What do you think?
Rate this book
Delian Cycle #5
Prince of Scorpio (Delian Cycle, #5)
Dray Prescot had fought long and hard through perilous lands to claim the hand of the heiress of the mighty Vallia. Yet, when finally he set foot in that long-sought empire, it was not as hero or noble... It was as an unknown, a mendicant, and finally as a condemned slave. For the combatant fates that had interfered continually with his quest on the planet of the twin suns of Antares had yet more tests for the man they had selected as their agent. But for Dray there was only one goal -- already in sight -- and he would not be turned aside any longer no matter what dangers Vallian intrigues and quasi-human mysteries may have in store for him. This edition contains maps and a glossary. (75000 words)
223 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
3 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 16, 2020
DAW Collectors #97
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan
Name: Bulmer, Henry Kenneth, Birthplace: London, England, UK., 14 January 1921 - 16 December 2005
Alternate Names: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Arthur Frazier, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Kenneth Johns, Philip Kent, Neil Langholm, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Dray Prescot, Andrew Quiller, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford.
The fifth book of the Dray Prescot series.
After years of keeping him away from Vallia where his great love lives, the Star Lords suddenly thrust Dray Prescott onto Vallia itself. Yet even this gift is mixed. Prescott is thrust back to the time before he met Delia, even before his initial journey to the world of Scorpio.
Prescott finds himself naked and thrust into danger, a danger so serious that the Aphasoe have sent another man to do the job. In the initial rescue against the slavers who have turned the island of Valka into their private preserve, Prescott succeeds where Alex Hunter fails. Still, the task of freeing Valka takes years--years that Prescott has by virtue of the Star Lords' casual alteration of time itself. For Prescott, the battle against slavery is eternal, a part of who he is. Yet the more important part is his love for Delia. Even success on Valka amounts to little. Vallia is torn with political unrest and the Emperor, Delia's father, plays each faction against the other holding on to what power he can. A rebellion is in the works, its secret message communicated by headless riders and the balance of power so fine that even a minor 'Strom' of a minor province such as Valka may play a role.
the last book in the Delian Cycle.
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan
Name: Bulmer, Henry Kenneth, Birthplace: London, England, UK., 14 January 1921 - 16 December 2005
Alternate Names: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Arthur Frazier, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Kenneth Johns, Philip Kent, Neil Langholm, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Dray Prescot, Andrew Quiller, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford.
The fifth book of the Dray Prescot series.
After years of keeping him away from Vallia where his great love lives, the Star Lords suddenly thrust Dray Prescott onto Vallia itself. Yet even this gift is mixed. Prescott is thrust back to the time before he met Delia, even before his initial journey to the world of Scorpio.
Prescott finds himself naked and thrust into danger, a danger so serious that the Aphasoe have sent another man to do the job. In the initial rescue against the slavers who have turned the island of Valka into their private preserve, Prescott succeeds where Alex Hunter fails. Still, the task of freeing Valka takes years--years that Prescott has by virtue of the Star Lords' casual alteration of time itself. For Prescott, the battle against slavery is eternal, a part of who he is. Yet the more important part is his love for Delia. Even success on Valka amounts to little. Vallia is torn with political unrest and the Emperor, Delia's father, plays each faction against the other holding on to what power he can. A rebellion is in the works, its secret message communicated by headless riders and the balance of power so fine that even a minor 'Strom' of a minor province such as Valka may play a role.
the last book in the Delian Cycle.
July 15, 2012
Hallelujah--finally a map and glossary.
I'm curious where the author thought he was going with this series and how it turned into this 53-book behemoth. Is there a plan to all of this? Will later books feel so similar to each other?
My problem with the series so far is that each book is just more of the same. Prescot is dropped into a new land, far removed from where he was previously, and he has to work from the bottom rung all the way to the top. Then he is snatched away to return to Earth and relates his tale.
This one defies expectations to some extent by short-circuiting the process. It all occurs, but Prescot only barely details the liberation of the island province of Valka from the slaver menace. It feels like a cheat--Valka's situation was interesting--but I can understand the in-story logic of wanting to skip ahead to the real story, where he enters the Empire of Vallia to locate and rescue his beloved Princess Delia.
It looks like the series itself has started to change: the author admits to organizing them into 'cycles', the original framing device of the author receiving the manuscripts is gone, and Prescot has made limited contact with the Star Lords and has started to buy into their program.
I'm curious where the author thought he was going with this series and how it turned into this 53-book behemoth. Is there a plan to all of this? Will later books feel so similar to each other?
My problem with the series so far is that each book is just more of the same. Prescot is dropped into a new land, far removed from where he was previously, and he has to work from the bottom rung all the way to the top. Then he is snatched away to return to Earth and relates his tale.
This one defies expectations to some extent by short-circuiting the process. It all occurs, but Prescot only barely details the liberation of the island province of Valka from the slaver menace. It feels like a cheat--Valka's situation was interesting--but I can understand the in-story logic of wanting to skip ahead to the real story, where he enters the Empire of Vallia to locate and rescue his beloved Princess Delia.
It looks like the series itself has started to change: the author admits to organizing them into 'cycles', the original framing device of the author receiving the manuscripts is gone, and Prescot has made limited contact with the Star Lords and has started to buy into their program.
September 6, 2015
In this volume we are at last surrounded by a myriad of Dray's closest followers, comrades and friends. I always thought there was still room for the likes of characters like Seg and Inch and especially the plains crew and finally here they are, albeit briefly altogether under 2 Suns destroying all that stands in the way of Dray and Delia. I'm very excited at the prospects of the 6th book, as Dray was not immediately pulled off the ground by that irritating blue light and scorpion figure, however I'm sure as soon as the book opens Dray'll be pulled at the whim of the Star Lords to once again do their bidding.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2016
Really digging the first person perspective but aside from that I am unsure of how I feel about this book. A lot happens throughout, some points are glossed over. Once again Prescott goes from slave to ruler at least twice and from Kregen to Earth to Kregen again. Hell bent on catching back up with Delia, the princess of Valia, Prescott is confronted by the Starlords in a new and interesting way. The culmination of the story is too good to be true without outside interference, maybe the Starlords? Well, there is a map in the back of this one and an appendix so maybe it'll help me keep the characters straight. The map is very crude, supposedly drawn by Prescott himself.
January 26, 2016
If you are a John Carter of Mars fan or enjoy the "displaced person on another world" then this series is for you. The books run in long story arcs so you can read just a few to complete a plot line or go for the whole set. Akers creates a very complex world for the hero to adventure in. Recommended
July 26, 2010
I just loved all of these. Great Sword & Planet action.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews