The Inheritor Paperback – February 15, 1997

Unlike alot of people, when I first read Marion Zimmer Bradley's Arthurian books, I didn't particularly like them. I have yet to read her Darkover books, and I doubt I ever will - I'm not one for high fantasy/sci fi sort of stuff. Yet, this book is one of the main reasons that I consider her one of my most favorite authors, a highly talented writer - a talent which I one day hope to emulate. Make a note of this: the story in this book is decent. It's not highly original or gripping. The single reason that I love this book is because the writing, the prose, is truly artistic. Bradley is totally able to create the slightly, gothic, bohemian feel through her words. The characters are also very interesting and well written, but opinions on this may vary according to tastes. I love this book only in appreciation of the beautiful style in which it was written, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in creative writing.

Although at times, the story diluted in a overly descriptive prose,Zimmer Bradley excel in keeping the reader intersted in the story ,keeping the mystery alive throughout the pages of the book .The quality of the author's writing is certainly estabilished through her previous works ,she wont disappoint you with this one.Gripping,mysterious this novel is a real page turner.

Something of a modern gothic horror novel, set in San Francisco in the early 1980's, it's kind of... atmospheric and weird.Leslie is an unwilling psychic; it's nothing she wants or can control, but occasionally she has had glimpses of missing/murdered people, and has worked with the police to help them find these people. Her day job is as a psychologist, and she is also the guardian for her 17-year old sister,a musical prodigy. Weird, unexplained things are happening, even before they move into a house previously owned by another psychologist psychic.Some modern readers may be appalled at the immorality of Leslie dumping boyfriend A and quickly falling into bed with boyfriend B; that's just "not done" in contemporary romance these days, though as a lifestyle in the 1970's and 1980's, really no big deal, and a younger reader might be even more interested in that "taste" of the period.My problem is that Leslie seems too willing to bend over backwards to overlook the creepiness of Simon, boyfriend B; even to him having definitely killed a cat and perhaps even murdered a junkie prostitute in a dark ritual for his own gain. Oh, and he might be willing to sacrifice the little sister, too. While I appreciate that in the end, every human being is shown as redeemable, capable of being brought into the light, and Leslie and Simon are presented as having a HEA, in some ways, that's even worse. It's a spine-tingling, suitably Halloween-y story, and well-written, but the ending doesn't feel satisfying to me.

Marion Zimmer Bradley has written another well-known book The Mist of Avalon. It is on the bestsellers list of New York Times, as well as this book should be. The reading keeps you wondering where it will take you next. With the turning of a page, you are not sure what to expect. The Inheritor holds your attention while the author introduces her characters to you. There are Leslie, a doctor of pschology and her sister Emily, a conservatory student of music. The book opens simply with Leslie looking at a house because the apartment that Leslie and Emily share has become too small for them. She looks till she finds this wonderful little number that gives her the feeling of home. The book becomes more intense from there. With the turn of a page, you wonder what will happen or who will pop up. I would recommend this book to any reader that enjoys a suspense reader with a twist of an ending.

Leslie Barnes acabou de comprar sua primeira casa, com vista para a Golden Gate, de São Francisco. Parecia o local perfeito para Leslie e sua irmã Emily, uma brilhante musicista... mas logo que elas se mudam, um monte de eventos sombrios começam a acontecer, deixando as duas mulheres apavoradas. Para seu horror, Leslie descobre que ela está morando num local de grande poder mágico e que tem de se tornar a guardiã desse poder e protege-lo daqueles que querem usa-lo para o mal. A casa foi propriedade anterior de uma ocultista chamada Alison Musgrave, que morreu sem deixar sucessora, porque o candidato chamado Simon, tinha o horrível hábito de scrificar gatos, na garagem da casa.Com conhecimentos de psicologia, Leslie não consegue lidar com o oculto e o espiritual - até que ela encontra Claire Mofatt, uma médium, e seu mentor, Colin MacLaren, um famoso espiritualista. Juntos, eles lutam contra o mal; e ajudam Leslie a lidar com sua herança espiritual.Marion Zimmer Bradley possui uma mente lúcida e articulada, com conhecimento do que escreve, incluindo magia, Wicca e fatos históricos; com uma pitada (bem grande) de erotismo.Este conto, com certeza, é continuação dos livros da série Light, da mesma autora:Witchlight - a luz enfeitiçada, onde a protagonista é Winter Musgrave, uma antepassada de Alison Musgrave.Gravelight - a luz sombria, onde o protagonista é Wycherly Musgrave, outro antepassado de Alison.Heartlight - a luz de Avalon, onde a protagonista é a própria Alison Musgrave.

I have been a long time admirer of the Mists of Avalon, so when I came across this novel in a used bookstore, I was anxious to give it a try. What a HUGE disappointment!! The characters were so unbelievable and the dialog cringe-worthy. What teenager do you know sounds like Scarlet O'Hara? "Why, there's an herb garden in the backyard! Why, it's lovely!" **rolls eyes**. Like other reviewers I found the characters unlikeable as well. Too bad, I really wanted to like this one!

MZB does it again, making us accept a poor plot because of her beautiful prose (i.e., the Forest House) which is unusual considering her enormous talent (i.e., Mists, Darkover). But even with the quality of her description and storytelling, the ending betrays the readers. When I struggled to the last page, I was so disgusted that I threw the book across the room. This book is a huge disappointment, don't pay full-price for it.