What do you think?
Rate this book
Demu Trilogy #1-3
The Demu Trilogy: Cage A Man/The Proud Enemy/End of the Lline
Strong spine with light creasing. Bright clean cover has rubbing, creasing and edge wear. Interior spine has been reinforced. Text is perfect. Same day shipping first class.
522 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
2 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
F.M. Busby
69 books27 followersFrancis Marion Busby
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._M._B...
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._M._B...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 17, 2021
An interesting, yet quite trashy, space opera in three parts, TDT reads like something from the golden age mixed liberally with the sexual revolution of the 60s/70s. Each volume in the trilogy is discrete, but they really should be read together. The hero and main protagonist is Barton (just Barton thank you). The first book, Cage A Man, starts with Barton in the hold of a strange space craft with about 50 other people; some of them humans, the rest hominoids of various stripes. Barton has no idea how he got there; he was a failed physics Ph.D. student and Vietnam vet who now works as a painter. He soon finds out that his captors are called the Demu-- also hominids, but with a lobster-like exoskeleton. He faces all kinds of deprivation for years, but refuses to cooperate with his jailers, until he can finely find a way to escape.
The second leading character is a female Tilari named Limila. They met if you will in the holding cell of the space craft that abducted them. The Demu basically consider themselves the only real people, and their captives that learn their ways are operated on extensively to make them look as Demu as possible (in fact, they are called Demu, but egg less Demu, something like second class citizens). For Limila, this meant radical facial surgery (removal of all teeth, her nose, ears and hair, and mutilating her lips and tongue), plus removal of her breasts. Barton was, however, able to escape from the Demu and take her with him back to Earth on a stolen spacecraft, in fact, with a few Demu hostages...
Lets get back to the trashy part. It seems the Tilari like to settle uncomfortable situations something like bonobos-- via sex. Shortly after they met in the strange spacecraft Barton and Limila coupled, and that really is a theme of all three books. While Busby tosses sex around like rice at a wedding, there is no rape-- all sex is consensual. In fact, in the second novel of the trilogy, The Proud Enemy, after Barton and company arrive on a Tilari planet, one oaf of a human tries to force his way upon a Tilari female and she kills him. Barton is told that any unwanted sexual advance is basically a capital crime. So, expect lots of sex, but from a somewhat enlightened perspective if you want to call it that.
These novels are pure pulp space opera and were written in the 70s-- yes it does show. I think editors during that era made sure that authors included as much sex as possible, and not just in pulp SFF. Barton is a real he-man type of guy, but again, keeping with more modern sensibilities, he never uses violence on women. When Earth manages to copy/reverse engineer the Demu spaceship, they are crewed roughly 50/50 with men and women, and women are in positions of power like being captains as well. This liberation of women from 'traditional' gender roles was pretty unusual for the era, as was having a strong female lead like Limila, but the rampant sex that everyone seems to be having all the time mitigates this a bit. I would hesitate to call these novels sexist, but there are some sexist aspects; Limila for example, upon her rescue, feels less than a real woman without her 'tits', and ugly to boot. Barton feels something the same as, while he still cares about her, cannot bring himself to engage in sex with her. That changes when she manages to get some cosmetic surgery, but still. Rather than sexist per se, I would say that these novels are populated by people who really really like sex just about all the time...
Regarding the pulpy, golden era feel, part of this could have been written by E.E. Doc Smith: Earth simply tools up and starts making FTL spacecraft a few months after Barton returns to Earth; Barton and crew run into several alien species but most are hominoids and can eat and drink the same stuff (especially booze); nothing real technical but space travel is easily acquired, etc. You could say that these novels are pure adventure, but the last one tosses in a twist that was an unexpectedly deep surprise regarding the human condition.
Busby has a flair for odd dialogue and the aliens often speak in strange rhythms and patterns; you can figure it out, but also recognize it as being different. All in all, a pretty fun romp and a decent space opera. If you are into trashy space pulp, you may want to take a look. 3 stars!
The second leading character is a female Tilari named Limila. They met if you will in the holding cell of the space craft that abducted them. The Demu basically consider themselves the only real people, and their captives that learn their ways are operated on extensively to make them look as Demu as possible (in fact, they are called Demu, but egg less Demu, something like second class citizens). For Limila, this meant radical facial surgery (removal of all teeth, her nose, ears and hair, and mutilating her lips and tongue), plus removal of her breasts. Barton was, however, able to escape from the Demu and take her with him back to Earth on a stolen spacecraft, in fact, with a few Demu hostages...
Lets get back to the trashy part. It seems the Tilari like to settle uncomfortable situations something like bonobos-- via sex. Shortly after they met in the strange spacecraft Barton and Limila coupled, and that really is a theme of all three books. While Busby tosses sex around like rice at a wedding, there is no rape-- all sex is consensual. In fact, in the second novel of the trilogy, The Proud Enemy, after Barton and company arrive on a Tilari planet, one oaf of a human tries to force his way upon a Tilari female and she kills him. Barton is told that any unwanted sexual advance is basically a capital crime. So, expect lots of sex, but from a somewhat enlightened perspective if you want to call it that.
These novels are pure pulp space opera and were written in the 70s-- yes it does show. I think editors during that era made sure that authors included as much sex as possible, and not just in pulp SFF. Barton is a real he-man type of guy, but again, keeping with more modern sensibilities, he never uses violence on women. When Earth manages to copy/reverse engineer the Demu spaceship, they are crewed roughly 50/50 with men and women, and women are in positions of power like being captains as well. This liberation of women from 'traditional' gender roles was pretty unusual for the era, as was having a strong female lead like Limila, but the rampant sex that everyone seems to be having all the time mitigates this a bit. I would hesitate to call these novels sexist, but there are some sexist aspects; Limila for example, upon her rescue, feels less than a real woman without her 'tits', and ugly to boot. Barton feels something the same as, while he still cares about her, cannot bring himself to engage in sex with her. That changes when she manages to get some cosmetic surgery, but still. Rather than sexist per se, I would say that these novels are populated by people who really really like sex just about all the time...
Regarding the pulpy, golden era feel, part of this could have been written by E.E. Doc Smith: Earth simply tools up and starts making FTL spacecraft a few months after Barton returns to Earth; Barton and crew run into several alien species but most are hominoids and can eat and drink the same stuff (especially booze); nothing real technical but space travel is easily acquired, etc. You could say that these novels are pure adventure, but the last one tosses in a twist that was an unexpectedly deep surprise regarding the human condition.
Busby has a flair for odd dialogue and the aliens often speak in strange rhythms and patterns; you can figure it out, but also recognize it as being different. All in all, a pretty fun romp and a decent space opera. If you are into trashy space pulp, you may want to take a look. 3 stars!
June 19, 2017
I got this book because I found a note from my father in which he described reading it, from when I was a kid. It's silly, pulpy, but also amazing, and once I got into the writing style I didn't go back out. I wish I could talk to him about it, the great race, and all the weird other species, and the technology descriptions, and how mental strength is as essential in this book as physical strength, and lots of the more ridiculous parts, and I'm glad I finished it on Father's Day.
July 9, 2015
F.M. Busby was a fan’s fan. He spent his life supporting sci fi: going to conferences, talking to writers, etc. Then, one day he quit his day job and started writing sci fi. More power to him. Unfortunately, it turns out he wasn’t very good at plotting out a novel, much less a trilogy.
The first book, “To Cage a Man,” has an odd structure, that kept me confused about what Busby was trying to do through most of it, although I admit that it resolved well, if unexpectedly. The part where Barton, the main character. is “caged” lasted for much less of the book than I’d have expected – by far most of the book involves his trying to cope with the after-effects of caging. This, as well as other aspects of the book, inclines me to read it as a commentary on Vietnam and Prisoners of War with PTSD, which were contemporary issues at the time of publication. Barton is brutalized by his experience and becomes brutal himself in order to survive. This, he fears after the fact, makes him “not safe to walk around free,” but his worst fear is that the authorities will realize this and resign him to another cage for society’s protection. This brutality was part of what confused me – I was afraid that this was another macho celebration of violence, a la “Plague of Demons,” but there are various hints that this is not the case, such as his ability to see the helpless and adoring child within one of the enemy aliens.
Between book one and book two of the trilogy is a short story with that child as its protagonist. I suspect that Busby wrote it to help him settle aspects of Demu psychology, but it does appear to have been published as well. I don’t see that it adds much to the plot, but it’s a brief diversion and sets the stage to build tension in the next book.
The second book seems a bit more confident – the structure is more deliberate, even though again there was quite a time when I couldn’t see where it was going. A lot of the book is dedicated to setting up situations that apparently will be resolved in the third book. The problem I have with it, though, is that apart from this, its own essential “quest” is resolved too simply. In fact, a problem these books share is how easily Barton is able to conquer any problem he is tasked with. There’s also a problem, I think, with the very optimistic view Busby has of the US government and governments in general and their ability to coordinate and listen to reason in a crisis. The character of Tarleton, essentially the only government representative to the project of waging war against the Demu, is unbelievably competent, and insanely willing to defer to Barton. When he does make mistakes, it seems almost as if Busby makes this happen as a kind of afterthought, because he belatedly realizes that there needs to be conflict to heighten the drama. Again, though, the tension is always relieved too quickly.
The third book resolves for me that Busby never did figure out how to pace a novel. It is actually two separate stories, the second one much more interesting than the first. The first half of the book involves Barton resolving issues that have come about because the second fleet to arrive on his allies’ planet is led by a megalomaniac with an axe to grind, which at least shows that Busby learned something about not trusting the military & government after Watergate and Vietnam. Of course Barton solves it all much too easily, and in the meanwhile there’s a lot of irrelevant filler. The final story follows that same structure, but is based on more interesting premises that were set up in the second book, in terms of the origins of the Demu and the humanoid races of the galaxy. The nice thing about this one is that at least it got a bit of set-up and the premise takes a bit of time, so it isn’t all filler waiting for Barton to solve the problem, but Busby insists on sprinkling smug little reminders that Barton has it all figured out, but isn’t telling the reader what he knows until the last few pages.
In short, all three books are interesting, but full of action and dialog irrelevant to the plot. Busby’s fairly good at writing a good resolution (I suspect that’s where he started from, each time), but generally unsure how to get there, and uneven in setting up the premise. I probably won’t seek out more of his writing.
The first book, “To Cage a Man,” has an odd structure, that kept me confused about what Busby was trying to do through most of it, although I admit that it resolved well, if unexpectedly. The part where Barton, the main character. is “caged” lasted for much less of the book than I’d have expected – by far most of the book involves his trying to cope with the after-effects of caging. This, as well as other aspects of the book, inclines me to read it as a commentary on Vietnam and Prisoners of War with PTSD, which were contemporary issues at the time of publication. Barton is brutalized by his experience and becomes brutal himself in order to survive. This, he fears after the fact, makes him “not safe to walk around free,” but his worst fear is that the authorities will realize this and resign him to another cage for society’s protection. This brutality was part of what confused me – I was afraid that this was another macho celebration of violence, a la “Plague of Demons,” but there are various hints that this is not the case, such as his ability to see the helpless and adoring child within one of the enemy aliens.
Between book one and book two of the trilogy is a short story with that child as its protagonist. I suspect that Busby wrote it to help him settle aspects of Demu psychology, but it does appear to have been published as well. I don’t see that it adds much to the plot, but it’s a brief diversion and sets the stage to build tension in the next book.
The second book seems a bit more confident – the structure is more deliberate, even though again there was quite a time when I couldn’t see where it was going. A lot of the book is dedicated to setting up situations that apparently will be resolved in the third book. The problem I have with it, though, is that apart from this, its own essential “quest” is resolved too simply. In fact, a problem these books share is how easily Barton is able to conquer any problem he is tasked with. There’s also a problem, I think, with the very optimistic view Busby has of the US government and governments in general and their ability to coordinate and listen to reason in a crisis. The character of Tarleton, essentially the only government representative to the project of waging war against the Demu, is unbelievably competent, and insanely willing to defer to Barton. When he does make mistakes, it seems almost as if Busby makes this happen as a kind of afterthought, because he belatedly realizes that there needs to be conflict to heighten the drama. Again, though, the tension is always relieved too quickly.
The third book resolves for me that Busby never did figure out how to pace a novel. It is actually two separate stories, the second one much more interesting than the first. The first half of the book involves Barton resolving issues that have come about because the second fleet to arrive on his allies’ planet is led by a megalomaniac with an axe to grind, which at least shows that Busby learned something about not trusting the military & government after Watergate and Vietnam. Of course Barton solves it all much too easily, and in the meanwhile there’s a lot of irrelevant filler. The final story follows that same structure, but is based on more interesting premises that were set up in the second book, in terms of the origins of the Demu and the humanoid races of the galaxy. The nice thing about this one is that at least it got a bit of set-up and the premise takes a bit of time, so it isn’t all filler waiting for Barton to solve the problem, but Busby insists on sprinkling smug little reminders that Barton has it all figured out, but isn’t telling the reader what he knows until the last few pages.
In short, all three books are interesting, but full of action and dialog irrelevant to the plot. Busby’s fairly good at writing a good resolution (I suspect that’s where he started from, each time), but generally unsure how to get there, and uneven in setting up the premise. I probably won’t seek out more of his writing.
May 19, 2013
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've read this trilogy...I've always enjoyed it and still do....It's good old fashioned space opera at it's best....I also recommend all of the Rissa Kerguelan books as super good reads....
December 2, 2021
Busby’s Demu Trilogy really feels like a victim of the times. This could have been a great book, but unfortunately became a mediocre trilogy because quantity over quality was what sold in the 70s.
Cage A Man was great as far as pulp sci-fi goes, covering topics like body horror, identity, and trauma.
The Proud Enemy dragged terribly in the middle as if it was supposed to be part of the first book, but stretched out to novel length. After an eon of politics and planning, we finally got to a satisfying ending though.
End of the Line got bizarre. It definitely felt like an unplanned continuation. The first third was a fun espionage thriller, then we got a cutaway weird horror section, then the main cast arrives and it’s more action, then we end with some existentialism...? It’s absolutely more fun than book 2, but feels like a series of total non sequiturs.
If the focus was put on a single quality story, something I blame on the publishers rather than the author, I feel like this would have been a hidden gem but as is, it’s a very rough one.
Cage A Man was great as far as pulp sci-fi goes, covering topics like body horror, identity, and trauma.
The Proud Enemy dragged terribly in the middle as if it was supposed to be part of the first book, but stretched out to novel length. After an eon of politics and planning, we finally got to a satisfying ending though.
End of the Line got bizarre. It definitely felt like an unplanned continuation. The first third was a fun espionage thriller, then we got a cutaway weird horror section, then the main cast arrives and it’s more action, then we end with some existentialism...? It’s absolutely more fun than book 2, but feels like a series of total non sequiturs.
If the focus was put on a single quality story, something I blame on the publishers rather than the author, I feel like this would have been a hidden gem but as is, it’s a very rough one.
August 28, 2013
A stellar effort by an author not mentioned much these days. He had an interesting life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._M._Busby).
The Trilogy contains the following:
1. Cage a Man (1973)
"The Learning of Eeshta" (1973) - short story; also appeared in collection Getting Home (1987)
2. The Proud Enemy (1975)
3. End of the Line (1980) - not published separately, but only in The Demu Trilogy
The Demu Trilogy (omnibus) (1980) - includes all four titles (including first appearance of End of the Line)
I was impressed by the three different aspects conveyed in the stories. It is grand Space Opera in one sense, but so much deeper than many of the FTL shoot outs written. I was luck and found the book at a used book store, and bought it on a recommendation of a SF blog. I am glad I did.
The Demu, who they are and what they do comprise the first 2 major stories. The last tale "The End of the Line" presents a great twist in what is alien and what is not.
Thanks Mr. Busby.
The Trilogy contains the following:
1. Cage a Man (1973)
"The Learning of Eeshta" (1973) - short story; also appeared in collection Getting Home (1987)
2. The Proud Enemy (1975)
3. End of the Line (1980) - not published separately, but only in The Demu Trilogy
The Demu Trilogy (omnibus) (1980) - includes all four titles (including first appearance of End of the Line)
I was impressed by the three different aspects conveyed in the stories. It is grand Space Opera in one sense, but so much deeper than many of the FTL shoot outs written. I was luck and found the book at a used book store, and bought it on a recommendation of a SF blog. I am glad I did.
The Demu, who they are and what they do comprise the first 2 major stories. The last tale "The End of the Line" presents a great twist in what is alien and what is not.
Thanks Mr. Busby.
December 1, 2021
A weird, but not uninteresting, mix of pulpy space opera, intense psychological torment, and a dash of cosmic/body horror. Wonky pacing, an abundance of characters, and a somewhat confusing plot, but I had fun with it.
November 30, 2007
As an action packed space opera, this book is okay. Beyond that description, there is really little else it offers.
May 1, 2016
Typical of so many 1970s pulp sci fi writers and books. F.M. Busby’s The Demu Trilogy may actually be good, although with a 3.59 rating on Goodreads, I doubt it, but I’m not going to give it a shot by finishing it and you know why? Gratuitous sex. I’m not a prude. I have nothing against sex, lots of sex. I’ve read, and own, de Sade. I’ve read more sex in one book than most people have read in a lifetime. But within context. Within this context, and most sci fi’ context, gratuitous sex is just pathetic adolescent masturbatory fantasy written by some no talent (usually, except for Heinlein) hack writer who can’t get any.
This book begins with a fellow named Barton who wakes up on a dull spaceship, nude, with about 50 other nude people, not all of whom are fully human, although he strangely realizes this because they all look mostly human. And naked. And while most don’t speak English, he finds an English speaking man who speaks almost any language out there, including alien, and a hottie alien woman and they all get along famously, so much so that he finds himself boning the alien babe before long. And she does the same with his new friend. It was the decade of the Sexual Revolution, after all. I guess in space too.
Well, the aliens didn’t like this, so he woke up in a private room, but he was soon joined by another alien woman who was uber-aggressive and who attacked him relentlessly. She was taken away and then reappeared and to Barton’s horror, it’s implied that she was given a lobotomy and now also appears toothless, drooling, and quite empty eyed and happy. But also horny as shit and apparently quite strong, because he can’t fight her off, so he naturally gives in and lets her have her way and they do it relentlessly and he doesn’t feel too bad about it because she’s quite obviously enjoying herself. Yeah, nice. But soon, she appears to be getting fat. And he realizes, oh shit. Yep, preggers. He tries to communicate to the aliens that he’s not a damn doctor, he can’t deliver a half human, half alien baby, but nope, when it’s time, she’s screaming like crazy and it’s bloody and the fetus/baby is freaking him out, so he does the natural thing and slaughters both of them to shut them the fuck up. Nice, huh? So, they’re removed from his room. And he’s reduced to masturbating frequently. Which he does every page. And then all of a sudden, there’s a window in his room and he sees several lobster-like aliens watching him and then they’re making some jerk-off motions because they CLEARLY want him to masturbate for them because I guess they’re horny lobster aliens (?), but he has his murder/sex principles, so he won’t masturbate for them, so even though they try to persuade him for days, he suffers by denying himself his much needed relief and then they finally give in and he resumes masturbating, thank God, until one day, another alien female appears in his room, this one looking like the previous one, but docile. Because she, too, has been lobotomized. And he’s so appalled, he is determined not to take advantage of this poor thing, and that lasts about 10 minutes before her fervor takes him out and she’s on him, sliding up and down. But this time, he takes precautions. I don’t know what they are. They aren’t spelled out. I guess he either pulls out or has anal sex with her, but he’s determined not to get her pregnant. But one morning he wakes to find that she’s astride him, riding him, vaginally, and before he knows it and can help himself, he ejaculates inside of her and guess what? Yep, she gets pregnant. Knowing he can’t take it again, he does what, I forget, it all runs together. I think this time he merely breaks her neck.
By this time, I’m so disgusted that there’s virtually no real sci fi, other than spurious aliens who do nothing other than think of human sex, and nothing in this book other than sex on every page and the occasional murder, that I’m done, I give up in disgust. It might turn out that this trilogy could turn out to be decent, but I’m not going to be around to find out. It’s not worth the effort to me. I don’t want to be this disgusted long enough to try. Busby is a disgusting pervert. A no talent hack who can’t write worth shit, who should have been writing for Hustler, if he was even that good, which I doubt. Maybe when I sell it to the used bookstore, I’ll get a quarter for it. Needless to say, this is at best a one star book and most certainly not recommended.
This book begins with a fellow named Barton who wakes up on a dull spaceship, nude, with about 50 other nude people, not all of whom are fully human, although he strangely realizes this because they all look mostly human. And naked. And while most don’t speak English, he finds an English speaking man who speaks almost any language out there, including alien, and a hottie alien woman and they all get along famously, so much so that he finds himself boning the alien babe before long. And she does the same with his new friend. It was the decade of the Sexual Revolution, after all. I guess in space too.
Well, the aliens didn’t like this, so he woke up in a private room, but he was soon joined by another alien woman who was uber-aggressive and who attacked him relentlessly. She was taken away and then reappeared and to Barton’s horror, it’s implied that she was given a lobotomy and now also appears toothless, drooling, and quite empty eyed and happy. But also horny as shit and apparently quite strong, because he can’t fight her off, so he naturally gives in and lets her have her way and they do it relentlessly and he doesn’t feel too bad about it because she’s quite obviously enjoying herself. Yeah, nice. But soon, she appears to be getting fat. And he realizes, oh shit. Yep, preggers. He tries to communicate to the aliens that he’s not a damn doctor, he can’t deliver a half human, half alien baby, but nope, when it’s time, she’s screaming like crazy and it’s bloody and the fetus/baby is freaking him out, so he does the natural thing and slaughters both of them to shut them the fuck up. Nice, huh? So, they’re removed from his room. And he’s reduced to masturbating frequently. Which he does every page. And then all of a sudden, there’s a window in his room and he sees several lobster-like aliens watching him and then they’re making some jerk-off motions because they CLEARLY want him to masturbate for them because I guess they’re horny lobster aliens (?), but he has his murder/sex principles, so he won’t masturbate for them, so even though they try to persuade him for days, he suffers by denying himself his much needed relief and then they finally give in and he resumes masturbating, thank God, until one day, another alien female appears in his room, this one looking like the previous one, but docile. Because she, too, has been lobotomized. And he’s so appalled, he is determined not to take advantage of this poor thing, and that lasts about 10 minutes before her fervor takes him out and she’s on him, sliding up and down. But this time, he takes precautions. I don’t know what they are. They aren’t spelled out. I guess he either pulls out or has anal sex with her, but he’s determined not to get her pregnant. But one morning he wakes to find that she’s astride him, riding him, vaginally, and before he knows it and can help himself, he ejaculates inside of her and guess what? Yep, she gets pregnant. Knowing he can’t take it again, he does what, I forget, it all runs together. I think this time he merely breaks her neck.
By this time, I’m so disgusted that there’s virtually no real sci fi, other than spurious aliens who do nothing other than think of human sex, and nothing in this book other than sex on every page and the occasional murder, that I’m done, I give up in disgust. It might turn out that this trilogy could turn out to be decent, but I’m not going to be around to find out. It’s not worth the effort to me. I don’t want to be this disgusted long enough to try. Busby is a disgusting pervert. A no talent hack who can’t write worth shit, who should have been writing for Hustler, if he was even that good, which I doubt. Maybe when I sell it to the used bookstore, I’ll get a quarter for it. Needless to say, this is at best a one star book and most certainly not recommended.
April 17, 2008
My hands down favorite book of all time!! A fast-paced adventure that fascinates and delights!
January 7, 2024
Where do I even start with this mess?
At first it was captivating, a fun uninhibited 1970's-style excursion where our hero was captured by bizarre aliens with very alien and seemingly unknowable intentions. The horrific nature of Barton's (and the other humans') imprisonment had me hooked, along with the lasting repercussions for him psychologically. He develops a strangely Dune-like method of self hypnosis to escape them after years and breaks free in a brutal and "Humanity fuck yeah!" sort of way that had me hooked. But after that... the book died.
The overwhelming majority of parts 1 and 2 are scenes of talking with others about this that or the other thing as potentially interesting ideas plod along at a dreadful pace in the background. I say potentially, but again the comic book levels of world building are offensive.
The prose doesn't help: it is written in the simple 3rd person with a 1950's sort of vernacular that would be at home in fast paced tales of action, where the character has to DO more and then SAY more by actually saying LESS -- a style that looks easy to do but is in fact a well practiced art by the greats of all the genre fictions of the 20s. This is not what happens here though. Instead of being an action-adventure space romp, this book is like all the worst mission briefing scenes from Star Trek on endless repeat, which footnote unnecessarily mentioning of how then Barton goes off to get laid by his space girlfriend Lamila, who seems to exists mostly for that reason.
Barton is shallow and uninteresting, a borderline Marty Stu character in fact, though it's too clear that he is supposed to be the all-American everything can-do man from the Golden Age of scifi serials. Part 3 the story finally starts to get interesting once there is at long last something like an antagonist. Also the many, many weird plot points for the previous 2 parts have to be wrapped up and the story finally does, in a slap-dash and weird way that comfortably causes 20% of the human colonists on the new world to commit suicide because its implications are supposedly THAT disturbing.
Sadly there were some neat ideas at work here, the Demu themselves are interesting and even the monstrous "Others" which oddly dovetailed together with the strange sexual themes that pervade the book. But oh so much of this read like bad fanfiction. UGH.
At first it was captivating, a fun uninhibited 1970's-style excursion where our hero was captured by bizarre aliens with very alien and seemingly unknowable intentions. The horrific nature of Barton's (and the other humans') imprisonment had me hooked, along with the lasting repercussions for him psychologically. He develops a strangely Dune-like method of self hypnosis to escape them after years and breaks free in a brutal and "Humanity fuck yeah!" sort of way that had me hooked. But after that... the book died.
The overwhelming majority of parts 1 and 2 are scenes of talking with others about this that or the other thing as potentially interesting ideas plod along at a dreadful pace in the background. I say potentially, but again the comic book levels of world building are offensive.
The prose doesn't help: it is written in the simple 3rd person with a 1950's sort of vernacular that would be at home in fast paced tales of action, where the character has to DO more and then SAY more by actually saying LESS -- a style that looks easy to do but is in fact a well practiced art by the greats of all the genre fictions of the 20s. This is not what happens here though. Instead of being an action-adventure space romp, this book is like all the worst mission briefing scenes from Star Trek on endless repeat, which footnote unnecessarily mentioning of how then Barton goes off to get laid by his space girlfriend Lamila, who seems to exists mostly for that reason.
Barton is shallow and uninteresting, a borderline Marty Stu character in fact, though it's too clear that he is supposed to be the all-American everything can-do man from the Golden Age of scifi serials. Part 3 the story finally starts to get interesting once there is at long last something like an antagonist. Also the many, many weird plot points for the previous 2 parts have to be wrapped up and the story finally does, in a slap-dash and weird way that comfortably causes 20% of the human colonists on the new world to commit suicide because its implications are supposedly THAT disturbing.
Sadly there were some neat ideas at work here, the Demu themselves are interesting and even the monstrous "Others" which oddly dovetailed together with the strange sexual themes that pervade the book. But oh so much of this read like bad fanfiction. UGH.
December 13, 2024
Another space opera from Busby, though presumably completed unrelated to most of his *other* mostly interconnected space operas. Its pulpy, mostly fast paced, though it does get bogged down in a few points, and has enough Heinlein-y, swinger-y, 70s sex and alien impregnation that a number of modern readers might be turned off (or turned on...).
I can't imagine this spread out over the three very small books it originally was, especially as these flow pretty seamlessly into one another, each picking up immediately where the previous story left off. Over the arc of the narrative we go from a near/alternate future where human's still lack any space travel beyond what we currently possess and no contact with aliens, through first contact via alien abduction, to alliances with multiple races, interbreeding (up to and including re-creating an elder/progenitor race that way) with aliens and settling a bunch of other worlds. All within about a decade! Like I said, fast paced and pulpy. You want some cool ray guns? You got 'em. You want lost civilizations? They're here. We get a little of the sort of questionable protagonists I found in Zelde M'Tana, but definitely more toned down than there.
I can't imagine this spread out over the three very small books it originally was, especially as these flow pretty seamlessly into one another, each picking up immediately where the previous story left off. Over the arc of the narrative we go from a near/alternate future where human's still lack any space travel beyond what we currently possess and no contact with aliens, through first contact via alien abduction, to alliances with multiple races, interbreeding (up to and including re-creating an elder/progenitor race that way) with aliens and settling a bunch of other worlds. All within about a decade! Like I said, fast paced and pulpy. You want some cool ray guns? You got 'em. You want lost civilizations? They're here. We get a little of the sort of questionable protagonists I found in Zelde M'Tana, but definitely more toned down than there.
March 17, 2023
Pleasant but not excellent reread. The first two books were very early works of the author, and the third book doesn't really work -- which is probably why it was never published as a separate book. The basic idea is exceedingly elegant, but the actual execution didn't work.
Also, the sex and gender stuff that seemed so progressive when the books were first written now feel very heteronormative and gender essentialist.
Also, the sex and gender stuff that seemed so progressive when the books were first written now feel very heteronormative and gender essentialist.
September 5, 2025
3⭐️ A Good Book/Unexceptional
Reading this book proved challenging, particularly due to the absence of chapter. It unfortunately resembled a poorly made science fiction film, despite having promising concepts. Furthermore, incorporating at least two points of view would likely enhance the novel's overall quality, making it a more worthwhile read.
Favorite Quote: " ...because he already knew why some people, including most politicians, nothing was more important than revving up their egos and listening to the echoes." - Barton, Demu Trilogy
Reading this book proved challenging, particularly due to the absence of chapter. It unfortunately resembled a poorly made science fiction film, despite having promising concepts. Furthermore, incorporating at least two points of view would likely enhance the novel's overall quality, making it a more worthwhile read.
Favorite Quote: " ...because he already knew why some people, including most politicians, nothing was more important than revving up their egos and listening to the echoes." - Barton, Demu Trilogy
March 30, 2020
this book is horrible. i cant believe i made myself read it. read it as a kid cuz a friend found it in his parents’ books. it had some naughty bits and risqué themes. I didn’t remember how bad the rest if it was though.
July 17, 2019
This was one one the best sci fi books I ever read I hate when trolls post long winded ignorant hate reviews.
Read
December 11, 2023SAY SOMETHING NICE: There are aliens. And a fair amount of action & violence, if you like such.
VERDICT: Below 2 stars (for the 1/3 of the trilogy I read). DNF @ 33%.
This circa-1980 book is far too silly and unrealistic for my tastes. It's mildly trashy, pulp-level SF at best--but don't expect any actual 'science' here, nor a likeable protagonist.
EXTRA DEMERITS FOR: Many unnecessary exclamation marks!
RECOMMENDED? No. But check other reviews first.
VERDICT: Below 2 stars (for the 1/3 of the trilogy I read). DNF @ 33%.
This circa-1980 book is far too silly and unrealistic for my tastes. It's mildly trashy, pulp-level SF at best--but don't expect any actual 'science' here, nor a likeable protagonist.
EXTRA DEMERITS FOR: Many unnecessary exclamation marks!
RECOMMENDED? No. But check other reviews first.
March 15, 2012
So, you wake up in a strange room filled with sleeping people, with no idea how you got there. What are the first three things you do?
Do you relieve yourself in the corner of the room? Possibly---that doesn't seem to far-fetched. Who knows when you last visited a bathroom.
Do you then seek out someone who speaks your language? I certainly would. Even if they have no idea what is going on, at least you'll have someone to talk with.
Do you then have sex with the second female alien you come across? You do if your Barton, hero (and designated Mary Sue) of this tale! And you do it about 10 pages into the story.
At this point in the book, the warning klaxon started sounding in the back of my head, but I kept reading for 20 or 30 pages more. Unfortunately, the whole of those pages was a vast, continuous info-dump, complete with useless information that will never be seen, or heard from again.
If this book were under 200 pages, I might have bothered to take the time to finish it, but I jumped ahead towards the end to see if the story improved, and found instead, all the justification I needed to stop reading.
If you are after a Mary Sue, space opera, this might be the story your after. If your after anything with depth, or that can catch your interest, and worms its fingers into your brain, skip this book, it will deliver nothing of the sort.
Do you relieve yourself in the corner of the room? Possibly---that doesn't seem to far-fetched. Who knows when you last visited a bathroom.
Do you then seek out someone who speaks your language? I certainly would. Even if they have no idea what is going on, at least you'll have someone to talk with.
Do you then have sex with the second female alien you come across? You do if your Barton, hero (and designated Mary Sue) of this tale! And you do it about 10 pages into the story.
At this point in the book, the warning klaxon started sounding in the back of my head, but I kept reading for 20 or 30 pages more. Unfortunately, the whole of those pages was a vast, continuous info-dump, complete with useless information that will never be seen, or heard from again.
If this book were under 200 pages, I might have bothered to take the time to finish it, but I jumped ahead towards the end to see if the story improved, and found instead, all the justification I needed to stop reading.
If you are after a Mary Sue, space opera, this might be the story your after. If your after anything with depth, or that can catch your interest, and worms its fingers into your brain, skip this book, it will deliver nothing of the sort.
February 29, 2008
I vividly remember reading this right before dinner when I was in middle school. It was one of the first books that I remember realizing that I was seeing in my mind as a "movie", and I went downstairs to talk to my mom about that phenomenon as she was finishing cooking dinner. I think there were some large lobster-type aliens, but that's about all I remember of it at this point.
July 26, 2009
read this in high school, don't remember much other than it was ok.
May 20, 2012
My 1st Sci Fi book ;)
November 6, 2014
1982 grace C+
Consists of the books:
Cage A Man,
Proud Enemy, and
End of the Line.
Consists of the books:
Cage A Man,
Proud Enemy, and
End of the Line.
February 13, 2015
I really enjoyed this trilogy!
May 25, 2017
This is a solid, well-written trilogy of sci-fi novels that I very much enjoyed reading. The characters (most of whom appear in all three books) are written well, there are constant conflicts and obstacles that they must overcome which keeps the pace moving and kept me interested. The transition between the first and second books was fantastic. The third book diverted from the first and second books in an unanticipated fashion, which initially seemed out of place. Everything made sense by 75% through the third book, however, and it did conclude the series well. There are many references to sex, conception and birth, so the books may not be appropriate for young children. I highly recommend reading all 3 books together, as they are easy reads and not terribly long, at approx. 550 pages in total.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews