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Dumarest of Terra #24
Nectar of Heaven
Book by E.C. Tubb
- GenresScience Fiction
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 7, 1981
5 people are currently reading
78 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 20, 2025
You really have to admire Tubb's out-of-the-box imagination when it came to the worldbuilding here. Dumarest, on a mission to poach the galaxy's most prized hallucinogenic drug, finds himself on a world where the ruling elite landholders wage constant economic warfare in shifting, capricious alliances with each other in bids to increase their wealth, power and influence. It's like a highly regulated oligarchy that's a fusion between medieval feudalism and Wall street, operating like a real-time high stakes strategy game played out on the financial boards. The rules of the game are foreign to Dumarest, yet he brings his cunning and insight from the arena to bear and we ultimately see an epic battle in the financial markets rather than in the arena or battlefield. It's perhaps more exciting than it sounds :)
September 12, 2016
This is the twenty fourth book in the series of space opera adventures E. C. Tubb wrote about Earl Dumarest. In this future scenario (science fiction, of the 70’s and 80’s) mankind has left Earth and spread so prolifically through the universe that the very idea that we originated on one planet is considered a myth. Earth itself is a myth, but Dumarest knows it is real- he was born there and now he wants to go back. As he travels from world to world his only goal is to piece together the coordinates that will get him home.
In Nectar of Heaven he signs up for a dangerous poaching trip that will earn the man with the plan a lot of money, but Dumarest goes along with it because the planet in question, Sacaweena, used to be called Erce, an ancient name for Earth.
It is a while since I read one of the saga and I find that the longer I go between reads the better I like them. They are formulaic but the world building is always good and the scenario in this one I found to be quite innovative.
In Nectar of Heaven he signs up for a dangerous poaching trip that will earn the man with the plan a lot of money, but Dumarest goes along with it because the planet in question, Sacaweena, used to be called Erce, an ancient name for Earth.
It is a while since I read one of the saga and I find that the longer I go between reads the better I like them. They are formulaic but the world building is always good and the scenario in this one I found to be quite innovative.
October 2, 2021
Earl Dumarest continues to follows false trails as he searches to find the legendary and long lost planet called Earth.
This is the 24th book in the 'Dumarest of Terra' series of science fiction novels. The planet in this book possessed two unique elements. One was it produced the galaxy’s most desirable hallucinatory drug. The other was it was a stock broker’s paradise.
The world was split into affluent men’s holdings – and every hour, every minute these were being traded on a continuous stock-market. Up and down went values as men plotted to seize others’ properties, to force prices down and costs up. Their money game controlled everything else – the common people, workers, farmers, homes, lives, poverty and luxury.
Dumarest goes there to find his next stake. Find the drug-gem or manipulate the market – two possibilities. But behind the scenes stood the advisors of the inhuman Cyclan, determined to fix the odds against Dumarest.
Another good pulp science fiction story in the long running saga.
This is the 24th book in the 'Dumarest of Terra' series of science fiction novels. The planet in this book possessed two unique elements. One was it produced the galaxy’s most desirable hallucinatory drug. The other was it was a stock broker’s paradise.
The world was split into affluent men’s holdings – and every hour, every minute these were being traded on a continuous stock-market. Up and down went values as men plotted to seize others’ properties, to force prices down and costs up. Their money game controlled everything else – the common people, workers, farmers, homes, lives, poverty and luxury.
Dumarest goes there to find his next stake. Find the drug-gem or manipulate the market – two possibilities. But behind the scenes stood the advisors of the inhuman Cyclan, determined to fix the odds against Dumarest.
Another good pulp science fiction story in the long running saga.
August 20, 2022
In much the same way that Ian Fleming (or, arguably, the producers of the Craig version of Casino Royale) made a game of poker exciting for those of us who don't understand the game of poker, here Tubb makes future stock-exchange dealings tense for those of us who don't trade.
I'm not sure I fully understood what was going on in the penultimate chapter - perhaps because Tubb did some hand-waving around the book's financial background - but I flew through as I eventualy would the final chapter action scene.
A quieter, smaller scale adventure for Dumarest. Yes, there are set pieces, but the once-obligatory knife fight has gone, as has the death of many minor (and sometimes not-so) characters, as Earl gets closer to his goal and the Cyclan get closer to Earl...
I'm not sure I fully understood what was going on in the penultimate chapter - perhaps because Tubb did some hand-waving around the book's financial background - but I flew through as I eventualy would the final chapter action scene.
A quieter, smaller scale adventure for Dumarest. Yes, there are set pieces, but the once-obligatory knife fight has gone, as has the death of many minor (and sometimes not-so) characters, as Earl gets closer to his goal and the Cyclan get closer to Earl...
October 7, 2017
Fairly standard entry in the Dumarest series. All the elements are there: Earl, Earl's knife, steadfast friends, beautiful women, the Brotherhood, the Cyclan, a new planet with its own individual glories and dangers, hints and hopes of Earth.
Even combining the same elements, Tubb did a good job making this, um, maybe not *fresh*, but certainly not rancid. I haven't done a comparison, but a lot of the common elements were probably just copied straight from one book to the next.
Not much to say about this book. After reading the previous 23 books in the series, either you like it and are going on to the end, or you don't like it and stopped long ago.
An amusing image popped to mind very early in the book. This was from the first chapter, maybe even the first page:
Wiess had joined them. He stood shivering, his face pinched beneath the
surrounding fabric of his hood. "It's too early for snow."
Immediately and from then on, I thought of Wiess as Kenny McCormick from South Park. The way things run, it wasn't that inapt an image to get.
Even combining the same elements, Tubb did a good job making this, um, maybe not *fresh*, but certainly not rancid. I haven't done a comparison, but a lot of the common elements were probably just copied straight from one book to the next.
Not much to say about this book. After reading the previous 23 books in the series, either you like it and are going on to the end, or you don't like it and stopped long ago.
An amusing image popped to mind very early in the book. This was from the first chapter, maybe even the first page:
Wiess had joined them. He stood shivering, his face pinched beneath the
surrounding fabric of his hood. "It's too early for snow."
Immediately and from then on, I thought of Wiess as Kenny McCormick from South Park. The way things run, it wasn't that inapt an image to get.
October 4, 2020
One with interesting anthropological ideas about a planet. Full review of the series in the last volume.
May 14, 2016
So much hopelessness. Always such pitiful men at the end of their rope and no help in sight. Always a strong friend who could become an enemy, always a beautiful woman who helps but betrays and frequently dies. Always a book or artifact with the clue to home, almost within touching distance and then through error, misfortune, insanity, greed, destruction...the chance to see and know is lost. Another new twist and interesting world and how he fits in and manipulates it, gains ship fare and escapes his dread enemy and leaves woman and friend behind.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews