I’m hoping to reread the first and work some of the others into the queue over the next year.Įnter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.Schmitz's novella 'Beacon to Elsewhere' took the cover of the April 1963 issue of Amazing Stories I’ve heard various opinions on whether the series went too long. I’m not sure how some of the later books hold up. I enjoyed it and have always intended to read more. I’ve only read the first one, and that was longer than I want to admit in public. There’s also a secretive organization trying to stop him. Each book involves him finding a bit more information. The premise is Earl Dumarest is seeking the planet of his birth, a mythical place called Earth. Although he wrote other characters and series, he’s best known for the Dumarest of Terra series, which ran to over thirty volumes. The other person born today that I want to recognize is E. They would be suitable to give to younger readers, as they don’t have any graphic sex or violence. His heroes and heroines weren’t all loners.

One thing that stood out was many of Schmitz’s protagonists had families, and this dynamic added to the depth of the characters and world-building. The threats were serious, but his stories weren’t bleak or nihilistic like so much contemporary fiction is. I need to revisit them when I get a minute (which won’t be before the semester is over). It’s been a number of years since I read Schmitz, but his work was always fun. They are some of the most intriguing I’ve seen in science fiction. One of Schmitz’s strengths are his ecosystems and his monsters. Outside the Hub, Schmitz’s best known works are The Witches of Karres and the Agent of Vega stories. Baen reprinted all (or almost all, there may have been one or two stories they couldn’t get the rights to) about 17 or 18 years ago. There are also a number of stand alone stories set in the Hub that don’t have recurring characters. Both of these ladies appeared in solo stories as well as shared adventures. There are several recurring characters, including Telzey Amberdon, a telepathic young woman, and Trigger Argee, a special agent. Most, but not all, of Schmitz’s work is set in the Hub. Today, October 15, marks the birthdays of two writers of adventure oriented science fiction.

The Lion Game by James H. Schmitz