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Dumarest of Terra #23
World of Promise
Ascelius was an academic world, whose primary business was teaching the knowledge of the thousands of worlds, and housing great universities and colleges, populated by students and scholars from all over the galaxy. Such a world was surely the place to learn of the legendary planet called Earth.
Dumarest went to Ascelius, and, indeed, he found that there had once been a study group for Earth lore. To find the remnants of it, to seek out the discarded files of their discussions, was not easy. Not when the dreaded Cyber already had a toe-hold on Ascelius, and genetic engineering of man and monster was the latest fad.
But Dumarest was not a quitter. Whatever the tests might demand, he would no flunk out although it might mean death for others - and possibly himself.
Dumarest went to Ascelius, and, indeed, he found that there had once been a study group for Earth lore. To find the remnants of it, to seek out the discarded files of their discussions, was not easy. Not when the dreaded Cyber already had a toe-hold on Ascelius, and genetic engineering of man and monster was the latest fad.
But Dumarest was not a quitter. Whatever the tests might demand, he would no flunk out although it might mean death for others - and possibly himself.
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 4, 1980
About the author
E.C. Tubb
383 books88 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 6, 2024
World of Promise follows directly from the events of The Terra Data, as Earl attempts to track down any leads from the late geology professor who supposedly had knowledge of Earth's location but died before Earl could reach him. This leads him to a world that's something of a rarity in the series, a civilized society, built on for-profit universities and populated exclusively by students and faculty. Though even here destitution and crime, especially fraud, seem commonplace. Tubb reserves some choice words for academia and the sheltered, out of touch lives of academics.
The story finds Earl more paranoid than usual, unsure and second guessing himself at almost every turn. He also takes more than his usual shares of lumps, going up against some conniving adversaries, some monstrously fierce genetically modified beasts and a particularly deranged and overzealous cyber. Of course, numerous women throw themselves at him, but his interest lies only in leveraging any connections in furtherance of his ultimate goal. His main adversary, a brilliant woman scientist, hides a dark secret, her actions driven by something completely other than the typical lusts for wealth or power.
I thought this was one of the better of the later Dumarest stories. Plenty of action and intriguing worldbuilding as always, but also a rare glimpse at an almost desperate Earl who doesn't seem to know who to trust or what exactly to do while chasing down dead leads on a decade old trail that has gone nearly completely cold.
The story finds Earl more paranoid than usual, unsure and second guessing himself at almost every turn. He also takes more than his usual shares of lumps, going up against some conniving adversaries, some monstrously fierce genetically modified beasts and a particularly deranged and overzealous cyber. Of course, numerous women throw themselves at him, but his interest lies only in leveraging any connections in furtherance of his ultimate goal. His main adversary, a brilliant woman scientist, hides a dark secret, her actions driven by something completely other than the typical lusts for wealth or power.
I thought this was one of the better of the later Dumarest stories. Plenty of action and intriguing worldbuilding as always, but also a rare glimpse at an almost desperate Earl who doesn't seem to know who to trust or what exactly to do while chasing down dead leads on a decade old trail that has gone nearly completely cold.
July 24, 2022
Despite their thin size, some of the Dumarest volumes seem a bit plodding (and this is from somebody who enjoys them). It might be the fact that this one reached top of the read pile on a weekend, but I flew through it, finishing it in just two sittings.
Yes, it's dated - as are they all - and, arguably, a bit sexist (in a James Bond, sort of way), but by now Tubb had dropped a lot of the formula that peppered earlier volumes, if only because he doesn't use certain phraseology as much (the stories themselves are still somewhat formulaic). Here, Dumarest comes closer, than ever to finding his lost home, almost achingly so.
This is one of the few volumes I bought from new - from the indicia, I was still a teen - but it's not long after this one that I lost touch with the series. Still a fun re-read.
Yes, it's dated - as are they all - and, arguably, a bit sexist (in a James Bond, sort of way), but by now Tubb had dropped a lot of the formula that peppered earlier volumes, if only because he doesn't use certain phraseology as much (the stories themselves are still somewhat formulaic). Here, Dumarest comes closer, than ever to finding his lost home, almost achingly so.
This is one of the few volumes I bought from new - from the indicia, I was still a teen - but it's not long after this one that I lost touch with the series. Still a fun re-read.
October 6, 2025
This is the 23rd volume of Dumarest's quest to find long lost Earth. It's one of the more enjoyable of the latter volumes I've so far read, as it has some uniquely interesting variations on the usual formula. The story is mostly set on a university world, and the competition and double-crossing Earl encounters amongst the professors rivals any he's encountered in gladiatorial arenas. There is, of course, a Cyclan presence, but this time the poor red-robe seems mad as a hatter. Earl attracts some attention from the ladies as usual ("Hot for Teacher" is on the soundtrack, or on page 27: "A need which turned Dumarest into a rutting beast rewarding him with the intoxication of ecstasy." Oh, my...) He encounters a gene-splicer a time or three who never turns out to be who she seems to be, saves an innocent young girl, finds some ancient notes that seem to point to Terra... it's a fast-paced story that takes Earl further into his world of impatience and frustration. Published by DAW in 1980, it has a nifty Ken Kelly cover that would've also worked on a Conan or Star Trek book.
August 22, 2026
review of
E. C. Tubb's World of Promise
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - August 22, 2026
I've read 14 of the Dumarest of Terra series so far (including this one) & it's been, predictably, an up & down experience for me. Most of them have been engaging, a few have been almost insufferably repetitious. This one was on the more enjoyable end of the spectrum b/c it deviated slightly & introduced the academic context at its most pernicious. That worked for me.
There's often a carnival scene in wch thrills for the debauched are on offer.
"drugs to heighten perception, others to increase the sensitivity of nerves so that a touch became an ecstasy, a kiss unendurable pleasure; compounds to dull, to distort, to change; salves, pills, tablets—the girl offered them all.
""And you, my lord?" Her eyes met Dumarest's. "Is there nothing you desire?"
"Nothing she could supply and she must have read the answer in his eyes. Oddly her own filled with tears.
""I am sorry, my lord," she whispered, "So very sorry."
"A sensitive? It was possible, carnivals and fairs were natural resting places for such misfits. But what had she seen to make her cry? What had she guessed?" - p 12
"A sensitive"? Always a good idea.
As usual, Dumarest commits an act of dangerous heroism, this time to save a child from a genetically modified fighting creature, is nearly killed, & awakens under the medical care of a beautiful woman who just-so-happens to be the woman who engineered the fighting creature in the 1st place. Small world, eh?!
""Intravenous feeding," she explained, unnecessarily. "You've been under slowtime, six weeks subjective."
"Over a normal day he had lain, his metabolism speeded by the drug, healing with accelerated tempo. Even though he'd been fed, his body showed signs of wastage.
""You were cut up pretty badly inside," she explained casually." - p 20
Yeah, What's new, there, eh, Dumarest?
Gee, I wonder if this woman will seduce him?
""Earl?" She was insistent. "Drink, Earl, Drink!"
"Light and music. Shine and glitter and the sweet brittle tinkling of endlessly ringing crystal. The perfume assaulted his senses and turned his yearning into an impatient fire.
"Pheremones, chemical messengers emitted by her glands to trigger his masculine response. An aphrodisiac against which there was no defense. A demand impossible for him to resist." - p 26
The details of his depiction of an academic planet are one of Tubb's innovations here.
"The fear was always present and each time after a new intake came the moment of truth. If student enrollment was low in certain subjects then she was wrong to have agreed they should be included in the curriculum. If tutors proved unpopular, the same. Too many mistakes and she would have demonstrated her failure to make valid judgments. One too many and her career would be in ruins. And she was too old to start again." - p 40
This is also the bk in wch the previous bk (The Terra Data my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) is referred to as a more-or-less direct precursor to the events at hand. Most of the other bks start 'fresh', there're previously written-about events referred to but not as if they were of the recent past in the story timeline. Having read The Terra Data not long before this one, I enjoyed that.
""Did you know a man named Boulaye? A geologist?" As she nodded Dumarest reached out his hand and dropped something into her palm. "He sent you this."
"She stared at it, not noticing the warning red flash from the lantern on the table, her eyes filled with the soft blue effulgence of the metal she cupped in her hand. A nugget large enough to fashion a delicate bracelet or a heavy ring.
"Juscar," she said wonderingly, "So Rudi found his mine."
"He had found it and lost it together with his life" - p 45
This was published in 1980. I was alive & partying in 1980, in my late 20s. I find this description of a party entertaining.
"Someone with a taste for the bizarre had decorated the room with skulls and bones, death masks and symbols culled from ancient graves. The music matched the decor: wailing threnodies which stung the ears and sent ants to crawl over the skin; mathematical discords set in jarring sequences which created unease and irritation. A condition aided by the glare of strobotic lighting which three faces in unreal prominence with various shades of livid color." - p 49
Seems IRRITAINING as Herr Stiletto Studios might say.
"And all from the same mold—students who had graduated to stay on and take post-graduate studies and then to become assistants and gain doctorates and gain a professorial chair; prisoners in a system which fed on itself to create more; academics lacking the spirit or courage to break free of the surrogate womb and blinding themselves to the reality beyond the university walls." - p 56
Well, I didn't take any more reviewer notes after referring to that to be quoted. I reckon there probably wasn't anything that seemed noteworthy to me. I'm sure Earl Dumarest of Terra came really close to what he was looking for, the coordinates to Earth, but was thwarted after some near-death struggles. I enjoyed it but I'm sure I can live w/o reaching the climax of all this, presumed to be in the last bk of the series.
E. C. Tubb's World of Promise
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - August 22, 2026
I've read 14 of the Dumarest of Terra series so far (including this one) & it's been, predictably, an up & down experience for me. Most of them have been engaging, a few have been almost insufferably repetitious. This one was on the more enjoyable end of the spectrum b/c it deviated slightly & introduced the academic context at its most pernicious. That worked for me.
There's often a carnival scene in wch thrills for the debauched are on offer.
"drugs to heighten perception, others to increase the sensitivity of nerves so that a touch became an ecstasy, a kiss unendurable pleasure; compounds to dull, to distort, to change; salves, pills, tablets—the girl offered them all.
""And you, my lord?" Her eyes met Dumarest's. "Is there nothing you desire?"
"Nothing she could supply and she must have read the answer in his eyes. Oddly her own filled with tears.
""I am sorry, my lord," she whispered, "So very sorry."
"A sensitive? It was possible, carnivals and fairs were natural resting places for such misfits. But what had she seen to make her cry? What had she guessed?" - p 12
"A sensitive"? Always a good idea.
As usual, Dumarest commits an act of dangerous heroism, this time to save a child from a genetically modified fighting creature, is nearly killed, & awakens under the medical care of a beautiful woman who just-so-happens to be the woman who engineered the fighting creature in the 1st place. Small world, eh?!
""Intravenous feeding," she explained, unnecessarily. "You've been under slowtime, six weeks subjective."
"Over a normal day he had lain, his metabolism speeded by the drug, healing with accelerated tempo. Even though he'd been fed, his body showed signs of wastage.
""You were cut up pretty badly inside," she explained casually." - p 20
Yeah, What's new, there, eh, Dumarest?
Gee, I wonder if this woman will seduce him?
""Earl?" She was insistent. "Drink, Earl, Drink!"
"Light and music. Shine and glitter and the sweet brittle tinkling of endlessly ringing crystal. The perfume assaulted his senses and turned his yearning into an impatient fire.
"Pheremones, chemical messengers emitted by her glands to trigger his masculine response. An aphrodisiac against which there was no defense. A demand impossible for him to resist." - p 26
The details of his depiction of an academic planet are one of Tubb's innovations here.
"The fear was always present and each time after a new intake came the moment of truth. If student enrollment was low in certain subjects then she was wrong to have agreed they should be included in the curriculum. If tutors proved unpopular, the same. Too many mistakes and she would have demonstrated her failure to make valid judgments. One too many and her career would be in ruins. And she was too old to start again." - p 40
This is also the bk in wch the previous bk (The Terra Data my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) is referred to as a more-or-less direct precursor to the events at hand. Most of the other bks start 'fresh', there're previously written-about events referred to but not as if they were of the recent past in the story timeline. Having read The Terra Data not long before this one, I enjoyed that.
""Did you know a man named Boulaye? A geologist?" As she nodded Dumarest reached out his hand and dropped something into her palm. "He sent you this."
"She stared at it, not noticing the warning red flash from the lantern on the table, her eyes filled with the soft blue effulgence of the metal she cupped in her hand. A nugget large enough to fashion a delicate bracelet or a heavy ring.
"Juscar," she said wonderingly, "So Rudi found his mine."
"He had found it and lost it together with his life" - p 45
This was published in 1980. I was alive & partying in 1980, in my late 20s. I find this description of a party entertaining.
"Someone with a taste for the bizarre had decorated the room with skulls and bones, death masks and symbols culled from ancient graves. The music matched the decor: wailing threnodies which stung the ears and sent ants to crawl over the skin; mathematical discords set in jarring sequences which created unease and irritation. A condition aided by the glare of strobotic lighting which three faces in unreal prominence with various shades of livid color." - p 49
Seems IRRITAINING as Herr Stiletto Studios might say.
"And all from the same mold—students who had graduated to stay on and take post-graduate studies and then to become assistants and gain doctorates and gain a professorial chair; prisoners in a system which fed on itself to create more; academics lacking the spirit or courage to break free of the surrogate womb and blinding themselves to the reality beyond the university walls." - p 56
Well, I didn't take any more reviewer notes after referring to that to be quoted. I reckon there probably wasn't anything that seemed noteworthy to me. I'm sure Earl Dumarest of Terra came really close to what he was looking for, the coordinates to Earth, but was thwarted after some near-death struggles. I enjoyed it but I'm sure I can live w/o reaching the climax of all this, presumed to be in the last bk of the series.
June 24, 2017
Fairly typical Dumarest book. All the elements are there: Dumarest, the Cyclan, the Universal Brotherhood, obscure hints of Earth, raised and dashed hopes, women swooning for Dumarest, Dumarest fighting beasts at impossible odds.
September 29, 2020
Full review in the last of the series.
May 11, 2016
An exercise in frustration, most books you want resolution to whatever problem the writer has set, the crime solved, the guy gets the girl or vice versa. That happens in the Dumarest books but the main point of them is his finding his way back to Earth and each book has a trip to a new planet following a clue and every time he just misses the information by inches..it gets blown up, stolen, eaten, blown out an airlock. It is a bit like Mulder and Scully, every time he gets close and actually sees something and says 'look Scully proof'...she is always looking the other way and doesn't see and then thing vanishes and he is left begging for belief until he almost loses confidence that he actually saw what he saw. We all know it is necessary to the underlying theme to continue unsolved if the series it to continue but it is frustrating and after a while it become unbelievable.
May 9, 2016
In this, the 23rd of the Earl Dumarest saga E. C. Tubb takes us briefly away from the fierce frontiers and the fighting rings where we most often follow Earl in his quest for his lost and hidden birth planet Earth.
In World of Promise we are initially taken to a university world, a concept I found quite fascinating and could easily have spent more time on. In this vignette of possible futures a world sustains itself by having many universities with a purely commercial focus since Students come pay for the courses and lectures. We later move world where a family has become wealthy by using genetics and mutation to create creatures for sale, but anything else would be spoilers so I will stop.
Yes, a couple of women are passionately in love with Dumarest, no spoilers there!
In World of Promise we are initially taken to a university world, a concept I found quite fascinating and could easily have spent more time on. In this vignette of possible futures a world sustains itself by having many universities with a purely commercial focus since Students come pay for the courses and lectures. We later move world where a family has become wealthy by using genetics and mutation to create creatures for sale, but anything else would be spoilers so I will stop.
Yes, a couple of women are passionately in love with Dumarest, no spoilers there!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews