So, after the events of "Derai," Earl Dumarest should be on his own again, but he isn't. In between books, he had another adventure, and has found himself stuck on the world of Toy, where the wealthy elite, or Stockholders, struggle for power against the Toymaster, the ruler of the planet, and the holder of the most stock. Earl has encountered an ally in Legrain, another combatant in the Toymaster's war games, and has found himself on the losing side. The rules say that all the combatants must win . . . or die.
That's how the book starts, and I'll not complain about that now, except to say that E.C. Tubb is good at writing action sequences and fights, and it would've been nice to start with that. Instead, poor Earl finds himself on the bottom of the heap once again, finding a lot of new enemies on the planet Toy, and very few friends.
Like the other books in the series so far, there's a lot of political intrigue, with Stockholders conspiring against the Toymaster, hoping to unseat him, and put someone a bit more decent and responsible in his place. One of the Stockholders, Leon, allies himself with Quara, the Toymaster's sister, and eventually, Earl Dumarest gets wrapped up in it as well.
Here you go. Toyman Link.
These are enjoyable books, and there are instances of great writing in every one, but on the other hand, there are repeated uses of the word "iritably," which my mouth is not capable of speaking. So there's that.
At this point in time, I have two more books left on my contract, and then we'll see what happens. Book Four is due in a few days, and Book Five is due at the end of next month. Once those are done, I've no idea what kind of projects I'll take on, or if I'll be offered more Dumarest of Terra books.
Rish
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