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The Darkover series consists of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
See also: List of Darkover books for a complete chronological bibliography of Darkover books, anthologies and series by date of publication.
Although the following Darkover chronology includes a book list for novels set in specific time periods, each was written to stand as a separate story and the individual novel plots are not dependent upon one another. Bradley herself recommended that the books be read in the order in which they were written, rather than the Darkovan chronological order, as her writing style changed considerably over her career.
During the early years space exploration and colonization Earth-based humans planted a colony on Darkover, a planet which circles a red giant. Through an unpreventable mishap, contact between the colonists and Earth was lost. The ethnic background of the colonists are Celtic and Spanish and include both pro-technology scientists and techophobic back-to-nature zealots. As years pass without contact from Earth, colonist races and ideaologies blend as they developed an independent, distinct Darkovan culture. The human gene pool also is expended as the colonists and their descendants interact and sometimes interbreed with the native chieri of the planet.
Books of this era:
As the centuries pass, descendants of the original colonists evolve strong psychic abilities, called "laran." These abilities become integrated into their cultural caste structure. The history of Darkover is marked by human breading programs, laran abuse, and eventual control of the psychic powers. Those who have strong telepathic and other laran abilities become a ruling class and technological elite, known as the comyn, who are usually marked by genetically linked red hair. During this time, laran-based technology is the basis of feudal arms races that lead to disaterous results until one king unites the people of Darkover under a compact.
Books of this era:
[[Image:Darkovermap-small-WP.jpg|thumbnail|300px|right| A map of the habitable part of Darkover showing major settlements and landforms. ]]
Books of this era:
Eventually the planet is rediscovered by a revitalized human space traveling civilization and a spaceport is established near Thendara, the only large city on Darkover.
Books of this era:
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