Transit to Scorpio (Dray Prescot, #1) (Delian Cycle, #1) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

May 16, 2020 Karl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: daw_own

Updated 6/3/2020

DAW Collectors #33

Cover Artist: Tim Kirk

Legal Name: Bulmer, Henry Kenneth (Birthdate: 14 January 1921 - 16 December 2005)

Alternate Names: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, H. Ken Bulmer, H. K. Bulmer, Ken Bulmer, H. Kenneth Bulmer, Henry K. Bulmer, 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, Philip St Updated 6/3/2020

DAW Collectors #33

Cover Artist: Tim Kirk

Legal Name: Bulmer, Henry Kenneth (Birthdate: 14 January 1921 - 16 December 2005)

Alternate Names: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, H. Ken Bulmer, H. K. Bulmer, Ken Bulmer, H. Kenneth Bulmer, Henry K. Bulmer, 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, Philip Stratford, H. Phillip Stratford, Tully Zetford.

"Transit to Scorpio" is a science fiction novel by British writer Kenneth Bulmer, written under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers

This series concerns the story of Dray Prescot, an English sailor of Lord Nelson's navy, and his miraculous teleportation to the planet Kregen. There he is trained as an agent for the mysterious Savanti, an apparently benevolent secret society devoted to improving the lot of humanity among the many intelligent species of Kregen. Among the benefits conferred on him is immersion in an apparently miraculous pool, Kregen's equivalent of the Fountain of Youth, which heals all wounds and confers a greatly extended lifespan on the bather. During Prescot's sojourn among the Savanti an offhand reference is made to the continent of Gah in Kregen's opposite hemisphere.

Prescot falls from grace among his hosts for supplying forbidden aid to Delia, princess of the island empire of Vallia, who has been brought to the Savanti as an injured supplicant. Defying their decision not to help her, he takes her to the healing pool and cures her. In consequence, he is banished back to Earth. While Prescott spends five years on Earth only a day has passed for Delia, as he later learns.

Cover artist: Tim Kirk

Part of the "Dray Prescot" series, is a sequence of fifty-two science fiction novels. The sequence is made up of eleven cycles of novels, each cycle essentially forming a series within the series. Four novels and three short stories are stand-alone narratives falling outside the system of cycles. Each tale is narrated in the first person by the protagonist, Dray Prescot. To support the illusion that the fictional Prescot was the actual author, later volumes were bylined "by Dray Prescot as told to Alan Burt Akers.

Henry Kenneth Bulmer (14 January 1921 – 16 December 2005) Bulmer, penned over 160 novels and numerous short stories, both under his real name and various pseudonyms. Bulmer's pseudonyms include Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Peter Green, Adam Hardy, Philip Kent, Bruno Krauss, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Chesman Scot, Nelson Sherwood, Richard Silver, H. Philip Stratford and Tully Zetford. Kenneth Johns ...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Garham rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sword-and-planet

Some of the best sword-and-planet ever written begins with this book. I absolutely loved this series. Aside from all the obvious awesome stuff (weird alien places, even weirder alien demi-humans and monsters, hack-n-slash action, a wonderfully understated love story) there are a couple of other things I really like about the series:

-The 1st person narration is rather to-the-point, but not without the occasional bit of *very* dry humour. There is very little whiny, woe-is-me, tortured-inner-life ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Charles rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This is the first in the series. The real author for the whole series is Kenneth Bulmer, a British SF/fantasy writer, but he wrote them under the name Alan Burt Akers. Supposedly, the stories were told to Akers by Dray Prescot, via audio tapes. Prescot is the hero of the stories.

As for my rankings for this whole series, be aware that I just "love" Sword & Planet fiction. That means in many cases my rankings might be somewhat higher than those given by readers of fantasy who are not so enamored o ...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Derek rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sword-and-planet

I'm curious where the author is going with this. There's obviously some form of plan afoot: the relationship and possible rivalry between the Savanti and the Star Lords and their manipulation of affairs on the planet Kregan, and the mysterious prophecy alluded to when Prescot provides a forbidden healing to Delia.

...more

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Oct 14, 2013 Joseph rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

An enjoyable book, clearly emulating Edgar Rice Burroughs and his Barsoom adventures. Kenneth Bulmer has certain strengths that add to the overall story, he is knowledgeable about ships and sailing, and also about fencing. The method of transit to the planet Kregen I find to be the weakest part of the book, as there is no real attempt to explain the physical method of transportation. Many of the main plot points are lifted directly from the Barsoom books, and I am hoping later books in the serie ...more

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Jul 26, 2008 Charles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This is the first in the series, though not the first one I read. I actually think some of the later books were better than this one, but it gets a five because it introduces the whole series and the main character, Dray Prescot, an earthman who is transported to the world of Kregen.

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