The Enemy of My Enemy

by Avram Davidson

From the back cover: "Jerrod Northi-rogue, pirate and a citizen of Pemath-was desperate enough to want to go through the transformation. It cost 100,000 units for the Craftsmen to endow him with the Seven Signs--a rather steep price even for him. But he would pay it somehow, for since the attack of the deadly leeris, he feared that the cost of missing this opportunity to find a refuge in the land of Tarnis would be even higher."

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Avram Davidson was an American Jewish writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche. He won a Hugo Award and three World Fantasy Awards in the science fiction and fantasy genre, a World Fantasy Life Achievement award, and a Queen's Award and an Edgar Award in the mystery genre. Davidson edited The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1962 to 1964. His last novel The Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil was completed by Grania Davis and was a Nebula Award finalist in 1998. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says "he is perhaps sf's most explicitly literary author".

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This edition just came out on Kindle, and it caught my eye as an Avram Davidson that I wasn't familiar with. Avram constructs elaborate societies and situations, and it gets a bit confusing at times. Maybe I should have kept notes about who was what where, but I just coasted along hoping it would make sense at the end. I did find it interesting, but it wasn't my favorite of Avram's works. I prefer his short stories, overall. Looking forward to 2 upcoming Avram books in the next 2 years, though: Dragons in the Trees next year, and AD 100 in 2023!

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

"Avram Davidson’s The Enemy of My Enemy (1966) is a derivative Jack Vance imitation without the precision of intellect and detail. As we shift from locale (“pullulating Pemath Old Port,” 5) to locale (decadent and ritualistic Tarnis), the ideas flit by without development or more than a passing [...]"

[CE Bauknecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much lore that it made the story very hard to follow. It is one of the few books I have read that may have benefitted by another 100 pages.

[Tentatively, Convenience · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow! I just created the entry for this bk & the "original language" selection has expanded to include what seems to be an attempt at comprehensiveness! Congrats to whoever did this! But I digress.

This is one of the more medicore bks I've ever read.. not even that enoyable as a pot-boiler. Still, I'm a champion of pretty much all pulp SF. I reckon all works are 'works of the imagination' but pulp SF always strikes me as a particularly raw (or refined?) version of that. This imagining of other planets, even when it's so imbued w/ yr typical pirates & conflict like this one is, was still somewhat fresh in 1966 when this was written. It's got class conflict in it wch is usually something to peak my interest. Still, this is the only novel I've read by Davidson & I'm not in any hurry to read any more.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forgettable Avram Davidson science fiction novel.