Transit to Scorpio

Sword and Planet Fiction at its best. Fast-paced entertaining reads. Rereading this series nearly 50 years after the first book's publication, I was surprised at how well they held up and at the erudition and learning of the author. For "pulp" fiction, the vocabulary is rich and rewarding to logophiles like myself. I purchased the ebook omnibus editions for my reread of the series to facilitate dictionary and web access to definitions and references to 19th century history and the Age of Sail -- since I am a student of history as well. However, this is not necessary for the causal reader who desires only the pleasure of the experience, just as enjoying a delicious meal does not require knowing the precise recipe. The marvelous interior show more illustrations are the added seasoning (and only present in these original paperback editions). show less

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. This was clearly modeled after Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter novels, but the author added his own touches and clearly had fun imagining this book. Instead of John Carter and Dejah Thoris the princess of mars we have Dray Prescot and Delia of the Blue Mountains ... who we also learn by the end of the book is herself a princess. There are several story threads and a lot is left hanging at the end of this, which is the first book in a very long series. I will most certainly be reading more in the future.

My one bother is the odd prose style that rises up a little too often.

My enjoyment was enhanced by pen and ink sketches by Tim Kirk scattered through the book.

Transit to Scorpio is the first of dozens of sword-and-planet novels by Alan Burt Akers (nom de plume of Kenneth Bulmer) set on the planet Kregen in the binary star-system of Antares (Alpha Scorpii). The scorpion figures as a symbol and a portent throughout the story, beginning with the death of the hero's father from a scorpion sting.

The book is certainly better than some Burroughs pastiche I've read, although it keeps rather rigorously to the formula. Akers makes his alien princess a cripple at the her first meeting with the protagonist, which is an interesting choice. As in other sword-and-planet milieus, manipulations by superhuman agents are responsible for the narrator's travels between Earth and Kregen. In this case, they are show more called the "Star Lords," and their attributes and motives are left entirely unspecified.

There's an overt allusion to John Norman's Gor books, in the form of a continent called Gah that is reported to host gender relations of the Gorean type. But that's just peripheral detail, in this volume anyhow. The issue of slavery is addressed squarely, though. Unlike Norman's late 20th-century academic Tarl Cabot who has never encountered slavery on Earth, Bulmer's hero Dray Prescot is from 18th-century Earth, and learned to buckle his swashes in a nautical career. He is familiar with the mercantile slave industry, and antagonistic to it. (Note the repeating meter of "John Carter" in the names of the heroes. None other is permitted!) His initial aversion to lethal violence fades quickly in the course of the story.

On the whole, the book was a quick and pleasant read. The prose is palatable, with a little bit of affectation that seems to suit the narrating character's 18th-century origins, and the occasional seeming-anachronism stemming from the fact that he has returned to Earth periodically, well into the 20th century. The scorpion omen and some avian signs seem to be related to the Star Lords, but that whole dimension is left opaque, and it is clear that Bulmer intended this to be the first of many linked novels. I'll probably read more from this series. show less

Transit to Scorpio is an action packed, bloody story filled with nonstop adventure and surprisingly interesting romance, however I was rather annoyed about halfway through when Delia was kidnapped then rescued then kidnapped then rescued then ran away. It was a bit ridiculous for me to continue reading. But then again that seems to be a common theme with poor old Dray Prescot. He rises from the bottom up to be King of all just to be plucked right out of existence and sent somewhere else to start all over again. 1 out of 52 [plus 2 short stories] is under my belt. I think I can and will devour the next few books in line in an attempt to pique my continual interest in this series.

Ja, es ist pulp, es ist sexistisch und gewaltverherrlichend - aber es macht Spaß!

Exciting sci-fi fantasy. Dray Prescot is transported from the African coast to the planet Kregen orbitting Antares. The first people he meets is an advanced race that gives him a 1000 year lifespan. But when Prescot grants the same gift to the beautiful but disabled Delia, the two are kicked out of Paradise. This sets up the usual ssword and planet chain of events-strange races, slavery, revolt, dominance, romantic triangles and finally the final winning of Delia. Followed by a return to earth to pine for the distant world. All the tropes are here in enjoyable fashion with a nod to Gor and Barsoom.