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Dumarest of Terra #9
Mayenne
Earl Dumarest still seeks the mythical planet Earth . . . still roams alien and violent worlds. With him goes Mayenne, whose songs create joy and passion - or forgetfulness.
Together they are cast up on Tormyle, a planet from another galaxy; a planet unique throughout the Universe. For Tormyle is sentient - the most powerful intelligence in the Cosmos, constantly recreating itself.
Tormyle can be Paradise or Hell. Tormyle can manifest as a dragon or a knight on horseback, faceless behind the helmet. Tormyle understands nothing of humanity, of men and women, of emotion. And Tormyle will let no-one escape who cannot answer the unanswerable.
Together they are cast up on Tormyle, a planet from another galaxy; a planet unique throughout the Universe. For Tormyle is sentient - the most powerful intelligence in the Cosmos, constantly recreating itself.
Tormyle can be Paradise or Hell. Tormyle can manifest as a dragon or a knight on horseback, faceless behind the helmet. Tormyle understands nothing of humanity, of men and women, of emotion. And Tormyle will let no-one escape who cannot answer the unanswerable.
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 15, 1973
6 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
E.C. Tubb
382 books85 followersEdwin Charles Tubb was a writer of science fiction, fantasy and western novels. He published over 140 novels and 230 short stories and novellas, and is best known for The Dumarest Saga (US collective title: Dumarest of Terra) an epic science-fiction saga set in the far future.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 30, 2020
Women all across the galaxy adore Earl Dumarest's hot bod and quietly empathetic outlook. They fall in love with him constantly and he falls in love right back. Unfortunately for Earl, this time the ladies in question include an entire planet named Tormyle. Turns out that sentient planets can be just as jealous as a human when it comes to Earl Dumarest.
This was pure pleasure. Tubb's tight and burnished prose, the sleek design of the narrative, and the tense atmosphere all made this adventure super enjoyable. The story is divided into two parts: the first half on board a ship with a diverse and intriguing group of travelers having to deal with a Space Emergency; the second half with the survivors of that voyage now on the planet Tormyle - a planet who is quite bored with existence and is looking for kicks. That's reasonable. But those kicks are supplied by posing an increasingly fatal series of tests for the understandably chagrined travelers, and that's not so reasonable. There's a twist ending that actually shocked me - I did not expect that surprise villain!
This could have been a 4 star book, except the titular heroine was a very drippy example of Woman Who Falls For Earl. She basically just moons about and sings magical songs that make everyone else moon about. And she's all over Earl, all the time. Get a grip sis, and get a room already.
This was pure pleasure. Tubb's tight and burnished prose, the sleek design of the narrative, and the tense atmosphere all made this adventure super enjoyable. The story is divided into two parts: the first half on board a ship with a diverse and intriguing group of travelers having to deal with a Space Emergency; the second half with the survivors of that voyage now on the planet Tormyle - a planet who is quite bored with existence and is looking for kicks. That's reasonable. But those kicks are supplied by posing an increasingly fatal series of tests for the understandably chagrined travelers, and that's not so reasonable. There's a twist ending that actually shocked me - I did not expect that surprise villain!
This could have been a 4 star book, except the titular heroine was a very drippy example of Woman Who Falls For Earl. She basically just moons about and sings magical songs that make everyone else moon about. And she's all over Earl, all the time. Get a grip sis, and get a room already.
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June 8, 2020(DAW Collectors #54
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,
Volume 9 of Dumarest novels.
Earl Dumarest still seeks the mythical planet Earth and still roams alien and violent worlds. With him goes Mayenne, whose songs create joy and passion - or forgetfulness. Together they are cast up on Tormyle, a planet from another galaxy; a planet unique throughout the Universe. For Tormyle is sentient - the most powerful intelligence in the Cosmos, constantly recreating itself. Tormyle can be Paradise or Hell. Tormyle can manifest as a dragon or a knight on horseback, faceless behind the helmet. Tormyle understands nothing of humanity, of men and women, of emotion. And Tormyle will let no-one escape who cannot answer the unanswerable.
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,
Volume 9 of Dumarest novels.
Earl Dumarest still seeks the mythical planet Earth and still roams alien and violent worlds. With him goes Mayenne, whose songs create joy and passion - or forgetfulness. Together they are cast up on Tormyle, a planet from another galaxy; a planet unique throughout the Universe. For Tormyle is sentient - the most powerful intelligence in the Cosmos, constantly recreating itself. Tormyle can be Paradise or Hell. Tormyle can manifest as a dragon or a knight on horseback, faceless behind the helmet. Tormyle understands nothing of humanity, of men and women, of emotion. And Tormyle will let no-one escape who cannot answer the unanswerable.
April 20, 2025
Mayenne is the ninth book in Tubb's long-running Dumarest space opera series, so you know going in that Earl's going to come out all right and continue on his quest to locate his long-lost home, Terra... after he dallies a bit with the titular Mayenne. (All of the females want Dumarest. He was like Captain Kirk. Here we have a neutral character becoming female just so she can join in on the fun.) It's a somewhat formulaic series, after all, but a cut above most in imaginative content and well-paced narrative. The sex and violence are never graphic, and it's all mostly innocent fun. In this one, he goes up against a sentient planet, and it's a very well-done David vs. Goliath (or Allison Blair vs. Galactus, or Appalachian State vs. Michigan...but I digress) adventure. The secondary characters are interesting, and the escaped animal chase is very well described as well. Obviously, some of the attitudes can be described as misogynistic, but it's a novel published in 1973 so one might as well criticize 1950's television shows for being filmed in black and white. It was the 54th DAW book, and the first of many in the series after Wollheim brought the series with him from Ace, and their colorful Kelly Freas covers, too.
July 17, 2018
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RCF6...
Mayenne: The Dumarest Saga Book 9
This story starts in a different setting than the last eight books. Normally, we find Dumarest on some cr*p hole of a planet planning how to get off so he can continue his search for his lost birth planet of Earth. Dumarest plans usually intersect with the decadent wealthy and the conniving Cyclan.
In this story, we find Dumarest on board a ship heading to another planet. On this ship, there is the usual assortment of types that Dumarest is used to dealing with: the decadent rich, the unscrupulous merchant, a card shark, and there is Mayenne, a Ghenka singer, but no Cyclan, as near as we can tell. Naturally, all the men agree that Dumarest is the epitome of masculine competence and all the women lust for his attention.
Then, a beast gets loose on board ship, the engines are disabled, and the ship is adrift, until it attracts the attention of a sentient planet, named Tormyle, with a unique transportation system.
Dumarest forms a relationship with Mayenne, who is the typically cooing and purring female common to the Dumarestiverse. Unfortunately, the sentient planet is bored and wants to learn about human emotions and this thing called love. Tormyle starts to experiment with Dumarest and his companions and eventually comes to desire Dumarest in an all-too-human way.
It's a weird kind of a story for Dumarest, but the ending is surprising in a typically Dumarest way. We don't get any closer to solving any of Dumarest's mysteries, although we are spared the usual Cyclan mind-orgasm scene. We do get one scene where Dumarest's speed - "You're fast, etc." - are mentioned. Finally, be it noted that Dumarest is tricked into revealing the secret of the affinity twin, but that works out in the end.
Mayenne: The Dumarest Saga Book 9
This story starts in a different setting than the last eight books. Normally, we find Dumarest on some cr*p hole of a planet planning how to get off so he can continue his search for his lost birth planet of Earth. Dumarest plans usually intersect with the decadent wealthy and the conniving Cyclan.
In this story, we find Dumarest on board a ship heading to another planet. On this ship, there is the usual assortment of types that Dumarest is used to dealing with: the decadent rich, the unscrupulous merchant, a card shark, and there is Mayenne, a Ghenka singer, but no Cyclan, as near as we can tell. Naturally, all the men agree that Dumarest is the epitome of masculine competence and all the women lust for his attention.
Then, a beast gets loose on board ship, the engines are disabled, and the ship is adrift, until it attracts the attention of a sentient planet, named Tormyle, with a unique transportation system.
Dumarest forms a relationship with Mayenne, who is the typically cooing and purring female common to the Dumarestiverse. Unfortunately, the sentient planet is bored and wants to learn about human emotions and this thing called love. Tormyle starts to experiment with Dumarest and his companions and eventually comes to desire Dumarest in an all-too-human way.
It's a weird kind of a story for Dumarest, but the ending is surprising in a typically Dumarest way. We don't get any closer to solving any of Dumarest's mysteries, although we are spared the usual Cyclan mind-orgasm scene. We do get one scene where Dumarest's speed - "You're fast, etc." - are mentioned. Finally, be it noted that Dumarest is tricked into revealing the secret of the affinity twin, but that works out in the end.
January 1, 2015
‘Earl Dumarest still seeks the mythical planet Earth… still roams alien and violent worlds. With him goes Mayenne, whose songs create joy and passion – or forgetfulness.
Together they are cast up on Tormyle, a planet from another galaxy; a planet unique throughout the Universe. For Tormyle is sentient – the most powerful intelligence in the Cosmos, constantly recreating itself.
Tormyle can be Paradise or Hell. Tormyle can manifest as a dragon or a knight on horseback, faceless behind the helmet. Tormyle understands nothing of humanity: of men and women, of emotion. And Tormyle will let no-one escape who cannot answer the unanswerable.’
Blurb from the 1977 Arrow paperback edition.
Dumarest is on his way to the planet Selegal, along with a motley crew of suspicious characters, when a dangerous creature in the hold breaks free of its cage and damages the engine. Adrift in the void, signals are sent but no reply is received until Mayenne, an empathic singer, sends one of her empassioned numbers out across the ether.
They then receive a response and the ship is teleported to the surface of Tormyle, a sentient world from another galaxy. Tormyle is intrigued by the nature of human existence and sets some deadly tests for them in order to determine the nature of love.
There are no cybers in this episode although there are agents of the Cyclan, working undercover.
Nothing is advanced by this tale, although it does give Dumarest the opportunity to evade the Cyclan for a while since Tormyle teleports him to a random world whose location the Cyclan could not possibly deduce.
The Cyclan, in any event, seem to have acted completely against their vaulted logic since all they have to do is plant the coordinates for Earth for Dumarest to discover and then wait for him to arrive.
Simples.
Together they are cast up on Tormyle, a planet from another galaxy; a planet unique throughout the Universe. For Tormyle is sentient – the most powerful intelligence in the Cosmos, constantly recreating itself.
Tormyle can be Paradise or Hell. Tormyle can manifest as a dragon or a knight on horseback, faceless behind the helmet. Tormyle understands nothing of humanity: of men and women, of emotion. And Tormyle will let no-one escape who cannot answer the unanswerable.’
Blurb from the 1977 Arrow paperback edition.
Dumarest is on his way to the planet Selegal, along with a motley crew of suspicious characters, when a dangerous creature in the hold breaks free of its cage and damages the engine. Adrift in the void, signals are sent but no reply is received until Mayenne, an empathic singer, sends one of her empassioned numbers out across the ether.
They then receive a response and the ship is teleported to the surface of Tormyle, a sentient world from another galaxy. Tormyle is intrigued by the nature of human existence and sets some deadly tests for them in order to determine the nature of love.
There are no cybers in this episode although there are agents of the Cyclan, working undercover.
Nothing is advanced by this tale, although it does give Dumarest the opportunity to evade the Cyclan for a while since Tormyle teleports him to a random world whose location the Cyclan could not possibly deduce.
The Cyclan, in any event, seem to have acted completely against their vaulted logic since all they have to do is plant the coordinates for Earth for Dumarest to discover and then wait for him to arrive.
Simples.
December 31, 2025
review of
E.C. Tubb's Mayenne
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - December 31, 2025
Ok, I'm still somewhat new to Tubbs but it's pretty obvious by this point how formulaic this series is. I reckon that's true of most or all series so it's not like he's an especially poor writer in that respect. Actually, the formulaicness is doing its job, I'm sucked in, I'll read plenty of them.
The hero, Dumarest of Terra, is searching the Galaxy for his birthworld, Earth, wch most people that he encounters think is a myth. He gets to a new planet where he faces extreme trials & tribulations. The titular woman is, of course, madly in love w/ him - in the other bks I've read in the series that provides a high probability of her death by the end of the bk. Dumarest's heroic attributes are truly.. HEROIC. This bk is number 9 in the series. At the end of #8 it's written:
"He might never go at all. He wouldn't be the first man who had lost a world for the love of a woman." - p 190, Veruchia
Yes, the reader was left w/ the possibility that the ever-searching Dumarest might settle down w/ Veruchia & stay & rule her world w/ her. Fat chance. Chapter 1 of Mayenne finds Dumarest once more travelling between the stars.
"Dumarest heard the sound as he left his cabin, a thin, penetrating wail, almost a scream, then he relaxed as he remembered the Ghenka who had joined the ship at Frell. She was in the salon, entertaining the company with her undulating song, accompanying herself with the ctystalline tintinnabulation of tiny bells. She wore the full Ghenka costume, her body covered, her face a mask of paint, the curlicues of gold and silver, ruby and jet set with artfully placed gems which caught and reflected the light in splinters of darting brilliance so that her features seemed to be alive with jeweled and crawling insects." - p 5
Guess who Dumarest is about to become lovers w/? No Plain-Jane-from-Next-Door for our boy. An accident happens in the spaceship & it becomes stranded, drifiting in space. Mayenne, the Ghenka, broadcasts her voice over a radio she's brought w/ her. When Dumarest asks her about it, she makes an excuse.
"Dumarest remembered the bleakness of the static he had heard in the control room, the eerie feeling it had created. It would not be hard for a person trained as the Ghenka had been in tonal efficiency to imagine the sound held words, almost recognizable, almost human. It was perfectly understandable that she could have sung back to it as a man might talk to a tree or to something which could not possibly answer. Loneliness took many strange paths." - p 40
Look at me: I'm lonely, while writing this review it's as if I'm telling someone about a story, as if there's someone out there listening to me [insert maniacal laughter here]. I might be better off talking to a tree.
""People do not accept me readily. Women hate me because of the influence thay think I have over their men. Men desire me, not as a woman to be loved, but as a prize to be displayed. The rich are condescending and the poor are envious. Those who employ me try to cheat.["]" - p 40
I feel ya.
One of the passengers talks about his mental training.
"["]It is a matter of conscious discipline. For thousands of years man have known that, by mental exercise, they could control their metabolic behavior. For example, I could thrust a steel rod into my flesh and I would not bleed, feel pain, nor would the injury leave any trace or scar.["]" - p 51
I can remember being 15 & thinking along similar lines. I remember beginning to get sick & using some mental discipline, successfully, to stop the sickness. I remember believing that it was possible to make myself invisible thru such means. Did I read something that inspired me along those lines? The way I remember it is that I came up w/ it on my own. I still think such things are possible but I don't think I'm ever likely to be capable of them. Still, it interests me to come across such ideas again in something written less than a decade after when I had such thoughts.
& another passenger:
""I am not afraid to die. No," Daroca corrected, "that is not wholly true. I am afraid of the lost opportunities death will bring. The places I shall not see, the things I shall not do. Stupid, perhaps, but to me death has always meant unfinished business.["]" - p 54
Again, I can relate. I've often sd something to the effect of: 'I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want the quality of my life to deteriorate.' It is. & 'I can't die yet, I have too much work to do.' Too many bks to write, movies to make, Usic to d compose, that sort of thing.
Well, our travellers & their spaceship get pulled out of space thru unknown means to a planet that thinks. The planet-that-thinks idea 'inevitably' reminds me of Stanislav Lem's Solaris (1961) & the great movie Tarkovsky made of it (1972) & the excellent remake that Steven Soderbergh made (2002). All of Tubb's plot elements are interesting & skillfully crafted but it's the interplay between the planet & the stranded humans that allows for the most imaginative story-telling. The planet changes itself to suit whatever relationship to the humans it's moved to.
"Dumarest walked to the edge and looked down. The bottom was invisible. He looked to the other side; there was no way to reach the cages aside from the causeway. The ground too had changed, the soft emerald of the sward replaced by a stony barrenness, the sparse trees once again the thick mass of vegetation they had previously known." - p 126
Can Dumarest of Terra outwit & outfight a thinking planet? Will he save Mayenne & settle down w/ her & give up his quest to find Earth? Stay tuned.
"Our children, Earl. I am not too old to give you sons."
"And daughters who would sing as their mother sang. A home which would be his and the things most men regarded as important. A fair exchange, perhaps, for his endless quest for a lost world." p 134
One might think that I'd lose interest in such predictability fast. But, right now I might be dying, I might be at the end of the line - & reading such tales keeps me entertained & distracted & doesn't take much strength.
E.C. Tubb's Mayenne
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - December 31, 2025
Ok, I'm still somewhat new to Tubbs but it's pretty obvious by this point how formulaic this series is. I reckon that's true of most or all series so it's not like he's an especially poor writer in that respect. Actually, the formulaicness is doing its job, I'm sucked in, I'll read plenty of them.
The hero, Dumarest of Terra, is searching the Galaxy for his birthworld, Earth, wch most people that he encounters think is a myth. He gets to a new planet where he faces extreme trials & tribulations. The titular woman is, of course, madly in love w/ him - in the other bks I've read in the series that provides a high probability of her death by the end of the bk. Dumarest's heroic attributes are truly.. HEROIC. This bk is number 9 in the series. At the end of #8 it's written:
"He might never go at all. He wouldn't be the first man who had lost a world for the love of a woman." - p 190, Veruchia
Yes, the reader was left w/ the possibility that the ever-searching Dumarest might settle down w/ Veruchia & stay & rule her world w/ her. Fat chance. Chapter 1 of Mayenne finds Dumarest once more travelling between the stars.
"Dumarest heard the sound as he left his cabin, a thin, penetrating wail, almost a scream, then he relaxed as he remembered the Ghenka who had joined the ship at Frell. She was in the salon, entertaining the company with her undulating song, accompanying herself with the ctystalline tintinnabulation of tiny bells. She wore the full Ghenka costume, her body covered, her face a mask of paint, the curlicues of gold and silver, ruby and jet set with artfully placed gems which caught and reflected the light in splinters of darting brilliance so that her features seemed to be alive with jeweled and crawling insects." - p 5
Guess who Dumarest is about to become lovers w/? No Plain-Jane-from-Next-Door for our boy. An accident happens in the spaceship & it becomes stranded, drifiting in space. Mayenne, the Ghenka, broadcasts her voice over a radio she's brought w/ her. When Dumarest asks her about it, she makes an excuse.
"Dumarest remembered the bleakness of the static he had heard in the control room, the eerie feeling it had created. It would not be hard for a person trained as the Ghenka had been in tonal efficiency to imagine the sound held words, almost recognizable, almost human. It was perfectly understandable that she could have sung back to it as a man might talk to a tree or to something which could not possibly answer. Loneliness took many strange paths." - p 40
Look at me: I'm lonely, while writing this review it's as if I'm telling someone about a story, as if there's someone out there listening to me [insert maniacal laughter here]. I might be better off talking to a tree.
""People do not accept me readily. Women hate me because of the influence thay think I have over their men. Men desire me, not as a woman to be loved, but as a prize to be displayed. The rich are condescending and the poor are envious. Those who employ me try to cheat.["]" - p 40
I feel ya.
One of the passengers talks about his mental training.
"["]It is a matter of conscious discipline. For thousands of years man have known that, by mental exercise, they could control their metabolic behavior. For example, I could thrust a steel rod into my flesh and I would not bleed, feel pain, nor would the injury leave any trace or scar.["]" - p 51
I can remember being 15 & thinking along similar lines. I remember beginning to get sick & using some mental discipline, successfully, to stop the sickness. I remember believing that it was possible to make myself invisible thru such means. Did I read something that inspired me along those lines? The way I remember it is that I came up w/ it on my own. I still think such things are possible but I don't think I'm ever likely to be capable of them. Still, it interests me to come across such ideas again in something written less than a decade after when I had such thoughts.
& another passenger:
""I am not afraid to die. No," Daroca corrected, "that is not wholly true. I am afraid of the lost opportunities death will bring. The places I shall not see, the things I shall not do. Stupid, perhaps, but to me death has always meant unfinished business.["]" - p 54
Again, I can relate. I've often sd something to the effect of: 'I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want the quality of my life to deteriorate.' It is. & 'I can't die yet, I have too much work to do.' Too many bks to write, movies to make, Usic to d compose, that sort of thing.
Well, our travellers & their spaceship get pulled out of space thru unknown means to a planet that thinks. The planet-that-thinks idea 'inevitably' reminds me of Stanislav Lem's Solaris (1961) & the great movie Tarkovsky made of it (1972) & the excellent remake that Steven Soderbergh made (2002). All of Tubb's plot elements are interesting & skillfully crafted but it's the interplay between the planet & the stranded humans that allows for the most imaginative story-telling. The planet changes itself to suit whatever relationship to the humans it's moved to.
"Dumarest walked to the edge and looked down. The bottom was invisible. He looked to the other side; there was no way to reach the cages aside from the causeway. The ground too had changed, the soft emerald of the sward replaced by a stony barrenness, the sparse trees once again the thick mass of vegetation they had previously known." - p 126
Can Dumarest of Terra outwit & outfight a thinking planet? Will he save Mayenne & settle down w/ her & give up his quest to find Earth? Stay tuned.
"Our children, Earl. I am not too old to give you sons."
"And daughters who would sing as their mother sang. A home which would be his and the things most men regarded as important. A fair exchange, perhaps, for his endless quest for a lost world." p 134
One might think that I'd lose interest in such predictability fast. But, right now I might be dying, I might be at the end of the line - & reading such tales keeps me entertained & distracted & doesn't take much strength.
August 2, 2020
Just finished Mayenne, Dumarest 9.
Very much a book of two halves...!
The first half being set on board a space craft that is carrying freight and passengers. Amongst the freight is a wild animal that gets loose and damages the ship’s generator that powers its engines and shields.
Drifting in the emptiness of space with little chance of ever being found Dumarest prepares to put everyone into stasis under ‘slow-time’ and hope that they are discovered... the chances of which are extremely slim.
One of the passengers is a ‘Ghenka’... a professional singer, much like an opera Prima donna... she sings out and is heard by Tormyle, an planetary entity of great power and it transports the stricken ship across the galaxy to its surface and creates a fantasy and a breathable atmosphere.
It’s at this point that the book takes on something of a fantastical element as Tormyle wants to understand human emotions and ‘love’.
I found I had to plod my way through the last 60 or so pages and I didn’t particular enjoy the last half of this adventure... it was a bit too much ‘Star Trek’ episode and not what I’ve come to enjoy in a Dumarest adventure.
Let’s hope for less of this sort of thing in the remaining books.
Very much a book of two halves...!
The first half being set on board a space craft that is carrying freight and passengers. Amongst the freight is a wild animal that gets loose and damages the ship’s generator that powers its engines and shields.
Drifting in the emptiness of space with little chance of ever being found Dumarest prepares to put everyone into stasis under ‘slow-time’ and hope that they are discovered... the chances of which are extremely slim.
One of the passengers is a ‘Ghenka’... a professional singer, much like an opera Prima donna... she sings out and is heard by Tormyle, an planetary entity of great power and it transports the stricken ship across the galaxy to its surface and creates a fantasy and a breathable atmosphere.
It’s at this point that the book takes on something of a fantastical element as Tormyle wants to understand human emotions and ‘love’.
I found I had to plod my way through the last 60 or so pages and I didn’t particular enjoy the last half of this adventure... it was a bit too much ‘Star Trek’ episode and not what I’ve come to enjoy in a Dumarest adventure.
Let’s hope for less of this sort of thing in the remaining books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2022
OK, that took me forever to get through, but not because the book was bad. I just didn't have the focus and was using it mostly as a travel-read...but haven't done a lot of travel.
The Dumarest series continues with Earl getting mixed up with another odd bunch of characters, traveling between worlds. Things go wrong, and we follow them through a series of bad situations. As with previous Dumarest novels, you won't be expecting where it goes.
I don't mean this as a criticism, but I think Tubb realized he was sort of writing himself into a corner and that the final climax of Earl Dumarest's search for Earth and escape from the Cyclan was closing in. So with this book, if I'm reading the last couple pages correctly, he gave himself an out, a way to reset the players on the board. It sort of feels like a season finale. I'll be curious what this all will mean for the next novel. My guess is that things will continue much as they have been, but without the impending finale. I know that there are 33 books in the series, so I was wondering how this would go, considering how close to the end the last couple books felt.
Anyway, great series. It continues to surprise.
The Dumarest series continues with Earl getting mixed up with another odd bunch of characters, traveling between worlds. Things go wrong, and we follow them through a series of bad situations. As with previous Dumarest novels, you won't be expecting where it goes.
I don't mean this as a criticism, but I think Tubb realized he was sort of writing himself into a corner and that the final climax of Earl Dumarest's search for Earth and escape from the Cyclan was closing in. So with this book, if I'm reading the last couple pages correctly, he gave himself an out, a way to reset the players on the board. It sort of feels like a season finale. I'll be curious what this all will mean for the next novel. My guess is that things will continue much as they have been, but without the impending finale. I know that there are 33 books in the series, so I was wondering how this would go, considering how close to the end the last couple books felt.
Anyway, great series. It continues to surprise.
June 26, 2015
Skipping around in the order of this series, Mayenne is number nine. In this novel Earl Dumarest is early in his search for Earth. He has some clues but no strong leads. When the space ship he is travelling in hits a disaster it is marooned in deep space with little hope of succour when an apparent miracle getting them to a planet.
But is it really a planet? Not entirely, it is a vast consciousness or awareness that knows little about humans but is very bored...
This is the premise that allows our hero Earl to do all the things he does best, with his general stoic perfection. Women swoon at his feet (of course) and the one after whom this book is named is quite interesting.
I really do not entirely understand why I find this series so addictive. The writing is route, what my Dad used to call 'pot boilers' because they are so standard to write. I have tried reading other E. C. Tubb books and they do nothing for me so it isn't the writing. Anyhow, Addictive they are I can no more stop reading them than one can stop eating potatoes chips after the packet is opened.
But is it really a planet? Not entirely, it is a vast consciousness or awareness that knows little about humans but is very bored...
This is the premise that allows our hero Earl to do all the things he does best, with his general stoic perfection. Women swoon at his feet (of course) and the one after whom this book is named is quite interesting.
I really do not entirely understand why I find this series so addictive. The writing is route, what my Dad used to call 'pot boilers' because they are so standard to write. I have tried reading other E. C. Tubb books and they do nothing for me so it isn't the writing. Anyhow, Addictive they are I can no more stop reading them than one can stop eating potatoes chips after the packet is opened.
September 2, 2016
Moderately good space opera -- not bad, not great. If you're reading the Dumarest series, then it's one of the stepstones along the way. I like the series, but this wasn't one of the really good ones.
I thought the shipboard part of the book was the best part. The omnipotent planet and the grand challenge... Meh. Logical inconsistencies, repetitive hazards, great secrets that weren't.
I thought the shipboard part of the book was the best part. The omnipotent planet and the grand challenge... Meh. Logical inconsistencies, repetitive hazards, great secrets that weren't.
September 25, 2025
“Mayenne” (1973)
Overall Rating 8/10 – Excellent Mayhem!
Plot
Our protagonist, Earl Dumarest, is still trying to track down the elusive planet Earth. In outer space, the ship he is travelling on suffers a catastrophe and is set adrift for (apparently) all eternity. An omnipotent lifeform comes to the rescue who can save the ship and the people … but there is a price …
Writing Style
Easy, flowing sentences. Some loss of fluidity. An occasional spattering of outdated words. Very modern style. It is quite easy to watch the film unfold in your head, but there are some disjointed sectional plots.
Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)
Critique
This is the ninth E. C. Tubb novel in the Dumarest series and was written in 1973.
For some reason, the last book I read was the fifth, and I appear to have skipped instalments six, seven and eight. I will have to address this later (it is of no consequence, they can be read in any order – still, it buggers up my OCD).
If you are a fan of Star Trek (TNG) and you are familiar with the Space entity “Nagilum” and, especially, what happened between the Enterprise and the entity, then you know the contents of this book. In fact, the similarities are so astounding that I can only believe “Nagilum” was based on the antagonist of this novel. Since the author penned this 15 years before TNG even existed, it must have been that way around.
Anyway, it was a fascinating storyline, if not reasonably predictable. It was different from the usual stories that Dumarest finds himself in the midst of, and it was refreshing.
On a different note, the plot was a little tricky to follow (again), and I had some trouble keeping track of characters' names. This seems to be a common issue with Tubb.
Read it and see what YOU think …
Overall Rating 8/10 – Excellent Mayhem!
Plot
Our protagonist, Earl Dumarest, is still trying to track down the elusive planet Earth. In outer space, the ship he is travelling on suffers a catastrophe and is set adrift for (apparently) all eternity. An omnipotent lifeform comes to the rescue who can save the ship and the people … but there is a price …
Writing Style
Easy, flowing sentences. Some loss of fluidity. An occasional spattering of outdated words. Very modern style. It is quite easy to watch the film unfold in your head, but there are some disjointed sectional plots.
Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)
Critique
This is the ninth E. C. Tubb novel in the Dumarest series and was written in 1973.
For some reason, the last book I read was the fifth, and I appear to have skipped instalments six, seven and eight. I will have to address this later (it is of no consequence, they can be read in any order – still, it buggers up my OCD).
If you are a fan of Star Trek (TNG) and you are familiar with the Space entity “Nagilum” and, especially, what happened between the Enterprise and the entity, then you know the contents of this book. In fact, the similarities are so astounding that I can only believe “Nagilum” was based on the antagonist of this novel. Since the author penned this 15 years before TNG even existed, it must have been that way around.
Anyway, it was a fascinating storyline, if not reasonably predictable. It was different from the usual stories that Dumarest finds himself in the midst of, and it was refreshing.
On a different note, the plot was a little tricky to follow (again), and I had some trouble keeping track of characters' names. This seems to be a common issue with Tubb.
Read it and see what YOU think …
May 26, 2023
This book brings a shift to the Dumarest series. For one, it's the first book under a new publisher. Secondly, it sets Dumarest himself against a whole new class of antagonist: an alien, planet-sized intelligence. In many ways, it's like those Star Trek episodes where Kirk or Picard run up against a god-like being that treats his ship and crew like playthings. ("The Squire of Gothos," "Catspaw," and all the Q episodes come to mind.)
Only two complaints: While Tubb doesn't show the misogyny you'll find in an Ian Fleming novel, he's still mired in annoying gender stereotypes - particularly that women are preoccupied with romance above any other concern and serve mainly as objects to be fought for or conquered.
Another gripe is a lack of continuity from the previous novel, Veruchia. Unless I completely misread the end of that novel, it seemed as if Dumarest was giving in to the temptation to stop wandering and settle down for a while. It may be that if Tubb's contract with his publisher was expiring, he may have done that to provide some closure in case the story ended there. I would have liked if this book had at least explained why he was on the road again, but maybe his new publisher wanted something of a "soft reboot" without acknowledging too many plot points from before.
Nevertheless, I was satisfied with all this book's twists and surprises. I'm glad that nine books in, Tubb still mixes up the formula a little. My question now is whether the way this book expanded Dumarest's universe will carry on into future installments.
Only two complaints: While Tubb doesn't show the misogyny you'll find in an Ian Fleming novel, he's still mired in annoying gender stereotypes - particularly that women are preoccupied with romance above any other concern and serve mainly as objects to be fought for or conquered.
Another gripe is a lack of continuity from the previous novel, Veruchia. Unless I completely misread the end of that novel, it seemed as if Dumarest was giving in to the temptation to stop wandering and settle down for a while. It may be that if Tubb's contract with his publisher was expiring, he may have done that to provide some closure in case the story ended there. I would have liked if this book had at least explained why he was on the road again, but maybe his new publisher wanted something of a "soft reboot" without acknowledging too many plot points from before.
Nevertheless, I was satisfied with all this book's twists and surprises. I'm glad that nine books in, Tubb still mixes up the formula a little. My question now is whether the way this book expanded Dumarest's universe will carry on into future installments.
May 16, 2021
The saga moves on as Dumarest takes on a whole planet (and I don't mean the population...) in a battle of wits rather than brawn (although, brawn is still a factor as he also gets to fight a dragon and it's rider).
One of the better books I've re-read so far, as it moves, slightly, away from the formula, but it's interesting in hindsight to wonder whether some aspects were picked up by bigger franchises - the monster attack which starts the story reminded me of Alien (1979), while the sentient planet brought to mind Green Lantern's Mogo (first appearance 1985).
Strangely, I've never been bothered by the portrayal of women in these books, but one female character suggesting that the others made sure the men had soft beds and food ready for them while they worked to repair the ship felt wrong.
One of the better books I've re-read so far, as it moves, slightly, away from the formula, but it's interesting in hindsight to wonder whether some aspects were picked up by bigger franchises - the monster attack which starts the story reminded me of Alien (1979), while the sentient planet brought to mind Green Lantern's Mogo (first appearance 1985).
Strangely, I've never been bothered by the portrayal of women in these books, but one female character suggesting that the others made sure the men had soft beds and food ready for them while they worked to repair the ship felt wrong.
December 8, 2023
First time reading this author. I enjoyed this entry into the Dumarest saga. Written very well. Reads like a Star Trek episode. Great for fans of 70's Sci-Fi
September 13, 2025
A little tedious, but saved by a 9th inning plot twist/villain reveal I didn't see coming at all. 3.5 stars.
February 17, 2011
Earl Dumarest is a passenger on a starship that has an animal in the hold break loose. It was unable to be put into low passage, suspended animation, so it was transported in a cage. A female, more intelligent than the owners admitted, it had released itself to lay eggs.
Earl is recruited to help recapture it. It wasn't that easy. In the battle that followed, most of the crew was killed and Earl barely killed the creature before it got him. The damage was done, as the creature destroyed the warp generator and left them adrift, years, possibly a great many of them from a planet.
Mayenne was a woman aboard, a race of singers, and while singing, she attracted something different.
An intelligent planet from out of the galaxy, which rescued the wrecked ship by drawing it to the surface. Never having seen beings like them, it puts them through a series of tests, exploring men, women, emotions, things it wasn't familiar with.
They were lab rats in a maze.
How were they to escape?
Earl is recruited to help recapture it. It wasn't that easy. In the battle that followed, most of the crew was killed and Earl barely killed the creature before it got him. The damage was done, as the creature destroyed the warp generator and left them adrift, years, possibly a great many of them from a planet.
Mayenne was a woman aboard, a race of singers, and while singing, she attracted something different.
An intelligent planet from out of the galaxy, which rescued the wrecked ship by drawing it to the surface. Never having seen beings like them, it puts them through a series of tests, exploring men, women, emotions, things it wasn't familiar with.
They were lab rats in a maze.
How were they to escape?
July 23, 2008
Comforting fluff. Although Dumarest is your typical manly hero who the ladies just adore, there are some interesting things going on. There's living planet that is bored—a classic but enjoyable foe—and there is the Cyclan, a church of sorts that is surgically altered to have no emotions, so they can think all logically, etc. The Cyclan hates Dumarest because of something he knows, he's looking for Earth/Terra, etc.
November 16, 2013
The ship on which Earl is traveling runs in some technical trouble and finds itself drifting in space. One of his lady companions is a Mayenne, a Ghenka, a singer of songs that sound different to every listener, based on the mental state, their past etc. She sings in despair of there situation and the ship is "rescued" by an alien entity, Tormyle. But Tormyle is a not a person, Tormyle is an intelligent world, and a very lonely one...
Again a very strong story by Tubb.
Again a very strong story by Tubb.
November 20, 2019
Tubb's writing remains strong, particularly in the section of the book set shipside. However I found the latter half of the book, about an omnipotent being trying to understand humanity overdone (and never that compelling).
April 6, 2010
See my review of book #1 (Winds of Gath) for my review of the entire series. They're all essentially the same.
March 30, 2016
A sentient planet. Not possible to have a good outcome.
May 25, 2015
1978 grade B
Dumarest book 9
Dumarest book 9
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews