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Dray Prescot #1
Transit To Scorpio
First book in the Dray Prescott series, a sword and planet adventure
190 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
June 3, 2020
Updated 6/3/2020
DAW Collectors #33
Cover Artist: Tim Kirk
Legal Name: Bulmer, Henry Kenneth (Birthdate: 14 January 1921 - 16 December 2005)
Alternate Names: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, H. Ken Bulmer, H. K. Bulmer, Ken Bulmer, H. Kenneth Bulmer, Henry K. Bulmer, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Arthur Frazier, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Kenneth Johns, Philip Kent, Neil Langholm, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Dray Prescot, Andrew Quiller, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford, Philip Stratford, H. Phillip Stratford, Tully Zetford.
"Transit to Scorpio" is a science fiction novel by British writer Kenneth Bulmer, written under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers
This series concerns the story of Dray Prescot, an English sailor of Lord Nelson's navy, and his miraculous teleportation to the planet Kregen. There he is trained as an agent for the mysterious Savanti, an apparently benevolent secret society devoted to improving the lot of humanity among the many intelligent species of Kregen. Among the benefits conferred on him is immersion in an apparently miraculous pool, Kregen's equivalent of the Fountain of Youth, which heals all wounds and confers a greatly extended lifespan on the bather. During Prescot's sojourn among the Savanti an offhand reference is made to the continent of Gah in Kregen's opposite hemisphere.
Prescot falls from grace among his hosts for supplying forbidden aid to Delia, princess of the island empire of Vallia, who has been brought to the Savanti as an injured supplicant. Defying their decision not to help her, he takes her to the healing pool and cures her. In consequence, he is banished back to Earth. While Prescott spends five years on Earth only a day has passed for Delia, as he later learns.
Cover artist: Tim Kirk
Part of the "Dray Prescot" series, is a sequence of fifty-two science fiction novels. The sequence is made up of eleven cycles of novels, each cycle essentially forming a series within the series. Four novels and three short stories are stand-alone narratives falling outside the system of cycles. Each tale is narrated in the first person by the protagonist, Dray Prescot. To support the illusion that the fictional Prescot was the actual author, later volumes were bylined "by Dray Prescot as told to Alan Burt Akers.
Henry Kenneth Bulmer (14 January 1921 – 16 December 2005) Bulmer, penned over 160 novels and numerous short stories, both under his real name and various pseudonyms. Bulmer's pseudonyms include Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Philip Kent, Bruno Krauss, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Chesman Scot, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford and Tully Zetford. Kenneth Johns
DAW Collectors #33
Cover Artist: Tim Kirk
Legal Name: Bulmer, Henry Kenneth (Birthdate: 14 January 1921 - 16 December 2005)
Alternate Names: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, H. Ken Bulmer, H. K. Bulmer, Ken Bulmer, H. Kenneth Bulmer, Henry K. Bulmer, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Arthur Frazier, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Kenneth Johns, Philip Kent, Neil Langholm, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Dray Prescot, Andrew Quiller, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford, Philip Stratford, H. Phillip Stratford, Tully Zetford.
"Transit to Scorpio" is a science fiction novel by British writer Kenneth Bulmer, written under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers
This series concerns the story of Dray Prescot, an English sailor of Lord Nelson's navy, and his miraculous teleportation to the planet Kregen. There he is trained as an agent for the mysterious Savanti, an apparently benevolent secret society devoted to improving the lot of humanity among the many intelligent species of Kregen. Among the benefits conferred on him is immersion in an apparently miraculous pool, Kregen's equivalent of the Fountain of Youth, which heals all wounds and confers a greatly extended lifespan on the bather. During Prescot's sojourn among the Savanti an offhand reference is made to the continent of Gah in Kregen's opposite hemisphere.
Prescot falls from grace among his hosts for supplying forbidden aid to Delia, princess of the island empire of Vallia, who has been brought to the Savanti as an injured supplicant. Defying their decision not to help her, he takes her to the healing pool and cures her. In consequence, he is banished back to Earth. While Prescott spends five years on Earth only a day has passed for Delia, as he later learns.
Cover artist: Tim Kirk
Part of the "Dray Prescot" series, is a sequence of fifty-two science fiction novels. The sequence is made up of eleven cycles of novels, each cycle essentially forming a series within the series. Four novels and three short stories are stand-alone narratives falling outside the system of cycles. Each tale is narrated in the first person by the protagonist, Dray Prescot. To support the illusion that the fictional Prescot was the actual author, later volumes were bylined "by Dray Prescot as told to Alan Burt Akers.
Henry Kenneth Bulmer (14 January 1921 – 16 December 2005) Bulmer, penned over 160 novels and numerous short stories, both under his real name and various pseudonyms. Bulmer's pseudonyms include Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Philip Kent, Bruno Krauss, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Chesman Scot, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford and Tully Zetford. Kenneth Johns
December 9, 2008
A Conan by any other name would still smell as sweaty...
Technically this is a "Sword and Planet" novel, a quite specific little fantasy sub-genre where an Earthman is mysteriously transported to another planet where he swashbuckels among various barbarian human and non-human cultures and there's always a princess who needs rescuing. John Carter of Mars is perhaps the best known example.
I've read thirty-odd books in this series and really enjoy it. In addition to the physical vigor of the stories, there are a multitude of cultures populating the world, a lengthy plot about the hero struggling to bring peace to his adopted world, and a mysterious alien species who is manipulating the hero for their own ends. Ooooh. It is basically Doritos for my reading taste buds.
Technically this is a "Sword and Planet" novel, a quite specific little fantasy sub-genre where an Earthman is mysteriously transported to another planet where he swashbuckels among various barbarian human and non-human cultures and there's always a princess who needs rescuing. John Carter of Mars is perhaps the best known example.
I've read thirty-odd books in this series and really enjoy it. In addition to the physical vigor of the stories, there are a multitude of cultures populating the world, a lengthy plot about the hero struggling to bring peace to his adopted world, and a mysterious alien species who is manipulating the hero for their own ends. Ooooh. It is basically Doritos for my reading taste buds.
January 20, 2012
Some of the best sword-and-planet ever written begins with this book. I absolutely loved this series. Aside from all the obvious awesome stuff (weird alien places, even weirder alien demi-humans and monsters, hack-n-slash action, a wonderfully understated love story) there are a couple of other things I really like about the series:
-The 1st person narration is rather to-the-point, but not without the occasional bit of *very* dry humour. There is very little whiny, woe-is-me, tortured-inner-life of the protagonist stuff here. We get to know Prescot and empathise with him, but it's all very understated and I like that. The protagonist isn't overly self-involved but he does take the times to criticise his own actions and biases, which I found interesting.
-It might not be fully apparent in this first volume alone, but there is some subtly subversive stuff in here as the series progresses. The latent racism of adventure fiction gets turned on its' head more than a few times later on in the series. Class-war abounds also. He also comes pretty close to openly satirising Gor and Norman's rather reprehensible views. All of this makes for guilty-pleasure reading that's not as guilty as it might be. Make no mistake though, this isn't "literature", this is pulse pounding, kicking-ass-and-taking-names entertainment.
-The 1st person narration is rather to-the-point, but not without the occasional bit of *very* dry humour. There is very little whiny, woe-is-me, tortured-inner-life of the protagonist stuff here. We get to know Prescot and empathise with him, but it's all very understated and I like that. The protagonist isn't overly self-involved but he does take the times to criticise his own actions and biases, which I found interesting.
-It might not be fully apparent in this first volume alone, but there is some subtly subversive stuff in here as the series progresses. The latent racism of adventure fiction gets turned on its' head more than a few times later on in the series. Class-war abounds also. He also comes pretty close to openly satirising Gor and Norman's rather reprehensible views. All of this makes for guilty-pleasure reading that's not as guilty as it might be. Make no mistake though, this isn't "literature", this is pulse pounding, kicking-ass-and-taking-names entertainment.
January 4, 2026
Nice start to a very popular 52 book sword and planet series. Of course everyone who writes this type of book pays tribute to Burroughs. I really enjoyed this beginning, and there is so much to learn in the coming books. The mockery of Norman’s Gor books was an added bonus.
November 12, 2020
Lots of pulpy action and adventure, but generally juvenile, uninspired, oversexed and chauvinistic.
July 24, 2008
This is the first in the series. The real author for the whole series is Kenneth Bulmer, a British SF/fantasy writer, but he wrote them under the name Alan Burt Akers. Supposedly, the stories were told to Akers by Dray Prescot, via audio tapes. Prescot is the hero of the stories.
As for my rankings for this whole series, be aware that I just "love" Sword & Planet fiction. That means in many cases my rankings might be somewhat higher than those given by readers of fantasy who are not so enamored of the Sword & Planet subgenre.
Personally, I think Bulmer told wonderful stories and I enjoyed every one of these volumes.
As for my rankings for this whole series, be aware that I just "love" Sword & Planet fiction. That means in many cases my rankings might be somewhat higher than those given by readers of fantasy who are not so enamored of the Sword & Planet subgenre.
Personally, I think Bulmer told wonderful stories and I enjoyed every one of these volumes.
October 12, 2024
Dray Prescot, an English sailor and valiant warrior of the 19th Century, is transported to the distant planet Kregen by powerful beings as a champion for humanity, who live there among many intelligent species. Thus begins Kenneth Bulmer’s 52-volume tribute to ERB’s Barsoom series. Even Bulmer’s choice of pseudonym, Alan Burt Akers,has the same cadence as Edgar Rice Burroughs. After his mysterious transit, he is immersed in a liquid that grants a 1000-year lifespan by a secret society called the Savanti, who live in the isolated Swinging City of Aphrasoe. Here some of Bulmer’s humor shines through; for a reader of the 70s, a “swinging city” would be sure to have a racy connotation, but the Savanti literally swing from building to building in their arboreal metropolis. Here Dray also meets his version of Dejah Thoris, Delia of Vallia, whom he rescues in defiance of the Savanti. Used as a pawn by the mysterious Star Lords, who have the power to instantly transport him wherever they wish, he is jerked to and fro to serve their ends, sometimes banished back to Earth when they have no use for him. Despite this herky-jerky existence, he manages to make allies, become a leader, win the hand of his princess, and ascend to the throne of a kingdom in the time-honored tradition of sword-and-planet heroes. It bogs a bit at times but mostly clips along very nicely and features some good world-building. I’m looking forward to what comes next.
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June 28, 2011
Don't judge the rest of this fine John Carter of Mars type of series by the opener. It's not bad, but Kenneth Bulmer (writing as Alan Burt Akers writing as Dray Prescot) turned out a first book that is comparatively weak and doesn't find its footing. I came to love Dray and Delia of Vallia, though, in the course of this very lengthy (and rich and delightful and imaginative) series on Daw Books.
October 21, 2011
I'm curious where the author is going with this. There's obviously some form of plan afoot: the relationship and possible rivalry between the Savanti and the Star Lords and their manipulation of affairs on the planet Kregan, and the mysterious prophecy alluded to when Prescot provides a forbidden healing to Delia.
January 26, 2016
If you are a John Carter of Mars fan or enjoy the "displaced person on another world" then this series is for you. The books run in long story arcs so you can read just a few to complete a plot line or go for the whole set. Akers creates a very complex world for the hero to adventure in. Recommended
March 6, 2016
Great adventure story similar to Burroughs. Finding himself on a strange world Dray Prescot does everything possible to stay alive and near his new found love. Awesome fun cannot wait to read the others.
June 14, 2022
I finished Akers' Transit to Scorpio. While very derivative of ESB's Barsoom stories, it was at least a rollicking bit of light entertainment.
When I was a kid, my parents moved to a house that still had a bunch of stuff from the previous residents in it. In a room that also featured a life-size Mark Spitz poster, there were a bunch of books that I was curious about, but didn't touch because they weren't mine (even if the previous owner had left them behind). Years later, I got to thinking about those books again. I didn't know the title or author; all I remembered were the covers, that they would've been published before 1985, and that they were published by DAW Books. Armed with that information, I finally was able to track down the first in the series.
When I was a kid, my parents moved to a house that still had a bunch of stuff from the previous residents in it. In a room that also featured a life-size Mark Spitz poster, there were a bunch of books that I was curious about, but didn't touch because they weren't mine (even if the previous owner had left them behind). Years later, I got to thinking about those books again. I didn't know the title or author; all I remembered were the covers, that they would've been published before 1985, and that they were published by DAW Books. Armed with that information, I finally was able to track down the first in the series.
May 31, 2011
The first volume in the Dray of Prescott series, the tale of an eighteenth century man drawn to the world of Kregen, circling the star Antares four hundred light years away. He is first brought there by the Star Lords as an audition for champion.
He first meets the lady that will be his love of his life, Delia of The Blue Mountains a girl with a crippled foot. There is the means to heal her, springs with healing properties that he'd bathed in, giving him a thousand years of robust health. A bath once every thousand could keep potentially alive near forever. He could be killed in combat, which was an every day occurrence.
The book establishes his rise to power after a return to Earth, and back to Kregen among the plains warrior clans, his slavery for a time, bound to the spoiled Princess Natema resulting in a misunderstanding with Delia.
Both parties didn't realize the other loved them. Things are finally resolved.
Almost.
The series ran for fifty-two novels, only thirty-seven published in this country. The rest appeared in German, though ebooks of English translations of a half dozen or so were released in the nineties. Those seem no longer to be available.
He first meets the lady that will be his love of his life, Delia of The Blue Mountains a girl with a crippled foot. There is the means to heal her, springs with healing properties that he'd bathed in, giving him a thousand years of robust health. A bath once every thousand could keep potentially alive near forever. He could be killed in combat, which was an every day occurrence.
The book establishes his rise to power after a return to Earth, and back to Kregen among the plains warrior clans, his slavery for a time, bound to the spoiled Princess Natema resulting in a misunderstanding with Delia.
Both parties didn't realize the other loved them. Things are finally resolved.
Almost.
The series ran for fifty-two novels, only thirty-seven published in this country. The rest appeared in German, though ebooks of English translations of a half dozen or so were released in the nineties. Those seem no longer to be available.
July 26, 2008
This is the first in the series, though not the first one I read. I actually think some of the later books were better than this one, but it gets a five because it introduces the whole series and the main character, Dray Prescot, an earthman who is transported to the world of Kregen.
June 23, 2024
Bit of an odd duck of a book to read but it was OK.
Reminded me of a scifi/fantasy story I read as a teen (can't remember title nor author).
Reminded me of a scifi/fantasy story I read as a teen (can't remember title nor author).
July 5, 2019
So why did I throw a planetary romance/adventure on my phone? Because there's a part of me that like exploring sub genres in depth. I read all of the John Carter books, and I know I have to get to Gullivar Jones, but...
What the hell is so good about the Dray Prescot books that over 40 of them got written? My initial thought is that they kept making money for the publisher. Cynical-just a bit.
I will say I think Akers makes Prescot a more interesting character than Carter. By giving the reader some background as to Prescot's life on Earth before the unscientific transit to Kregan, it makes Prescot more well rounded than Carter. All we know about Carter is that he was a Confederate soldier. With Prescot we get some of his life growing up, and his time at sea.
Like Carter though, Prescot falls in love. Nothing wrong with being in love, but she wasn't portrayed very well.
And, how did Prescot become such a good swordsman, better than just about everyone else on Kregan?
What might bring me back for another installment is to see if the plot line about the Star Lords gets played out some more. Otherwise I presume, like the Barsoom tales, it is transit to Kregan, quest for the lover, numerous sword fights...
What the hell is so good about the Dray Prescot books that over 40 of them got written? My initial thought is that they kept making money for the publisher. Cynical-just a bit.
I will say I think Akers makes Prescot a more interesting character than Carter. By giving the reader some background as to Prescot's life on Earth before the unscientific transit to Kregan, it makes Prescot more well rounded than Carter. All we know about Carter is that he was a Confederate soldier. With Prescot we get some of his life growing up, and his time at sea.
Like Carter though, Prescot falls in love. Nothing wrong with being in love, but she wasn't portrayed very well.
And, how did Prescot become such a good swordsman, better than just about everyone else on Kregan?
What might bring me back for another installment is to see if the plot line about the Star Lords gets played out some more. Otherwise I presume, like the Barsoom tales, it is transit to Kregan, quest for the lover, numerous sword fights...
August 9, 2015
Transit to Scorpio is an action packed, bloody story filled with nonstop adventure and surprisingly interesting romance, however I was rather annoyed about halfway through when Delia was kidnapped then rescued then kidnapped then rescued then ran away. It was a bit ridiculous for me to continue reading. But then again that seems to be a common theme with poor old Dray Prescot. He rises from the bottom up to be King of all just to be plucked right out of existence and sent somewhere else to start all over again. 1 out of 52 [plus 2 short stories] is under my belt. I think I can and will devour the next few books in line in an attempt to pique my continual interest in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2024
One of the better takes on John Carter type novels. It's also funny that it takes the piss out of John Norman's Gor; it's like a literary diss track.
July 23, 2023
I started this because I'd stumbled across it, apparently there are a zillion in the series, and I was surprised I'd never heard of it. (Possibly because it is never mentioned in 10 best lists ... or 100 bests ... or 1000 you should read before you die lists ... for good reason).
It starts stupidly. Many books of this kind will simply begin something like "Hi, I'm the hero, this happened to me," and often times you get a narrator claiming the tale is real with something like "Hi, I stumbled across this manuscript, and in this manuscript it says "Hi, I'm the hero, this happened to me,"" ... but I've literally never seen such unnecessary complexity as this book's onset, which boils down to "Hi, I have this friend, my friend said "Hi, I know a guy, and that guy said "Hi, I met a person, and that person said "Hi, I'm the hero, this happened to me.""""
Nuts! That doesn't make it seem any more real, that reminds me how firmly set in made-up land all this must be.
And then the hero gets sent to Antares, for no reason at all (so far as I can tell yet). Even Tarl of Gor got set to Gor 'cause the priest-kings wanted him there, which doesn't improve my suspension of disbelief any.
In the middle of Transit to Scorpio there's an escape of the slaves from the Pits, which suffer badly in comparison to (speaking of Gor) Outlaw of Gor's similar escape of the slaves from the Pits, which must gall the author since he dislikes the Gor series enough to smash the 4th wall early on by having character moan and groan about the people of Gah and how repugnant their culture is. Well, sure. I agree. But John Norman knows how to stage action sequences, and you don't, so there. Comparing this book to the Gor series is like comparing a Steven Seagal straight-to-video action thriller to Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible series. There's a vast gulf in quality, whatever one might think of the Gor culture.
And for all the fuffing about Gor, the author eventually takes us to a palace where the slave girls wear pearls and very little else, and Dray Prescot himself is forced to disrobe and display his presumably enticing musculature. I'm also irritated because of coincidences. It's one thing to bump into people one knows as one travels around a smallish kingdom, but quite another thing to bump into them, twice so far, on a different continent on a largish planet. I find it unlikely.
The main character fails to ask important questions (where is this place, why am I hear, how does everything work in your culture, etc. etc.) but becomes expert on other things far too quickly. The world building is ludicrous, the kind your 7-year-old might do, where Mastodons mingle with six-legged imaginary creatures, half the people and places have made up fantasy names and the other half sound German, and everyone calls the main character "Dray Prescot" (never "Dray") and don't seem to notice he's from another planet, and he doesn't mention it.
(I think of "Dray Prescot" as what I call as Charlie Brown Name, when a character is consistently referred to by both and last names. I should keep an actual list, as my mental list mostly consists entirely of "Chloe Brown Mueller" from the TV show American Housewife and I'm sure there are better examples.)
As I purchased this for my Kindle as part of a 5-part collection, and other reviews suggest it gets better, I may delve into the next story if I'm in the mood, but I'm in no rush.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
It starts stupidly. Many books of this kind will simply begin something like "Hi, I'm the hero, this happened to me," and often times you get a narrator claiming the tale is real with something like "Hi, I stumbled across this manuscript, and in this manuscript it says "Hi, I'm the hero, this happened to me,"" ... but I've literally never seen such unnecessary complexity as this book's onset, which boils down to "Hi, I have this friend, my friend said "Hi, I know a guy, and that guy said "Hi, I met a person, and that person said "Hi, I'm the hero, this happened to me.""""
Nuts! That doesn't make it seem any more real, that reminds me how firmly set in made-up land all this must be.
And then the hero gets sent to Antares, for no reason at all (so far as I can tell yet). Even Tarl of Gor got set to Gor 'cause the priest-kings wanted him there, which doesn't improve my suspension of disbelief any.
In the middle of Transit to Scorpio there's an escape of the slaves from the Pits, which suffer badly in comparison to (speaking of Gor) Outlaw of Gor's similar escape of the slaves from the Pits, which must gall the author since he dislikes the Gor series enough to smash the 4th wall early on by having character moan and groan about the people of Gah and how repugnant their culture is. Well, sure. I agree. But John Norman knows how to stage action sequences, and you don't, so there. Comparing this book to the Gor series is like comparing a Steven Seagal straight-to-video action thriller to Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible series. There's a vast gulf in quality, whatever one might think of the Gor culture.
And for all the fuffing about Gor, the author eventually takes us to a palace where the slave girls wear pearls and very little else, and Dray Prescot himself is forced to disrobe and display his presumably enticing musculature. I'm also irritated because of coincidences. It's one thing to bump into people one knows as one travels around a smallish kingdom, but quite another thing to bump into them, twice so far, on a different continent on a largish planet. I find it unlikely.
The main character fails to ask important questions (where is this place, why am I hear, how does everything work in your culture, etc. etc.) but becomes expert on other things far too quickly. The world building is ludicrous, the kind your 7-year-old might do, where Mastodons mingle with six-legged imaginary creatures, half the people and places have made up fantasy names and the other half sound German, and everyone calls the main character "Dray Prescot" (never "Dray") and don't seem to notice he's from another planet, and he doesn't mention it.
(I think of "Dray Prescot" as what I call as Charlie Brown Name, when a character is consistently referred to by both and last names. I should keep an actual list, as my mental list mostly consists entirely of "Chloe Brown Mueller" from the TV show American Housewife and I'm sure there are better examples.)
As I purchased this for my Kindle as part of a 5-part collection, and other reviews suggest it gets better, I may delve into the next story if I'm in the mood, but I'm in no rush.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
June 17, 2019
A pretty "meh" planetary romance/sword and planet novel. It's 100% what you expect with the typical 70s novel of the genre--all too perfect hero (can defeat anyone or anything in combat, all women love him, amazing strategist, etc.), random swashbuckling and rescuing (mainly princesses), and plenty of other cliches.
Transit to Scorpio basically IS a John Carter novel, so close is the homage/rip-off of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels. There's absolutely nothing original or particularly interesting about this novel as the hero dashes about being amazing.
Well, I guess it's original that one city is described, without irony, as the Swinging City, because you mostly get around by swinging on anti-gravity zip lines. Which I guess is kind of interesting, especially when young hot rodders annoy the adults with near collisions and tomfoolery on the zip lines. Those crazy kids!
It's hard to imagine there are 30+ more books in this series, or what, if anything, unique happens in them, given this start. I'd say you are much better off sticking with Burroughs, Andre Norton, C.J. Cherryh, and even Lin Carter (who was also basically re-writing Burroughs).
Happily, Alan Burt Akers (a.k.a. Kenneth Bulmer) comes out strongly against slavery in the novel (well, his hero does, repeatedly). You wouldn't think that'd even be necessary, except Burroughs never really did--Carter was a Confederate, remember--so that was cool of Akers to rectify.
Transit to Scorpio basically IS a John Carter novel, so close is the homage/rip-off of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels. There's absolutely nothing original or particularly interesting about this novel as the hero dashes about being amazing.
Well, I guess it's original that one city is described, without irony, as the Swinging City, because you mostly get around by swinging on anti-gravity zip lines. Which I guess is kind of interesting, especially when young hot rodders annoy the adults with near collisions and tomfoolery on the zip lines. Those crazy kids!
It's hard to imagine there are 30+ more books in this series, or what, if anything, unique happens in them, given this start. I'd say you are much better off sticking with Burroughs, Andre Norton, C.J. Cherryh, and even Lin Carter (who was also basically re-writing Burroughs).
Happily, Alan Burt Akers (a.k.a. Kenneth Bulmer) comes out strongly against slavery in the novel (well, his hero does, repeatedly). You wouldn't think that'd even be necessary, except Burroughs never really did--Carter was a Confederate, remember--so that was cool of Akers to rectify.
January 8, 2025
Dray Prescot is transported to the planet Kregen via a mystical scorpion where he bounces from civilization to civilization. Scarcely do we get acquainted with one civilization and he is ejected to become either a warlord or slave in the next. Sometimes it seems that Akers forgets that a character is accompanying Prescot and then remembers to insert him into the story later.
The love interest is Delia of the Blue Mountains, who has a twisted leg when first he encounters her. He jeopardizes his position with the people who brought him to the planet and unlawfully bathes in a healing bath that gifts the bather with great strength, health, and a thousand years of life.
After that, they are kept apart by the vast voids of space, wars, slavery, and then finally a bone-headed misunderstanding (a trope of the sword & science-fiction genre). In this case, Delia thinks that he loves the princess who enslaved him, and Dray thinks that Delia hates him because he failed to keep her safe from becoming a slave. I wasn't quite sure of his reasoning.
There is plenty of sword fighting to keep things moving along. The prose is so dense with Kregen terms that sometimes it is almost like reading a novel in a different language.
The love interest is Delia of the Blue Mountains, who has a twisted leg when first he encounters her. He jeopardizes his position with the people who brought him to the planet and unlawfully bathes in a healing bath that gifts the bather with great strength, health, and a thousand years of life.
After that, they are kept apart by the vast voids of space, wars, slavery, and then finally a bone-headed misunderstanding (a trope of the sword & science-fiction genre). In this case, Delia thinks that he loves the princess who enslaved him, and Dray thinks that Delia hates him because he failed to keep her safe from becoming a slave. I wasn't quite sure of his reasoning.
There is plenty of sword fighting to keep things moving along. The prose is so dense with Kregen terms that sometimes it is almost like reading a novel in a different language.
October 27, 2025
I grew up reading A-list sci-fi authors like Asimov and Clarke but I realised I missed out on some good B-list authors from back in the day and I've been making an effort to read some of these older works that passed me by.
When I found out that Alan Burt Akers was a pseudonym for Kenneth Bulmer, someone on my B-list, I thought I'd give this book a go.
After a page or two it's clear that this is pulpy garbage. I don't mind a bit of pulp sci-fi but this was written in 1972 and brings nothing new to the genre that wasn't already there in 1922. There is a total lack of imagination, merely a catalogue of slight random variations on standard sword-and-planet cliches. (Putting a cat head on a human body isn't inventiveness unless you actually do something with the idea.)
Anyway, I kept going and a third of the way through I realised I'd made a mistake. The author on my B-list was Keith Laumer, not Kenneth Bulmer. (My excuse: They're both "Ke*th *u*mer"!) I don't know who Kenneth Bulmer is - except that he writes derivative pulp sci-fi.
I did get to the end though, so I can say that no matter how bad this book is, it's better than Wuthering Heights.
Still, I am slightly curious to know if Prescot ever gets back to Aphrasoe...
BTW You can buy this book DRM-free.
When I found out that Alan Burt Akers was a pseudonym for Kenneth Bulmer, someone on my B-list, I thought I'd give this book a go.
After a page or two it's clear that this is pulpy garbage. I don't mind a bit of pulp sci-fi but this was written in 1972 and brings nothing new to the genre that wasn't already there in 1922. There is a total lack of imagination, merely a catalogue of slight random variations on standard sword-and-planet cliches. (Putting a cat head on a human body isn't inventiveness unless you actually do something with the idea.)
Anyway, I kept going and a third of the way through I realised I'd made a mistake. The author on my B-list was Keith Laumer, not Kenneth Bulmer. (My excuse: They're both "Ke*th *u*mer"!) I don't know who Kenneth Bulmer is - except that he writes derivative pulp sci-fi.
I did get to the end though, so I can say that no matter how bad this book is, it's better than Wuthering Heights.
Still, I am slightly curious to know if Prescot ever gets back to Aphrasoe...
BTW You can buy this book DRM-free.
November 26, 2020
I just don't see the appeal. This is a book from the 1970s that you'd swear was written in the 1930s. It just doesn't hold up to modern scrutiny. Why not just read athentic older science fiction like John Carter or Buck Rogers instead of an updated mimic? Those at least have greater significance and/or charm.
The setting isn't really explored in any satisfying way. You're basically just told there are wonders to behold, and just expected to accept that. Very old fashioned with cutting corners or telling and not showing. The characters are practically non-existent. I struggle to really get a real sense of even the main character. Women characters just end up fawning over him for some reason. Secondary characters all blend together. The different enemies as well.
Finally, the plot should have some level of epicness to it, but it just doesn't. The man goes from a solo wondered to having a roaming army to rival Genghis Khan in the span of a couple pages without much difficulty. Shouldn't that feel a bit more grand? Maybe it shouldn't because the protagonist doesn't seem to give a crap about it, why should we?
It boggles the mind that there are 40+ books in this series.
The setting isn't really explored in any satisfying way. You're basically just told there are wonders to behold, and just expected to accept that. Very old fashioned with cutting corners or telling and not showing. The characters are practically non-existent. I struggle to really get a real sense of even the main character. Women characters just end up fawning over him for some reason. Secondary characters all blend together. The different enemies as well.
Finally, the plot should have some level of epicness to it, but it just doesn't. The man goes from a solo wondered to having a roaming army to rival Genghis Khan in the span of a couple pages without much difficulty. Shouldn't that feel a bit more grand? Maybe it shouldn't because the protagonist doesn't seem to give a crap about it, why should we?
It boggles the mind that there are 40+ books in this series.
January 21, 2019
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. This was clearly modeled after Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter novels, but the author added his own touches and clearly had fun imagining this book. Instead of John Carter and Dejah Thoris the princess of mars we have Dray Prescot and Delia of the Blue Mountains ... who we also learn by the end of the book is herself a princess. There are several story threads and a lot is left hanging at the end of this, which is the first book in a very long series. I will most certainly be reading more in the future.
My one bother is the odd prose style that rises up a little too often.
My enjoyment was enhanced by pen and ink sketches by Tim Kirk scattered through the book.
My one bother is the odd prose style that rises up a little too often.
My enjoyment was enhanced by pen and ink sketches by Tim Kirk scattered through the book.
May 4, 2020
WYSIWYG.
I was looking for some books like the Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure/science fiction/fantasy books that I read many years ago. Well here it is.
I don't know if this contains spoilers because you know what's going to happen before you start reading.
The transport to another world is just as mysterious as John Carter. The frustrated love story of two people that can't communicate is just like, John Carter, David Inns, Tarzan and several other Burroughs characters.
The ending was similar to A Princess of Mars and At the Earth's Core.
However, It was fun and I am reading the next in the series.
I was looking for some books like the Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure/science fiction/fantasy books that I read many years ago. Well here it is.
I don't know if this contains spoilers because you know what's going to happen before you start reading.
The transport to another world is just as mysterious as John Carter. The frustrated love story of two people that can't communicate is just like, John Carter, David Inns, Tarzan and several other Burroughs characters.
The ending was similar to A Princess of Mars and At the Earth's Core.
However, It was fun and I am reading the next in the series.
December 29, 2023
The first in a lengthy series of sword and planet adventures. Very much like John Carter with some of the rough racial elements toned down. The prose style is only slightly more modern than the Burroughs nineteen-teens style which is interesting as a throwback, but not my preference. I'm curious to see if there will be more interesting ideas brought to the table in the subsequent books. There must be something interesting to sustain the 20-someodd sequels, but there's no major hook in this book to get me excited to read the rest.
August 6, 2018
Quite disjointed; he’s abruptly doing something else, without explanation, rather a lot. Or he’s skipping over a decade in the mines, or whatnot, all of a sudden. And it doesn’t really make any sense, most of the time. Complete absence of an overall story apart from ‘stuff happens’. When he remembers to have a plot at all, it’s quite blatantly cribbed from the Barsoomian Mars books. But there are some lovely passages of prose in there.
September 10, 2019
Interesting ideas, but incredibly boring. There is no point. A guy is magically transported back and forth across the galaxy, for no apparent reason. The guy can do no wrong and is the best at everything he does.
Finally, a little over halfway through, I decided I just didn't care anymore and I put the book down. No doubt another completely random situation was about to arise that fearless Dray Prescot would quickly overcome with his overwhelming awesomeness. Yawn.
Finally, a little over halfway through, I decided I just didn't care anymore and I put the book down. No doubt another completely random situation was about to arise that fearless Dray Prescot would quickly overcome with his overwhelming awesomeness. Yawn.
February 21, 2024
Sorry, but this age badly, the writing is terribly repetitive, with the narrator reminding us over and over again of his name, "I, Dray Drescot", as if we might have forgoten his name it the last twenty pages or so.
The whole set-up feels like a carbon copy of John Norman's Gor nevels (or vice versa, not sure which one is older).
Frankly I'm surprised it managed to run up over fifty installments.
The whole set-up feels like a carbon copy of John Norman's Gor nevels (or vice versa, not sure which one is older).
Frankly I'm surprised it managed to run up over fifty installments.
May 6, 2017
Not sure how I found this and I'm not about to buy the next one. It's a cardboard cut out of several basic tropes and having read God of Mars, I'm struck by the similarities and the fact this one is bad by comparison. The author is clearly trying to write in a classic sci-fi style but he just didn't quite manage to follow through for me.
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