The Castle Keeps

by Andrew J. Offutt

The Shape of Chaos

The Andrews in their hilltop home had only ancient weapons to defend themselves from roving bands of ravagers...

The Caudills were protected in their sealed-up apartment building in the city--but stifled by the restraints of their artificial environment...

Genres: Science Fiction

191 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 30, 1972

About the author

Andrew Jefferson Offutt was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A.J. Offutt, and Andy Offut. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, had his name in all lower-case letters. His son is the author Chris Offutt.

Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.

Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.

As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.

Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of andrew j. offutt's first novels, and perhaps my favorite. It's nothing at all like his science-fantasy or sword & sorcery works, but rather is a much more carefully reasoned and presented work of political commentary and social observation. It seems a much more personal book, with a message. There are some quite violent scenes and some bits which have not aged well (I don't agree with as much of his philosophy as I did all those long years ago), but I think it's still full of worthwhile and thought-provoking value, while still telling an engaging story. It's an overlooked classic of its day.

[DrimbleWedge · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This is pretty much everything I hate about conservative libertarians. The characters were more one dimensional than an Ayn Rand novel. The main protagonist went to town, complaining about renting a “minik” for the day, when he only needed it for an hour, because he won’t use “public conveniences” (transport), presumably because it’s for communists

[Zeta Syanthis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the idea of this book, but unfortunately the implementation has become dated so quickly that it doesn't really work anymore.

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Violent but enjoyable.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, nothing to get excited about.