Lost Dorsai

 

By Gordon R. Dickson

What is a Dorsai? The Dorsai are the people of the planet of the same name. Their specialty is producing elite mercenaries, so much so that Dorsai is a synonym for mercenary throughout the inhabited planets of the Dorsai universe. 

So then what is a "lost Dorsai?" The author explains, "It (the term lost Dorsai) was reserved for those of Dorsai heritage who seemed to have chosen their life work, whatever it was, and then—suddenly and without explanation—abandoned it." The lost Dorsai of the title is Michael, who, "had graduated from the Academy with honors; but after graduation he had abruptly withdrawn his name from assignment and left the planet [Dorsai], with no explanation, even to his family." Michael explains his feelings to another Dorsai, "When I graduated and had to face going out to the worlds as a fighting officer, I finally had to make that decision [about the 'killing part']. And so I did. I can't hurt anyone. I won't hurt anyone—even to save my own life, I think."

Michael's true love is music and he is a talented musician. He became a military band leader on the planet Ceta working for El Conde, the titular ruler of Nahar. He likes his job and is happy in his life. But all good things must come to an end and El Conde is facing a revolution and Michael finds himself the only thing that stands between the revolutionaries howling for El Conde's blood and certain death, as all of El Conde's soldiers have deserted, including the members of Michael's military band and all the workers at the fortress that El Conde and Michael are holed up in. 

Will Michael take up arms to protect himself and El Conde? Or will he stand by his refusal to harm another human, even if it means his own death and the death of that defenseless old man, El Conde?

I enjoyed this story more than I did that of the previous Dorsai story I recently read. For one thing, it didn't have as much politics and battles as the other book. It was more about a small group of people facing insurmountable odds with courage and loyalty to each other. 

Still, even though I did like the book, I have no intention of reading any of the other books in the Dorsai series. Two was enough.

Dorsai!

 

By Gordon R. Dickson

Donal Graeme was an odd boy, a condition he never outgrew. But he graduated from military school and went on to a career as an officer, as was the tradition of both his family and the planet he lived on, Dorsai. 

Donal always seemed to know what was going to happen long before it became apparent to even the most experienced of people. He used his intuition to place himself where it would advantage his objectives the most. He made a lot of enemies, but he also won some devoted allies. 

Eventually he rose to the one of the highest positions in the galaxy which put him up against one of the master manipulators, a man he had first encountered straight out of military school. And in the middle of it all was Anea, a woman who stole Donal's heart at first glance but who despises him with all her might.

I found this book quite boring. It is mostly battles and politics with a very tiny bit of romance thrown in. I just skimmed most of the battles scenes and the political mumbo jumbo. And even though it is not a long story, just a little over 200 pages in paperback, I just wanted it to be over. Tedious read.

The Pritcher Mass

By Gordon R. Dickson

Chaz Sant wants just one thing: he wants to work on the Pritcher Mass. But only people who can pass the entrance exam are allowed  to work there and Chaz keeps failing the test.
Chaz lives on an Earth that has become poisonous to its human dwellers. A fatal fungus has infested the world and people are reduced to living in sealed environments to protect them from it. The Pritcher Mass is an attempt to locate, psychically, a new planet for humans to occupy. Anyone who can pass the test is sent to space to live in the environment constructed for this purpose, despite their past failures or even criminal background. Chaz is not a criminal at the beginning of the story, but his desire to be one of the Pritcher Mass workers drives him to commit crimes that would result in exile to the fungus-infected outside and certain death if he is caught.
Then  he meets Eileen. Unknown to Chaz, Eileen's meeting up with him is not an accident. She was hired by the Citadel, a powerful criminal organization, to get information about Chaz which she does by drugging him. The Citadel doesn't want Chaz working on the Pritcher Mass because their projections indicate that his doing so is a threat to their very existence. Eileen is just one of many roadblocks they place in his way to keep him from it. But Eileen, who is a powerful witch, has fallen in love with Chaz and has decided to help him, even though it may result in her exile and death.

This was an interesting story with an unexpected (for me) conclusion. There is plenty of action and adventure, as one man takes on the big boys in an attempt to save himself and the whole world. I enjoyed it a lot.