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Greed pulls the archaeologist Matt Carse into the forgotten tomb of theMartian god Rhiannon and plunges the unlikely hero into the Red Planet'sfantastic past, when vast oceans covered the land and the legendary Sea-Kingsruled from terraced palaces of decadence and delight. Talented enough to co-write The Big Sleep film with William Faulknerand imaginative enough to pen the original screenplay for The Empire StrikesBack, Leigh Brackett is a giant in the science-fiction field, and TheSword of show more Rhiannon is one of her most popular adventure tales. show lessTags
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Pulp but by a pulp master.
It begins on a Mars familiar in the pulp pages - basically the wild West with remnants of an ancient civilization. Archaeologist Matt Carse (a classic pulp name) searching a cave of relics, falls into a black darkness and winds up on Mars a million years earlier, with green hills and milky white seas. Even then, Mars has a deeper history, with legends centered around the powerful Quiru, one of whom, the Cursed Rhiannon, gave scientific secrets to the Dhuvians who then used it to rule the lesser races of Mars. That cave is Rhiannon's tomb.
A sequence of adventures ensues, with slave ships, Sea Kings, Sky people, and all the other tropes that made pulp the treat it was. Communication is no problem. The High show more Martian that Carse learned apparently changed not at all after a million years and the collapse of civilization. Of course ancient Martians look and act just like humans, including kissing. Of course, there is no attempt at characterization, just extreme emotions: rage, fear, greed. One bit felt out of place. Carse is not a nice guy. As an archaeologist, he was a thief among thieves. When he first sees Ywain, the classic beautiful but evil queen, he yearns to show her a thing or two.
Brackett for the most part keeps the story coherent and well-paced. The writing is clean and serviceable, well above the average pulp writer. Occasionally, she takes her time to spin that sense of wonder that those of us of an age still can't resist, such as this paragraph on page one:
Recommended unless you really hate all forms of pulp SF. show less
It begins on a Mars familiar in the pulp pages - basically the wild West with remnants of an ancient civilization. Archaeologist Matt Carse (a classic pulp name) searching a cave of relics, falls into a black darkness and winds up on Mars a million years earlier, with green hills and milky white seas. Even then, Mars has a deeper history, with legends centered around the powerful Quiru, one of whom, the Cursed Rhiannon, gave scientific secrets to the Dhuvians who then used it to rule the lesser races of Mars. That cave is Rhiannon's tomb.
A sequence of adventures ensues, with slave ships, Sea Kings, Sky people, and all the other tropes that made pulp the treat it was. Communication is no problem. The High show more Martian that Carse learned apparently changed not at all after a million years and the collapse of civilization. Of course ancient Martians look and act just like humans, including kissing. Of course, there is no attempt at characterization, just extreme emotions: rage, fear, greed. One bit felt out of place. Carse is not a nice guy. As an archaeologist, he was a thief among thieves. When he first sees Ywain, the classic beautiful but evil queen, he yearns to show her a thing or two.
Brackett for the most part keeps the story coherent and well-paced. The writing is clean and serviceable, well above the average pulp writer. Occasionally, she takes her time to spin that sense of wonder that those of us of an age still can't resist, such as this paragraph on page one:
Carse walked beside the still black waters in their ancient channel, cut in the dead sea-bottom. He watched the dry wind shake the torches that never went out and listened to the broken music of the harps that were never stilled. Lean lithe men and women passed him in the shadowy streets, silent as cats exceot for the chime and whisper of the tiny bells the women wear, a sound as delicate as rain, distillate of all the sweet wickedness of the world.
Recommended unless you really hate all forms of pulp SF. show less
El terráqueo Matt Carse es un arqueólogo y aventurero que vive en Marte, planeta desértico aunque se puede apreciar la existencia de océanos en la antigüedad. La historia comienza cuando Carse es conducido, para hacer negocio, hasta una cueva que contiene artefactos y antigüedades de Rhiannon el Maldito. Lo que no sabe Matt es la gran aventura que le espera en dicha cueva.
‘La espada de Rhiannon’ (The Sword of Rhiannon, 1953), de la escritora estadounidense Leigh Brackett, es una estupenda novela de espada y planeta que atrapa desde el primer momento. Es muy pulp, con escenas y diálogos estupendos. No hay relleno, todo es pura carne.
‘La espada de Rhiannon’ (The Sword of Rhiannon, 1953), de la escritora estadounidense Leigh Brackett, es una estupenda novela de espada y planeta que atrapa desde el primer momento. Es muy pulp, con escenas y diálogos estupendos. No hay relleno, todo es pura carne.
A tribute to John Carter stories, But set on a still hydrated Mars, reached by a more modern thief by failing to steal an ancient weapon, and being flung into the distant past. It is a tidy and well written story.
Leigh Brackett's sword & planet adventure The Sword of Rhiannon is a short novel but a favorite among aficionado's. It was first published Sea-Kings of Mars and Otherworldly Stories in "Thrilling Wonder" Magazine in 1949 (cover artist Earle Bergey).
This really is a gem. Written before Sci-Fi and Fantasy really became substantial genres of their own, the summary of this sounds Sci-Fi but really is Fantasy. The Mars milieu features little technology; in fact, it is almost exclusively populated with fantasy creatures ("halflings" that are like reminiscent of harpies, mermaids, and man-serpents) and fantasy/historic technology (swords, pirate ships); there is a lack of laser guns and air-ships. Actually, the technology that enables some show more interesting time/space travel is rooted in a Lovecraftian Mythos magic associated with an elder race (Quiro).
Our protagonist is Carse, an archaeologist/criminal who is very "Indiana Jones" like (of course this was created long before Indy Jones hit theaters). The titular Sword of Rhiannon is revealed from the start to Carse; it had been hidden for centuries in a tomb, so it was rumored, and he quickly finds the tomb from which it came as sought treasure to loot. His adventure begins as he comes into contact with eldritch forces...
The adventure is high throttle action from start to finish. The reader learns more of the curse of Rhiannon. However, there is a rich history and dynamics between cultures that are not fully realized. I would have enjoyed experiencing more of: the initial/future perspective on Rhiannon's past, the Dhuvian's oppression of others, the demonstration of Rhiannon's power(s), the demonstration of the Sword's power or purpose...
Brackett's prose is deeper and more poetic than one expects from pulpy Sword & Planet. Here is an excerpt:
"It was a long way to the city. Carse moved at a steady plodding pace. He did not try to find the easiest path but rammed his way through and over all obstacles, never deviating from the straight line that led to Jekkara. His cloak hampered him and he tore it off. His face was empty of all expression but sweat ran down his cheeks and mingled with the salt of tears.
He walked between two worlds. He went through valleys drowsing in the heat of the summer day, where leafy branches of strange trees raked his face and the juice of crushed grasses stained his sandals. Life, winged and furred and soft of foot, fled from him with a stir and a rustle. And yet he knew that he walked in a desert, where even the wind had forgotten the names of the dead for whom it mourned.
He crossed high ridges, where the sea lay before him and he could hear the boom of the surf on the beaches. And yet he saw only a vast dead plain, where the dust ran in little wavelets among the dry reefs. The truths of thirty years living are not easily forgotten."
This book is very well done but feels like four servings of a five-course-meal. It is a quick read and well worth it, but apparently this is a stand alone adventure. This novel could easily have been inflated to 2x its length without departing from its pulp-adventure roots (i.e., it would not become filler-saturated epic fantasy). Brackett did write more Sword and Planet, but not with Carse. show less
This really is a gem. Written before Sci-Fi and Fantasy really became substantial genres of their own, the summary of this sounds Sci-Fi but really is Fantasy. The Mars milieu features little technology; in fact, it is almost exclusively populated with fantasy creatures ("halflings" that are like reminiscent of harpies, mermaids, and man-serpents) and fantasy/historic technology (swords, pirate ships); there is a lack of laser guns and air-ships. Actually, the technology that enables some show more interesting time/space travel is rooted in a Lovecraftian Mythos magic associated with an elder race (Quiro).
Our protagonist is Carse, an archaeologist/criminal who is very "Indiana Jones" like (of course this was created long before Indy Jones hit theaters). The titular Sword of Rhiannon is revealed from the start to Carse; it had been hidden for centuries in a tomb, so it was rumored, and he quickly finds the tomb from which it came as sought treasure to loot. His adventure begins as he comes into contact with eldritch forces...
The adventure is high throttle action from start to finish. The reader learns more of the curse of Rhiannon. However, there is a rich history and dynamics between cultures that are not fully realized. I would have enjoyed experiencing more of: the initial/future perspective on Rhiannon's past, the Dhuvian's oppression of others, the demonstration of Rhiannon's power(s), the demonstration of the Sword's power or purpose...
Brackett's prose is deeper and more poetic than one expects from pulpy Sword & Planet. Here is an excerpt:
"It was a long way to the city. Carse moved at a steady plodding pace. He did not try to find the easiest path but rammed his way through and over all obstacles, never deviating from the straight line that led to Jekkara. His cloak hampered him and he tore it off. His face was empty of all expression but sweat ran down his cheeks and mingled with the salt of tears.
He walked between two worlds. He went through valleys drowsing in the heat of the summer day, where leafy branches of strange trees raked his face and the juice of crushed grasses stained his sandals. Life, winged and furred and soft of foot, fled from him with a stir and a rustle. And yet he knew that he walked in a desert, where even the wind had forgotten the names of the dead for whom it mourned.
He crossed high ridges, where the sea lay before him and he could hear the boom of the surf on the beaches. And yet he saw only a vast dead plain, where the dust ran in little wavelets among the dry reefs. The truths of thirty years living are not easily forgotten."
This book is very well done but feels like four servings of a five-course-meal. It is a quick read and well worth it, but apparently this is a stand alone adventure. This novel could easily have been inflated to 2x its length without departing from its pulp-adventure roots (i.e., it would not become filler-saturated epic fantasy). Brackett did write more Sword and Planet, but not with Carse. show less
The writing was tight, the prose often lovely. However, there were factors I didn't buy into: an archaeologist being able to fluently speak a million-year-old language, civilization being even remotely similar across a million years, the ridiculous romance, and genocide as conflict resolution. I really disliked the main character. I'm glad I read the introduction from Nicola Griffith, since she put the book into context of the time it was written. It definitely has that feel of a western, complete with arrogant hero who gets the woman as a prize, just set on Mars with time travel. I'm not fond of that dynamic, and as much as I liked the writing and some of the worldbuilding, overall it wasn't great for me.
My favorite of her Mars books, much of it takes you back to Mars in its prime, which is a neat trick. A good story, and as usual, the descriptive writing is top drawer. Like many of her Mars stories, the ending is a little abrupt.
This made me think back to youth when I first discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs "The Chessmen of Mars" my first John Carter book. I loved it and thanks to the SF Signal Podcast on Swords and Sorcery I learned about Leigh Brackett and her legacy of S&S short stories and novels.
This is set on an ancient Mars with multiple races, a time slip, slaves and galleys and an anti hero Indiana Jones. If you like S&S give this a try, I liked it as much as Howard's work and much better then Burroughs.
This is set on an ancient Mars with multiple races, a time slip, slaves and galleys and an anti hero Indiana Jones. If you like S&S give this a try, I liked it as much as Howard's work and much better then Burroughs.
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- Canonical title
- The Sword of Rhiannon
- Original title
- The Sword of Rhiannon
- Alternate titles
- La Porte vers l'infini; La espada de Rhiannon
- Original publication date
- 1953
- People/Characters*
- Matthew 'Matt' Carse; Penkawr; Boghaz Hoi; Scyld; Callus; Schallah (show all 16); Jaxart; Ywain; Emer; Rold; Eisenbart; Thorn von Tarak; Rhiannon; Garach; S'San; Hischah
- Important places*
- Jekkara, Mars
- First words*
- Schon ziemlich bald, nachdem er Madame Kans Haus verlassen hatte, wurde Matt Carse klar, daß ihm jemand heimlich folgte.
- Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Mit großen Augen blickten sie ihnen nach, und Rhiannons Schwert war wie ein Zepter in Carses Hand.
- Publisher's editor*
- Walker, Hugh
- Original language*
- Englisch
- Disambiguation notice
- Note that Sea-Kings of Mars and the Sword of Rhiannon are the same novel and should be combined.
Sea-Kings of Mars and Otherworldly Stories is a Fantasy Masterworks collection and should NOT be combined with either of ... (show all)the above.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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