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Dray Prescot #19
A Life for Kregen (Jikaida Cycle, #1)
"The world Kregen circles the twin suns of Antares, far distant from the skies of Earth. Yet Kregen is the ground on which the Earthman Dray Prescot must stand and fight for all he holds dear. For Prescot is the unwilling battle arm of the mysterious Star Lords who contend for that planet with the powerful Savanti. Yet Prescot's ambitions are his own, for he has inherited the remnant of a shattered empire and must fight to bring hope and freedom to all its peoples. By his side stands his princess, Delia of the Blue Mountains, and a band of stalwart companions of many races and species. But arrayed against him are flying armadas, armed hordes, the wizardry of a super scientist, and, most shocking of all, the fury and steel claws of his own daughter, Dayra!"
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 3, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 7, 2018
OK, I'll say up front that my rating is in no way fair. So ignore it unless you, like me, pick up this same book to start the Dray Prescott saga.
I was initially annoyed by the fact that this is not written by "Dray Prescott", though that is the name on the spine. It's written (as you see here) by Alan Burt Akers—and so belongs under "A", rather than "P". But wait! Akers itself is just one of the many pen names of Kennet Bulmer. So it should be a "B".
Life favors not the OCDed.
Anyway, the real problem with this is that, while being #1 in this "cycle", it clearly depends heavily on knowledge of the previous FOUR cycles. This separates it from Zelazny's Amber series, which consists of two cycles, where the second does not rely too heavily on knowledge of the first. And really unlike Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series—also a heavy influence on this—which are largely episodic and you can read them in almost any order.
Anyway, I had no idea what was going on. Not really the book's fault, I point out. Or at least I don't think. But this is a book built on hundreds of made-up words that are largely undefined. Characters appear in the middle of it that are significant, one presumes, but one doesn't know why. Further, the narrator (Prescott) doesn't relate a lot of things, because he's already related similar things in previous books. Heh.
I would just say, go to book one, if this interests, and read in sequence. Don't be an onker* or crumph*, like me.
(*I think these are bad things to be. But I'm not sure.)
I was initially annoyed by the fact that this is not written by "Dray Prescott", though that is the name on the spine. It's written (as you see here) by Alan Burt Akers—and so belongs under "A", rather than "P". But wait! Akers itself is just one of the many pen names of Kennet Bulmer. So it should be a "B".
Life favors not the OCDed.
Anyway, the real problem with this is that, while being #1 in this "cycle", it clearly depends heavily on knowledge of the previous FOUR cycles. This separates it from Zelazny's Amber series, which consists of two cycles, where the second does not rely too heavily on knowledge of the first. And really unlike Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series—also a heavy influence on this—which are largely episodic and you can read them in almost any order.
Anyway, I had no idea what was going on. Not really the book's fault, I point out. Or at least I don't think. But this is a book built on hundreds of made-up words that are largely undefined. Characters appear in the middle of it that are significant, one presumes, but one doesn't know why. Further, the narrator (Prescott) doesn't relate a lot of things, because he's already related similar things in previous books. Heh.
I would just say, go to book one, if this interests, and read in sequence. Don't be an onker* or crumph*, like me.
(*I think these are bad things to be. But I'm not sure.)
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 think I gave five stars to most of this series and they are indeed very good. But this is one of the best of the best.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews