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Green Star #1
Under the Green Star
On Earth, life held for him only the fate of a recluse--confined to daydreams and the lore of ancient wonders but apparently destined never to share them--until he found the formula that let him cross space to the world of the Green Star. There, appearing in the body of a fabled hero, he is to experience all that his heroic fantasies had yearned for. A princess to be saved . . . an invader to be thwarted . . . and otherworldly monsters to be faced! A thrilling adventure in the grand tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs, as only Lin Carter can tell it! This edition includes an afterword by Lin Carter.
124 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1972
22 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Lin Carter
416 books171 followersLin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
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June 3, 2020
DAW Collectors #30
Cover Artist: Tim Kirk
Name: Carter, Linwood Vrooman
Alternate Names: H. P. Lowcraft, Grail Undwin
Interplanetary Adventure tales, it would be that the World of the Green Star (WotGS) has many
In the book there are geographic and plot similarities with Egar Rice Burroughs Amtor. In both, the hero (unnamed on the "UotG" and Carson Napier on Amtor or Venus) from Earth, lands on the portion of the cloud-shrouded planet rearing city-bearing forests with a civilization or city (the Laonese of Phaolon on UotGS) and the Vepajans of Kooaad on Amtor) in dire need of succor. And naturally, there is a princess (Duare/Niamph) to be saved and her heart and hand won.
Both Carson Napier and Lord Chong (Chongaphon tai-Vena-Vena) soon fall from a tree and are saved by the web of a giant spider (xoph on the World of the Green Star and targo on Amtor). It is later learned that these gigantic forests cover only a small portion of the planet and the action does extend to oceans and far-off lands. The geography of both planets seem compatible. So much so that I bet Den Valdron could write an essay claiming that both worlds are in fact, one and the same. Naturally the difference in solar systems would have to be explained.
it is probably noted that neither our adventurer from Earth or the planet he visits, are named. Only the astrally/spiritually inhabited body of the in-stasis hero (Lord Chong) is named and Carter keeps referring to the planet as the 'World of the Green Star'. Strange that not one civilization would have a name for their world. similar to Andre Norton's Witch World in this regard.
Visually, the cover for "Under the Green Star" is stunning.
Carter was extremely prolific, publishing an average of 6 books a year in the late 1960s. He was a self promoter, often citing his own writings in his nonfiction and always including his own pieces in the anthologies he edited. His work is often considered derivative, something he himself readily admitted, often identifying his models in the introduction of his novels.
Cover Artist: Tim Kirk
Name: Carter, Linwood Vrooman
Alternate Names: H. P. Lowcraft, Grail Undwin
Interplanetary Adventure tales, it would be that the World of the Green Star (WotGS) has many
In the book there are geographic and plot similarities with Egar Rice Burroughs Amtor. In both, the hero (unnamed on the "UotG" and Carson Napier on Amtor or Venus) from Earth, lands on the portion of the cloud-shrouded planet rearing city-bearing forests with a civilization or city (the Laonese of Phaolon on UotGS) and the Vepajans of Kooaad on Amtor) in dire need of succor. And naturally, there is a princess (Duare/Niamph) to be saved and her heart and hand won.
Both Carson Napier and Lord Chong (Chongaphon tai-Vena-Vena) soon fall from a tree and are saved by the web of a giant spider (xoph on the World of the Green Star and targo on Amtor). It is later learned that these gigantic forests cover only a small portion of the planet and the action does extend to oceans and far-off lands. The geography of both planets seem compatible. So much so that I bet Den Valdron could write an essay claiming that both worlds are in fact, one and the same. Naturally the difference in solar systems would have to be explained.
it is probably noted that neither our adventurer from Earth or the planet he visits, are named. Only the astrally/spiritually inhabited body of the in-stasis hero (Lord Chong) is named and Carter keeps referring to the planet as the 'World of the Green Star'. Strange that not one civilization would have a name for their world. similar to Andre Norton's Witch World in this regard.
Visually, the cover for "Under the Green Star" is stunning.
Carter was extremely prolific, publishing an average of 6 books a year in the late 1960s. He was a self promoter, often citing his own writings in his nonfiction and always including his own pieces in the anthologies he edited. His work is often considered derivative, something he himself readily admitted, often identifying his models in the introduction of his novels.
April 12, 2019
My fascination with pulp science-fiction and fantasy novels continues, as I take up Lin Carter’s “Green Star” series for some nice pre-summertime reading. This is a five-volume set that I read when I was much younger, and it’s been fun to reacquire the series. I went ahead and collected all of the original DAW paperback printings because I have such a fondness for the care that Donald Wollheim put into his pressings. All of these books have great cover art along with some full-page line art that captures the action in the story perfectly. DAW put out a LOT of Lin Carter’s work in the 1970s, and I’m glad that they kept his writing available to a small but devoted following, of which I am proud to be a part of.
Lin Carter’s Wikipedia page has a decently accurate description of his life and works. You can follow this link if you’d like more information on him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Carter
My fascination with Carter revolves around his abilities as a writer of pastiches. He never really developed an original writing style (with a couple of notable exceptions), preferring instead to write pieces that were imitative of various other authors of fantasy and speculative fiction. Carter was fond of Robert Howard and H. P. Lovecraft, for example, and could riff on their writing techniques with gusto. The “Green Star” series is slightly different, in that Carter used Edgar Rice Burroughs as an inspiration rather than as a model. As a result, the series comes across as much more of an homage than an outright imitation. It’s obvious that Carter used Burrough’s “Mars” titles as a starting point, but he takes careful pains to avoid ripping them off wholesale. The end result is an action-adventure series on a far-flung world that seems at once familiar yet different enough that it could reasonably be called original.
The first book in the series is titled “Under the Green Star,” and it provides a lot of the necessary background information that sets the stage for the rest of the sequels. The main protagonist is never named in the book, you only know him by the names of his alter-egos on the world of the Green Star. On Earth he is crippled by polio, his body broken. At the age of thirty, he is rich enough to live in comfort, yet restless for adventure. He obtains a book of Eastern mysticism, purported to contain the instructions for astral travel, and he studies the art until one night he is able to project his consciousness outward to the stars. He makes a stop on Mars, and in an obvious poke at Burroughs finds the remains of a long-dead civilization. His attention is drawn to a mysterious green star high in the Martian sky, and he lets his consciousness drift towards that distant sun. He finds himself near a huge, cloud-shrouded planet orbiting the green star. Allowing himself to probe the depths of the cloud cover, he finds himself witnessing a strange caravan of people moving through immense trees the size of mountains. A royal reception of some sort is about to happen.
It is obvious to our hero that something important is going on, though he cannot interact or communicate with any of the denizens of the strange new world in his astral form. As the events in the heights of the gigantic tree begin to get more strained, the floating consciousness of our protagonist is compelled to find himself entering the preserved body of some long-dead hero of past ages, a human relic of the tree-dwelling civilization. He finds himself come to sudden physical life, an alien imposter housed in the flesh of some mighty swordsman of yore. From there the story takes off, and you will get no spoilers from me. Suffice to say that there is plenty of action, mystery, a romantic triangle, and enough swordplay and suspense and treachery to keep any fan of pulp fantasy happy and content. It’s a short novel that moves along at breakneck speed. You can knock this thing out in a couple of hours and still catch that rerun of “John Carter” that you had been planning to watch.
This is not high literary fiction, it’s not meant to be anything but what it is…..a full-on pulp adventure for folks like me who have aged well, but never bothered to grow up. I can never seem to get enough of these types of paperback gems from the recesses of the racks. The pages may be yellowing a bit, but the stories are still crisp and timeless. Thank you, Linwood Carter, for providing me with a couple of hours of fantastic fun in the high tradition of Barsoom and Tarzan. You would have made Edgar Rice Burroughs proud with this reverent tribute to his oeuvre.
Lin Carter’s Wikipedia page has a decently accurate description of his life and works. You can follow this link if you’d like more information on him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Carter
My fascination with Carter revolves around his abilities as a writer of pastiches. He never really developed an original writing style (with a couple of notable exceptions), preferring instead to write pieces that were imitative of various other authors of fantasy and speculative fiction. Carter was fond of Robert Howard and H. P. Lovecraft, for example, and could riff on their writing techniques with gusto. The “Green Star” series is slightly different, in that Carter used Edgar Rice Burroughs as an inspiration rather than as a model. As a result, the series comes across as much more of an homage than an outright imitation. It’s obvious that Carter used Burrough’s “Mars” titles as a starting point, but he takes careful pains to avoid ripping them off wholesale. The end result is an action-adventure series on a far-flung world that seems at once familiar yet different enough that it could reasonably be called original.
The first book in the series is titled “Under the Green Star,” and it provides a lot of the necessary background information that sets the stage for the rest of the sequels. The main protagonist is never named in the book, you only know him by the names of his alter-egos on the world of the Green Star. On Earth he is crippled by polio, his body broken. At the age of thirty, he is rich enough to live in comfort, yet restless for adventure. He obtains a book of Eastern mysticism, purported to contain the instructions for astral travel, and he studies the art until one night he is able to project his consciousness outward to the stars. He makes a stop on Mars, and in an obvious poke at Burroughs finds the remains of a long-dead civilization. His attention is drawn to a mysterious green star high in the Martian sky, and he lets his consciousness drift towards that distant sun. He finds himself near a huge, cloud-shrouded planet orbiting the green star. Allowing himself to probe the depths of the cloud cover, he finds himself witnessing a strange caravan of people moving through immense trees the size of mountains. A royal reception of some sort is about to happen.
It is obvious to our hero that something important is going on, though he cannot interact or communicate with any of the denizens of the strange new world in his astral form. As the events in the heights of the gigantic tree begin to get more strained, the floating consciousness of our protagonist is compelled to find himself entering the preserved body of some long-dead hero of past ages, a human relic of the tree-dwelling civilization. He finds himself come to sudden physical life, an alien imposter housed in the flesh of some mighty swordsman of yore. From there the story takes off, and you will get no spoilers from me. Suffice to say that there is plenty of action, mystery, a romantic triangle, and enough swordplay and suspense and treachery to keep any fan of pulp fantasy happy and content. It’s a short novel that moves along at breakneck speed. You can knock this thing out in a couple of hours and still catch that rerun of “John Carter” that you had been planning to watch.
This is not high literary fiction, it’s not meant to be anything but what it is…..a full-on pulp adventure for folks like me who have aged well, but never bothered to grow up. I can never seem to get enough of these types of paperback gems from the recesses of the racks. The pages may be yellowing a bit, but the stories are still crisp and timeless. Thank you, Linwood Carter, for providing me with a couple of hours of fantastic fun in the high tradition of Barsoom and Tarzan. You would have made Edgar Rice Burroughs proud with this reverent tribute to his oeuvre.
July 18, 2011
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Under the Green Star is Lin Carter’s homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs and it’s a quick, fun, exciting adventure with some terrific scenery. Our hero (who’s telling the story in first person) was crippled by polio when he was a child and, as an adult, he’s confined to a wheelchair. He’s wealthy, though, so he has managed to get hold of an ancient scroll that describes the lost Tibetan science of eckankar — soul travel. After years of studying, he manages to free his soul from his crippled body so that he can explore the Earth... and beyond!
It’s not long before he finds himself on a green star which supports a beautiful land where people live in the trees and ride dragonflies. When he gets too close to the crystal-encased tomb of one of their ancient heroes, his soul is sucked into the hero’s body which then comes back to life, fulfilling one of their prophecies. He is now the protector of their beautiful princess and, in his new and vigorous body, he has adventures.
Under the Green Star will likely feel derivative to readers who’ve read a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I haven’t, but it did remind me of several other works I’m familiar with: Abraham Merritt’s The Moon Pool (both the story and the writing style are very similar), John Norman’s Gor stories (Earth man becomes a hero on another planet) and Stephen R. Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series (diseased Earth man become a hero in a beautiful land).
The best part of Under the Green Star is the setting: a spectacular shady world with trees that have branches as wide as highways (or maybe the trees are normal-sized and the people are tiny — our hero never learns which is true). The people live in cities high up in the trees because dangerous monsters live on the floor of the forest.
The story is fast-paced and exciting and easily read in a day. Although it was really fun, there are a couple of problems with Under the Green Star. Foremost is the severely exhausting infuriating redundant extreme overuse of adjectives and descriptors:
"Her face was fine-boned, heart-shaped, exquisite. Beneath delicately arched brows, her eyes were enormous wells of depthless amber flame wherein flakes of gold fire trembled. Thick jetty lashes enshadowed the dark flame of her eyes, but her hair, elaborately teased and twisted and coiffed, was startlingly white: a fantastic confection of frosted sugar, and exquisite construction of spun silver. Her mouth was a luscious rosebud, daintily pink, moistly seductive. A delicate flower of superb and breathtaking loveliness was Niamh the Fair, when first I looked upon her there on the gilt throne, bathed in shafts of somber and ruby light from the hollow dome above."
That makes me want to gag and effortlessly brings me to my next point: that’s about all there is to the princess when our hero decides he’s in love with her. She looks like cotton candy (and her personality’s about as substantial as cotton candy, too). But, what did I expect? I’ve read enough old SFF to know not to expect much more from this type of story. It wasn’t written for me, anyway.
The Kindle version of Under the Green Star is only $2.69 (at this writing) and I was pleased with its quality. I gave the book only a 3 star rating, but because it’s short, fun, and cheap, I recommend it to anyone who wants to further their education in old SFF.
Under the Green Star is Lin Carter’s homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs and it’s a quick, fun, exciting adventure with some terrific scenery. Our hero (who’s telling the story in first person) was crippled by polio when he was a child and, as an adult, he’s confined to a wheelchair. He’s wealthy, though, so he has managed to get hold of an ancient scroll that describes the lost Tibetan science of eckankar — soul travel. After years of studying, he manages to free his soul from his crippled body so that he can explore the Earth... and beyond!
It’s not long before he finds himself on a green star which supports a beautiful land where people live in the trees and ride dragonflies. When he gets too close to the crystal-encased tomb of one of their ancient heroes, his soul is sucked into the hero’s body which then comes back to life, fulfilling one of their prophecies. He is now the protector of their beautiful princess and, in his new and vigorous body, he has adventures.
Under the Green Star will likely feel derivative to readers who’ve read a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I haven’t, but it did remind me of several other works I’m familiar with: Abraham Merritt’s The Moon Pool (both the story and the writing style are very similar), John Norman’s Gor stories (Earth man becomes a hero on another planet) and Stephen R. Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series (diseased Earth man become a hero in a beautiful land).
The best part of Under the Green Star is the setting: a spectacular shady world with trees that have branches as wide as highways (or maybe the trees are normal-sized and the people are tiny — our hero never learns which is true). The people live in cities high up in the trees because dangerous monsters live on the floor of the forest.
The story is fast-paced and exciting and easily read in a day. Although it was really fun, there are a couple of problems with Under the Green Star. Foremost is the severely exhausting infuriating redundant extreme overuse of adjectives and descriptors:
"Her face was fine-boned, heart-shaped, exquisite. Beneath delicately arched brows, her eyes were enormous wells of depthless amber flame wherein flakes of gold fire trembled. Thick jetty lashes enshadowed the dark flame of her eyes, but her hair, elaborately teased and twisted and coiffed, was startlingly white: a fantastic confection of frosted sugar, and exquisite construction of spun silver. Her mouth was a luscious rosebud, daintily pink, moistly seductive. A delicate flower of superb and breathtaking loveliness was Niamh the Fair, when first I looked upon her there on the gilt throne, bathed in shafts of somber and ruby light from the hollow dome above."
That makes me want to gag and effortlessly brings me to my next point: that’s about all there is to the princess when our hero decides he’s in love with her. She looks like cotton candy (and her personality’s about as substantial as cotton candy, too). But, what did I expect? I’ve read enough old SFF to know not to expect much more from this type of story. It wasn’t written for me, anyway.
The Kindle version of Under the Green Star is only $2.69 (at this writing) and I was pleased with its quality. I gave the book only a 3 star rating, but because it’s short, fun, and cheap, I recommend it to anyone who wants to further their education in old SFF.
March 17, 2021
It took me three days to read the novel.
This has only 144 pages and it's a five part story. I have all the DAW novels and the covers are really something. There are also some inside black and white covers that should be mandatory to all books. Really added some value to my experience since this was an alien world it gave me some perspective.
Regarding the story... Have you read any Edgar Rice Burroughs? Alan Akers? Almuric by Robert Howard? or more recently Nathan Long Jane Carver Waar and the sequel Swords Waar?
IF so, you know what's coming.
First of all, let me tell you that this novel was written in the 70's. And now that is out of the way let me tell you another thing - our main protagonist was a victim of Polio and left him incapacitated.
In turn he turn (lol) to books and learn of a book called Kan Chan Ga. In this book it was told about astral projection and since our main protagonist is a crippled he had nothing to lose. Alas it was real and he travelled far and wide, so wide that he went to another planet.
In the far flung universe, a green planet of giant trees miles high he incorporated a body of a sleeping beauty (aka a champion that fell to sleep after a final decisive battle where it was foretold he would return).
Well, as all Sword and Sorcery stories there is a gorgeous babe but alas here lies something that would upset most people because our danzel it's only fourteen (or so) and he speaks of her as stunning beauty...
"I think I fail and falter before the task of descibing such utter perfection of feminine beauty. She was young, a girl a mere child; she looked perhaps fourteen when I saw her first in the Great Hall of Paholon. Slim and graceful as a dancing giurl, with her slight, tip-tilted breasts and long , slender legs..."
I know this is throwing most critics to 1 or 2. But, alas, this is fantasy and you have to thing that way and most 14, 15 in medieval times were already "grown" woman/man. So there's that. When I read fantasy novels I tried to understand that and I try not to judge by our standards.
Well - this is a collection from DAW and all the five books have some interior covers which really enrich the story. Some spoilers are due...
In the end he return to earth, after escaping some enemies and big monsters they return to safe place but he died and return to his own body. The story could have ended there but there are four more books. I am going to read them because they are small and entertaining.
The story isn't new, isn't anything spectacular but it's alright.
This has only 144 pages and it's a five part story. I have all the DAW novels and the covers are really something. There are also some inside black and white covers that should be mandatory to all books. Really added some value to my experience since this was an alien world it gave me some perspective.
Regarding the story... Have you read any Edgar Rice Burroughs? Alan Akers? Almuric by Robert Howard? or more recently Nathan Long Jane Carver Waar and the sequel Swords Waar?
IF so, you know what's coming.
First of all, let me tell you that this novel was written in the 70's. And now that is out of the way let me tell you another thing - our main protagonist was a victim of Polio and left him incapacitated.
In turn he turn (lol) to books and learn of a book called Kan Chan Ga. In this book it was told about astral projection and since our main protagonist is a crippled he had nothing to lose. Alas it was real and he travelled far and wide, so wide that he went to another planet.
In the far flung universe, a green planet of giant trees miles high he incorporated a body of a sleeping beauty (aka a champion that fell to sleep after a final decisive battle where it was foretold he would return).
Well, as all Sword and Sorcery stories there is a gorgeous babe but alas here lies something that would upset most people because our danzel it's only fourteen (or so) and he speaks of her as stunning beauty...
"I think I fail and falter before the task of descibing such utter perfection of feminine beauty. She was young, a girl a mere child; she looked perhaps fourteen when I saw her first in the Great Hall of Paholon. Slim and graceful as a dancing giurl, with her slight, tip-tilted breasts and long , slender legs..."
I know this is throwing most critics to 1 or 2. But, alas, this is fantasy and you have to thing that way and most 14, 15 in medieval times were already "grown" woman/man. So there's that. When I read fantasy novels I tried to understand that and I try not to judge by our standards.
Well - this is a collection from DAW and all the five books have some interior covers which really enrich the story. Some spoilers are due...
In the end he return to earth, after escaping some enemies and big monsters they return to safe place but he died and return to his own body. The story could have ended there but there are four more books. I am going to read them because they are small and entertaining.
The story isn't new, isn't anything spectacular but it's alright.
April 1, 2018
I feel three stars is too few. But that is really what I rate this novel. It was an excellent homage to the Burroughs et al. tradition. Like the practice of ancient Chinese painters - his reproduction of that style is flawless.
No kidding; if I didn't tell the reader who wrote what, and just gave them a chapter, they wouldn't be able to perceive that this is not Burroughs or Howard, et al.
I had a lot of fun with this zippy adventure. And I own book #2, so I can sneak back to see what happens next. However, and this is key, readers can happily and comfortably end their time here - the story is wrapped up sufficiently.
No kidding; if I didn't tell the reader who wrote what, and just gave them a chapter, they wouldn't be able to perceive that this is not Burroughs or Howard, et al.
I had a lot of fun with this zippy adventure. And I own book #2, so I can sneak back to see what happens next. However, and this is key, readers can happily and comfortably end their time here - the story is wrapped up sufficiently.
June 24, 2025
It was an ok read, though a bit boring sometimes. It took me forever to find a copy and I was honestly expecting something more. Didn't find it groundbreaking, maybe it was back then when it came out.
I'll still check the sequels since I have them in my collection.
I'll still check the sequels since I have them in my collection.
November 21, 2017
Nice easy read. it's a very john Carter style story, falling in the Sub-genre of SiFi called Planetary Romance or Swords and planets. Enjoyable and quick. Recommended
July 26, 2008
I'm not a huge fan of Lin Carter, but I thought his Green Star Sword and Planet series was his best.
February 25, 2021
Dit verhaal doet erg hard denken aan de Edgar Rice Burroughs serie met John Carter op Mars.
Lin Carter vertelt in een nawoord dan ook dat het inderdaad mag opgevat worden als een eresaluut aan deze grote schrijver. Hij legt ook uit dat hij niet zo gelukkig was met de manier waarop Burroughs Carter op de verre planeet plaatste en dat hij daar zelf dan ook extra veel aandacht had aan besteed. Dat klopt ook, er worden meerder hoofdstukken besteed om het geloofwaardiger te maken. Alleen jammer dat dat tegenwoordig gewoon vervelende ballast is en niemand er graten in ziet om een verhaal gewoon op een vreemde planeet te laten spelen zonder dat een link me de huidige aarde moet gemaakt worden.
Verder is het gewoon een spannend avontuur dat zich afspeelt op en tussen de reuzenbomen op de groene planeet. Er komt wat romantiek aan te pas, zelfs een strijd tussen rivalen om de gunsten van de hoofdpersoon. Een spannende en gevaalrijk tocht over de jungleplaneeet en de aankondiging van een nakende oorlog. Het geheel eindigt veel te abrupt met een resem cliffhangers die de lezer met heel wat onbeantwoorde vragen achterlaten. Toch een aanraden voor de liefhebbers van ouderwetse fantasy avonturenverhalen.
Lin Carter vertelt in een nawoord dan ook dat het inderdaad mag opgevat worden als een eresaluut aan deze grote schrijver. Hij legt ook uit dat hij niet zo gelukkig was met de manier waarop Burroughs Carter op de verre planeet plaatste en dat hij daar zelf dan ook extra veel aandacht had aan besteed. Dat klopt ook, er worden meerder hoofdstukken besteed om het geloofwaardiger te maken. Alleen jammer dat dat tegenwoordig gewoon vervelende ballast is en niemand er graten in ziet om een verhaal gewoon op een vreemde planeet te laten spelen zonder dat een link me de huidige aarde moet gemaakt worden.
Verder is het gewoon een spannend avontuur dat zich afspeelt op en tussen de reuzenbomen op de groene planeet. Er komt wat romantiek aan te pas, zelfs een strijd tussen rivalen om de gunsten van de hoofdpersoon. Een spannende en gevaalrijk tocht over de jungleplaneeet en de aankondiging van een nakende oorlog. Het geheel eindigt veel te abrupt met een resem cliffhangers die de lezer met heel wat onbeantwoorde vragen achterlaten. Toch een aanraden voor de liefhebbers van ouderwetse fantasy avonturenverhalen.
April 18, 2024
I found it rather boring to be honest. I'm definitely not going to bother with the rest of series.
June 27, 2023
Like Lin Carter, as a young man I literally “devoured” the various “sword and planet” fantasies that were beginning to appear in paperback—Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “Princess of Mars” and its many sequels, Carson of Venus, Pellucidar, “Beyond the Farthest Star”, “Tarzan at the Earth’s Core” and many others. When Ballantine Books in 1963 published all the John Carter stories along with all the Tarzan of the Apes novels—there were 22 of those—I saved my allowance and got them all at once. (Still have them all!) I also enjoyed similar stories by Ray Cummings, Otis Adelbert Kline, and A. Merritt. The 1960’s were literally a gold mine for those who enjoyed these types of stories and were looking for some kind of escapist literature to take them away from the everyday, humdrum routine of going to school and, later on, the day-to-day grind of a 9-to-5 job. They were great fun and did not rely on sex or graphic violence to attract readers (unlike many stories published today, let alone television series such as “Game of Thrones” which seem to concentrate on nothing else!). Sex was merely hinted at, and yes, violence there was, but no detailed descriptions of spurting blood or heads bouncing around or entrails gushing out of slit-open abdomens.
Carter continued his fascination with this type of literature in the 1970’s with the publication of his “Green Star” and “Callisto” series, which follow the same formats as earlier works by others, with minor variations. He did this writing while also editing the “Ballantine Adult Fantasy” (or “Unicorn”) series of books. In the “Green Star” sagas he is obviously projecting himself as the protagonist of each novel, and in the Callisto series makes it rather obvious with the introduction of a character named “Lankar”. In “Under the Green Star” the protagonist (who is never named) reaches the “world of the Green Star” through some sort of astral projection and inhabits the body of Chong, an ancient hero resurrected to save the forest city of Phaolon from various enemies; of course he falls in love with the beauteous Princess Niamh and saves her from various perils of both flora and fauna, nefarious villains, etc. At the end, he returns to Earth and resumes his previous existence, wondering if he will ever return to his idyllic lover. More adventures to come!
The use of astral projection or “soul migration” as the means of transporting the hero’s consciousness to the Green Star, plus the discovery in a Tibetan monastery of the ancient manuscript making this possible, and the resemblance of the religion of the Green Star to Buddhism, reveals Carter’s interest in eastern mysticism and his disdain for western faiths. The non-stop action of the story helps the hero forget, as much as possible, his previous existence on Earth as a bedridden cripple, and was perhaps Carter’s way of escaping, as much as possible, the many physical and personal problems which plagued him in his later years. Sadly, he died of cancer at only 57, this cutting prematurely short a career which brought countless hours of entertainment to many enthusiastic fans and helped establish “sword-and-planet” stories as a legitimate sub-genre of fantasy or science fiction.
***** review by Chuck Graham *****
Carter continued his fascination with this type of literature in the 1970’s with the publication of his “Green Star” and “Callisto” series, which follow the same formats as earlier works by others, with minor variations. He did this writing while also editing the “Ballantine Adult Fantasy” (or “Unicorn”) series of books. In the “Green Star” sagas he is obviously projecting himself as the protagonist of each novel, and in the Callisto series makes it rather obvious with the introduction of a character named “Lankar”. In “Under the Green Star” the protagonist (who is never named) reaches the “world of the Green Star” through some sort of astral projection and inhabits the body of Chong, an ancient hero resurrected to save the forest city of Phaolon from various enemies; of course he falls in love with the beauteous Princess Niamh and saves her from various perils of both flora and fauna, nefarious villains, etc. At the end, he returns to Earth and resumes his previous existence, wondering if he will ever return to his idyllic lover. More adventures to come!
The use of astral projection or “soul migration” as the means of transporting the hero’s consciousness to the Green Star, plus the discovery in a Tibetan monastery of the ancient manuscript making this possible, and the resemblance of the religion of the Green Star to Buddhism, reveals Carter’s interest in eastern mysticism and his disdain for western faiths. The non-stop action of the story helps the hero forget, as much as possible, his previous existence on Earth as a bedridden cripple, and was perhaps Carter’s way of escaping, as much as possible, the many physical and personal problems which plagued him in his later years. Sadly, he died of cancer at only 57, this cutting prematurely short a career which brought countless hours of entertainment to many enthusiastic fans and helped establish “sword-and-planet” stories as a legitimate sub-genre of fantasy or science fiction.
***** review by Chuck Graham *****
January 10, 2018
Very much an homage to the style and stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and if it hasn't started out taking place in the 1970s I would have thought it had been written by Burroughs. I have to admit that this very much felt like a reimagining of the John Carter of Mars books, which made it not feel "fresh" to me.
I loved the Barsoom series and read them all when I was a teen, so this felt like a visit to the old neighborhood that has undergone redevelopment.
The main character has been crippled and has spent his life on Earth in a wheelchair or on crutches. He finds himself a man of leisure so spends his time researching metaphysical ideology of the Tibetan Yogis and such. One day he puts his studies into practice and astral projects himself out of his body and finds himself drawn to a distant star in the sky. This green star has a world orbiting it that draws him down, where he finds a population of people that are elfin like tree dwellers. As he explores the civilization in spirit form he suddenly finds himself pulled into the preserved body of a famous hero of legend, where his spirit takes up residence and he must become the great and mighty Chong.
The story was very typical of the "space and sword" genre. It was a quick read but I can't say that it left me wanting to track down the next book in the series.
I loved the Barsoom series and read them all when I was a teen, so this felt like a visit to the old neighborhood that has undergone redevelopment.
The main character has been crippled and has spent his life on Earth in a wheelchair or on crutches. He finds himself a man of leisure so spends his time researching metaphysical ideology of the Tibetan Yogis and such. One day he puts his studies into practice and astral projects himself out of his body and finds himself drawn to a distant star in the sky. This green star has a world orbiting it that draws him down, where he finds a population of people that are elfin like tree dwellers. As he explores the civilization in spirit form he suddenly finds himself pulled into the preserved body of a famous hero of legend, where his spirit takes up residence and he must become the great and mighty Chong.
The story was very typical of the "space and sword" genre. It was a quick read but I can't say that it left me wanting to track down the next book in the series.
April 9, 2025
The man would have been an athlete had polio not destroyed his body. Barely able to move, he seeks all the information he can find on Astral Projection, to be able to leave his wasted body and travel the world as a spirit. After long searching he gains the information and frees himself from his body, so travelling the world as a spirit, but he wants more and finds himself travelling at unbelievable speeds which bring him to a forested world under a green sun, peopled with "humans".
He sees that a Princess is to be forced into a marriage to a man she hates, and looking at the preserved body of a great hero of the past, he finds himself entering it. Believed to have lost his memory, the newly resurrected hero is taught the language and moves in the High Society of that town. On a sky ride with others, he and the Princess come off their steeds and find themselves in trees miles high (he wonders if maybe the people there are actually very tiny) and meet some of the nasty creatures of that planet. They are rescued by an outlaw band and stay incognito with them, unable to get back to their town and he makes a very bad enemy.
Eventually their identities are revealed and though his enemy is killed, he too has taken a mortal blow and dies, only to be back on Earth again. Dare he go back to the planet again, and maybe a new body?
He sees that a Princess is to be forced into a marriage to a man she hates, and looking at the preserved body of a great hero of the past, he finds himself entering it. Believed to have lost his memory, the newly resurrected hero is taught the language and moves in the High Society of that town. On a sky ride with others, he and the Princess come off their steeds and find themselves in trees miles high (he wonders if maybe the people there are actually very tiny) and meet some of the nasty creatures of that planet. They are rescued by an outlaw band and stay incognito with them, unable to get back to their town and he makes a very bad enemy.
Eventually their identities are revealed and though his enemy is killed, he too has taken a mortal blow and dies, only to be back on Earth again. Dare he go back to the planet again, and maybe a new body?
April 12, 2025
I hadn't read a Lin Carter book in decades so, in the mood for some "pulp" fantasy, I decided to read Under the Green Star. The book is firmly in the Burroughs mold, which Carter himself happily acknowledges in an afterword. As "planetary romance" or "sword and planet" novels go, it's pretty entertaining. Carter lays it on thick, with rather purple prose, but it suits the subject matter and he keeps the plot moving. None of it is particularly credible but it certainly scratched that "pulp" fantasy itch and I liked it enough to be intrigued by the next book in the series.
One "spoiler" note:
One "spoiler" note:
November 18, 2022
Under the Green Star 🪐
Well this was undoubtedly one of the funnest books I've read in a long time. As a big fan of Lin Carter's sword and sorcery Thongor novels, I was eager to see what he had to offer with his science-fantasy Green Star series, and the first book did not disappoint.
Although there were a few little flaws here and there - most notably Carter's tendency to repeat himself, and a finale that felt a little anti-climatic - this was just about everything I wanted it to be; a heroic interplanetary adventure on a world of miles-high trees, giant insects, killer plants and even worse perils, all bravely faced down by our central character as he inhabits the dormant body of legendary warrior Chong the Mighty.
Technical flaws aside, Under the Green Star is a passionately written tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom books. And, while I'm still yet to actually read Burroughs's work, this certainly feels like a fitting homage. I'm already itching to find out what happens next, and I'll be diving into book two, When the Green Star Calls, as soon as I'm able.
A very strong 4 green stars out of 5 from me!
Well this was undoubtedly one of the funnest books I've read in a long time. As a big fan of Lin Carter's sword and sorcery Thongor novels, I was eager to see what he had to offer with his science-fantasy Green Star series, and the first book did not disappoint.
Although there were a few little flaws here and there - most notably Carter's tendency to repeat himself, and a finale that felt a little anti-climatic - this was just about everything I wanted it to be; a heroic interplanetary adventure on a world of miles-high trees, giant insects, killer plants and even worse perils, all bravely faced down by our central character as he inhabits the dormant body of legendary warrior Chong the Mighty.
Technical flaws aside, Under the Green Star is a passionately written tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom books. And, while I'm still yet to actually read Burroughs's work, this certainly feels like a fitting homage. I'm already itching to find out what happens next, and I'll be diving into book two, When the Green Star Calls, as soon as I'm able.
A very strong 4 green stars out of 5 from me!
February 13, 2017
The first story of the Green Star Series is in my opinion, Lin Carter's best...
Books 2-5 are basically the second story broken up into 4 parts.
Lin Carter was the ultimate fanboy of both ERB's John Carter of Mars and REH's Conan the Barbarian.
In 'Under the Green Star' he manages to make an amalgam of both iconic characters.
At the same time, the opening chapters provide a stellar explanation of soul-casting (astral journeying) in a way that somehow manages to improve upon ERB's John Carter series, since ERB never goes into detail about the phenomena. I even found the premise more intriguing than the film 'Avatar', a more recent homage to John Carter of Mars, which relies on an unexplained piece of tech as the vehicle.
The setting on Green Star is a unique planet that is refreshingly intricate on a grand scale, though the book reads fast and ends way too soon. The story is penned in an A. Merritt inspired style of writing, which means a lot of descriptive scenery. Worth the price of admission just for the opening alone.
This is a fun read, especially if you are also a fanboy (or girl) of the original characters that inspired it.
Books 2-5 are basically the second story broken up into 4 parts.
Lin Carter was the ultimate fanboy of both ERB's John Carter of Mars and REH's Conan the Barbarian.
In 'Under the Green Star' he manages to make an amalgam of both iconic characters.
At the same time, the opening chapters provide a stellar explanation of soul-casting (astral journeying) in a way that somehow manages to improve upon ERB's John Carter series, since ERB never goes into detail about the phenomena. I even found the premise more intriguing than the film 'Avatar', a more recent homage to John Carter of Mars, which relies on an unexplained piece of tech as the vehicle.
The setting on Green Star is a unique planet that is refreshingly intricate on a grand scale, though the book reads fast and ends way too soon. The story is penned in an A. Merritt inspired style of writing, which means a lot of descriptive scenery. Worth the price of admission just for the opening alone.
This is a fun read, especially if you are also a fanboy (or girl) of the original characters that inspired it.
November 21, 2019
I picked up this book in hopes of finding a buried treasure, but all I found was someone saying a girl who could not be more than 14 was super hot. Gross. Needless to say, I threw the book away and decided to never read it again.
March 19, 2018
I find that I've outgrown this type of fiction in my dotage.
June 18, 2020
Written in the early 70's in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs is a good heads up for readers. The mysogyny is strong. Aside from that it is a well written story.
July 10, 2008
'Under the Green Star' is the first book of a five book series by Lin Carter written as a tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs. The series is written in the style of the 'Barsoom' books, and in particular the five book series in many ways follows the general arc of the first three Barsoom books. Carter describes them in an afterword as 'love letters' to the man who inspired him to be writer. Although Carter suggests that he strove not to immitate the 'Barsoom' books directly and simply tell an adventure in the same style, readers of that series will recognizable innumerable similarities between the two works in plot points, style, and even particular turns of phrase.
The books are short, almost more novellas than full novels, and can be read easily in an evening or afternoon. This being the first book of the series, it is primarily concerned with introducing the lovely but brave Princess which shall thereafter be the object of all the quests and hardships that follow after.
Whereas 'Barsoom' is the Mars of early 20th century fantasy, in the 'Green Star' series Mars is the dead world of late 20th century science and the series is set on a world orbiting a fictional green star. (Real stars are never green, though some few stars in the sky - such as Algol - appear green because they are actually binary stars where one star is yellow and the other blue.) Whereas Barsoom is a dying desert world, the World of the Green Star is a faerie world of mountain sized trees and carnivorous flowers. In some fashions it reminds of Burroughs depiction of Venus. But other than the fact that they were a good deal more clothing, it might as well be Barsoom.
Although they have some novel features, I don't really feel that Lin Carter's semi-derivitive works quite stand up to those of Burroughs, either in imagination, the charisma of the characters, or thier ability to compel thought and excitement. They are perhaps more professionally written with fewer overt flaws, but somehow the flaws are missed. I read them once and enjoyed them well enough to make it through all five books, but have never really felt the need to revisit them.
The books are short, almost more novellas than full novels, and can be read easily in an evening or afternoon. This being the first book of the series, it is primarily concerned with introducing the lovely but brave Princess which shall thereafter be the object of all the quests and hardships that follow after.
Whereas 'Barsoom' is the Mars of early 20th century fantasy, in the 'Green Star' series Mars is the dead world of late 20th century science and the series is set on a world orbiting a fictional green star. (Real stars are never green, though some few stars in the sky - such as Algol - appear green because they are actually binary stars where one star is yellow and the other blue.) Whereas Barsoom is a dying desert world, the World of the Green Star is a faerie world of mountain sized trees and carnivorous flowers. In some fashions it reminds of Burroughs depiction of Venus. But other than the fact that they were a good deal more clothing, it might as well be Barsoom.
Although they have some novel features, I don't really feel that Lin Carter's semi-derivitive works quite stand up to those of Burroughs, either in imagination, the charisma of the characters, or thier ability to compel thought and excitement. They are perhaps more professionally written with fewer overt flaws, but somehow the flaws are missed. I read them once and enjoyed them well enough to make it through all five books, but have never really felt the need to revisit them.
June 26, 2014
Our nameless protagonist is a recluse, independently wealthy, but crippled. Learning the Eastern art of soulcasting, he projects his soul from his body and sets off to search the cosmos. On one of his first stops, however, he is compelled to enter the comatose body of a warrior, and quickly becomes the foremost protector of a beautiful alien queen. The world is at a different scale than ours, and so much of the action involves fighting alien equivalents of giant spiders and other such monsters, in trees massively larger than anything we know. This was my first Lin Carter book, and it didn't really give me much a sense of his style, because it's not really his style at all. Even before I read the afterword, I got the sense that this book was an homage to the early Bourroughs "John Carter of Mars" serials. Given that, it's hard to criticize the book; to paraphrase a programming maxim, for most things that I found offputting about it, it's not a bug, it's a feature. There's a tendency to overexclamation and purple prose. There's a heavy colonial overtones, as the narrator forms the perfect warrior by merging his human intellect with the natural brute strength of a native. There's weird gender issues, as our 30 year old shut-in protagonist falls in love with a teenage queen who relies on him to keep her throne and safety. And all of that, arguably, is in tribute to the original source material. Plus, the original was written in the 70s, which was a phase in sci-fi and fantasy hardly known for its writing restraint or being particularly sensitive to racial or gender concerns. But while I don't condemn the book for those things, I can't say I particularly like it either. (And if I'm being totally honest, I probably could have excused the last two, if the first one wasn't so eye-rolling.) It's a style not to my tastes, but I appreciate Carter's intentions, and the accuracy with which he draws out the sense of the original material. It has an ending that's a lot darker than I was expecting, and the afterword does a lot to impress the accomplishment here. It's a good model of the Borroughs style, but unless that's a draw in itself, there isn't really a lot else here.
August 11, 2015
A quirky little sci-fi adventure, told in the manner of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars books. Lin Carter makes it clear he's writing an homage to Burroughs' books, though anyone who has also read those books will recognize Burroughs' style and tropes immediately.
One crucial difference is that unlike the adventurous-on-Earth before he goes to Mars John Carter, Lin Carter's hero is not a man of action on Earth, and is in fact incapable of action, being confined to bed (but rich enough to be waited on hand and foot).
So it's a great release to the protagonist to find himself suddenly on the planet of the Green Star, in the body of a great (recently deceased) hero. He goes through all manner of adventures--battling giant insects, rescuing the beautiful (and creepily underage) princess, and saving the day. Only to be whisked back to Earth (much like John Carter was).
The book is entertaining if mediocre, but is much illuminated in the afterword by the author, who makes it clear why he wrote it. Not just as a tribute to Burroughs, but also to address some unnamed sadness. It doesn't take a genius to figure out he felt emasculated in his own life, and thus imagining himself as a massive hero from another age had a great attraction (and maybe therapeutic benefit). The "bad guys" are generally everyone who isn't a hulked-out masculine paragon of virility. Lin Carter's disdain for the effeminate is clear. Very interesting.
The afterword really is quite illuminating, and much more honest than the book itself. The author says he hopes the reader enjoyed the book, because he wasn't very happy when he wrote it. It shows.
One crucial difference is that unlike the adventurous-on-Earth before he goes to Mars John Carter, Lin Carter's hero is not a man of action on Earth, and is in fact incapable of action, being confined to bed (but rich enough to be waited on hand and foot).
So it's a great release to the protagonist to find himself suddenly on the planet of the Green Star, in the body of a great (recently deceased) hero. He goes through all manner of adventures--battling giant insects, rescuing the beautiful (and creepily underage) princess, and saving the day. Only to be whisked back to Earth (much like John Carter was).
The book is entertaining if mediocre, but is much illuminated in the afterword by the author, who makes it clear why he wrote it. Not just as a tribute to Burroughs, but also to address some unnamed sadness. It doesn't take a genius to figure out he felt emasculated in his own life, and thus imagining himself as a massive hero from another age had a great attraction (and maybe therapeutic benefit). The "bad guys" are generally everyone who isn't a hulked-out masculine paragon of virility. Lin Carter's disdain for the effeminate is clear. Very interesting.
The afterword really is quite illuminating, and much more honest than the book itself. The author says he hopes the reader enjoyed the book, because he wasn't very happy when he wrote it. It shows.
September 11, 2022
I have a soft spot for Lin Carter, as he's made a career out of writing the kind of pulp he grew up reading.Some attempts are stronger than others.This attempt at a Burroughs style space adventure comes across as by the numbers and clunky.
His others all had a sense of fun, this you can feel him checking off the boxes on his list.
Plus, it starts in a modern setting (the 1970's) but the narration and prose style feel old time, so it feels even more like just a John Carter clone.
It does have some decent ideas and I like a couple of the supporting characters. The hero is a knucklehead, but he comes across as likable.
And even though I generally hate love triangles, in this one, both women are sympathetic and it's amusing that they figure out what's happening way before the guy does.
Not terrible, a decent time waster, but not Carter's best either.
His others all had a sense of fun, this you can feel him checking off the boxes on his list.
Plus, it starts in a modern setting (the 1970's) but the narration and prose style feel old time, so it feels even more like just a John Carter clone.
It does have some decent ideas and I like a couple of the supporting characters. The hero is a knucklehead, but he comes across as likable.
And even though I generally hate love triangles, in this one, both women are sympathetic and it's amusing that they figure out what's happening way before the guy does.
Not terrible, a decent time waster, but not Carter's best either.
September 17, 2016
Yes, it is indeed a second -rate John Carter of Mars story, but Lin Carter freely admits of his inspiration, referring to it in the 1972 afterword as " ... a love letter". The nice thing is, he was successful in it coming off as an homage, rather than a rip off, and therefore this is a very pleasant read, especially for vacation reading. I read this during the later part of Pennsic War XLV, completing nearly half of it before the conclusion of that event so it is a very quick read at only 118 pages.
If you've just finished John Carter or Tarzan and are searching for something in a similar vein, you can't go wrong with this.
If you've just finished John Carter or Tarzan and are searching for something in a similar vein, you can't go wrong with this.
October 18, 2015
One of Carter's better Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom take offs. I probably read this not too long after it came out in the early seventies. At the time I was quite the Lin Carter fan. This series started out pretty well, but towards the end I was getting bored with it (and with the genre itself).
Carter was fairy prolific; I don’t know how many books he wrote but I have over 60, not including the Conan pastiches he did with and without L. Sprague de Camp.
He had a lot of short lived series (most 6 books or less); Zarkon, The Green Star, and Callisto were probably my favorites.
Carter was fairy prolific; I don’t know how many books he wrote but I have over 60, not including the Conan pastiches he did with and without L. Sprague de Camp.
He had a lot of short lived series (most 6 books or less); Zarkon, The Green Star, and Callisto were probably my favorites.
May 3, 2015
Bücher wie "Der grüne Stern" werden heutzutage nicht mehr veröffentlicht. Zum einen gibt es keine Taschenbücher mit unter 200 Seiten mehr und zum anderen werden heute auch inhaltlich andere Maßstäbe angesetzt.
Wenn ich das Buch Revue passieren lasse, dann muss ich sagen, dass es keine nennenswerte Geschichte erzählt. Es gibt keine Pointe, ja nicht einmal einen eigentlichen Erzählbogen. Das Ganze dreht sich nur um die Welt des grünen Sterns und seine Bewohner. Irgendwie ist das recht unterhaltsam, aber auch merklich unspektakulär.
Wenn ich das Buch Revue passieren lasse, dann muss ich sagen, dass es keine nennenswerte Geschichte erzählt. Es gibt keine Pointe, ja nicht einmal einen eigentlichen Erzählbogen. Das Ganze dreht sich nur um die Welt des grünen Sterns und seine Bewohner. Irgendwie ist das recht unterhaltsam, aber auch merklich unspektakulär.
March 16, 2016
Is it great literature? Well, that would be a hard argument to make. It is, however a great adventure, and that is good enough for me.
I also enjoyed the afterword. Carter's story about how he stumbled onto Edgar Rice Burroughs very closely resembles mine. We even picked the same book first. The biggest difference between his story and mine is I also discovered him on those dusty shelves set about eye level to a twelve year old.
I also enjoyed the afterword. Carter's story about how he stumbled onto Edgar Rice Burroughs very closely resembles mine. We even picked the same book first. The biggest difference between his story and mine is I also discovered him on those dusty shelves set about eye level to a twelve year old.
October 13, 2011
Really enjoyed this book. As others have pointed out it is not "high literature" and the writing feels dated at time but Carter's style is earnest and engaging. While I originally picked up the book to prepare for narrating the audiobook version I have to say it won me over and narrating it was one of my most enjoyable projects ever.
December 6, 2009
Fantasy/SF in the Burroughs tradition
September 27, 2010
Probably written for a slightly younger audience than myself, but I quite enjoyed it. Not a masterpiece, but a good time.
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