
One of the time-honored genres of science fiction and fantasy literature involves men from Earth who suddenly find themselves on other worlds, whether through super-science, magic, or mysticism, rather than visiting as, say, a ânormalâ space traveler. The most famous early example would be Edgar Rice Burroughsâ âJohn Carter of Marsâ series, but among others are Lin Carterâs âGreen Starâ books and Andre Nortonâs âWitch Worldâ series. In the modern age, the popularity of games such as Dungeons and Dragons in the late 70s and 80s helped revive the genre, with books such as Nortonâs âQuag Keep,â Joel Rosenbergâs âGuardians of the Flameâ series (especially book 1), and Brian Daleyâs âCoramondeâ books.
âStarfollowers of Coramondeâ is the second of two books, sequel to âDoomfarers of Coramonde,â which introduces us to Gil McDonald, an American soldier fighting in Vietnam. One moment, McDonald and his armored personnel carrier crew are fighting an enemy ambush, and the next theyâre in combat with a dragon. (Spoiler: APCs beat dragons. Barely.) McDonald and his men learn theyâve been summoned by magic to Coramonde, a kingdom under grave threat from the evil wizard Yardiff Bey. McDonald chooses to remain behind in the world and helps to restore the rightful ruler, Prince Springbuck, to his throne, foiling Yardiff Beyâs plot. âDoomfarersâ ends with Yardiff Bey escaping and taking with him as prisoner Dunstan the Berserker, Gilâs friend.
âStarfollowersâ picks up soon thereafter, with Gil, Springbuck, and their friends and allies deciding to take the war to Yardiff Bey and his masters. McDonald and a small party head west to return a magic sword and an infant heir to the land of Vegana, currently under siege by the enemy, as well as to investigate what it is that Yardiff Bey seeks in a long-dead wizardâs writings. Meanwhile, Prince Springbuck forgoes responding to the attacks on his own land and instead leads an army to the lands of the enemy and the city of Shardisku-Salama, wherein reside Yardiff Beyâs masters.
And therein lies the problem with âStarfollowers of Coramonde.â After that set up, the book becomes one long pursuit and series of battles leading to a climactic confrontation in front of the city, itself. The large cast of new characters is thinly drawn, and it is assumed that the reader has all the background information he needs on existing characters from reading the first book. Thus there is little to capture oneâs interest and give one a reason to care if one is reading âStarfollowersâ first. Without the ground laid in âDoomfarers,â this becomes a rather standard fantasy quest.
But it is well done and enjoyable nonetheless. Mr. Daley showed promise as a writer, even with the occasional tendency toward a Gygaxian abuse of the thesaurus, and itâs a shame he died relatively early in his career. His setting in Coramonde is interesting, and I would like to have seen it developed further. And, similar to other books of that time, I have to wonder if this was the authorâs home D&D setting. If so, I would have enjoyed playing there.
I read the book in Kindle format and was disappointed in the quality of the file. There are simply too many typos that could have been fixed with decent proofreading. Not enough to spoil the book or make it impossible to read, but enough to be an annoyance. The publisher should issued a copy-edited revision. There is also a paperback copy available.
On a scale of one to five, I give âStarfollowers of Coramondeâ a straight three: enjoyable, but best read if one reads âDoomfarersâ first. However, I recommend just that: buy both and sit back for a good late-summerâs read.