
1971
21
Exile's Song
1996
22
The Shadow Matrix
1997
23
Two to Conquer
1980
24
Zandru's Forge
2003
25
A Flame in Hali
2004
26
Hastur Lord
2010
27
The Children of Kings
2013
28
Death of Brendan Ensolare
2011
29
Ski the Hellers
2020
30
The Laran Gambit
2022
Claire Moffatt/Occult Tales Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Dark Satanic
1972
2
The Inheritor
1984
3
Witch Hill
1990
Hunters Books (with Paul Edwin Zimmer)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Hunters of the Red Moon
1973
2
The Survivors
1979
Sixth Sense Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
In the Steps of the Master
1973
Avalon Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Mists of Avalon
1979
2
The Forest House / The Forests of Avalon
1993
3
Lady of Avalon
1997
4
Priestess of Avalon
2001
5
Ancestors of Avalon
2004
6
Ravens of Avalon
2007
7
Sword of Avalon
2009
Avalon Series in Chronological Order
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Ancestors of Avalon
2004
2
Ravens of Avalon
2007
3
The Forest House / The Forests of Avalon
1993
4
Lady of Avalon
1997
5
Priestess of Avalon
2001
6
The Mists of Avalon
1979
7
Sword of Avalon
2009
Web Of Light Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Web of Darkness
1982
2
Web of Light
1983
3
The Fall of Atlantis
1983
Trillium Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Black Trillium
1990
2
Blood Trillium
1992
3
Golden Trillium
1993
4
Lady of the Trillium
1995
5
Sky Trillium
1996
Light Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Ghostlight
1995
2
Witchlight
1996
3
Gravelight
1997
4
Heartlight
1998
Glenraven Books (with Holly Lisle)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Glenraven
1995
2
In the Rift
1998
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Year of the Big Thaw
1954
2
Falcons of Narebedla
1957
3
Seven from the Stars
1961
4
The Door Through Space
1961
5
I am a Lesbian
1962
6
The Strange Women
1962
7
The Colors of Space
1963
8
My Sister, My Love
1963
9
Spare Her Heaven / Anything Goes
1963
10
Twilight Lovers
1964
11
Castle Terror
1965
12
No Adam for Eve
1966
13
Knives of Desire
1966
14
Souvenir of Monique
1967
15
Bluebeard's Daughter
1968
16
The Brass Dragon
1969
17
The Endless Voyage / The Endless Universe
1975
18
Can Ellen Be Saved?
1975
19
Drums of Darkness
1976
20
The Ruins of Isis / Haunted Spaceship
1977
21
The Catch Trap
1979
22
The House Between The Worlds
1980
23
Survey Ship
1980
24
Night's Daughter
1985
25
Warrior Woman
1985
26
The Firebrand
1987
27
Tiger Burning Bright
1995
Lythande Short Stories/Novellas
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Bird of Prey
1957
2
Men, Halflings & Hero Worship
1973
3
The Jewel of Arwen
1974
4
The Parting of Arwen
1974
5
The Gratitude of Kings
1997
6
The Once and Future Merlin
2012
Short Stories/Novellas (with Vonda N. McIntyre)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Lythande
1985
2
The Dark Intruder
2015
Short Story Collections
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley
1985
2
Jamie and Other Stories: The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley
1992
3
The Marion Zimmer Bradley Short Story Collection
2014
4
Marion Zimmer Bradley, Science Fiction Collection
2014
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Checklist: A Complete, Cumulative Checklist of Lesbian, Variant and Homosexual Fiction
1960
2
Experiment Perilous
1983
3
The Necessity for Beauty: Robert W. Chambers and The Romantic Tradition
2009
Sword and Sorceress Anthologies
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Sword and Sorceress XXI
2004
Thieves' World Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Thieves' World
1979
2
Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn
1980
3
Shadows of Sanctuary
1981
4
Storm Season
1982
5
The Face of Chaos
1983
6
Wings of Omen
1984
7
The Dead of Winter
1985
8
Soul of the City
1986
9
Blood Ties
1986
10
Aftermath
1987
11
Uneasy Alliances
1988
12
Stealers' Sky
1989
13
Sanctuary
2002
14
Turning Points
2002
15
Enemies of Fortune
2004
Clingfire Books (with Deborah J. Ross)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Fall of Neskaya
1998
2
Zandru's Forge
2003
3
A Flame in Hali
2004
Children of Kings Books (with Deborah J. Ross)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Alton Gift
2007
2
Hastur Lord
2010
3
The Children of Kings
2013
Darkover Books (with Mercedes Lackey)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Different Kind of Courage
1985
2
Set a Thief
1991
3
Rediscovery
1993
4
Poetic License
1994
5
An Object Lesson
2010
Marion Zimmer Bradley Anthologies
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
If This Goes On
1965
2
Demon Lovers and Strange Seductions
1971
3
Algol The Magazine About Science Fiction - Winter 1977 / 1978
1977
4
The Keeper's Price - Darkover Anthologies
1980
5
Shadows of Sanctuary
1981
6
Sword of Chaos - Darkover Anthologies
1982
7
Greyhaven
1983
8
Sword and Sorceress
1984
9
Moonsinger's Friends: An Anthology in Honor of Andre Norton
1985
10
Sword and Sorceress II
1985
11
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1985
1985
12
Free Amazons of Darkover - Darkover Anthologies
1985
13
Sword and Sorceress III
1986
14
Worlds Apart
1986
15
Sword and Sorceress IV
1987
16
The Other Side of the Mirror - Darkover Anthologies
1987
17
Red Sun of Darkover - Darkover Anthologies
1987
18
Sword and Sorceress V
1988
19
Four Moons of Darkover - Darkover Anthologies
1988
20
Spell Singers
1988
21
Spells of Wonder
1989
22
Domains of Darkover - Darkover Anthologies
1990
23
Sword and Sorceress VI
1990
24
Sword and Sorceress VII
1990
25
Renunciates of Darkover
1991
26
Sword and Sorceress VIII
1991
27
Leroni of Darkover
1991
28
Sword and Sorceress IX
1992
29
Sword and Sorceress X
1993
30
Towers of Darkover
1993
31
Darkover
1993
32
Snows of Darkover
1994
33
Sword and Sorceress XI
1994
34
The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine
1994
35
Sword and Sorceress XII
1995
36
Excalibur
1995
37
The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley Fantasy Magazine, Volume 2