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Dumarest of Terra #5
The Jester at Scar: The Dumarest Saga Book 5
Scar: a harsh, inhospitable world with a vicious and shifting population of prospectors, drawn from every corner of the galaxy by rumours of a miraculous golden spore. To this violent planet come two more travellers, ready to try their luck among its lethal jungles: the cruel, mocking Lord of Jest - and Dumarest, driven by destiny on his endless search for Lost Earth . . . (First published 1970)
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1970
7 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
E.C. Tubb
382 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 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 28, 2022
the fate of man and woman is to work and be exploited. trod under the boot of capitalism, prey to those stronger, playthings or tools for the rich. work work work, rail against the machinery of fate and the oppression of the masters and be ignored, work work work, and then die. those who seek to escape this system may employ the strategies of their masters to become one of them, but will find only death as their reward. this cheerful message is threaded throughout The Jester at Scar and through all of the Dumarest novels I've read so far. fortunately, Earl Dumarest and E.C. Tubb posit an alternative: fuck the system! get out, flee this toxic closed circle. if you are able, or if you are lucky...
Scar is a planet that embodies that system. men work, complain, and die. the planet is noted for its month-long seasonal cycle and its vast, rich array of spores that can be used for many purposes and so exported, to further increase the company owners' wealth. during the height of Scar's summer when the planet's fungi are in full "bloom", it is also a popular tourist destination for the moneyed idle who wish to see strange, colorful things. and under the anti-gravity blocks that allow these tourists to fly here and there and see odd, amusing things work the workers, ever working and ever dying.
The ruler of Jest has come to Scar, and with him his spinning coin. He will spin the coin and make the fortune of some and hasten the deaths of others. And yet he is a sympathetic man, no monster. He may be ruler but he knows it is a game of chance for man to be born worker or to be born owner. It is often only luck that will allow escape from either role.
Fortunately Earl is one lucky dude!
Scar is a planet that embodies that system. men work, complain, and die. the planet is noted for its month-long seasonal cycle and its vast, rich array of spores that can be used for many purposes and so exported, to further increase the company owners' wealth. during the height of Scar's summer when the planet's fungi are in full "bloom", it is also a popular tourist destination for the moneyed idle who wish to see strange, colorful things. and under the anti-gravity blocks that allow these tourists to fly here and there and see odd, amusing things work the workers, ever working and ever dying.
The ruler of Jest has come to Scar, and with him his spinning coin. He will spin the coin and make the fortune of some and hasten the deaths of others. And yet he is a sympathetic man, no monster. He may be ruler but he knows it is a game of chance for man to be born worker or to be born owner. It is often only luck that will allow escape from either role.
Fortunately Earl is one lucky dude!
August 31, 2022
Another rousing Earl Dumarest tale. I admit that I am cherry picking the best of these, and so far each short novel I've selected in this long running series (33 books from 1976-2008) has been quite good and not nearly as cheesy as the covers might suggest. The overarching premise is an intriguing one, i.e. the search for Earth, Dumarest's long lost home planet, and provides a fantastic context for Tubb to explore a new alien world in each story. The stories have a sword and planet type theme, with world building that is best described as Vancean. Each world is richly imagined, typically primitive and fraught with deadly oddities and often oppressed in some manner by indifferent or cruel rulers.
In The Jester At Scar Earl sets down on a sodden little planet that is inundated by all manner of fungi. While attempting to harvest enough spores to fill his pockets he must contend with a capricious ruler who's obsessed with notions of fate, his contemptuous and power hungry wife, a "cyber" with obscure motives, as well as fellow prospectors that would gladly stab him in the back to gain an advantage. Dumarest of course is having none of that, leveraging his quick wits and even quicker sword arm to battle conspiracies and intrigue just enough in order to obtain the resources to continue his quest.
In The Jester At Scar Earl sets down on a sodden little planet that is inundated by all manner of fungi. While attempting to harvest enough spores to fill his pockets he must contend with a capricious ruler who's obsessed with notions of fate, his contemptuous and power hungry wife, a "cyber" with obscure motives, as well as fellow prospectors that would gladly stab him in the back to gain an advantage. Dumarest of course is having none of that, leveraging his quick wits and even quicker sword arm to battle conspiracies and intrigue just enough in order to obtain the resources to continue his quest.
May 19, 2018
Dumarest of Terra is a 33-volume series of science fiction novels by Edwin Charles Tubb. Each story is a self-contained adventure, but throughout the series, Earl Dumarest, the protagonist, searches for clues to the location of his home world, Earth. Production of a television version of the series is set to begin in 2018.
The stories are set in a far future galactic culture that is fragmented and without any central government. Dumarest was born on Earth, but had stowed away on a spaceship when he was a young boy and was caught. Although a stowaway discovered on a spaceship was typically ejected to space, the captain took pity on the boy and allowed him to work and travel on the ship. When the story opens in The Winds of Gath, Dumarest has traveled so long and so far that he does not know how to return to his home planet and no-one has ever heard of it, other than as a myth or legend.
It becomes clear that someone or something has deliberately concealed Earth's location. The Cyclan, an organization of humans surgically altered to be emotionless (known as Cybers), and on occasion able to link with the brains of previously living Cybers (the better to think logically), seem determined to stop him from finding Earth. Additionally, the Cyclan seeks a scientific discovery that Dumarest possesses, stolen from them and passed to him by a dying thief, which would vastly increase their already considerable power.
Also appearing in many of the books is the humanitarian Church of Universal Brotherhood. Its monks are spread throughout many worlds as are the Cyclan, the two being arch-enemies - which does not make the Church Dumarest's ally, but in some instances they support each other.
In The Jester at Scar, the fifth in the Dumarest series, we arrive on the planet Scar. A harsh, inhospitable world with a vicious and shifting population of prospectors, drawn from every corner of the galaxy by rumours of a miraculous golden spore.
To this violent planet come two more travellers, ready to try their luck among its lethal jungles: the cruel, mocking Lord of Jest - and Dumarest, driven by destiny on his endless search for Lost Earth. Dumarest tries to figure out who is sending the killers after him and why. There is a climactic scene in which Dumarest rounds up the suspects and figures out who's been trying to do him in.
In this book Tubb gives us some of the most noir, hard-boiled action of the series so far. Vivid descriptions of a world that goes from a barren, muddy wasteland to riotous jungle in a short space of time. Tubb also takes his time to form subplots of reform and redemption. All of the familiar cliches and tropes are in place now. Not as much of a full on adventure as other books in the series. But still tremendous pulply fun. If you want "literature," look elsewhere.
The stories are set in a far future galactic culture that is fragmented and without any central government. Dumarest was born on Earth, but had stowed away on a spaceship when he was a young boy and was caught. Although a stowaway discovered on a spaceship was typically ejected to space, the captain took pity on the boy and allowed him to work and travel on the ship. When the story opens in The Winds of Gath, Dumarest has traveled so long and so far that he does not know how to return to his home planet and no-one has ever heard of it, other than as a myth or legend.
It becomes clear that someone or something has deliberately concealed Earth's location. The Cyclan, an organization of humans surgically altered to be emotionless (known as Cybers), and on occasion able to link with the brains of previously living Cybers (the better to think logically), seem determined to stop him from finding Earth. Additionally, the Cyclan seeks a scientific discovery that Dumarest possesses, stolen from them and passed to him by a dying thief, which would vastly increase their already considerable power.
Also appearing in many of the books is the humanitarian Church of Universal Brotherhood. Its monks are spread throughout many worlds as are the Cyclan, the two being arch-enemies - which does not make the Church Dumarest's ally, but in some instances they support each other.
In The Jester at Scar, the fifth in the Dumarest series, we arrive on the planet Scar. A harsh, inhospitable world with a vicious and shifting population of prospectors, drawn from every corner of the galaxy by rumours of a miraculous golden spore.
To this violent planet come two more travellers, ready to try their luck among its lethal jungles: the cruel, mocking Lord of Jest - and Dumarest, driven by destiny on his endless search for Lost Earth. Dumarest tries to figure out who is sending the killers after him and why. There is a climactic scene in which Dumarest rounds up the suspects and figures out who's been trying to do him in.
In this book Tubb gives us some of the most noir, hard-boiled action of the series so far. Vivid descriptions of a world that goes from a barren, muddy wasteland to riotous jungle in a short space of time. Tubb also takes his time to form subplots of reform and redemption. All of the familiar cliches and tropes are in place now. Not as much of a full on adventure as other books in the series. But still tremendous pulply fun. If you want "literature," look elsewhere.
Read
May 16, 2020Dumarest came to the world called Scar with nothing but his skills & a blood-red ring on his finger.. seeking treasure to gain the wealth needed to continue his search. but another came to Scar seeking the secret treasure hidden in the ring's ruby depths.
ACE DOUBLE "THE JESTER AT SCAR" E C TUBB "TO VENUS! TO VENUS!" DAVID GRINNELL
ACE DOUBLE "THE JESTER AT SCAR" E C TUBB "TO VENUS! TO VENUS!" DAVID GRINNELL
January 25, 2020
Dumarest finds himself stuck on a nasty planet of extreme weather and dangerous fungus. Of course, that's just the beginning. Newlywed royals with clashing personalities, desperate & dangerous criminals, and of course, those dastardly Cyclan are all out to make Dumarest's life more complicated. E.C. Tubb keeps the action tight and the pacing crisp in the fifth book of the series. These novels are lean, but they're quite good. I can't wait to see what happens next.
May 29, 2014
‘Scar – a harsh, inhospitable world with a vicious and shifting population of prospectors, drawn from every corner of the galaxy by rumours of a miraculous golden spore.
To this violent planet come two more travellers, ready to try their luck among its lethal jungles: the cruel, mocking Lord of Jest – and Dumarest, driven by destiny on his endless search for Lost Earth...’
Blurb from the 1977 Arrow paperback edition
Dumarest has not yet realised that the ring bequeathed to him by Kalin contains the secret of the affinity symbiote which the Cyclan are desperate to reclaim.
On the planet Scar, home to an ecosystem of fungi, some of whose spores can take over an organism in minutes, Dumarest is working as a collector during the short season in which the big mushrooms proliferate.
Also on Scar is Jocelyn, Lord of the planet Jest, and his shrewish wife Adrienne who have in their employ Cyber Yoon, one of the shaven-headed scarlet-robed ones who have given up their emotions to live a life of calculation and logic (see also Mentats and Vulcans).
Dumarest’s home is invaded by two men whom Dumarest kills when they start getting rough with his girlfriend. One of the men is carrying five rings very similar to Dumarest’s. Sadly, this does not give our hero a clue, although it has to be said that in most of the books he does have a Poirot-esque way of deducing what is really going on.
To this violent planet come two more travellers, ready to try their luck among its lethal jungles: the cruel, mocking Lord of Jest – and Dumarest, driven by destiny on his endless search for Lost Earth...’
Blurb from the 1977 Arrow paperback edition
Dumarest has not yet realised that the ring bequeathed to him by Kalin contains the secret of the affinity symbiote which the Cyclan are desperate to reclaim.
On the planet Scar, home to an ecosystem of fungi, some of whose spores can take over an organism in minutes, Dumarest is working as a collector during the short season in which the big mushrooms proliferate.
Also on Scar is Jocelyn, Lord of the planet Jest, and his shrewish wife Adrienne who have in their employ Cyber Yoon, one of the shaven-headed scarlet-robed ones who have given up their emotions to live a life of calculation and logic (see also Mentats and Vulcans).
Dumarest’s home is invaded by two men whom Dumarest kills when they start getting rough with his girlfriend. One of the men is carrying five rings very similar to Dumarest’s. Sadly, this does not give our hero a clue, although it has to be said that in most of the books he does have a Poirot-esque way of deducing what is really going on.
June 2, 2012
car is a viscous world. Circling close to a red sun, its winters are a long night of cold monsoons and the summer an endless day marked by impossible growths of fungus that are at once incredibly valuable and unbelievably deadly. It is to this world that Dumarest has come in order to race a stake to finance his hunt for Earth. Meanwhile, a strange couple have come to Scar on a seeming whim; the ruler of the planet Jest and his new wife who is a noble from a violent, puritanical world. As Dumarest fights against the deadly ecology of the world in quest of his fortune, he must guard his back against a shadowy someone who has made more than one attempt on his life and has a curious interest in rings that look similar to the one Dumarest wheres.
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November 17, 2010
Dumarest arrives at the planet Scar with not much more than the blood red ring on his finger. Scar's chief export are the spores of the fungi that cover the planet. Most of them are deadly, some worth money, and then there is the Golden Spore. Rare, the most sought after, it could make a man wealthy beyond his dreams to find a clump of it.
Earl and his partner does, word gets out, and the vultures descend.
To complicate matters, the Cyclans, those human computers, are around and want the ruby ring on Earl Dumarest's finger. Earl doesn't know they are after it though.
Earl and his partner does, word gets out, and the vultures descend.
To complicate matters, the Cyclans, those human computers, are around and want the ruby ring on Earl Dumarest's finger. Earl doesn't know they are after it though.
January 20, 2016
My Amazon review -
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2W3UPRK...
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2W3UPRK...
January 21, 2025
“The Jester of Scar” (1970)
Overall Rating 8/10 – It’s No Joke!
Plot
Our protagonist, Earl Dumarest, finds himself stuck on a planet of giant mushrooms and Fungi. The only way off the planet to continue his journey to Earth, is to to harvest a better and more valuable yield of rare spores than other farmers. With a planet full of murderers and skullduggery, can the poor bugger do it … ?
Writing Style
Easy, flowing sentences. Some losses of fluidity. An occasional spattering of obscure words. Very modern style. Quite easy to watch the film unfold in your head but some dis-jointed sectional plots.
Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)
Critique
This is the fifth E. C. Tubb novel in the Dumarest series and was written in 1970.
Fascinatingly, the author has created a somewhat unique world (there are no Jesters, Jokers, or “acts” of any kind—the title is misleading in that respect) of giant mushrooms and Fungi. The planet benefits only from a huge range of these; some are edible, some are hallucinogenic, some are poisonous, etc. The populous eat these to survive and exist in various states of being because of the properties. Of course, some mushrooms and Fungi are very rare and sought after. It is this fact that becomes the storyline.
Interestingly, within the game of “World of Warcraft”, there is a play zone called “Zangarmarsh” which appears to be a clone of this world. Of course, Warcraft didn’t exist until after 2000 so the book cannot be a clone, rather the other way around. I love Zangarmarsh so it was a total treat to project that into this book.
On a different note, the plot was a little difficult to follow (again) and I had some trouble keeping track of characters, names and sub-plots. This seems to be a common issue with Tubb.
I think another break from our protagonist (Earl Dumarest) is now in order (never a good sign, right?) … but I WILL be back …
Overall Rating 8/10 – It’s No Joke!
Plot
Our protagonist, Earl Dumarest, finds himself stuck on a planet of giant mushrooms and Fungi. The only way off the planet to continue his journey to Earth, is to to harvest a better and more valuable yield of rare spores than other farmers. With a planet full of murderers and skullduggery, can the poor bugger do it … ?
Writing Style
Easy, flowing sentences. Some losses of fluidity. An occasional spattering of obscure words. Very modern style. Quite easy to watch the film unfold in your head but some dis-jointed sectional plots.
Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)
Critique
This is the fifth E. C. Tubb novel in the Dumarest series and was written in 1970.
Fascinatingly, the author has created a somewhat unique world (there are no Jesters, Jokers, or “acts” of any kind—the title is misleading in that respect) of giant mushrooms and Fungi. The planet benefits only from a huge range of these; some are edible, some are hallucinogenic, some are poisonous, etc. The populous eat these to survive and exist in various states of being because of the properties. Of course, some mushrooms and Fungi are very rare and sought after. It is this fact that becomes the storyline.
Interestingly, within the game of “World of Warcraft”, there is a play zone called “Zangarmarsh” which appears to be a clone of this world. Of course, Warcraft didn’t exist until after 2000 so the book cannot be a clone, rather the other way around. I love Zangarmarsh so it was a total treat to project that into this book.
On a different note, the plot was a little difficult to follow (again) and I had some trouble keeping track of characters, names and sub-plots. This seems to be a common issue with Tubb.
I think another break from our protagonist (Earl Dumarest) is now in order (never a good sign, right?) … but I WILL be back …
August 14, 2019
After the events of
Kalin,
Earl Dumarest has hit rock bottom. He's struggling to survive on Scar, a world where it's particularly difficult to do so. The planet has no rotation, so its day and night cycle are equal to its year. Its winter is cold and stormy, its summer long and unbearable. During that summer, Scar's native fungi blossom. The right kind of fungi are prized throughout the galaxy, but let the wrong kind touch your skin or get into your lungs and you're a dead man. On top of this, the ever-present Cyclan is now targeting Dumarest for death. As if he didn't have enough problems.
This novel is lighter on the background intrigue than the previous chapters in the series, and that serves it well. Also, for once, Dumarest doesn't fall in love - which makes sense after the way it worked out the last two times around. E.C. Tubb also offers two very engaging new characters: Jocelyn (ruler of the planet Jest) and the planet Scar itself. Jocelyn is a man with a coin-flipping habit of decision making not unlike Batman's enemy Two-Face, though his good side is more well balanced with his bad. The planet Scar is the most interesting, and alien, setting that Tubb has concocted so far.
All in all, this novel mixes up the formula from the previous entries while retaining the elements that make the series engaging. I wonder how long Tubb can keep that up - I'm certainly still hooked.
This novel is lighter on the background intrigue than the previous chapters in the series, and that serves it well. Also, for once, Dumarest doesn't fall in love - which makes sense after the way it worked out the last two times around. E.C. Tubb also offers two very engaging new characters: Jocelyn (ruler of the planet Jest) and the planet Scar itself. Jocelyn is a man with a coin-flipping habit of decision making not unlike Batman's enemy Two-Face, though his good side is more well balanced with his bad. The planet Scar is the most interesting, and alien, setting that Tubb has concocted so far.
All in all, this novel mixes up the formula from the previous entries while retaining the elements that make the series engaging. I wonder how long Tubb can keep that up - I'm certainly still hooked.
December 10, 2025
A brief but enjoyable sci fi adventure. Dumarest finds himself on a planet of deadly fungi where desperate people scavenge for rare golden spores that grant something akin to eternal life. The schemes of the cybernetic Cyclan continue to make life just a little harder for our intrepid hero who simply wants to return home to the now-forgotten Earth. It's a little hard to get invested in the Earth aspect of the ongoing series plot since there are something like 28 books remaining before Dumarest stumbles his way to this Pale Blue Dot, but these little foibles along the way are entertaining.
The planet Scar is no Gath from the first book in the series, and so far none of the sci fi conceits introduced by the subsequent books have been as compelling to me as the first book, but I'm still enjoying myself so far.
The planet Scar is no Gath from the first book in the series, and so far none of the sci fi conceits introduced by the subsequent books have been as compelling to me as the first book, but I'm still enjoying myself so far.
October 10, 2017
Dumarest is stranded on Scar. Where he is trying to make a fortune by getting some kind of fungi. First though he has to fight against some thugs who are after his ring. As it happens a young couple from Jest is visiting Scar on their honeymoon. She despises him. The marriage was arranged by the cyclan. Indeed he, the Jester, does not seem to be a very nice guy. Obsessed with Fate. Has people’s life depend on the flip of a coin. In the end the influence of the cyclan is broken and the couple is happy ever after. Earl, of course, declines the offer to join them and to become an Earl. In addition to the quest for earth he is afraid that the young lady would fall for him. Don’t they all?
May 5, 2020
My favorite write is Vance. Especially his stories about space-travelers are enjoyed. But Tubb also has a good knack of writing in this genre. This series is about Dumarest, a space traveler going from planet to planet to find his original home, planet Earth. I like the descriptions of the planets, cultures and habits he encounters. All imaginations of Tubb.
This is #5 in the series of 32 where he ends up on Scar, a planet with a short year and where everything is about the spores of plants. While harvesting the golden spore he gets ambushed. But his luck, skill and speed saves him again. And, off course, another cyber dies.
This is #5 in the series of 32 where he ends up on Scar, a planet with a short year and where everything is about the spores of plants. While harvesting the golden spore he gets ambushed. But his luck, skill and speed saves him again. And, off course, another cyber dies.
August 23, 2019
This was better than it deserved to be. Little over hundred pages and Tubb explains how two societies work and what kind of people and morals do those societies create. Dumarest the character isn't that deep, your normal cynical-but-loyal alpha man, but at least capable of deeper thought.
All in all, the book was the right length, adrenaline packed and even thoughtful at least places. The only thing I was missing had to do with the work's part as that of larger series, which when read as standalone left the main character feeling somewhat of a stranger in a way that I found unpleasant.
All in all, the book was the right length, adrenaline packed and even thoughtful at least places. The only thing I was missing had to do with the work's part as that of larger series, which when read as standalone left the main character feeling somewhat of a stranger in a way that I found unpleasant.
July 17, 2021
Typical space cowboy-style pulp fiction. I love it. A hardened spaceman continues his search for the fabled planet Earth. This is the fifth book in a series, and it is gritty and fast-paced. One main lesson I learned from this book that seems to be true to life is, one cannot trust artificial people without any emotions or feelings. They always seem to be after your demise, for their personal gain.
February 1, 2021
The thinnest volume yet in a series that makes modern novels look huge. This is another straight-up science fiction adventure in the Dumarest universe. Action and intrigue abound (as much as anything can abound in so few pages) on another unique - and perhaps slightly unbelievable - planet. Strangely, there's no love interest for Dumarest this time out.
November 13, 2023
My first Dumarest - why not start at five? Tubb's creation is intriguing. The whiffs of Vancean invention and Laumer-like diplomacy come together in a vaguely coherent adventurous science fantasy. The plot is half decent (albeit a bit obviously cobbled together). I can see reading more in the near future.
May 8, 2017
Quick, fun read. Good for fans of classic science fiction. I haven't read any of the other Dumarest books but it didn't impact my ability to enjoy this book. This was one of three books my father-in-law gave me for fiction (we both love old science fiction).
October 25, 2022
Solid premise, decent characters, great setting. A classic Big-Strong-Man-With-A-Sword as the lead who swashbuckles his way through a fantasy sci-fi space colony.
If you don't mind a bit of cheese, I'd give it a shot!
If you don't mind a bit of cheese, I'd give it a shot!
April 1, 2023
A Fungle world.
I have often considered what sort of adventures you could have on a world of Fungi. These books are in part responsible for the travellers role playing game. The evil of the cyber men is becoming more exposed.
I have often considered what sort of adventures you could have on a world of Fungi. These books are in part responsible for the travellers role playing game. The evil of the cyber men is becoming more exposed.
October 13, 2022
As with much of the series it is fun pulpy action, Hard Times and High Stakes! but not hard SF
February 12, 2015
Earl seeks the money to move on and, as ever, information on the location of Earth. This novel is set on a really interesting world. Scar has a super-polarised ecology, with a desolate winter and a brief summer which is hot, humid and encourages growth of the dominant fungi. Scar is a world of fast growing fungi which can be harvested and provide profits for only a brief period. Some of the fungi are routine, some are incredibly rare, and hence valuable. Many are dangerous to humans.
There is more to the plot of course; a ruler from another planet, a murdered woman, head-hunters who are seeking a specific head - Earl's. The part that facinated me most though was the ecological concept.
The latest novel in my quest to read all of the Dumarest saga...
There is more to the plot of course; a ruler from another planet, a murdered woman, head-hunters who are seeking a specific head - Earl's. The part that facinated me most though was the ecological concept.
The latest novel in my quest to read all of the Dumarest saga...
August 4, 2013
Been a while since my last Dumarest and really enjoyed reading about his new adventure on Scar, a planet where a year only lasts 90 days and where the sun is red, hot and dying. A planet where winter consist of 30 days of continuous rain and summer is used to harvest spores from fungus, one more lethal than the other.
June 10, 2013
A good book, especially for its time period. Great characters, great characterization, a weird alien world, and some real excitement. (And I'll note this is the first Dumarest book I read, and so it's going to probably get extra kudos for that.)
September 1, 2013
Pretty good. The Dumarest books always start out great, but sometimes lag in the middle. This one did a little but not too much. It picked up nicely in the end.
July 14, 2016
Again a good book in the series, way better than the #4 which I found disappointing.
March 28, 2016
Another quick and enjoyable read.
May 18, 2016
Not his best but still fun.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews