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Title:
Veruchia
Series: Dumarest #8
Author:
EC Tubb
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre:
SF
Pages: 159
Words: 46K
This
was a good adventure story. Earl makes a quick exit from one planet
where he was looking for clues to Earth’s location and in the
process got the attention of somebody bad. He runs for another and
because he used up all his money, has to go fight in the arena
against giant killer chickens. From the description in the book, I
think they were more raptor like than dragon like as shown on the
cover. That wasn’t glossed over, but was the actual introduction
for him to meet Veruchia. The fight was well described and I enjoyed
it.
The owner of the planet dies (of poison) and the guy who thinks he has things all locked up (and he’s directed by the cyclans) must contest with Veruchia about who is to become the ruler of the planet. It all comes down to who was the captain of the starship when the colonists first landed hundreds of years ago. The ship has been lost and Veruchia has been hellbent on finding it before this, but now her very life depends on it.
There was a lot of water action in this. The spaceship ends up being on a continental shelf and Earl uses the ability of the mind control thingy that his ring has given him to use a kraken to bring the ship back to the surface. Obviously, there is a lot more than just that, but that’s the gist. Lots of underwater monsters to contend with as well as sea-quakes.
Earl and Veruchia over come all and she becomes the owner. She asks Earl to stay with her as her consort, and to my complete surprise, agrees. There’s nothing on the planet to help him in his quest, so in essence he’s giving up his quest to be with this woman. I thought he should have done that a LONG time ago. Sadly, since there are many more books in this series, I know something will happen between books to propel him onward in the next book. Not really looking forward to that, to be honest. Earl needs to learn to be content with what he has.
Once again, really liked this cover. And as a bonus, there’s no spacesuit bubble helmet :-D
★★★✬☆
From
the Publisher & Bookstooge
Earl Dumarest, trans-galactic
soldier of fortune, is still seeking his birthplace, the fabled
planet Earth.
On the distant, decadent planet Dradea, he meets
the mysterious, mutant woman Veruchia. She selected him from the
gladiators’ arena to become her servant. . . and more.
Soon,
Dumarest discovers that she too is engaged in a quest – and that
the fate of her planet hangs in the balance. Fascinated, compelled,
he agrees to help her.
But then he must face bizarre perils
which make the gladiatorial arena seem a haven of safety.
Veruchia completes her quest, becomes ruler of her world and Earl decides to settle down with her and stay on the planet and give up his quest for Earth.
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