Daw, 1972, $1.25, ISBN: ?, 190 pages, paperback

I first read the Dray Prescot saga 20-25 years ago. Don't ask me why, but I decided to reread it. Well, mostly blame Lord of the Rings. The movie sent me back to the books. Now, I turned back to another fantasy world I enjoyed, in part to see if I would enjoy it again.

And I rather enjoyed stepping back under the two suns of Kregen. Dray Prescot was a sailor in Britain's Napoleonic Royal Navy, when the blue radiance of interstellar transport whisked him away from Earth to Kregen. The Savanti needed a tool to help them rework Kregen, and Dray proved to be such a tool, or perhaps weapon would be a better choice of words.

Three writer's gimmicks give him the edge: Kregen gravity is lower, so Dray jumps higher, swings swords faster, and so on; the Savanti gave him a "language pill" so he understands the world's common language, Kregish, and all its dialects; and the Savanti immersed him in the equivalent of the Fountain of Youth, so he heals faster, survives on less, and has 1,000 years of life. Not bad, eh? Conan is envious, I assure you.

Well, Prescot puts that to good use later on in the series, but in book 1, Akers sets up a classic love story with Dray helping cure a crippled woman by taking her to the above mentioned pool. She turns out to be a princess of a powerful empire, but the Savanti toss him back to Earth for his transgression. He's none too happy about being sent back, but he really doesn't have much choice. However, he's plucked once again from Earth, dumped on Kregen, and sent to do a little errand for the Savanti. You guessed it. The princess is in trouble and provides added incentive.

Of note is a skewering of the "Gor" series, a popular, if somewhat misogynistic fantasy series of the same era. Akers notes Kregen has seven major land masses, one of which is called "Gah." At a Savanti dinner party, much mirth is derived from Gah culture, with descriptions dead on the Gor saga. Nothing like a good tweak between authors.

Transit to Scorpio offers sword and sorcery fun, with an emphasis on hacking the bad guys and helping the good guys. I found it as enjoyable as Lord of the Rings in a pulpy sort of way and will get to #2. There's 37 books in English in the series.

I have no idea how you would find a 30-year old mid list book. Perhaps a used book store or flea market. The good news is that with 37 novels out there, you have a shot. However, if you do find one, the bad news is that you might become hooked and have no place to go to find another.

The Dray Prescot Series
Transit to Scorpio: Dray Prescot 1
The Suns of Scorpio: Dray Prescot 2
Dray Prescot 3 - 9 (multiple reviews)
Dray Prescot 10-31, 33-37 (multiple reviews)

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