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Gandalara Cycle #1
The Steel of Raithskar
Garrett, Randall, Steel of Raithskar, The Gandalara Cycle
180 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
44 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
About the author
Randall Garrett
440 books87 followersRandall Garrett's full name was Gordon Randall Phillip David Garrett. For more information about him see https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?239
He was married to Vicki Ann Heydron
His pseudonyms include: Gordon Randall Garrett, Gordon Aghill, Grandal Barretton, Alexander Blade, Ralph Burke, Gordon Garrett, David Gordon, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgenson, Darrel T. Langart, Blake MacKenzie, Jonathan Blake MacKenzie, Seaton Mckettrig, Clyde (T.) Mitchell, Mark Phillips (with Laurence Janifer), Robert Randall, Leonard G. Spencer, S.M. Tenneshaw, Gerald Vance.
He was married to Vicki Ann Heydron
His pseudonyms include: Gordon Randall Garrett, Gordon Aghill, Grandal Barretton, Alexander Blade, Ralph Burke, Gordon Garrett, David Gordon, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgenson, Darrel T. Langart, Blake MacKenzie, Jonathan Blake MacKenzie, Seaton Mckettrig, Clyde (T.) Mitchell, Mark Phillips (with Laurence Janifer), Robert Randall, Leonard G. Spencer, S.M. Tenneshaw, Gerald Vance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 25, 2026
I have wanted to read more Garrett since coming across his Lord Darcy series in a book I found in a charity shop yonks ago. I LOVED 'Too Many Magicians' and hoped I would enjoy subsequent works of his.
The world building is more than satisfactory describing a uniquely alien place with interesting fauna and flora, society, history and even geography/geology.
But the story itself was pretty thin it seems more like the introduction to a bigger arc which may develop into something very readable.
I am not a fan of the mysteriously-woke-up-in someone-else's-body-in-a-different-time/place literary device, but as this was written by Randall Garrett, I was prepared to give it a go.
He (and his wife) did it quite well teasing out the how/why and drip feeding the reader with enough information to make the trope bearable.
In my opinion this isn't as good as the Lord Darcy stories, but still enjoyable enough.
But I'm on the fence as to whether I will read the rest of the series.
The world building is more than satisfactory describing a uniquely alien place with interesting fauna and flora, society, history and even geography/geology.
But the story itself was pretty thin it seems more like the introduction to a bigger arc which may develop into something very readable.
I am not a fan of the mysteriously-woke-up-in someone-else's-body-in-a-different-time/place literary device, but as this was written by Randall Garrett, I was prepared to give it a go.
He (and his wife) did it quite well teasing out the how/why and drip feeding the reader with enough information to make the trope bearable.
In my opinion this isn't as good as the Lord Darcy stories, but still enjoyable enough.
But I'm on the fence as to whether I will read the rest of the series.
August 19, 2007
These are seriously some of my favorite books of ALL TIME. I started reading them in middle school and still remember the agonizing wait for each book to be written and printed before I could read it. Some of the best story arcs, compelling characters and amazing adventures I have ever had the pleasure to be introduced to. I <3 them so much. I am reminded that I need to re-read them- pronto.
September 17, 2015
Good fantasy book. Quick and easy read but entertaining. Story is along the lines of John Carter of Mars. Recommended
April 19, 2023
“Terrorism and greed were the watchwords of my time. The world had learned to be cynical.”
Rousing opening to a swords-and not-very-tame-tigers fantasy series. Told first person, drawing the reader into the protagonist’s confusion and analysis. Excellent world and culture building.
'These people were not homo sapiens, strickly (sic) speaking, but they were utterly human. And throughout the human history of my world, no police force had ever given up on a cop-killer.'
Tame violence, language, and sex by current standards, which is a plus. Framing story surrounding framing story. Numerous typos mar the text. Published in 1981, perhaps errors resulted from an un-proofed optical character scan conversion of the text. Satisfying close to first story.
“It was as though the flim (sic) of life had stopped and I was looking at a single frame frozen on the screen. The title of the film should have been Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes.”
Rousing opening to a swords-and not-very-tame-tigers fantasy series. Told first person, drawing the reader into the protagonist’s confusion and analysis. Excellent world and culture building.
'These people were not homo sapiens, strickly (sic) speaking, but they were utterly human. And throughout the human history of my world, no police force had ever given up on a cop-killer.'
Tame violence, language, and sex by current standards, which is a plus. Framing story surrounding framing story. Numerous typos mar the text. Published in 1981, perhaps errors resulted from an un-proofed optical character scan conversion of the text. Satisfying close to first story.
“It was as though the flim (sic) of life had stopped and I was looking at a single frame frozen on the screen. The title of the film should have been Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes.”
August 4, 2022
Decent, old-fashioned pulpy fantasy-adventure along the lines of John Carter of Mars. Read the publisher's summary above first. Giant, telepathic cats! If I've read this one before I have no memory of it. I own the reprint omnibus of the first 3 of this series and I'm in no hurry to read more. 2.5 stars, courtesy round-up.
March 26, 2024
As far as I know, this book was planned and drafted mostly by Randall Garrett (a writer of long experience), but it was finished off and published by his wife Vicki Ann Heydron after he was incapacitated. I suppose the plot and characters are mostly Garrett’s, but the writing style seems more thoughtful and better than in his previous works, and I suppose Heydron made at least some contribution to it.
The scenario is imaginative and original, and the book is pleasant and readable, although characterization is fairly simple and male-oriented: there are only a couple of peripheral female characters. The seven-book series has a prominent female character who’s merely mentioned in this first book.
The men in the story tend to be somewhat macho. This is a low-technology scenario in which the sword is the primary weapon, and a special class of men ride around on big cats with whom they have a telepathic bond.
The plot of this first book is quite intelligible and satisfactory. Later on, the series becomes perhaps overcomplex and overlong, but this is a review of the book not the series. In case you’re wondering, you can read the first book on its own: it comes to an end of sorts, and you don’t need to read on unless you want more.
The whole series is set in Gandalara, which exists in a time and place that remains a mystery until the last book of the series. In most parts of Gandalara, water is scarce and valuable.
The scenario is imaginative and original, and the book is pleasant and readable, although characterization is fairly simple and male-oriented: there are only a couple of peripheral female characters. The seven-book series has a prominent female character who’s merely mentioned in this first book.
The men in the story tend to be somewhat macho. This is a low-technology scenario in which the sword is the primary weapon, and a special class of men ride around on big cats with whom they have a telepathic bond.
The plot of this first book is quite intelligible and satisfactory. Later on, the series becomes perhaps overcomplex and overlong, but this is a review of the book not the series. In case you’re wondering, you can read the first book on its own: it comes to an end of sorts, and you don’t need to read on unless you want more.
The whole series is set in Gandalara, which exists in a time and place that remains a mystery until the last book of the series. In most parts of Gandalara, water is scarce and valuable.
March 20, 2017
A 3.90 actually. The book and whole series is well done. Actions scenes are great, the plot goes along as it should. All of the characters stay in character through this book and the series. It is a great fantasy with a mystery or two.
The people and world are ingenious and even though in some ways complicated the story flows easily.
The descriptions are worth reading too. There are twists and surprises which are good.
The people and world are ingenious and even though in some ways complicated the story flows easily.
The descriptions are worth reading too. There are twists and surprises which are good.
May 26, 2018
Ricardo is a university professor nearing the end of his life. A terminal diagnosis has led him to take a cruise around Europe, but his planned vacation ends with the fiery impact of a meteor. But he wakes up, on another world, in another body. Another life. A second chance. But living means taking on the identity of Markasset, the former owner of that body, and Markasset had problems of his own . . .
I read this once years ago and never got around to finishing the series, so I thought I'd give it another go.
The characters can be pretty thin. Illia, Markasset's girlfriend, is probably the worst drawn of the main cast. She's beautiful and interested in Markasset, and that is the extent of her characterization. Zaddorn, the police chief that Ricardo inadvertently crosses, is better but still fairly straightforward: he wants to recover the stolen jewel and thinks Markasset either did it or has answers about what happened. Thanasset, Markasset's father, has the most depth. He recognizes immediately that his son is not the same, although he's also remarkably quick to come to terms with his son's death.
The plot is a bit better. Ricardo tries to analyze the new world in which he finds himself, piecing together what clues he notices to try to figure out who he is supposed to be, and later on, what happened to the jewel that was stolen. He can't even say with any certainty that the body he wears now DIDN'T do it. And I liked that although Zaddorn is an antagonist, Ricardo has a great deal of sympathy for the man, as he's only trying to do his job.
I also liked Keeshah, the gigantic cat that Markasset had bonded. In this dry, desert world, the cats are used as mounts by those who have bonded them (everyone else goes on foot). It's a little strange to me that a meat-eater would be the largest creature in the desert, but I do like the relationship between him and Keeshah. The cat, of course, knows that Ricardo is not Markasset. But Keeshah's trust opens a number of opportunities for Ricardo, not the least of which is the ability to get from place to place much faster than anyone else.
Overall I'm ambivalent on the series so far. I'm not particularly fond of any of the characters except Keeshah, but the plot was decent, and the book is short enough that it's not a slog. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
I read this once years ago and never got around to finishing the series, so I thought I'd give it another go.
The characters can be pretty thin. Illia, Markasset's girlfriend, is probably the worst drawn of the main cast. She's beautiful and interested in Markasset, and that is the extent of her characterization. Zaddorn, the police chief that Ricardo inadvertently crosses, is better but still fairly straightforward: he wants to recover the stolen jewel and thinks Markasset either did it or has answers about what happened. Thanasset, Markasset's father, has the most depth. He recognizes immediately that his son is not the same, although he's also remarkably quick to come to terms with his son's death.
The plot is a bit better. Ricardo tries to analyze the new world in which he finds himself, piecing together what clues he notices to try to figure out who he is supposed to be, and later on, what happened to the jewel that was stolen. He can't even say with any certainty that the body he wears now DIDN'T do it. And I liked that although Zaddorn is an antagonist, Ricardo has a great deal of sympathy for the man, as he's only trying to do his job.
I also liked Keeshah, the gigantic cat that Markasset had bonded. In this dry, desert world, the cats are used as mounts by those who have bonded them (everyone else goes on foot). It's a little strange to me that a meat-eater would be the largest creature in the desert, but I do like the relationship between him and Keeshah. The cat, of course, knows that Ricardo is not Markasset. But Keeshah's trust opens a number of opportunities for Ricardo, not the least of which is the ability to get from place to place much faster than anyone else.
Overall I'm ambivalent on the series so far. I'm not particularly fond of any of the characters except Keeshah, but the plot was decent, and the book is short enough that it's not a slog. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
April 24, 2016
As I understand it, Randall Garrett had outlined and begun this novel when his horrible debilitating final illness struck. The book was finished by his wife, Vicki Ann Heydron. (She is given equal billing in my paperback edition; I'm not sure why it is listed here as being by Randall Garrett alone.)
This could have been a really wonderful novel/series. I still re-read it occasionally, for the cool ideas and setting. But oh, my dear Lord, the prose. The dialogue. The tragedy. The writing is... not good. Plot isn't bad, and to be fair some of the individual scenes are quite good -- even moving. But overall, it reads like what it is: a good writer's idea, finished by a novice.
This could have been a really wonderful novel/series. I still re-read it occasionally, for the cool ideas and setting. But oh, my dear Lord, the prose. The dialogue. The tragedy. The writing is... not good. Plot isn't bad, and to be fair some of the individual scenes are quite good -- even moving. But overall, it reads like what it is: a good writer's idea, finished by a novice.
April 4, 2016
My favorite all time sci first series!
I didn't dare to hope that this series was available for my kindle. What a pleasant surprise! My paperbacks are falling apart, so I plan to download all books in the Gandalara Cycle. These are my favorite books and I highly recommend them. You won't be disappointed. Well worth the purchase price! Enjoy ...
I didn't dare to hope that this series was available for my kindle. What a pleasant surprise! My paperbacks are falling apart, so I plan to download all books in the Gandalara Cycle. These are my favorite books and I highly recommend them. You won't be disappointed. Well worth the purchase price! Enjoy ...
March 30, 2018
Enjoyable 80s pulp sci-fi, with a plot that is very much older male wish-fulfillment fantasies. I do love stories about close bonds between riders and their mounts - the sha'um are cute and cool. It will be interesting to see how the series progresses as Vicki Ann Heydron gets more creative control.
October 6, 2018
Interesting world building, but there wasn't much more that appealed to me. This is maybe a book that would appeal more to a different audience - older men looking for some wish fulfillment, maybe?
April 1, 2022
I remember reading this book when I was about 12 years old. My father had a library full of English science fiction and fantasy paperbacks and I could just walk around looking at the titles and cover art and pick and choose them as I pleased. I say I remember reading it but about 40 years later that's a bit of a stretch. I remember the cover art and for some reason the cat and rider jumping an 8 foot wall stuck with me, but for most of the rest of it reading it again was more like reading it for the first time than any feeling of deja vu, no matter that I knew I'd read it already which is kind of strange feeling. At times I caught myself thinking, "This is so good; why don't I remember any of it?" But I remember liking the book all those years ago and I loved it even more having just read it again, realizing that I have plenty of biases, being reminded of my youth and the warmth of a time when my father was still with us. There are multiple covers but this is the exact cover art I remember, with a single rider on a great cat in the desert.
The alien planet and culture were brought to sparkling life and the way it touched on the uncanny valley, the close but not quite resemblance to humans, was well played. The fish out of water aspect, human adapting to an alien culture and planet, is a familiar enough literary device and that's fine because it is well done here. It's funny reading on a phone instead of a physical book because without the feel of the book or page numbers marked telling my how close I was to the end, the abruptness of the denouement caught me by surprise. Oh, we're finished? But the story was wrapped up very nicely and fortunately there is the rest of the series yet to enjoy and since I've read none of the other books it will be entirely new territory that I eagerly anticipate exploring.
The alien planet and culture were brought to sparkling life and the way it touched on the uncanny valley, the close but not quite resemblance to humans, was well played. The fish out of water aspect, human adapting to an alien culture and planet, is a familiar enough literary device and that's fine because it is well done here. It's funny reading on a phone instead of a physical book because without the feel of the book or page numbers marked telling my how close I was to the end, the abruptness of the denouement caught me by surprise. Oh, we're finished? But the story was wrapped up very nicely and fortunately there is the rest of the series yet to enjoy and since I've read none of the other books it will be entirely new territory that I eagerly anticipate exploring.
January 30, 2023
I read this back in the 80s when a coworker lent me a stack of SF & Fantasy to read. It came to mind recently and I re-read it.
I really enjoyed it the first time however this time it never quite grabbed me like it did back then. Perhaps now I am closer to the age and situation of the protagonist and his emotional responses aren't as three-dimensional as I would like. Honestly, I'm not really certain why it failed to completely engage me.
It does have a lot going for it. The author creates a compelling and original universe. The the basic setup for the plot is quite creative. The novel has plenty of action and includes compelling characters and relationships between them. For my taste, it perhaps spends too much time in telling rather than showing/experiencing the plot.
I found it rather entertaining that the protagonist ends up in such an exotic place, describes an eating utensil he is handed, and it very much sounds like a spork. When the book was written though sporks had actually been around awhile. They were suddenly included in fast food meals everywhere and were widely maligned humorously. I was surprised that the author seemed serious about its exoticness and did not obviously use it as a humorous anecdote. Perhaps the author was being atypically and deliciously subtle. I can only hope.
I really enjoyed it the first time however this time it never quite grabbed me like it did back then. Perhaps now I am closer to the age and situation of the protagonist and his emotional responses aren't as three-dimensional as I would like. Honestly, I'm not really certain why it failed to completely engage me.
It does have a lot going for it. The author creates a compelling and original universe. The the basic setup for the plot is quite creative. The novel has plenty of action and includes compelling characters and relationships between them. For my taste, it perhaps spends too much time in telling rather than showing/experiencing the plot.
I found it rather entertaining that the protagonist ends up in such an exotic place, describes an eating utensil he is handed, and it very much sounds like a spork. When the book was written though sporks had actually been around awhile. They were suddenly included in fast food meals everywhere and were widely maligned humorously. I was surprised that the author seemed serious about its exoticness and did not obviously use it as a humorous anecdote. Perhaps the author was being atypically and deliciously subtle. I can only hope.
September 5, 2021
There are lots of plot synopses here already, so I will just share my personal observations. This book also reminds me very much of Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars”. I do not find it that fast a read, as the prose is a certain very deliberate style. It strikes me, as one reviewer said, as old-guy wish fulfillment. It makes sense, if the information about Garrett is correct, his age and health fit.
He gets a young new body and a new playground. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there is a fair amount of cogitating, and the characters are thin. Ricardo is also a bit too perfect. I’m here to tell you that you learn a lot by sixty years, but you still have quirks and flaws. You find out at the end that he discovers he was mistaken in a belief because he is not a native, but like the serialized adventure stories this book resembles, don’t expect real character growth.
In the early eighties giant cats as companions may have been fairly novel, but I don’t think it was unheard of. The rest of that world is new and interesting to me, but I am not convinced all the bits hang together properly, like how the land supports all this, and huge cats, too.
He gets a young new body and a new playground. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there is a fair amount of cogitating, and the characters are thin. Ricardo is also a bit too perfect. I’m here to tell you that you learn a lot by sixty years, but you still have quirks and flaws. You find out at the end that he discovers he was mistaken in a belief because he is not a native, but like the serialized adventure stories this book resembles, don’t expect real character growth.
In the early eighties giant cats as companions may have been fairly novel, but I don’t think it was unheard of. The rest of that world is new and interesting to me, but I am not convinced all the bits hang together properly, like how the land supports all this, and huge cats, too.
August 19, 2019
A Fantastic Saga
I first read this book back in the Eighties. My mother and I used to fight over who turn it was to read them. They’re a story that stayed with me and I am so excited to see them on Kindle! (My tattered paperbacks need the rest.)
This is a story of a dying, old man (Ricardo) on a cruise who wakes up in a young body (Markasset) on a desert planet. The new body also shares a mind link with giant feline. There is much to adjust to and a mystery to solve: someone (possibly Markasset) has stolen a precious stone, the Ra’ira, and it is imperative that he get it back, not only for Markasset and his father, but for their city and possibly the known world.
This is a series with twists. There are strong and smart women and men to inhabit this story, excellent character and fantastic world building. The storytelling doesn’t drag, but keeps the pacing throughout. The Steel of Raithskar is an excellent start to a series that left me wondering what I would do if I woke up in a similar situation.
I first read this book back in the Eighties. My mother and I used to fight over who turn it was to read them. They’re a story that stayed with me and I am so excited to see them on Kindle! (My tattered paperbacks need the rest.)
This is a story of a dying, old man (Ricardo) on a cruise who wakes up in a young body (Markasset) on a desert planet. The new body also shares a mind link with giant feline. There is much to adjust to and a mystery to solve: someone (possibly Markasset) has stolen a precious stone, the Ra’ira, and it is imperative that he get it back, not only for Markasset and his father, but for their city and possibly the known world.
This is a series with twists. There are strong and smart women and men to inhabit this story, excellent character and fantastic world building. The storytelling doesn’t drag, but keeps the pacing throughout. The Steel of Raithskar is an excellent start to a series that left me wondering what I would do if I woke up in a similar situation.
January 27, 2022
Decided to re-read this series (I have the paperbacks) now it's available on Kindle. Must be about 10-15 years since I last read it, so it's about due!
It's an interesting premise - a former US marine turned professor of languages takes what he thinks will be his last cruise, as he's aging and has health issues. While taking the air on deck and chatting to a beautiful young female passenger, they both spot a light in the sky heading for them. Ricardo recognises it as a meteor, and resigns himself to an earlier death...
...only to wake up on a very different planet. In a pretty different (though still humanoid) body. A young body! And with a great cat stalking him through the desert. A cat big enough to ride.
And so behind one of the most enthralling series of sci-fi novels I've ever read. Ricardo's adventures in Gandalara as he tries to come to terms with his new (and perhaps temporary) life are as good now as when I first opened the intriguing paperback with the cover depicting a man mounted on a giant tiger-like animal all those years ago.
It's an interesting premise - a former US marine turned professor of languages takes what he thinks will be his last cruise, as he's aging and has health issues. While taking the air on deck and chatting to a beautiful young female passenger, they both spot a light in the sky heading for them. Ricardo recognises it as a meteor, and resigns himself to an earlier death...
...only to wake up on a very different planet. In a pretty different (though still humanoid) body. A young body! And with a great cat stalking him through the desert. A cat big enough to ride.
And so behind one of the most enthralling series of sci-fi novels I've ever read. Ricardo's adventures in Gandalara as he tries to come to terms with his new (and perhaps temporary) life are as good now as when I first opened the intriguing paperback with the cover depicting a man mounted on a giant tiger-like animal all those years ago.
March 16, 2021
I remember reading this series in my teens, and haunting the used bookstores for the last one. When I found them on Audible, i couldn't wait to listen to them again.
The premise is just as fascinating now as it was then. A man watches his death approach in the form of a meteor heading right for the cruise ship he's on. He wakes up in a new body in the middle of a desert. A giant cat approaches, and instead of eating him, carries him to safety. So starts the process of integrating into a world very different from his own.
The question of weather this is another planet, or our own Earth millennium after that meteor strike, is the underlaying question. But this story is how this man starts to integrate into his new circumstances.
The narrator does a good job with this book. I hope he does the rest of the series.
The premise is just as fascinating now as it was then. A man watches his death approach in the form of a meteor heading right for the cruise ship he's on. He wakes up in a new body in the middle of a desert. A giant cat approaches, and instead of eating him, carries him to safety. So starts the process of integrating into a world very different from his own.
The question of weather this is another planet, or our own Earth millennium after that meteor strike, is the underlaying question. But this story is how this man starts to integrate into his new circumstances.
The narrator does a good job with this book. I hope he does the rest of the series.
February 6, 2023
A fun, quick read.
A older gentleman is transported to a strange world, where he takes over the body of a younger native. He discovers his host body is that of a wanted man, both by law enforcement and the criminal underworld, and goes on a series of adventures to clear his name.
After some moderate sword fighting, and a lot of tiger riding, he manages to clear his reputational woes, and slides almost too smoothly into his host's life.
There's a lot of setup for the next books, and many aspects of the world are not explained completely. There are also some situations that are resolved in a somewhat ex-machina kind of way. But as far as an "adventure" type fantasy novel it suceeds, and it's a fun, quick read.
I expect some of the loose threads to be tied in the following books; I'm willing to give the story a chance.
A older gentleman is transported to a strange world, where he takes over the body of a younger native. He discovers his host body is that of a wanted man, both by law enforcement and the criminal underworld, and goes on a series of adventures to clear his name.
After some moderate sword fighting, and a lot of tiger riding, he manages to clear his reputational woes, and slides almost too smoothly into his host's life.
There's a lot of setup for the next books, and many aspects of the world are not explained completely. There are also some situations that are resolved in a somewhat ex-machina kind of way. But as far as an "adventure" type fantasy novel it suceeds, and it's a fun, quick read.
I expect some of the loose threads to be tied in the following books; I'm willing to give the story a chance.
Read
October 23, 2025Ricardo Carillo, a 60-ish language professor who has 6-months to live - hurt and barely alive in a desert. As he gains consciousness, he is amazed to discover that he is in a strange new world. How did he get there? His last known memory is of him on a cruise ship - talking to a beautiful young woman whose company he finds delightful. Suddenly, he sees the meteor falling to earth and straight toward the ship. He now realizes that not only is he in a strange new world, but he is young and strong and wait...his facial features and species are even different! He has become Markasset, a master swordsman and son of a powerful leader. But the greatest thrill is that he is a Rider, who belongs to an elite group, where each man has been chosen by a sha'um (kinda like a Sabertooth tiger). They are bound forever to their sha'ums and not only ride them, but communicate with them telepathically.
April 24, 2021
As a terminally ill man Ricardo Carillo had come to a place of peace with his fate. But when a fireball from he sky hit the cruise ship he was on Ricardo woke up in a what appeared to be a desert. As the story progresses Ricardo discovers that he is in an unknown land and in fact he's not even 'inhabiting' a human body. Also there are fleeting memories from the person who's body he is now in. Ricardo must assume this new identity and make his way in this new world, in the process clearing the name of the person whose body he now wears.
The author does a very good job of painting a picture of a strange and yet somewhat familiar world. By having the main character be a human from 'our' world it makes it easier to lead the reader on a tale of discovery.
The author does a very good job of painting a picture of a strange and yet somewhat familiar world. By having the main character be a human from 'our' world it makes it easier to lead the reader on a tale of discovery.
May 29, 2022
I read this back in the misty days of youth and don't remember a damn thing about it other than there was a big cat that the guy could ride. Very much like Burrough's John Carter of Mars books (as another reviewer commented), and the Norman Counter-Earth series (except without the sexual angle). This first book lays the groundwork for the next six books I assume. Hopefully the next books will move along a little better. The writing is clean and moves along well. The narrator is sympathetic and his interactions with an alien culture are believable.
May 4, 2019
Imagine yourself waking up in a place that you thought could never exist, that is what happens in this book. It is one of the most intriguing books I had ever read, and I am looking forward to reading it again. I had the entire collection for years and wound up losing it. Now I have a chance to regain the collection. It is fantastic and intriguing throughout the entire book series, I recommend it to anyone who likes reading science fiction, fantasies and Mysteries
January 15, 2023
This is kind of like a weirder, less problematic John Carter of Mars, but from the 70s; so our hero is impossibly old (sixty!) and got hit by a comet while on a yacht in the Mediterranean (no really) and wakes up in the non-human body of a twenty-something swordsman of dubious morals in the middle of a desert world. He has access to the swordsman's memories, and everyone (including the guy's telepathically linked giant warrior cat) assumes he is the swordsman, but he also remembers his life on earth. Meanwhile he has to solve a mystery, have a (slight) romance, fix the guy's family problems, deal with an aggressive bookie to whom he owes money and, oh yeah, not get killed. It's an interesting read although occasionally very anthropological (Ricardo Castillo, our hero's Human Identity, was a college professor) and a little too tell-not-show. Not at all sexist which I put down to the fact that despite the use of Garrett's name the real author appears to have been his wife and co-author Vicki Ann Heydron, working from notes the two of them kept together.
February 5, 2024
4/5
Klasisks gabals, uz robežas starp Sci-Fi un Fantasy, ja par Fantasy var uzskatīt telepātisku kontaktu ar dzīvnieku, prāta/dvēseles pārceļošanu uz citu ķermeni u.c. sīkumus. Galvenais varonis ir normāls čalis - nav pārcilvēks, bet nav arī nīkulis. Spēj loģiski domāt. nav nekā unikāla, bet ir interesantas idejas.
Klasisks gabals, uz robežas starp Sci-Fi un Fantasy, ja par Fantasy var uzskatīt telepātisku kontaktu ar dzīvnieku, prāta/dvēseles pārceļošanu uz citu ķermeni u.c. sīkumus. Galvenais varonis ir normāls čalis - nav pārcilvēks, bet nav arī nīkulis. Spēj loģiski domāt. nav nekā unikāla, bet ir interesantas idejas.
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February 29, 2020Great book! A very unique setting and even tho one little mystery was solved in this first book of the series, the over all story arc still leaves you wondering who done it.
Characters are well defined and the story moves at a great pace,
No hesitation here, I bought the second book!
Characters are well defined and the story moves at a great pace,
No hesitation here, I bought the second book!
January 6, 2021
Fantastic and well-thought out fantasy
I first acquired and read the books in this series in the '80s - and was unable to read them since, because they were out of print. Imagine my delight when I found them in the Kindle store! A wonderful trip back to the world of Gandalara!
I first acquired and read the books in this series in the '80s - and was unable to read them since, because they were out of print. Imagine my delight when I found them in the Kindle store! A wonderful trip back to the world of Gandalara!
August 8, 2018
A great story in the "sword and planet" genre. I enjoyed the main characters and the storyline was interesting. The writing was good and it was easy to read. Too many books become a chore to read.
September 30, 2018
A guy and his cat. Great world building, wonderful plot. Wore out my copy of the paperback - glad to have found an e-copy. Read on!
abandoned
September 8, 2019Why I didn't finish this: I don't remember why I didn't, but I know I picked it up because I love Garrett's Lord Darcy stories.
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