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Viagens Interplanetarias #3
The Hostage of Zir
Outside the walls of the starport Novorecife, Earthmen on the warrior planet Kishna are on their own. So when he is chosen to lead the first ersuma (Earth-tourists) through the sorcerer-kingdoms of this "protected" medieval world, Fergus Reith must first learn to speak Durou; must take the chemical oath against imparting technical information; and must above all else learn to handle a broadsword! All these skills are needed when Reith finds himself and his ersuma trapped as pawns in a deadly war between a sorceress and a sterile kingdom under three moons . . . The Hostage of Zir is the third of L. Sprague de Camp's Krishna book - interplanetary romance in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian Tales.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
L. Sprague de Camp
758 books314 followersLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 14, 2014
There's a point in Hostage where a helpful Earthman recites the problems faced by Tashian bad-Garin, a Krishnan prince-regent of the kingdom of Dur: Tashian wishes to modernize the country in the face of class warfare, rebellion, banditry, feuds amongst landed gentry, weird cults gaining influence, squabbling neighbors, and so forth. This comes after Fergus Reith, reluctant hero, led a herd of idiotic, entitled, and ignorant tourists in a display of tiresome comic malarkey.
Having reached that three-quarters point, I had to ask why we weren't reading about the problems of Tashian, which sounded far more interesting.
The planet Krishna is a reformulation of the familiar sword-and-planet concept in a way that reminded me of Skaith or Xuma but with less outward emulation. In fact Burroughs is name-dropped by way of comparison. The result is an intriguingly swashbuckling setting in a 'realistic' backdrop of squabbling petty kingdoms clawing up the technological ladder, but de Camp seems to adhere to a lightly humorous approach that sacrifices these interesting bits for the farcical scenes of a human man trapped as the 'divine consort' of a Krishnan queen or forced into marriage with amorous princess.
Having reached that three-quarters point, I had to ask why we weren't reading about the problems of Tashian, which sounded far more interesting.
The planet Krishna is a reformulation of the familiar sword-and-planet concept in a way that reminded me of Skaith or Xuma but with less outward emulation. In fact Burroughs is name-dropped by way of comparison. The result is an intriguingly swashbuckling setting in a 'realistic' backdrop of squabbling petty kingdoms clawing up the technological ladder, but de Camp seems to adhere to a lightly humorous approach that sacrifices these interesting bits for the farcical scenes of a human man trapped as the 'divine consort' of a Krishnan queen or forced into marriage with amorous princess.
July 3, 2009
Swashbuckling silliness by an otherwise good science fiction writer who devoted much attention to Howard's Conan character and here, with different characters and settings, recaptures the tone of such things. The alternate history angle, however, helps make this something more than just another sf fantasy adventure novel.
April 15, 2012
Edgar Rice Burroughs meets Mark Twain, minus the racism. de Camp brings his usual excellent writing skills to turn out a good read, if a bit silly in places.
November 6, 2012
Pretty standard Sprague de Camp fare, enjoyable, light reading.
November 1, 2022
I wanted to find a nice pulpy scifi novel and instead found possibly the worst, most mind-numbing book in existence.
May 31, 2014
L. Sprague DeCamp enjoyed the planetary romances of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but couldn't abide the scientific innacuracies, so he set out to write his own, but "do it right". He came up with the Viagens Interplanitarias setting. Sometime in the future, ships travel to the stars. DeCamp accepted the limits of slower-than-light travel, positing medicines that extend human lifespan. This way, a sightseeing trip that will last 25 years seems like less of a burden. He also posited convergent evolution, that similar conditions lead to similar life forms. The humanoids of the planet Krishna may have green skin, little scent fronds like a moth's over their eyebrows, and lay eggs instead of having live birth, but when Earthling boy meets Krishnan girl, all the parts fit, "like a well oiled lock." He added a non-interference directive, aimed at keeping human high tech out of the hands of the mostly medieval Krishnans. If all of this sounds familiar, some people maintain that "Star Trek" may have cribbed a bit.
In "The Hostage of Zir," DeCamp has a group of tourists and their overwhelmed tour guide, Fergus Reith, visit Krishna, the first such sightseeing group to set foot on the planet. The novel follows Reith's misadventures as he struggles with the languages, the art of self defense, and the whims of his spoiled and clueless tourists.
As a science fiction story, this has very little science. DeCamp had a keen interest in history, and his planet Krishna feels like a pre-industrial wonderland. Walled cities, castles, armor, swords, sailing vessels, oared galleys, infrequent sanitation all find a place on Krishna. Petty nobles scheme, warlords raid, odd cults, including the new Earthling cult the Lords of Light, vie for followers.
In general, the author keeps the tone light. The first third of the novel consists mainly of Fergus Reith trying to keep his wayward tourists out of trouble. Each chapter begins with a local prohibition, such as, "Don't photograph the ship!", or "Don't touch the statue!" Guess what happens next? And wackiness ensues.
About the midpoint, the tone of the novel shifts when a warlord takes the party hostage. The party witnesses firsthand brutal killings. Even then, the tourists continue to behave thoughtlessly. It falls to poor, unprepared Fergus Wraith to save them all.
The characters mostly seem like broadly drawn caricatures, which seems in keeping with the almost comic tone. The dozen tourists whine, get lost, complain, violate local customs, and generally behave quite badly. Fergus comes across as a well-meaning, somewhat prudish young man, intent on doing his best. Don't look for deep characterization. It reminded me a bit of movies like "The Great Race," light, breezy adventures in exotic locales.
L. Sprague DeCamp wrote the first of these stories in 1948. Then, the ideas of nations other than the United States, languages other than English, and skin colors other than white becoming dominant in the world seemed radical. By the time he wrote "Hostage of Zir" in 1977, the real world had almost caught up. I found it an interesting look back at the work of a man once regarded as a master of the genre, and nowadays largely forgotten.
In "The Hostage of Zir," DeCamp has a group of tourists and their overwhelmed tour guide, Fergus Reith, visit Krishna, the first such sightseeing group to set foot on the planet. The novel follows Reith's misadventures as he struggles with the languages, the art of self defense, and the whims of his spoiled and clueless tourists.
As a science fiction story, this has very little science. DeCamp had a keen interest in history, and his planet Krishna feels like a pre-industrial wonderland. Walled cities, castles, armor, swords, sailing vessels, oared galleys, infrequent sanitation all find a place on Krishna. Petty nobles scheme, warlords raid, odd cults, including the new Earthling cult the Lords of Light, vie for followers.
In general, the author keeps the tone light. The first third of the novel consists mainly of Fergus Reith trying to keep his wayward tourists out of trouble. Each chapter begins with a local prohibition, such as, "Don't photograph the ship!", or "Don't touch the statue!" Guess what happens next? And wackiness ensues.
About the midpoint, the tone of the novel shifts when a warlord takes the party hostage. The party witnesses firsthand brutal killings. Even then, the tourists continue to behave thoughtlessly. It falls to poor, unprepared Fergus Wraith to save them all.
The characters mostly seem like broadly drawn caricatures, which seems in keeping with the almost comic tone. The dozen tourists whine, get lost, complain, violate local customs, and generally behave quite badly. Fergus comes across as a well-meaning, somewhat prudish young man, intent on doing his best. Don't look for deep characterization. It reminded me a bit of movies like "The Great Race," light, breezy adventures in exotic locales.
L. Sprague DeCamp wrote the first of these stories in 1948. Then, the ideas of nations other than the United States, languages other than English, and skin colors other than white becoming dominant in the world seemed radical. By the time he wrote "Hostage of Zir" in 1977, the real world had almost caught up. I found it an interesting look back at the work of a man once regarded as a master of the genre, and nowadays largely forgotten.
November 17, 2015
Fun story in the Sword and Planet genre. This was the Audible version of the book. The reader did a great job. I loved the fun accents and he kept it entertaining through out the book. There was some silly little non PC-isms but considering the age of the book it was easy to forgive them. Fun book and fun series I will continue with it.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews