The Treasure in the Heart of the Maze

Rabelais #2

by Jayge Carr

Stated First Edition. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Light remainder spray to the edges of the book's bottom page block. The dust jacket has rubs to its spine tips and corners.

183 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Jayge Carr is the pen name of science fiction and fantasy author Margery Ruth Morgenstern Krueger (July 7, 1940–December 20, 2006), also known as Margery Krueger and Marj Krueger. She is best known for her "Rabelais" series.

Reviews

[Sue Chant · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was only 180 pages but I had to give up on it - an absolute confused mess. Disappointing.

[Klaas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ostensibly a story about the hunt for a mythical treasure left behind by an ancient race. The treasure turns out to be the ability to recognize ones own shortcomings and having the strength to grow beyond them. To accept the knowledge that all living beings are part of a greater whole and should be treated as such.

The crew of the Scalded Cat is out to get rich, but unbeknownst to them, they are being pursued by Singh, the contract holder from Rabelais whose schemes they thwarted. He is out for revenge on Captain Reis, Navigator Jael and the former enforcer Brine.
Rowan, brother to captain Reis, has been treated by the finest doctors, but still has not left behind the effects of the brainwashing inflicted on him. And really, all of the crewmembers have something that they are stuck on. In the place where the map leads them, they find an anomaly that turns out to be hiding a strange planet. Drawn in by a sort of tractor beam, they are forced to land and explore. At the hands of an AI, they are put through some tests, to reveal their personal weaknesses and give them the chance to overcome them.

In the latter part of the book, when the tests are taking place, it can be somewhat confusing to keep track of what is going on. The trick is that each test is specifically designed for one person. The writer has chosen not to point this out directly, thus making it seem that we are jumping from scene to scene with little to no regard for continuity. Though some of the other characters may appear, they are actually machines programmed to resemble the real characters.