Marion Zimmer Bradley Books

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Marion Zimmer Bradley was an award-winning American author that wrote science fiction and fantasy. She died in 1999 following a heart attack. Bradley couldn’t remember a time when she did not write. It took the author a while to gain traction as an author.

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She started by writing for school magazines. She also experimented with fanzines. It wasn’t until she sold her first short story that her publishing career took off. But even before success came her way, Bradley was always writing.

Her literary influences include C.L. Moore, Henry Kuther, and Leigh Brackett, to mention but a few. As a child, she was drawn to adventure stories. The novels that stayed with her would paint pictures in her mind of strange and distant worlds.

People that followed her work closely will attest to the fact that her writing clearly manifests the authors that inspired her. Born in 1930 in Berkley, California, the author spent her childhood on an Albany farm.

Bradley was 17 when she started writing in earnest. Two years later, she married Robert Alden Bradley. The author was called Marion Eleanor Zimmer at birth. The ‘Bradley’ name with which she is associated entered the picture after her first marriage.

Her relationship with Robert, which produced one son (David Robert Bradley), did not last. The couple divorced in 1964. She married Walter H. Breen just a few weeks later. Her daughter, Moira Greyland, came from this second marriage.

Bradley was formally educated, having attended Hardin-Simmons University (Abilene, Texas) and the University of California (Berkley). It is for her relationship with Breen that Marion Zimmer Bradley is most famously known.

The pair collaborated for so long that even after they separated in 1979, not only did they maintain their marriage but they went on to pursue a successful business relationship. They even lived on the same street. The couple’s divorce was only finalized in 1990.

However, that is not the reason why Bradley’s relationship with Breen is so heavily scrutinized. Breen gained notoriety when he was accused of child molestation. He was eventually arrested and convicted.

At first, Bradley came under fire because it was believed that she knew about Breen’s sexual proclivities but did nothing to stop him. She also failed to report his crimes. During her testimony in court, Bradley ridiculed the idea that she should have protected Breen’s teenage victims.

None the less, Bradley’s reputation survived. She had a massive following of authors and readers that supported the feminist messages in her stories. Everything changed when Bradley’s daughter accused her of sexual abuse in 2014.

Moira also revealed that, in some cases, Bradley had enabled Breen’s actions, allowing him access to multiple young boys. The allegations destroyed Bradley’s name. Some of her publishers revealed that they would start donating the money made from the sale of her books to organizations that protected children.

Figures like John Scalzi, Diana L. Paxson, and G. Willow Wilson expressed their shock at the allegations.

Marion Zimmer Bradley Awards

Bradley has received Hugo, Nebula, and Prometheus Award nominations. She won the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Prize.

Marion Zimmer Bradley Books into Movies

The Mists of Avalon became a TNT Miniseries. There were plans to turn the Darkover series into a TV show.

Best Marion Zimmer Bradley Books

Bradley initially encouraged her followers to write Darkover fan fiction. All that changed when a dispute with a fan regarding the similarities between their fan fiction and a new Darkover novel arose. The novel remained unpublished and Bradley pulled her support for Darkover fan fiction.

Some of the author’s best novels include:

Mists of Avalon: Everyone knows the story of King Arthur and Camelot, or they think they do. Morgaine was there when the tragedy of Camelot unfolded and she reveals all in this tale that shows the role women played in King Arthur’s saga.

Priestess of Avalon: Eilian was born the day Rian, Avalon’s High Priestess died. She was Rian’s fifth child and she came into the world as the merlin kept vigil.

From the Merlin came the prophecy of Eilian, one that told of her birth and the role she would play as the gateway between worlds. All that knew of her expected greatness. But they had no idea that she would walk a path so different from that of her predecessors.

When Does The Next Marion Zimmer Bradley book come out?

Marion Zimmer Bradley doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Phoenix and was released on December, 18th 2023. It is the newest book in the Marion Zimmer Bradley Short Stories/Novellas.

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