Meister der Sterne

Great Imperium #2

by Lin Carter

Der Unsterbliche greift ein.
Saul Everest kennt die jahrtausendealte Geschichte der Menschheit. Er kennt den langen Weg, der die Menschen von Terra zu den Sternen führte, denn er hat diesen Weg selbst zurückgelegt und auch entscheidend mitbestimmt.
Saul ist ein Unsterblicher - der einzige, den die menschliche Rasse je hervorgebracht hat. Jetzt, im Jahr 7177 nach Christi Geburt, lebt er in völliger Isolation auf einem terraformierten Planetoiden im Pararaum. Doch Saul verlässt sein Versteck, sobald eine am Rand der Galaxis stehende Überwachungssonde ein seltsames Phänomen registriert.
Damit beginnt für Saul Everest eine Serie tödlicher Abenteuer - und der Unsterbliche gerät in Situationen, denen selbst Supermänner kaum gewachsen wären.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1984

About the author

Lin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.

Reviews

[Jim Kuenzli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of an up and down, discombobulated read, but the plot does kick in about half way through and drives the story home. Decent read for sci fi adventure fans that like Carter’s style.

[Miles McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating this book is very awkward for me.

I got this book for $2 in the basement of a used bookstore on a whim. There were so many things that it - and its author, Lin Carter - did that made me hold it in contempt. For starters: multiple times throughout the story there will be a giant dump of information. Much of it is packed full of made-up species, descriptions, and histories that are not only confusing to pronounce or imagine but is shared in such a contemptuous manner:

"Paraspace is a universe that never quite got started. It comes in handy because in paraspace the Newtonian laws of motion, the Einsteinian laws of relativity and the Chernikovian laws of subspectrum radiation all operate a little differently from how they function in normal space/time. In paraspace, for example, the speed of light is not the top velocity limit it is in normal space Several forms of radiation and matter itself, in its mu/lamda state of transposition, can move a lot faster than even light does in normal space. Hence we [Citidel agents] use it paraspace for transportation. And for communications, of course. In paraspace, they move so fast that communications are almost instantaneous, even from one edge of the galaxy to the other."(pg. 25)

Didn't get that? It's okay - I didn't really grasp it on my first go either. The subject the main character, Saul Everest (though he assures us that even this name is one of many he's held during his immortal lifetime - implied many times to being several thousand millennia) calls back to this paraspace theory a few more times throughout the story, but it doesn't serve as a major plot device. So why was I meticulously schooled in this "fascinating" science of your character's universe if it's not even going to be used in the story?

This is done with plenty of other details throughout the remainder of Mr. Carter's novel. Indeed, the narrative, to me, seemed to be a gathering place for all sorts of wild science fiction concepts that he has had over the years. Perhaps while doing his laundry after an afternoon nap, or in the haze of morning before a cup of his favorite morning coffee. Sometimes up to 3 pages were used to describe some vague subject or the relationship between one species of aliens to another. The would be introduced, meticulously described to the faintest detail, used for a page or so, and were then immediately discarded. More frustrating than this is the fact that this is all just listed out to the reader in random "dumps" of exposition - very little information is conveyed to us through the use of dialogue or other more organic forms of delivery. Other futuristic tools and sciences are referenced but never touched upon enough to illustrate why knowing what it is, is important.

Another issue that I took issue with was our "hero", Saul Everest, and his motivations. Chiefly, that he didn't really have very good motivations at all. Our "Star-class telepath, sci-fi geared from the bootstrap to the collar and in telepathic sync with an advanced starship with state-of-the-art technology" seems perfectly content with himself and his life when he is first introduced to us in Chapter One. Even when our horseback-riding, Golden Age thinking genius gets his call to action in the form of an odd reading detected by one of his many surveillance satellites (another grand precaution, done mainly as a pet project to stave boredom, according to our protagonist's description) he doesn't really seem all that interested in checking out. Mainly, he seems like he's bored of his century-old "retirement" routine and is curious enough to get off his butt and check it out. Is this some odd spin on the 50s brooding detective? I'm picturing a Humphrey Bogart totally would get right on checking around town for that bird statue, but just can't bring himself to part with his daily martinis and a soft pack of cigarettes 24/7.

But I digress. The long-short of it is, my impression of the story after finishing the first half was an unrelatable main character who only seems to care about the chance misfortune to the galaxy mainly out of sheer boredom. This is compounded by the fact that following the narrative in the story, if he had simply done nothing at the call to action at the beginning of the story, none of the events of the story would have transpired and he would have been spared a large amount of hardship - both physically AND mentally.

Whew.

Now that those gripes are out of the way... I will finish by saying that halfway through the book, I found myself completely captivated by the plot. Despite our hero's aforementioned (many, many times) near-omnipotence, he gets into situations that are extremely tense and suspenseful. Mr. Carter, despite his faults, does a great job of keeping the reader interested, despite stressing the sheer futility of winning against his god-like champion.

Secondly, while I felt that the author's random asides into pillars of his universe were sporadic, long-winded - even schizophrenic at times, I did find a few of the concepts to be very interesting; some of them, in my opinion, were deserving of a novella of their own. Principally, I found his described concept of telepathy to be very thought-provoking - something that it is achieved not through genetic evolution or mutation per se, but rather learned subconsciously over time. Basically, if you live enough, even the simplest mind can age and evolve into a telepath - it's just that very few species of life in Lin Carter's universe has lived long enough for their body to age to such a state.

However, rather than exploring this interesting aspect, he immediately uses it to create a god-like protagonist, taking any sort of urgency or tension out of every encounter. And even if they had, nobody could possibly be as powerful a telepath as he is because, as far as our hero knows, he is the only immortal in the entire universe.

Finally, my gripes with the plot aside, I still found it compelling and its climax entertaining - if not a little cliche. Some of the telepathy scenes are described with psychedelic tones that I found very engaging, visual and immersive. When I finished it, I knew exactly why he decided to expand his universe into a book series.

Overall, this novel was full of peaks and valleys. I was ready to hate it at first - indeed, there were a couple of times when I seriously contemplated finishing it - but it proved itself entertaining after I followed through.

In closing, all I can say is this: that it was certainly worth $2.

[Daniel Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I found this $3.99 book on the shelves of a used book store, I was specifically seeking old, beat-up, obscure fantasy/sci-fi novels. I was looking for the quirky books that never reached the mainstream. I got exactly what I sought.

This book has its idiosyncracies. It delves into long, dense explanations of the history of its universe and the species that inhabit it. These explanations tend to be of little relevance to the plot. You could skip over these, but I enjoyed reading them, and I think they add to the overall character of the novel.

While many details are explained meticulously, much of the context for the protagonist's relations is left out, which leaves you guessing a lot. The book is a sort of memoir for the protagonist, so it focuses on action, with tangents to explain unimportant details.

The plot itself is very compelling; it's fast-paced and is delivered through punchy dialogue and word gymnastics.

The book definitely reeks of bad writing habits, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's something compelling about a book so obscure that it only has ~20 ratings on Goodreads.

I didn't discuss specific plot here because a lot of it would be a repeat of Miles' review, which I recommend.