2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A FUN AND INTERESTING READ...TIMELESS SIFI HERE. HOPE IT IS NOT LOST., November 21, 2007
This is the second book in Harrison's Deathworld trilogy. In this work, the author has our hero, Jason DinAlt kidnapped from his adopted planet, the hostile planet of Pyrrus, and taken to an equally uninviting world, and as with the first novel, is forced to survive using his wit, cunning and, to a certain extent, physical strength (which he, by the way, has had to develop on Pyrrus simply to survive). This new planet is one that has been colonized in the distant past by humans, but rather than advance, the isolated humans have sunk into complete barbarianism, practically into the stone age in some cases, and into the early bronze age at best. While they have retained bits and pieces of former known technology, although they now consider it "magic," they are for the most part, very, very low tech and very primitive in their life style. This story is of Jason's survival on this planet, without his technology, and with the exception of one not so nice individual (the man who kidnapped him), he is completely alone.
As with the first novel, we have SiFi adventure at its best. There is plenty of action, plenty of great situations that our hero must manipulate himself through and some unforgettable characters introduced. Harrison's character development is at its best here and his story telling abilities shine through. The author has a great sense of humor and it shows in his writing. Our hero, Jason DinAlt's quirky outlook on the world and life, is quite pragmatic and it is interesting to see how the author plays our hero's outlook and philosophy against the various situations he encounters.
This book was first published in 1964 which is about the time I read it for the first time. I am one of those individuals who will reread a book several times, if I like it. I have been rereading this one about ever two or three years since my first read over 40 years ago, and must admit to be still enjoying the story as much as the first time I read it. Sometimes old works get lost and forgotten. This is certainly one work that is rather timeless and certainly one that should be available to the current readers. To be honest, in my humble opinion, it is far better than some of the fiction in this genre that is being turned out today. Recommend this one highly.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent SF adventure novel, June 5, 2007
A pretty good and fast-paced adventure tale, I suppose you could call it a planetary romance; a spacefaring thief is shipwrecked on a planet inhabited by various barbaric/medieval tribes. In his efforts to get back to interplanetary society, Harrison's smartass hero plays the part of a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, introducing various pieces of technology to the primitive world. The novel is enlivened (some might say encumbered) by Harrison's attacks on religion and advocacy of moral relativism. Deathworld 2 is no masterpiece, but is definitely fun if you take it in the right spirit. I read the September 1964 Bantam paperback with the beautifully sinister brown painting on the cover and the ad for Winston Churchill's The Second World War on the last page.
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good book, November 10, 2003
For sure one of the best deathworlds. i really bringsout the best sifi for sifi fans
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