This novel is hardly polished and assembled to be more than three stars. In fact, I suspect, some folks might make good argument that it is maybe as low as 2.5. But I wanted to give it 3.5 stars - and here's why:

The lack of bogged down backstory makes this novel read freshly, quickly, and with purpose. I have gotten somewhat weary of the bloated and over-written novels. This one - at points jarringly sudden in its transitions from scene-to-scene - reads really well. It has a little vintage feel, it has a lot that feels like "Dune" and the espionage stories of the pulps in the 60s.

The characters and plot may seem a bit wooden or odd, but this is such a fun little novel regardless of all of its flaws that I am very glad I read it. Strangely satisfying and fun read. ( )

A fun quick read. Very clever. I'm going to start reading more of these older, shorter SF novels. ( )

What must be one of the longest running series in science-fiction. This is the first book which introduces us to Earl Dumarest. A travellor through a modern, yet almost medieval universe. We have yet to learn his purpose by the end of this volume, the search for his birthplace: Terra. But, we are introduced to a man who lives by his wits and above all his reflexes. This and the books that follow are good reads. Solid space opera with straightforward plots, a few regular allies and enemies, but well written and sustained across all 33 volumes. ( )

I love this series and have collected the entire 31 books and read them over and over again. It has been close to twenty years since I last read the series, in fact I have not read the last three books that I purchased. I had always planned on reading it once more but never seemed in the mood for the genre. Finally started book one and at first thought it would not catch my imagination and that I would not get my wish of rereading Dumarest but it did grab me, as of old, and my pleasure was sure. I had originally given this book four stars but these days I mostly give three unless a book is really something special and good as it was and pleasurable...it is what it is. My copy is so old it is one of the Ace Double books and I am about to turn the book over and start book 2 Derai. ( )

A fun quick read. Very clever. I'm going to start reading more of these older, shorter SF novels. ( )

Pulp Adventure Science Fiction. Nothing to tax the brain too heavily, sometimes you need a break from worthy literary SF. This is the first in a series of 30+ novels. I believe there is one left unpublished, which is due in 2011.

Hero visits planet on search for earth, finds girl, leaves girl and planet, on to the next planet, rinse and repeat. It's a formula, but an enjoyable one. ( )

Pulp fiction about a man attempt to return to his mythical home planet of Earth, pursued by a galaxy-wide organization of bad guys. I've read a couple of these that I found in various second-hand bookshops and they were fun, if nothing earthshaking.

Since all the books have self-contained plots of "Dumarest lands on new planet, has adventure, moves on toward Earth," they could be read in any order. One thing that is interesting is that, supposedly, this series actually ends around book #32, instead of just continuing forever. ( )

For my money, the Dumarest Saga of E.C. Tubb ranks up there as one of the best science fiction series written in English.

Set in the far distant future, when mankind has spread across the galaxy, they feature the inimitable Earl Dumarest, a man with lightning fast reflexes who is forever trying to find the home world he fled as a child and has long since lost: Earth.

The galaxy he travels through is a hard, deadly place for a man with no affiliations and little money. Tubb pulls no punches in his depictions of the many harsh, hellish worlds and people whom Dumarest encounters, and invariably survives, if only just, during his quest.

Perhaps one of the best things about this series (which consists of some 32 books) is that each book is short, with no unnecessary padding; they're generally between 150 and 190 pages long. So they're a reasonably quick read, too.

I recommend reading all books in the series, preferably in the intended order. If you can, though, avoid the Arrow Books editions - the cover illustrations are, to put it simply, the pits. The artists clearly had never read the books, or if they did, didn't bother to note down a lot of details about the scenes they chose to portray in these illustrations, e.g. clothing, weaponry, etc. Shame on Arrow Books for using such second-class amateurs.

Did I mention? Unlike the seemingly interminable Wheel of Time series of Robert Jordan, or the never-ending Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson - both of which I find way too verbose, i.e. a lot of words pass by without very much happening - the Dumarest Saga has an actual ending - in volume 32, The Return, Dumarest finds his way home! ( )