Customer Reviews

The Jester At Scar

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'The Jester at Scar' is the 5th book in the long running 'Dumarest of Terra' series. There are 33 in total. They are mostly short, snappy SF adventure.

'Earl Dumarest' travels from planet to planet in search of Earth/Terra, the world where he was born and left as a young boy.

Dumarest is stranded on a backwater planet 'Scar' where the main business is the harvesting of rare Fungi/Mushrooms. Various action follows including fights with claim jumpers and interactions with the Lord of the Planet Jest who is obsessed with luck.

The books are formulaic, but they are a good read. I think of them like the SF movie serials of old.

This is hardly the type of characteristic that you would expect to describe Dumarest, but it is used to describe him as two thugs from high gravity worlds, indeed one is a mutant part cat human who raises this question. Dumarest dispatches him and his colleague thereafter- whilst living in lowtown with a scarred woman with whom he has sought rent.

They are looking for Dumarest and the stolen affinity twin ring... one of the central themes of this book.... hired by the Cyclan to retrieve the information stolen from them that will give them the formula to control the rulers of the universe.

And, Dumarest finds the rare golden fungi that is worth a fortune, only to trade his wealth for his life.... the the ruler of Jest.... hence the name.... the Jester at Scar.

Going for the rare Fungi is a hazard in its own right in a world where the very air you breath could result in an infection so virulent, that you die within hours.Scar is a world revolving around a red giant, so the atmosphere is hot a sticky.... Tubb made sure you almost feel you are there. A world where rain and mud seem to predominate as a backdrop... humidity everywhere for the giant mushrooms to grow and seed. The description of the mushroom forest is evocative with the bizarre colours shapes and sizes of the fungi in the story.

The scene on the Arrow book cover is in the tent like apparatus which people use to rest whilst harvesting the fungi and not getting infected by harmful viruses. Interesting art references to the Roger Dean type covers for Uriah Heep.. the swirling stairwell and naturalistic curvaceous opening through which Dumarest is facing his hidden foes....

For those who think Dumarest is thin muscles, the artwork here clearly shows a Dumarest with a wide muscular back.

One of the shorter books, but well worth a read.... just to get a sense of the strange worlds in Tubb's imagination.