series free amazons of darkover
Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley ( June 3 , 1930  September 25 , 1999 ) was an American author of ___MASK26___ , historical ___MASK26___ , ___MASK61___ , and science ___MASK26___ novels , and is best known for the Arthurian fiction novel " The Mists of Avalon ", and the ___MASK75___ . While some critics have noted a feminist perspective in her writing , her popularity has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations against her of child sexual abuse and rape by two of her children , Mark and Moira Greyland , among many others . Zimmer Bradley ' s first child , David R . Bradley , and her brother , Paul Edwin Zimmer , also became published ___MASK61___ and ___MASK26___ authors . Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the ___MASK91___ . Extraterrestrial ___MASK33___ , also called ___MASK89___ ___MASK33___ ( or , if it is a sentient or relatively complex individual , an " extraterrestrial " or " ___MASK89___ "), is ___MASK33___ that does not originate from Earth . These as - yet - hypothetical ___MASK33___ forms may range from simple single - celled organisms to beings with civilizations far more advanced than humanity . Although many scientists expect extraterrestrial ___MASK33___ to exist , there is no unambiguous evidence for its existence so far . The science of extraterrestrial ___MASK33___ is known as exobiology . Time travel is the concept of movement ( such as by a human ) between certain points in time , analogous to movement between different points in space , typically using a hypothetical device known as a time machine , in the form of a vehicle or of a portal connecting distant points in time . Time travel is a recognized concept in philosophy and ___MASK7___ , but traveling to an arbitrary point in time has a very limited support in theoretical physics , and usually only in conjunction with quantum mechanics or wormholes , also known as Einstein - Rosen bridges . In a more narrow sense , one - way time travel into the future via time dilation is a well - understood phenomenon within the frameworks of special relativity and general relativity , but advancing a large amount of time is not feasible with current technology . The concept was touched upon in various earlier works of ___MASK7___ , but was popularized by H . G . Wells ' 1895 novel " The Time Machine ", which moved the concept of time travel into the public imagination , and it remains a popular subject in ___MASK61___ . Hard ___MASK61___ is a category of ___MASK61___ characterized by an emphasis on scientific accuracy . The term was first used in print in 1957 by P . Schuyler Miller in a review of John W . Campbell , Jr .' s " Islands of Space " in " Astounding ___MASK61___ ". The complementary term soft ___MASK61___ , formed by analogy to hard ___MASK61___ , first appeared in the late 1970s . The term is formed by analogy to the popular distinction between the " hard " ( natural ) and " soft " ( social ) sciences . ___MASK61___ critic Gary Westfahl argues that neither term is part of a rigorous taxonomy ; instead they are approximate ways of characterizing stories that reviewers and commentators have found useful . Historical ___MASK26___ is a category of ___MASK26___ and genre of historical ___MASK7___ that incorporates fantastic elements ( such as magic ) into the narrative . There is much crossover with other subgenres of ___MASK26___ ; those classes as Arthurian , Celtic , or Dark Ages could just as easily be placed in Historical Fantasy . Stories fitting this classification generally take place prior to the 20th century . Ace Books is an American specialty publisher of ___MASK61___ and fantasy books . The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A . Wyn and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns . It soon branched out into other genres , publishing its first ___MASK61___ ( sf ) title in 1953 . This was successful , and ___MASK61___ titles outnumbered both mysteries and westerns within a few years . Other genres also made an appearance , including nonfiction , gothic novels , media tie - in novelizations , and romances . Ace became known for the " tête - bêche " binding format used for many of its early books , although it did not originate the format . Most of the early titles were published in this " Ace Double " format , and Ace continued to issue books in varied genres , bound " tête - bêche ", until 1973 . ___MASK26___ is a ___MASK7___ genre set in an imaginary ___MASK91___ , often but not always without any locations , events , or people from the real world . Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element , theme , or setting . Magic and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds . ___MASK26___ is generally distinguished from the genres of ___MASK61___ and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes , respectively , though there is a great deal of overlap between the three , all of which are subgenres of speculative ___MASK7___ . Free Amazons of Darkover is an anthology of ___MASK26___ and ___MASK61___ short stories edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley . The stories are set in Bradley ' s world of Darkover . The book was first published by DAW Books ( No . 657 ) in December , 1985 . Speculative ___MASK7___ is a broad umbrella genre denoting any narrative ___MASK7___ with supernatural or futuristic elements ; this encompasses the genres of ___MASK61___ , fantasy , horror , alternative history , magic realism , and superhero ___MASK7___ , as well as combinations of the previous genres . It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities , technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships , or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements . The term ' s popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein , who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay , although there are prior mentions of speculative ___MASK7___ , or its variant " speculative literature ". The ___MASK75___ is a science fiction - fantasy chronology consisting of several novels and short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by author Marion Zimmer Bradley . The word " Darkover " is a registered trademark owned by the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust . DAW Books is an American ___MASK61___ and fantasy publisher , founded by Donald A . Wollheim following his departure from Ace Books in 1971 . The company therefore claims to be " the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to ___MASK61___ and fantasy ." The first DAW Book published was the 1972 short story collection " Spell of the Witch World " by Andre Norton . Spell of the ___MASK59___ is a collection of short ___MASK7___ by ___MASK61___ and fantasy author Andre Norton , forming part of her ___MASK59___ series . It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in April 1972 , and has been reprinted numerous times since . It has the distinction of being the first book released by that publisher . Early printings had cover art and a frontispiece by artist Jack Gaughan ; later printings replaced the cover art ( but not the frontispiece ) with new art by Michael Whelan . The first hardcover edition was a photographic reprint of the DAW edition published by Gregg Press in 1977 . It featured a new frontispiece by Alice D . Phalen and endpaper maps of the ___MASK59___ by Barbi Johnson . The ___MASK10___ ( Medieval Latin : " superntrlis ": " supra " " above " + " naturalis " " natural ", first used : 1520  1530 AD ) includes ___MASK74___ cannot be explained by science or the laws of nature , including things characteristic of or relating to ghosts , gods , or other ___MASK10___ beings , or to things beyond nature . Darkover is the focus planet of the ___MASK75___ of science fiction - fantasy novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1958 . According to the novels , Darkover is the only human - habitable of seven planets orbiting a fictional red giant star called Cottman . The word " Darkover " is a registered trademark owned by the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust . Donald Allen Wollheim ( October 1 , 1914  November ___MASK39___ , 1990 ) was an American ___MASK61___ editor , publisher , writer , and fan . As an author , he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms , including David Grinnell . A planet is an astronomical body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that The term " planet " is ancient , with ties to history , astrology , science , mythology , and religion . Several planets in the Solar System can be seen with the naked eye . These were regarded by many early cultures as divine , or as emissaries of deities . As scientific knowledge advanced , human perception of the planets changed , incorporating a number of disparate objects . In 2006 , the International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) officially adopted a resolution defining planets within the Solar System . This definition is controversial because it excludes many objects of planetary mass based on where or what they ___MASK35___ . Although eight of the planetary bodies discovered before 1950 remain " planets " under the modern definition , some celestial bodies , such as Ceres , Pallas , Juno and Vesta ( each an object in the solar asteroid belt ), and Pluto ( the first trans - Neptunian object discovered ), that were once considered planets by the scientific ___MASK6___ , are no longer viewed as such . ___MASK61___ ( often shortened to SF , sci - fi or scifi ) is a genre of speculative fiction , typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology , space travel , time travel , faster than light travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . ___MASK61___ often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations , and has been called a " literature of ideas ." It usually avoids the supernatural , and unlike the related genre of fantasy , historically ___MASK61___ stories were intended to have a grounding in science - based fact or theory at the time the story was created , but this connection is now limited to hard ___MASK61___ . A ___MASK53___ is a long narrative , normally in prose , which describes fictional characters and events , usually in the form of a sequential story . The Mists of Avalon is a 1983 ___MASK26___ ___MASK53___ by Marion Zimmer Bradley , in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters . The book follows the trajectory of Morgaine ( often called Morgan le Fay in other works ), a priestess fighting to save her matriarchal Celtic culture in a country where patriarchal Christianity threatens to destroy the pagan way of life . The epic is focused on the lives of Gwenhwyfar , Viviane , Morgause , Igraine and other women who are often marginalized in Arthurian retellings . King ___MASK77___ and the Knights of the Round Table are supporting rather than main characters . Andre ___MASK51___ Norton ( born ___MASK51___ Mary Norton , February 17 , 1912  March 17 , 2005 ) was an American writer of ___MASK61___ and fantasy with some works of historical fiction and contemporary fiction . She wrote primarily under the pen name Andre Norton , but also under Andrew North and Allen Weston . She was the first woman to be Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy , first to be SFWA Grand Master , and first inducted by the ___MASK61___ and Fantasy Hall of Fame . Science ___MASK26___ is a mixed genre within the umbrella of speculative ___MASK7___ which simultaneously draws upon and / or combines tropes and elements from both ___MASK61___ and ___MASK26___ . It also sometimes incorporates elements of horror ___MASK7___ .