2008-04-04 It's not Bradley, but still well written.

The events in The Alton Gift take place a few years after Traitor's sun and the book is therefore partly concerned with the same characters. It's an interesting story, well written, although not exactly to the late Marion's level, but pretty close. As is usual the case, there exist many lines in this story, the most important two being the outbreak of Trailmens's fever (thought to be extinct)and the emerging of Mikhail's and Marguerida's son Dominic as a highly responsible young man. But, there is a lot more to it than just that.

Misuse of laran (the telepathic powers of certain families on Darkover)is an important theme, affecting both Lew Alton and his daughter, one through guilt, the other being accused of it in Council by a not-so-willing victim whom had already resolved the issue to his satisfaction with the other perpetrator. Furthermore, the treacherous ways a certain council member tries to get his own way, are also important as this results in Dominic temporarily having to take the regency. Which is all part of being someone taking responsibility for his own acts in any case.

Of course love also is an important theme, and the nice thing about this book is that the "rivals" for Dominic are both interesting characters, especially Alanna (the most "flawed" and mixed up of the two, and therefore more interesting to the reader).

Naturally, some characters did not or hardly return, and it must be said that the handling of the dying Jevanne Hastur is not the best characterisation in the novel. Readers of the Marguerida books will not be convinced. True, people do become milder with age, and take turns for the worse unexpectedly, but that this all would be caused by the World Wreckers (one of the very early books) is a bit too easy an explanation! At least the premature aging in Regis in Traitor's Sun was caused by his having to handle the Sword of Aldones and becoming a kind of living matrix (see the beautifully written Sharra's Exile). Much better than referring to the World Wreckers episode!

On the other hand some interesting en likeable new characters were introduced as well, while certain more well-known charaters found new roles to play, making them interesting in their own right (like Danilo Syrtis or Lady Linnea), even if their parts in the book were not that big.

On the whole, the book is well written, interesting, and I am looking forward to parts 2 and 3 of this new cycle of adventures on Darkover!