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Dumarest of Terra #30
Symbol of Terra
Dumarest -- — Clues from Angado, clues from the lady Govinda, clues of all types, all leading to the lost planet called Earth. But the clues all led first to a collector of ancient wisdom name Tama Chenault. For Dumarest, that was sufficient. — But Chenault turned out to be a wily and eccentric man in a planet of feuding nobility. He had assembled a group of strange oodballs about him, he defied the customs of the entrenched powers -- and he took Dumarest under his banner. He would reveal the whereabouts of Earth as the reward for Dumarest's allegiance.
Once again Dumarest was pitted against a doubting and hostile world. Once again he had the rare opportunity of winning for himself not only life and safety but the road to legendary Terra.
Once again Dumarest was pitted against a doubting and hostile world. Once again he had the rare opportunity of winning for himself not only life and safety but the road to legendary Terra.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 4, 1984
4 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
E.C. Tubb
383 books85 followersEdwin Charles Tubb was a writer of science fiction, fantasy and western novels. He published over 140 novels and 230 short stories and novellas, and is best known for The Dumarest Saga (US collective title: Dumarest of Terra) an epic science-fiction saga set in the far future.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 2, 2026
A bit slapdash perhaps, but quite the mysterious and deadly setting for which Earl has some interesting theories. He seems to be a bit worse for the wear by the end, ever so briefly reconsidering his dogged pursuit of Earth but realizing, sadly, he has nothing else for which to live.
February 15, 2026
The final trifecta of books in the run-up to the finale ("Symbol of Terra", "The Temple of Truth", and "The Return") are far and away the best of the Dumarest series.
Yes, there's still the ubiquitous fair maidens that all more-or-less fall madly in loooOooOoooove with our hunky hero. There's the obligatory Cyclan baddies who always seem to only work alone or maybe with a Cyclan-in-training in tow. And of course the inevitable heartbreak and/or betrayals that keep our homeboy Earl always single and ready to mingle (and increasingly paranoid).
But this final set of books have the energy and vibe to truly have the focus of the plot mirror the focus of Earl: Earth.
No silly side-quests.Each of these books actively stay focused on the entire M.O. of the series: having our boy Earl make solid progress to make his way home.
No walking-in-place storylines that barely-if-at-all move things forward.
No distracting escort missions for the various semi-helpless Damsels-in-Distress.
No "So-and-so's step half cousin twice removed has a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend that one time mentioned the word 'Earth' in a remote corner of a remote planet and therefore must be investigated as a clue!" tenuous AF plots.
Yes, there's still the ubiquitous fair maidens that all more-or-less fall madly in loooOooOoooove with our hunky hero. There's the obligatory Cyclan baddies who always seem to only work alone or maybe with a Cyclan-in-training in tow. And of course the inevitable heartbreak and/or betrayals that keep our homeboy Earl always single and ready to mingle (and increasingly paranoid).
But this final set of books have the energy and vibe to truly have the focus of the plot mirror the focus of Earl: Earth.
November 22, 2020
One of my favorite volumes.
Full review of the series in the last volume.
Full review of the series in the last volume.
December 25, 2014
Earl Dumarest has found a man who may be able to tell him the location of a world that no one believes is anything but a myth: Earth - a world that is not on any of the star charts and who would name a world after dirt anyway?
Of course the Cyclan are close on his heels, people want to kill him, lovely women want to seduce him and a chance exists for him to display his formidable talents. Vintage Earl Dumarest story.
As a young teenager, about twelve I think, newly introduced to sci-fi and absolutely in love with the genera I came across one of the Dumarest saga books in a second hand bookshop somewhere in the middle east. It was a major event. I am not sure which one it was because it was so long ago, I think it might have been 'The Winds of Gath' but I read them, loved them, and then mostly forgot them as one does with teenage infatuations.
Of course the Cyclan are close on his heels, people want to kill him, lovely women want to seduce him and a chance exists for him to display his formidable talents. Vintage Earl Dumarest story.
As a young teenager, about twelve I think, newly introduced to sci-fi and absolutely in love with the genera I came across one of the Dumarest saga books in a second hand bookshop somewhere in the middle east. It was a major event. I am not sure which one it was because it was so long ago, I think it might have been 'The Winds of Gath' but I read them, loved them, and then mostly forgot them as one does with teenage infatuations.
October 21, 2016
More hope that Dumarest will get home to earth. It is like a carrot on a stick for the donkey. However, the journey is still gripping enough. Some books better than others which feel like filler. This one was good. I read that Tubb wanted to take all thirty books and condense them into ten cutting out a lot of repetition. That could have been used as a template for a movie series. He died in 2010 before he could do it.
January 20, 2012
The Earl Dumarest series veers away from the formula again with this novel. The location of Earth is within his grasp again, and the Cyclan on his trail. But hey, let's stop off for the planet where you get eternal life!
A pretty good novel, never boring and certainly better than average amongst the others in the series.
A pretty good novel, never boring and certainly better than average amongst the others in the series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews