Fanglith

The Fanglith series #1

by John Dalmas

When a pair of political refugees is stranded on the galaxy's most barbaric planet, their son and daughter must save them - both from their Thought-Police pursuers and the terrible warriors of 11th-century Earth. Aided only by their ship's computer and a telepathic wolf, their first task is to rescue their mother from a nunnery.
The planet is primitive and incredibly violent. They don't know the language, customs, or taboos. The Thought-Police are hot on their trail. But they are smart and resourceful - and they do have an espwolf with them...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1985

About the author

John Dalmas—pseudonym for John Robert Jones—wrote many books based on military and governmental themes throughout his career. He grew up in Minnesota and Michigan and resided in Spokane, Washington. He was a parachute infantryman in WWII and was discharged in 1946 without ever being put seriously in harm's way. He has worked as a longshoreman, merchant seaman, logger, construction worker, and smokejumper. He attended Michigan State University, majoring in forestry, but also took creative writing.

Reviews

[Pat Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two days ago, the writer known as John Dalmas (actual name: John Robert Jones) passed away at the age of 90. I first encountered him in works he published with Baen, and in tribute to him, decided to review this book.
This is listed as a 1985 publication, which means it wasn't his FIRST published work, but it does appear to be the first published with Baen. He had prior work serialized in Analog magazine, going back at least as far as 1969.
Fanglith is an excellent adventure story for young people, although this 64 year old also found it quite enjoyable.
The protagonist is Larn, a 16 year old boy, on a somewhat out-of-the-way planet. He lives a quiet life with his parents and slightly younger sister, Deneen, although he knows they are refugees from the central government.
Nice touches: 1. Larn and Deneen have a respectful relationship. That means we don't have to put up with a lot of sibling squabbles; it's also clear that the reason this condition exists is that his parents won't tolerate anything otherwise. They don't interfere with discussion, but they also don't permit the nyah-nyah from happening.
2. The family unit also contains members of two other sentient species: the catlike Cookie, and the dog/wolflike Bubba. Bubba is also possessed of an ability to detect / read minds, with the accuracy decreasing with distance.
3. When the parents are suddenly alerted that the bad guys are on their tail, they leave clues that won't mean anything to their pursuers, but that Larn and Deneen are able to decipher, based on logic and their experience of the way parents operate. This was very nicely done.
4. It's a slow reveal (I didn't get it until the 4th chapter), but the primitive planet that they escape to is Earth, in the 11th century. (I would have marked this as a spoiler, but it's revealed in the blurb.)
5. Although the advanced technology DOES provide Larn's family with advantages, it doesn't destroy the conflict needed for a good story. On the one hand, Larn is reluctant to be ruthless in the application of his weapons; on the other hand, when he DOES have to use them in combat, his stunner runs out of juice, and his blaster malfunctions.
6. I have no idea whether the society depicted is actually similar to that found in France of the 11th century. However, the story WORKS, and the characterizations are consistent. He admires some people he encounters, and doesn't ever give the feel that 'these people are primitive, so we are superior.'
This is the first story of a relatively short series, closely defined. However, Baen lists it as a part of the Regiment series, which is more extensive.

[Otis Campbell · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Fanglith is one heck of a wild, genre-crossin' space yarn from back in 1981. The story centers on a galactic empire where a bunch of low-down, power-hungry rebels get their butts whipped and get banished to a backwater, primitive quarantine planet called Fanglith—which turns out to be none other than our very own Earth during the dark and bloody Middle Ages. A couple of centuries down the road, a smart-aleck telepathic space scout and his trusty, super-intelligent alien companion get sent down to this muddy rock to see if any of those old rebel bloodlines are still kickin' around, only to get themselves tangled up in local feudal wars, swinging swords, and castle sieges. Now, if you like your sci-fi slick, shiny, and movin' at a breakneck gallop, this paperback might feel a mite slower than a turtle walkin' uphill in January. Dalmas spends an awful lot of time meticulously layout out the grit, grime, and politics of medieval Earth, making the book read way more like a historical fiction novel than a spaceships-and-lasers adventure. It’s got a mighty casual, old-school pulp pacing where characters stop to jaw and analyze things for long stretches, but it’s a downright fascinating, unique blend of high-tech thinking and old-fashioned swordplay. If you can track down a dusty old copy at a flea market, it’s a perfectly fine, cozy way to pass a quiet evening on the porch swing.

[Austin Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure. So fanglith is earth. Knights fighting space ships.

[Lurple · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun sci-fi/alternate history series continued in Return to Fanglith Both are good books for young adults looking for a good, entertaining read.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lost track of Dalmas when paperbacks started becoming an issue for my vision, but I particularly liked the Regiment novels. Now with ebooks I may return to Dalmas.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1989 grade B+
2013 grade B

Series book F1

young adult

[Nadav Narkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first book in english!!! Ejoyed it very much.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

A one-word review to address the fact that I read this: "oops."