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| Cover art by Kelly Freas |
| JONDELLE E. C. Tubb New York: DAW Books, October 1973 |
Rating: 5.0 High |
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| ISBN-13 978-0879970758 | ||||
| ISBN-10 0879970758 | 159pp. | SC | $0.95 | |
I thought I was well acquainted with the science fiction of the twentieth century. I had heard of "Dumarest of Terra" as title, and character. But I was unaware of the existence of E. C. Tubb's 33-volume saga1 of Dumarest's quest for the planet of his birth: "A shining planet known as . . . Earth."
My introduction to the series came by way of a chance acquisition of the tenth volume, Jondelle. It is a tale of searching — not only of Dumarest's larger search, but of his search for the boy Jondelle.
Dumarest had come to Ourelle from Estale, a hard world known only for the gemstones called Chorismite, its sole export — come by the Low passage, drugged, barely alive in a coffinlike life capsule, risking the 15% death rate for a stash of Chorismite crystals. He sold them to Akon Batik, a jewelern in the city of Sargone, for a good price. Then, passing through the city, he chanced upon three knife-wielding marauders holding a man and boy at bay. He stepped in and dispatched two with his own knife. The third had a laser pistol. Dumarest killed him too, but took a burn in his side. The man and boy took him to their isolated farm, and that is how he met Elray and Jondelle — and Elray's wife Makgar, a physician who helped him heal.
Some time later, the farm was raided and the boy taken. Elray was killed. Makgar and Dumarest, walking the grounds, heard the commotion and approached warily. They were able to dispatch some of the raiders, but failed to prevent a big man leaving in a raft, the boy limp in his grip. Makgar was wounded by a missile; Dumarest did what he could, but the wounds were deep and the farm's own raft barely able to lift. Makgar died before he could get her to Sargone.
After burying her by a flowering tree, he returned to the city, regrouped, and planned a risky expedition, based on what little he knew about the raiding party. He assembled a team and set off to redeem his promise to Makgar that he would find and rescue the boy. When he succeeded, he gained an additional scrap of knowledge about Earth. And then it was time to bid farewell to Jondelle and his grandparents, and to the world of Ourelle.
The novel is a workmanlike effort, well plotted, with plenty of action and intrigue and adequate characterization. Tubb, in Chapter 8 and at the very end, gives details of the two groups opposing Dumarest's search for his home planet, although not of the reasons for their opposition. Overall it is a satisfying read, worthy of full marks.
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