The Terra Data (Dumarest of Terra #22) [Paperback]

E. C. Tubb (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: DAW; First Edition edition (April 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879975334
• ISBN-13: 978-0879975333
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,580,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Another worthwhile entry in the Dumarest series, January 22, 2012

By 

Tactitles (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Terra Data (Paperback)

This is the 22nd short book of this series, and as with the others, it can be read as a standalone novel. Earl Dumarest finds himself on the planet Elysius this time, after agreeing to help a local citizen with a mining project for a precious gem. In return, he is convinced that the man holds the key to a valuable clue concerning the location of Earth, the mythical and legendary planet of the Original People, where Earl lived as a child. Zalman, the man with the clue, agrees to share the information with Earl upon a successful result to a mining mission. The clue leads to a dead man who is buried in the rubble of the mine, and Earl enlists the help of his widow, who can help locate his body, thus far inaccessible.

The clue eventually proves to be the most valuable yet concerning the whereabouts of Earth, if Earl can find the dead man's body. Most of the adventure takes place in the mine, and we are given an effective telling of the treacherous operation deep underground to locate the gems and the body. An unexpected twist occurs at the end, which assures that Earl's search goes on. Unfortunately, the series continues to just sort of stall. No ground was laid to begin any meaningful resolution to the series here, which was disappointing. It's a good enough adventure, but by this point in the series I had hoped to be breaking some new ground. That didn't happen. The Cyclan appear only at the fringes of the story, and mostly just remind us they are still around. There's some study and analysis that they conduct, which concludes quite mundanely. This was, overall, a pretty average book in the series. It's still a solid adventure story, with some suspense and action to keep the reader engaged and entertained.