The Gifts of the Gorboduc Vandal [Mass Market Paperback]

Paul O. Williams (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition edition (April 13, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345355970
• ISBN-13: 978-0345355973
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,151,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unfinished..., March 30, 2004

By 

Khavrinen (Vancouver, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gifts of the Gorboduc Vandal (Mass Market Paperback)

Paul O. Williams is best known among the Science Fiction community as the author of a series of seven post-apocalyptic novels referred to collectively as "The Pelbar Cycle." In "The Gifts of the Gorboduc Vandal," there are clear indications that it was intended as the first of a new series, more toward the "space opera" portion of the Science Fiction spectrum, but (as far as I have been able to determine) no more were ever published. This is why, though I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and have re-read it a couple of times, I could only give it three stars, because it leaves you too unsatisfied at the end. Even the best of novels leave a reader with some unanswered questions, but there is a certain level beyond which one is just left frustrated, to have elements of the foreshadowing simply left hanging.

Umber Trreggevthann is a scientist, and, unlike the cool, emotionless stereotype of scientists portrayed in movies and TV, he is very passionate about his science. So much so that, when his ship is captured in a foriegn star system, he sacrifices his personal honor by volutarily choosing to become a slave, rather that accepting execution as his culture demands, in the slim hope of preserving the vital scientific data that they had amassed during their voyage. He even shares some of it with his captors, in the hopes that helping them will do damage to their mutual enemy, the Dark Sector Raiders. In this he is somewhat successful, but in the end his people re-locate him and he is hauled off to face trial for the "crime" of not choosing to die with his crewmates.

There is obviously a lot more to this story, that unfortunately we may never learn, unless a sequel is ever published -- which seems unlikely some fifteen years after this volume was published, alas.

From the back cover:
"Waiting for the Barbarians:

Most of Landsdrum's people had never seen one of the feared Gorboduc Vandals until a lone Gorboduc freighter appeared in their star system and was destroyed. The captured survivors chose death before violating their strict warrior's code. All but one.

Umber, a Gorboduc scientist, chose slavery instead of death, and the people attributed that to cowardice. But it soon became clear that Umber had other motives in mind -- plans that could prove to be a great boon to Landsdrum and its people.

Then came the terrible message from deep space: The Dark Raiders were coming, demanding enormous tribute or death. Landsdrum was faced with a perilous choice of trust -- Umber was either his people's spy or the planet's one hope for survival..."

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sequel Published!, October 12, 2006

By 

P. Taylor "bubba" (world) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gifts of the Gorboduc Vandal (Mass Market Paperback)

To add a PS to the first review, a sequel was indeed published in 2004. "The Man From Far Cloud" contains both this book and an updated sequel that takes Umber back to his homeworld along with a few surprises along the way. VERY highly recommended.