cpf@lasspvax.UUCP (Courtenay Footman) (10/20/85)
"Beyond the Dar El Harb" by Gorden Dickson (I may have the title
slightly wrong) is a sequel to "Jamie the Red", by Dickson and Green.
What is not apparent from cover, front blurb, or rear blurb is that it
is not a novel, but a novella; the remaining two thirds of the book
are two mediocre Dickson stories that have been published several
times before.
As a novella, the thing is not bad; not all that great, but not bad.
As it was, however, I encountered the biggest surprise ending of any
book that I have ever read. ("You mean, its over, and the next 150
pages are worthless???" "Yes.")
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Courtenay Footman arpa: cpf@lnsvax
Newman Lab. of Nuclear Studies usenet (finally this will work):
Cornell University {decvax,ihnp4,cmcl2,vax135}!cornell!lnsvax!cpf cgf@infinet.UUCP (Chris Faylor) (10/24/85)
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In article <614@lasspvax.UUCP> cpf@lasspvax.UUCP (Courtenay Footman) writes:
>"Beyond the Dar El Harb" by Gorden Dickson (I may have the title
>slightly wrong) is a sequel to "Jamie the Red", by Dickson and Green.
>What is not apparent from cover, front blurb, or rear blurb is that it
>is not a novel, but a novella; the remaining two thirds of the book
>are two mediocre Dickson stories that have been published several
>times before.
The title is _Beyond the Dar Al~Harb_ and I quite agree: it is a rip-off.
It was sort of like running head on into a brick wall when I turned the
page and the setting suddenly changed from medieval Middle East to the
interior of a space ship.
I haven't made the mistake of buying a book of short stories thinking
it was a novel for quite some time. There is NO indication that this
is not a full length novel anywhere on the jacket or front page.
There oughtta be a law.
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-cgf-
I feel more like I do now than I did when I first got here.
decvax!wanginst!infinet!cgf