An omnibus edition from the 70s of all three of the Eric John Stark novels.

Book Of Skaith : The Ginger Star - Leigh Brackett
Book Of Skaith : The Hounds of Skaith - Leigh Brackett
Book Of Skaith : The Reavers of Skaith - Leigh Brackett

The Dark Mark cometh.

The title refers to the color of the sun of the planet Skaith, where this series is based.

Stark ventures there looking for an old friend and mentor, someone who was pivotal in his survival and upbringing.

Then it gets stranger. Skaith is a backwater, and speak of the Dark Man and other such Robert E. Howard appellations - that is what a prophesy suggests Stark might be - a pivotal figure in the planet's conflict.

Once he arrives, he could be in a Burroughs or Howard story, Witchfire story, backstabbing madwomen, tough guy enemies - ok, apart from the telepathic hounds, perhaps.

Certainly monster fighting and sword swinging to be done, however.

Not a brilliant book by any stretch, as you would probably guess, but it is very compelling, as he who was N'Chaka the wild man, the Wolfshead (has anyone been called by the titles of two Howard stories in one book before?), searches for his friend among many deadly enemies on a planet full of people disinclined to believe in the existence of the outsided Galactic Union.

I don't think anyone who likes the whole family of space hero/planetary romance supermen type of story will regret reading these books for a second, as Brackett certainly has more talent than most of the writers of the same.

A 3.5 if you like.

3.5 out of 5

Fire and Sword.

Stark already has released the Hounds, and he puts them to very good use in this battle of progressive and conservative forces across the planet.

Under siege, the forces of his allies need help, and he can find them some. With his friend Simon's political influence, getting some technological assistance from a ship in the area could make raising a siege like bullseyeing womp-rats in the T-16 back home.

A somewhat more powerful set of events than in the first novel, I think.

Really excellent, and definitely better than the first of the trilogy.

4.5 out of 5

Last stand for a dying order.

Stark and his allies (even those who would be more than happy to stick a sword in his neck), have to try and do what they can to save as many people as possible.

Cities start to crumble on the dying world of Skaith and only mass evacuation can save the half of the population that will die.

The old powers would rather stay and see that happen, and our hero has to try and change it, avoid crazed madwoman, and stay alive in the process.

4 out of 5

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2008/1...

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2008/12... ( )

I can't really decide whether I disliked the book or not. It's pulp fiction in the extreme...sort of a Tarzan meets John Carter type of thing. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt on a neutral 2½ stars. ( )

Serious competitor for world's worst cover art on dj! ( )

Shamefully obscure and infinitely worth reading. A lost-colony story by the author of _The Empire Strikes Back_ -- and of quality about equal to TESB.

Has its flaws, sometimes quite visible ones (Stark is approximately the *only* person who would have any chance whatsoever of doing some of the things he does), but well worth reading nonetheless. The characters are a long way from contrived; would be 5 star if only I could say the same about certain moments of the plot... ( )