What do you think?
Farstar & Son #1
The Way to Dawnworld
FROM SEPARATE WORLDS.... RANGER Explorer, mercenary...and a star-roving trader. His quest for planets for profit drives him to the farthest reaches of space on the most dangerous and challenging adventures imaginable. High-spirited, courageous....and just a bit naive. Raised as a warrior on the semi-barbaric world of Apache Highlands, he is faced with a difficult decision. What does he want to be when he grows up. On a ship that is a lulu, they set out on a far-reaching journey that takes them to the richest world in the universe....where they are caught in a deadly race to claim an uncharted planet!
- GenresScience Fiction
249 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 12, 1975
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 10, 2026
The Way to Dawnworld is an uncomfortable read. I try to be open-minded and enjoy a book on what it is trying to do and in most cases that is to just be entertaining. This book employs a strategically effective combined arms attack against this by being both outdated in societal views but also not being a very fun sci-fi book in general.
Starting off, the book is of two halves that are meaningless to each other. The culture that the son was brought up in has very little relevance to the space-faring portion of the second half. Then as a sci-fi book, it is just basic pulp, but lacking the excitement and adventure.
The more egregious issue begins by following the son who lives on a colony planet and is part of a tribe mixed of old earth Scottish and Apache ancestry. I believe the author’s intentions are noble, but it reeks of complimenting a culture while looking down upon it. It says, oh, what a quaint and uncivilized group. I first questioned, why start this book this way, and having finished it, I haven’t a clue, it is barely relevant to the rest of the story. The author must have started writing with an idea which then fell apart into a middle section, where he begins ranting about the qualities of laissez-faire capitalism being the only system that doesn’t dissolve into war and oppression. This is astoundingly more ignorant than writing about and insulting a culture, but still believing you are being complimentary. Then the author finishes with a passable if somewhat boring space-faring adventure.
The best part of this book was hating it. I bought this for 75 cents at a used book store in the clearance section.
Starting off, the book is of two halves that are meaningless to each other. The culture that the son was brought up in has very little relevance to the space-faring portion of the second half. Then as a sci-fi book, it is just basic pulp, but lacking the excitement and adventure.
The more egregious issue begins by following the son who lives on a colony planet and is part of a tribe mixed of old earth Scottish and Apache ancestry. I believe the author’s intentions are noble, but it reeks of complimenting a culture while looking down upon it. It says, oh, what a quaint and uncivilized group. I first questioned, why start this book this way, and having finished it, I haven’t a clue, it is barely relevant to the rest of the story. The author must have started writing with an idea which then fell apart into a middle section, where he begins ranting about the qualities of laissez-faire capitalism being the only system that doesn’t dissolve into war and oppression. This is astoundingly more ignorant than writing about and insulting a culture, but still believing you are being complimentary. Then the author finishes with a passable if somewhat boring space-faring adventure.
The best part of this book was hating it. I bought this for 75 cents at a used book store in the clearance section.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2019
The concept was interesting - a settlement of Native Americans and Scottish on a far away world, surrounded by high technology. Then mysterious father figure appears and takes the son on a space adventure. Unfortunately, a mix of casual racism and sexism makes it hard to enjoy to its fullest extent.
May 14, 2015
I reeeeally didn't think i was going to like it from the cover. Then I started reading. That did it for me. This book prept me for Andre Norton. I was able to understand her books better because this one has some of the same writing style to me. LOVED this story & it is one of the few I would gladly read again & again & I don't read books normally more than once. A few I have read 2x's only a very few have I read more than that. I got this book Free in a box of books that were donated but not sold for the charity drive from the VFW while I was in HS. They gave them to me as a gift for working there unpaid that summer. I took almost all of the books that had not sold. I bet I missed out on some that I left behind. But I will say this. EVERY single book I got that I have read was a great or really good book. Not one was a crap story.
May 9, 2015
1977 grade B
1994 grade A-
series book F1
1994 grade A-
series book F1
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews