Proud Enemy

Demu Trilogy #2

by F.M. Busby

Book by Busby, F. M.

Genres: Science Fiction

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1975

About the author

Francis Marion Busby

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._M._B...

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Proud Enemy is the middle volume of Busby's Demu trilogy. It was published by Berkley in the summer of '75; the first book, Cage a Man, came out from the SFBC a couple of years before, and Signet had done the mass market edition of that one. This one has a much better cover, a purple Paul Lehr painting which I'm willing to wager is the best purple Paul Lehr painting of alien lobsters you could ever hope to see. The Proud Enemy picks up pretty much where Cage a Man stops; Barton is ready to lead his fleet to attack the Demu home world. Lots of characters have lots of sex along the way, and we learn that the females all seem to have breasts. It's like getting lost in a Laurell K. Hamilton road trip. Everybody's psyched for the big final battle. (Spoiler warning!!! Stop here to avoid spoilery snark!) Barton disguises himself as a lobster and they wander around a bit and see a big ship and the book ends. The pacing and plot letdown are both somewhat annoying. (It's really probably not as bad as all that; it left me wanting to know how it all ended and ready for the next book.)

[Snood · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was much slower than the first and really dragged for a majority of its length. Busby has great ideas and fun characters, but completely fails at steady pacing.

For a mass market novel about alien lobsters that want to turn people into lobsters, there is SO MUCH more political and strategic talk than there needs to be. Between dry discussions on what weaponry can pierce Demu shields, there are brief romantic spats that feel more at place in a soap opera. The ending made the journey worth it and I am reading the final book, but I wonder if the awkward pacing was a publisher mandate.

Sci-fi authors didn’t earn that much and quantity over quality was the typical approach. Cage a Man and The Proud Enemy could have easily been trimmed and published as a single book, but one great book might not hit the sales of two decent ones. I’m hoping the final entry will be a more polished read since it was 5 years in the making. Then again, never getting a solo release might not be a good sign...

[STU · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book enjoyable enough.
Felt like it was building up for a huge showdown in the third book, but instead after a long time building the tension it hit a resolution way too quickly.
I don't own the third book and am usure what it would add as it feels like the Demu situation is reasonably resolved?

[Jack Teague]

science fiction

[Brandon Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm slow, but the actual details of the big reveal, were muddy to me, in the books second act it drags a bit and meanders