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Dumarest of Terra #13
Eye of the Zodiac
Dumarest befriended a young man who said his home world was called Nerth. Earth?
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 16, 1975
About the author
E.C. Tubb
383 books85 followersEdwin Charles Tubb was a writer of science fiction, fantasy and western novels. He published over 140 novels and 230 short stories and novellas, and is best known for The Dumarest Saga (US collective title: Dumarest of Terra) an epic science-fiction saga set in the far future.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 29, 2020
DAW Books (DAW Collectors #163
Cover Artist: Kelly Freas
Name: Tubb, Edwin Charles, Birthplace: London, England, UK, (15 October 1919 - 10 September 2010)
Alternate Names: Stuart Allen, Ted Bain, Alice Beecham, Anthony Blake, Raymond L. Burton, Julian Carey, Julian Cary, Norman Dale, Robert D. Ennis, James Evans , R. H. Godfrey, Charles Gray, Charles Grey, Volsted Gridban, Alan Guthrie, George Holt, Gill Hunt, Alan Innes, Gordon Kent,Gregory Kern, King Lang, Mike Lantry, Nigel Lloyd, Arthur Maclean, Carl Maddox, Philip Martyn, John Mason , L. C. Powers, Edward Richards, Brian Shaw, Roy Sheldon, Eric Storm, Andrew Sutton,
Edward Thomson, Ted Tubb, Edwin C. Tubb, Ken Wainwright, Frank Weight, Douglas West, Eric Wilding.
Dumarest of Terra is a 33-volume series of science fiction novels:
1. The Winds of Gath (1967)
2. Derai (1968)
3. Toyman (1969)
4. Kalin (1969)
5. The Jester at Scar (1970)
6. Lallia (1971)
7. Technos (1972)
8. Veruchia (1973)
9. Mayenne (1973)
10. Jondelle (1973)
11. Zenya (1974)
12. Eloise (1975)
13. Eye of the Zodiac (1975)
14. Jack of Swords (1976)
15. Spectrum of a Forgotten Sun (1976)
16. Haven of Darkness (1977)
17. Prison of Night (1977)
18. Incident on Ath (1978)
19. The Quillian Sector (1978)
20. Web of Sand (1979)
21. Iduna's Universe (1979)
22. The Terra Data (1980)
23. World of Promise (1980)
24. Nectar of Heaven (1981)
25. The Terridae (1981)
26. The Coming Event (1982)
27. Earth Is Heaven (1982)
28. Melome (1983)
29. Angado (1984)
30. Symbol of Terra (1984)
31. The Temple of Truth (1985)
32. The Return (1997)
33. Child of Earth (2008).
"Eye of the Zodiac" starts with Dumarest on another backwater world working hard to get enough money to leave. A colleague at the workplace is a young man called Leon. Who claims to come from a world called Nerth.
The name being so possibly similar to Earth, or even a corruption of New Earth, is enough to get Dumarest's interest.
But he must avoid the likely threat of the Cyclan to get there. And danger will await him when he does
Cover Artist: Kelly Freas
Name: Tubb, Edwin Charles, Birthplace: London, England, UK, (15 October 1919 - 10 September 2010)
Alternate Names: Stuart Allen, Ted Bain, Alice Beecham, Anthony Blake, Raymond L. Burton, Julian Carey, Julian Cary, Norman Dale, Robert D. Ennis, James Evans , R. H. Godfrey, Charles Gray, Charles Grey, Volsted Gridban, Alan Guthrie, George Holt, Gill Hunt, Alan Innes, Gordon Kent,Gregory Kern, King Lang, Mike Lantry, Nigel Lloyd, Arthur Maclean, Carl Maddox, Philip Martyn, John Mason , L. C. Powers, Edward Richards, Brian Shaw, Roy Sheldon, Eric Storm, Andrew Sutton,
Edward Thomson, Ted Tubb, Edwin C. Tubb, Ken Wainwright, Frank Weight, Douglas West, Eric Wilding.
Dumarest of Terra is a 33-volume series of science fiction novels:
1. The Winds of Gath (1967)
2. Derai (1968)
3. Toyman (1969)
4. Kalin (1969)
5. The Jester at Scar (1970)
6. Lallia (1971)
7. Technos (1972)
8. Veruchia (1973)
9. Mayenne (1973)
10. Jondelle (1973)
11. Zenya (1974)
12. Eloise (1975)
13. Eye of the Zodiac (1975)
14. Jack of Swords (1976)
15. Spectrum of a Forgotten Sun (1976)
16. Haven of Darkness (1977)
17. Prison of Night (1977)
18. Incident on Ath (1978)
19. The Quillian Sector (1978)
20. Web of Sand (1979)
21. Iduna's Universe (1979)
22. The Terra Data (1980)
23. World of Promise (1980)
24. Nectar of Heaven (1981)
25. The Terridae (1981)
26. The Coming Event (1982)
27. Earth Is Heaven (1982)
28. Melome (1983)
29. Angado (1984)
30. Symbol of Terra (1984)
31. The Temple of Truth (1985)
32. The Return (1997)
33. Child of Earth (2008).
"Eye of the Zodiac" starts with Dumarest on another backwater world working hard to get enough money to leave. A colleague at the workplace is a young man called Leon. Who claims to come from a world called Nerth.
The name being so possibly similar to Earth, or even a corruption of New Earth, is enough to get Dumarest's interest.
But he must avoid the likely threat of the Cyclan to get there. And danger will await him when he does
August 21, 2022
men have two options: live in an urban setting and so be ground under the wheel of capitalism, in a place where everything is transactional; live in a rural setting and so be ground under the weight of tribalism, in a place where superstitious ritual trumps individuality. women have two options: live in a rural setting and so be yoked to the ways of men, under their control; live in an urban setting and live a life of constant worry, surrounded by men who could physically dominate you if they so chose. pity the man who chooses to flee from the village to the city, seeking change but only encountering dehumanization. pity the woman who has come to loathe her body and its potential for abuse by men, yearning to change that sex to avoid subjugation.
and those are the lessons of Eye of the Zodiac, number 13 in the Dumarest Saga. it is a particularly grim and joyless entry in the series. people die, again and again, in their struggle to chase their dreams. Earl Dumarest is chasing his own dreams, and is almost always disappointed. well, at least in this one he finally gets his first real clue to finding the location of his homeworld, Earth. but I'm not so sure that he's going to find much that's different there...
and those are the lessons of Eye of the Zodiac, number 13 in the Dumarest Saga. it is a particularly grim and joyless entry in the series. people die, again and again, in their struggle to chase their dreams. Earl Dumarest is chasing his own dreams, and is almost always disappointed. well, at least in this one he finally gets his first real clue to finding the location of his homeworld, Earth. but I'm not so sure that he's going to find much that's different there...
August 1, 2023
“The depths to which men can sink. They live in dirt and ignorance. Yet, only a relatively short journey away, lies the door to the stars.”
This series seems to be getting progressively darker, with Earl increasingly paranoid with each relationship he develops, often justifiably so. Generally speaking, the civilizations he encounters in his journeys are either utterly despotic and autocratic, the result of cut throat capitalism run amok, or else remote and primitive if not savage. Often these exist side by side in different regions of the same planet. Each always with an enormous disparity in wealth and/or power between the exceedingly few haves and the have not masses. There's technology in the form of space travel, flying "rafts" and the occasional laser gun, but otherwise conditions everywhere are quite primitive.
It's the latter two civilizations he contends with in Eye of the Zodiac, each claiming its share of innocent lives and inflicting pain and suffering on its citizens. By the end of this journey across a particularly harsh and deadly planet Earl picks up what may be his first substantial clues to the location of Earth, thanks to a secret society known as the Original People who share his belief in the lost planet of Earth as the origin of all mankind. Yet they've taken their beliefs to extremes and are prepared to do anything to protect their secrets. Earl's run-in with the Cyclan is particularly dastardly and reveals some interesting details of the mysterious secret he stole from them.
This series seems to be getting progressively darker, with Earl increasingly paranoid with each relationship he develops, often justifiably so. Generally speaking, the civilizations he encounters in his journeys are either utterly despotic and autocratic, the result of cut throat capitalism run amok, or else remote and primitive if not savage. Often these exist side by side in different regions of the same planet. Each always with an enormous disparity in wealth and/or power between the exceedingly few haves and the have not masses. There's technology in the form of space travel, flying "rafts" and the occasional laser gun, but otherwise conditions everywhere are quite primitive.
It's the latter two civilizations he contends with in Eye of the Zodiac, each claiming its share of innocent lives and inflicting pain and suffering on its citizens. By the end of this journey across a particularly harsh and deadly planet Earl picks up what may be his first substantial clues to the location of Earth, thanks to a secret society known as the Original People who share his belief in the lost planet of Earth as the origin of all mankind. Yet they've taken their beliefs to extremes and are prepared to do anything to protect their secrets. Earl's run-in with the Cyclan is particularly dastardly and reveals some interesting details of the mysterious secret he stole from them.
July 27, 2025
Eye of the Zodiac is the thirteenth novel in Tubb's Dumarest series, which follows the adventures of Earl Dumarest in his long (thirty-some volumes from 1967-2008, which was longer than it took Doc Kimble to find the one-armed man) quest for his home planet, the lost legendary Earth. He's opposed at every step along the way by the weird machine-like Cyclan, and I was always willing to bet that they were the inspiration for Battlestar Galactica's Cylons. (There's an awkward info-dump about them on page 59.) At the start, Earl's working with a young man named Leon who tells him that his home planet is Nerth, which sounds enough like Earth that he sets off on another interstellar adventure. It's a good space opera series, far better written and conceived than most of the similar series of its time. Tubb occasionally had trouble orienting the reader after scene transitions as to point of view and location, but his aliens and societies were imaginative and compelling, and the complex civilization in this one is no exception. Like most male adventure protagonists of the last century, Earl was always lucky with the ladies, which held true in this thirteenth novel. (We learn more we need to know about Ayantel on page 32, that her breasts move like oiled balloons... it was 1975.) The ending is a bit darker and more blood thirsty than I remember from Dumarest books I've previously read, and I changed my rating from four to three because of a jarring misogynistic bit of self-hatred from a character named Iduna, but overall, I enjoyed the book. It was first published by DAW in September of 1975, and the copyright page says the cover is by George Barr (who definitely did the frontispiece), but I'd swear the cover painting was by Frank Kelly Freas.
May 21, 2018
My copy of this book was old and disintegrating. I unfortunately neglected to check if all the pages were there before I started - they were not! The last few pages are missing and I am trying desperately to find a copy and finish it.
April 2, 2016
I loved the ending of this book.
October 12, 2020
Just finished Dumarest 13 - Eye of the Zodiac.
We find our hero on the run, the Cyclan hot on his trail and within an hour of capturing him. The space port sealed, he is assisted by a woman who flies a raft over the port whilst pretending to be drunk... Dumarest jumps from the raft and seeks passage aboard a ship.
He meets a young man onboard who befriends him, a young runaway who reminds him of himself... the lad is desperate to follow Dumarest, but our hero travels alone.
The boy has a tale though, he says he comes from a place called Nerth. The resemblance to Earth is just too much for Dumarest to ignore. The boy, however, is killed and Dumarest finds himself stranded on Shajok, a dead end world with little prospect of work... but Nerth is to be found on this world and Dumarest wants the information and to tell the boy’s parents that he is dead.
Fortunately fate plays a role and Dumarest is approached to lead an expedition into the wilderness... and as this is where he wants to go... a deal is struck.
The anti-grav raft crashes and Dumarest is forced to tackle the terrain on foot, with Iduna the only other survivor.
Eventually they are found by a village of primitives, the very people he is looking for... descendants of the ‘Original People’. But they are not permitted to leave... Dumarest has to use all of his skills to gain their trust... but, just as he thinks he is safe, a Cyber arrives and captures him!
Desperate for the secret of the ‘Affinity Twin’ the Cyber gets more than he bargains for and Dumarest is rewarded with access to the ancient knowledge...as he has been carrying the ‘Eye of the Zodiac’ and returns it to the village! He gains the old coordinates for the 12 Zodiac constellations that the first travellers used from Earth... a huge step forward in his quest to find his home world!
We find our hero on the run, the Cyclan hot on his trail and within an hour of capturing him. The space port sealed, he is assisted by a woman who flies a raft over the port whilst pretending to be drunk... Dumarest jumps from the raft and seeks passage aboard a ship.
He meets a young man onboard who befriends him, a young runaway who reminds him of himself... the lad is desperate to follow Dumarest, but our hero travels alone.
The boy has a tale though, he says he comes from a place called Nerth. The resemblance to Earth is just too much for Dumarest to ignore. The boy, however, is killed and Dumarest finds himself stranded on Shajok, a dead end world with little prospect of work... but Nerth is to be found on this world and Dumarest wants the information and to tell the boy’s parents that he is dead.
Fortunately fate plays a role and Dumarest is approached to lead an expedition into the wilderness... and as this is where he wants to go... a deal is struck.
The anti-grav raft crashes and Dumarest is forced to tackle the terrain on foot, with Iduna the only other survivor.
Eventually they are found by a village of primitives, the very people he is looking for... descendants of the ‘Original People’. But they are not permitted to leave... Dumarest has to use all of his skills to gain their trust... but, just as he thinks he is safe, a Cyber arrives and captures him!
Desperate for the secret of the ‘Affinity Twin’ the Cyber gets more than he bargains for and Dumarest is rewarded with access to the ancient knowledge...as he has been carrying the ‘Eye of the Zodiac’ and returns it to the village! He gains the old coordinates for the 12 Zodiac constellations that the first travellers used from Earth... a huge step forward in his quest to find his home world!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2020
Eye of the Zodiac (Dumarest #13) by E.C. Tubb
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is Book 13 of the Dumarest Saga. All the pieces that constitute the Dumarest formula are in place. Dumarest has the code for the Affinity Twin, the Cyclan is after him, and the Cyclan needs the Affinity Twin formula in order to better rule the universe.
Dumarest knows the Cyclan wants him. This has made him grow very paranoid. When a young man reveals the name of "Nerth" and that he may be part of the Original People, Dumarest suspects a ruse from the Cyclan, particularly since a Cyclan has arrived on Tradum, the world where Dumarest is working as a miner and security guard. Using his wits, Dumarest eludes the Cyclan on Tradum and makes his way to Shajok, where he is enlisted into a rich man's expedition to find a mythical creature of supernatural abilities.
Will Dumarest be wrecked in the backcountry?
Will he find the Original People?
Will the rich man's sister prove to be a transexual-desiring schemer?
Will Cyclan show up to capture him?
Read the book and find out.
This is the pulpiest of pulps. You can make a drinking game out of the book using the words "fast," "titivation," and "lambent" but for me, it is a guilty pleasure and I am enjoying watching Dumarest pick up clues to guide him back to Earth. (In this one he gets a listing of star names and distances from some point.)
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is Book 13 of the Dumarest Saga. All the pieces that constitute the Dumarest formula are in place. Dumarest has the code for the Affinity Twin, the Cyclan is after him, and the Cyclan needs the Affinity Twin formula in order to better rule the universe.
Dumarest knows the Cyclan wants him. This has made him grow very paranoid. When a young man reveals the name of "Nerth" and that he may be part of the Original People, Dumarest suspects a ruse from the Cyclan, particularly since a Cyclan has arrived on Tradum, the world where Dumarest is working as a miner and security guard. Using his wits, Dumarest eludes the Cyclan on Tradum and makes his way to Shajok, where he is enlisted into a rich man's expedition to find a mythical creature of supernatural abilities.
Will Dumarest be wrecked in the backcountry?
Will he find the Original People?
Will the rich man's sister prove to be a transexual-desiring schemer?
Will Cyclan show up to capture him?
Read the book and find out.
This is the pulpiest of pulps. You can make a drinking game out of the book using the words "fast," "titivation," and "lambent" but for me, it is a guilty pleasure and I am enjoying watching Dumarest pick up clues to guide him back to Earth. (In this one he gets a listing of star names and distances from some point.)
November 28, 2019
As usual, this Dumarest story is full of great action-adventure, fun characters, and well-described and detailed alien worlds. However, more than most Dumarest books, this one seems to concentrate on metaplot. Maybe Dumarest is just going from MacGuffin to MacGuffin, but nonetheless it's great to see his oldest storyline progressing.
September 10, 2021
Less violent, less action-packed and slightly more cerebral, this volume seems to move Dumarest's quest heavily towards it's conclusion, even though we know (with the benefit of hindsight) that there are twenty books still to go.
Still very formulaic, despite managing to stray from the formula in some respects.
Still very formulaic, despite managing to stray from the formula in some respects.
January 14, 2022
The other world seemed too earthlike physically and culturally (.e.g. contract slave labor and gambling) and that was unimaginative. However, the Cyclan Cybers were an interesting concept.
Dumarest is searching for Earth and pursues all leads (which don't necessarily lead anywhere) and he, in turn, is being pursued.
Fast action.
Dumarest is searching for Earth and pursues all leads (which don't necessarily lead anywhere) and he, in turn, is being pursued.
Fast action.
February 4, 2020
Excellent entry to the series.
Earl Dumarest travels the stars striving to return to his home world of Earth. Battling other humans, nature and perfidious Cyclans, Dumarest finally uncovers a solid lead.
Earl Dumarest travels the stars striving to return to his home world of Earth. Battling other humans, nature and perfidious Cyclans, Dumarest finally uncovers a solid lead.
June 2, 2020
Basically the same story as the previous book. He is on the run. Following a clue about earth. Crashes with a raft in the wilderness. Survival of the fittest. Interesting were the new earth clues. On to the next volume.
July 7, 2025
I've read the entire Dumarest of Terra series, although it has been since I was in my twenties. I have largely enjoyed the series. I borrowed this audiobook from the library on a fluke. It's a quick listen, but the attitudes towards women is a very dated.
June 17, 2017
The further adventures of Earl Dumarest, trying to go home to Earth. Fun read, pretty much par for the course.
November 2, 2019
One of the best stories in this saga I read so far! Different standpoints, perspectives and storylines make this a very interesting and revealing "episode". Looking forward to what lies ahead.
February 15, 2026
A somewhat disjointed story that was at times hard to engage with, but at the same time, it's not a complete clunker, either.
Only bump in the road for this book is a product of its time (ca. mid-1970s):
Hmm, somewhere around 3.5 stars for me on this one.
Only bump in the road for this book is a product of its time (ca. mid-1970s):
Hmm, somewhere around 3.5 stars for me on this one.
December 5, 2014
Pretty good space opera from the early 70's. It's in the middle of the Dumarest of Terra series. It can be read out of order and everything will be explained, but it'd be best to start from the beginning.
This book is showing its age with some amount of sexism. Women wear dresses, men wear trousers, men do the heavy lifting, etc. That's really the major flaw in these books.
This book is showing its age with some amount of sexism. Women wear dresses, men wear trousers, men do the heavy lifting, etc. That's really the major flaw in these books.
Read
October 18, 2016Enjoyable as always
May 19, 2019
Once more we find Earl Dumarest on a hostile planet armed only with a knife and sharp wits. Once more there's a pretty woman (more or less) in distress. And once more Earl Dumarest is evading the Cyclans.
And once more it's an entertaining romp through a straight-forward universe. The universe seems to have a thing for Earl Dumarest; all he wants to do is find his home-world, but the universe pits low wages and the emotionless Cyclans against him.
I suspect that this novel might have started as two separate stories; we start on one planet with a simple mission: evade the Cyclan, escape the planet. But it's only about 90 pages, so I think E.C.Tubb must have figured he could tack a completely different story onto the back rather than fill out the first half to 180 pages (which seems to be the standard size for Dumarest novels.)
It's probably not a spoiler to say Dumarest evades the Cyclans; after all, there are several more books in the Dumarest of Terra series. The second half of the novel has our main character encountering a primitive tribe in a distant star system. Dangerous to outsiders, Earl is driven to contact them because he believes they have a clue to where to find Earth.
I'm a sucker for these space opera pulps, and this one doesn't disappoint.
And once more it's an entertaining romp through a straight-forward universe. The universe seems to have a thing for Earl Dumarest; all he wants to do is find his home-world, but the universe pits low wages and the emotionless Cyclans against him.
I suspect that this novel might have started as two separate stories; we start on one planet with a simple mission: evade the Cyclan, escape the planet. But it's only about 90 pages, so I think E.C.Tubb must have figured he could tack a completely different story onto the back rather than fill out the first half to 180 pages (which seems to be the standard size for Dumarest novels.)
It's probably not a spoiler to say Dumarest evades the Cyclans; after all, there are several more books in the Dumarest of Terra series. The second half of the novel has our main character encountering a primitive tribe in a distant star system. Dangerous to outsiders, Earl is driven to contact them because he believes they have a clue to where to find Earth.
I'm a sucker for these space opera pulps, and this one doesn't disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews