The Lohvian Cycle I

Sword and Sorcery adventuring without the high tech, with an intense love affair spanning time almost immortal, yet not so deeply etched as to redifine the stories into romance.First novel, "Scorpio Reborn": Also found here. Scorpio Reborn [Dray Prescot #38]The truth is this title is the rebirth of the Dray Prescott adventure series as written by Kenneth Bulmer as told by Alan Burt Akers. I have to applaud the author for using this title to state this. With 37 previous novels, cut short by DAW due to 'editorial insight'. Here a German publisher allowed the author to restart this compelling history of Kregen and Dray Prescott. Alright, it is a restart not a direct follow up to the hyper climatic #37.What is the 'immortality of man'? Is it a gift of valor from the sacred pool of the Savanti or is it within the person himself. Is there a nexus of energy in brain and body of humandkind and Diff? Can a blow to the head humble the mighty, as it so often can in the so called 'real world'? The answer as I interpreted it was that no matter the traumas inflicted, the human spirit and soul, will attempt to survive and hopefully prevail. Nobility will shine through. The story mix brings to Loh, a largely unknown continent to the reader and we avidly explore. Bulmer I think was drawing a connection between all of us and the 'I' that we hope to attain. Kregen is a world where wonders abound, yet the reality is honed by the realities of the NOT perfect world, here and there. Cast aside the common place, challenge the most mighty and retain your true identity.I was truly shocked by the writer's work and restart, I read it and blanked on the content, I reread it again and yet again and it suddenly dawned on me how much the author was talking to the reader. We all age and suffer, but we can Never allow that to change the inner, brighter self.More to be added as I retorque the rest of my mind's vision of this restart to one of the most intricate series ever written. Thanks, Harry!Second Novel, Scorpio Assasin also found here. Scorpio Assassin [Dray Prescot #39].I absolutely hate assassination, this story knocked me for a loop in showing the necessity of at least the appearance of an assassination and the removal of a ruler in order to protect someone's life and concept of eternity.First challenge is that sometimes the leader of a nation is a danger to that nation, yet they must be removed if they can NOT be reconciled to their duties. Shades of the real world! So things always come around. Second challenge is a religious group whose world view is different and no matter our personal thoughts, they have a right to that belief. How hard that has been shown to be in the real world of today, also. Greatest complication: Working for the MAN, who does NOT give you the needed information on what to do or how to. That boss who accepts the best result, but still chastises you for your lack of his vision in what had to be done. Never is anything more real world than that.No matter the above, the action is continual and the drama thoroughly realistic. The deed is done the best as may be and the greater good is achieved. So, the servant may suffer his better's wrath, yet his spirit needs stay unbowed. To the eternal hero of mankind, Dray Prescott! Hai, Jikai!! Read this for man's eternal spirit. Thanks, Harry!Third novel, Scorpion Invasion Scorpio Invasion [Dray Prescot #40].This truly is an outstanding sword swinging master swordsman story. Yet, he regrets having to kill, even a diff, who after all is a human. Not altogether easy to take toward the end for younger readers as they are overtones of 'holocaust' type repression, suppression and usurpation of the human (and diff) spirit. Still, the story exemplifies the best of why the individual must stand forthrightly and fight the above. A true Hai Jikai! . Thanks, Harry!The below is taken from the efforts of one of the most staunch fans of Kregen. It serves as one of the best attempts at defining why to read an adventure series.Kregen/Prescot EssayWhen famed editor Don Wollheim launched his science fiction publishing venture DAW Books in 1972, he wanted to include a Burroughs/Norman-style interplanetary adventure series in his lineup. Wollheim turned to English author Ken Bulmer, one member of his stable of writers from Ace Books, to undertake the assignment. Bulmer declared this type of series was something he had wanted to do for a long time, and virtually leaped at the opportunity to do so. Thus, in December of 1972, "Transit to Scorpio" was published under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers. This first adventure of Dray Prescot was the beginning of a series that would eventually reach 37 (38 if one counts a short-story in an anthology) volumes under the DAW Books imprint, finally drawing to a close in April of 1988.Wollheim repeatedly expressed that the saga of Dray Prescot was his all-time favorite science fiction series, but lowered sales, Wollheim's failing health, and a move away from series books at DAW, led to the cancellation of the series after volume # 37.But the Dray Prescot Saga was far from over, as Ken Bulmer had developed quite a following in Germany with these books. The publishing house Heyne Bucher asked him to continue the series, with Ken's English translated into German. Obliging in an enthusiastic manner, Ken extended the saga to 52 books with # 53 a fragment, for Ken was struck down while writing it. Unless you could read German this seemed the end of the road for English-speaking Prescot fans. But thanks to the Internet this story is still ongoing Just as Bulmer's Kregen was inspired by Burroughs' Barsoom, so too are Prescot's fans. Much of the core support for Ken and his Dray Prescot series is derived from ERB fandom and the Internet. One such fan, Mike Sutton, has even undertaken the task of providing English versions of the post # 37 Prescot adventures, through his Internet publishing site, Savanti Press.The popularity of the series was such, that a role playing game based on Prescot's Kregen, was released in 1988, "Beneath Two Suns" from Mayfair Games. It will hopefully serve as a predecessor for Mike Sutton's own "Scorpion Crown." Time will tell. It was my pleasure to conduct an interview with Mike of which I have included excerpts here. Much of it revolves around conversations between Mike, Ken, and Elsie Wollheim. Unlike Barsoom and Gor, slavery is frowned upon by Prescot on Kregen. This is simply a reflection of Ken's views and gets translated into Dray wanting to eradicate that evil institution from the face of Kregen. And women play important roles in the saga. No shrinking violets here, waiting to be saved or ravished. Ken's daughters played a huge part in the shaping of several of the female roles within the series. Likewise Ken kept most of the sex in the books implied, while he concentrated on the adventuring aspects of the stories. After all, Prescot does come from a relatively conservative era, sexually (the turn of the 19th century) and this is reflected in his character. When asked how Ken and Heyne Bucher struck there deal, he replied that while seated at a cafe in Brighton, his German agent dragged over a representative from the German publisher and a deal was arrived at in 5 minutes! The only conditions were that the stories feature Prescot and not a close comrade or family member, and each book must end in a cliffhanger. It's what the German readers wanted.And so the Scorpio saga been reborn for a new generation of readers, a generation that may be ignorant of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the authors he inspired. So here is an introduction, or reintroduction to the civilized yet barbaric world that orbits the binary star Antares in the constellation Scorpio. We will also see what the future holds for both Dray Prescot and Ken Bulmer.Dray Prescot, as fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs may or may not know, is an Earthman transported to the planet Kregen. Kenneth Bulmer created this world in the constellation of the Scorpion and how prophetic it is, that just such a creature kills Prescot's father in late eighteenth century England and a giant (phantom)? cousin greets him upon his advent to Kregen. Even more important is the image of the scorpion utilized by the Savanti to effect Prescot's transit to their wondrous planet and also used by the Star Lords (Everoinye) to further their mysterious plans for the myriad races and lands of Kregen. They are one of three (known) cosmic forces that contend for mastery over the planet, pitting hemisphere against hemisphere and species against species. In addition to the Everoinye there are the Curshin and Others. Plus there are the Savanti of Aphrasoe who add to the mix.In the sixties and seventies there were several other interplanetary adventure series. All good in my opinion, but none to rival the adventures of Prescot. Among them: Dannus of Reglathium by Mike Sirota, the Llarn duology by Gardner Fox, The Warlord of Ghandor by Dell Dowdell, Jandar of Callisto by Lin Carter, and the Gorean Cycle by John Norman, which gave Kregen a run for the money, in terms of longevity. But it is without a doubt, that the Dray Prescot Saga was inspired by the adventures of John Carter, the lone Virginian on Barsoom. In fact, the two swordsmen may have even met, on Earth. Both series start up with the protagonist fleeing certain death from savage adversaries and both gazing to the heavens in desperation at their respective future homes: Kregen and Barsoom. Prescot and Carter soon meet the loves of their lives and both Delia and Deja Thoris are princess'of the most powerful nations of their planets. At the end of the first book, both heroes are thrown back to Earth and despair of returning to their newfound homelands and women. From here though, Ken develops the saga with much more in depth characters, detailed geography, long-playing plot threads, and no let down in the quality of the books though the quantity dwarfs Barsoom (52 to 11.)A brief overview of the saga must begin with Prescot's advent on Kregen and his journey down the River Alph to Aphrasoe on the Island of Ba Domek. For it was through the super science and mechanization's of these remnants of the once superior race of Kregen, that Dray is transited to Antares. He is being groomed to be a Savapim, to serve and carry out the desires and programs of the Savanti. Just what the goals of this super-race entail, is just part of the continually evolving plot devices utilized by Ken. However, it appears the Star Lords dangle the proverbial apple of Eden in front of Prescot and he bites. He and Delia are banished from paradise and Prescot strives for years to find his way back and ultimately does. Therein hangs a tale ...The series are divided into cycles of 3 to 6 book, dealing mainly, but not wholly with a specific theme or plot. In the first or Delian Cycle, Prescot spends most of his time trying to get back to Delia and acquiring titles and power along the way. It is his initiation into the chilvaric order of the Krozairs which affects him most profoundly and the third cycle is named after that renowned order. In the second or Havilfar Cycle, Dray strives to learn the secrets of that continents voller or flier production. This is necessary to sustain the power of Vallia, Drays adopted homeland, for an expansionist Empire of Hamal threatens all he holds dear. After regaining his honor and status in the Krozair Cycle, Prescot explores his own nation-empire of Vallia. During the intrigues that ensue, the Empire falls into smoldering ruins and various factions vie for control and power over the shattered remnants. But Dray has begun the long process of reunification. This continues throughout the next several cycles and there are family problems which plague Prescot as much as trying to save his hemisphere of Paz. For it is threatened by fish and snake-headed humanoids from the mysterious and unexplored hemisphere of Schan, on the far side of Kregen. Dray is a pawn in this struggle, which culminates in the Lohvian Cycle.There are further adventures in the subcontinent of Balintol and Schan itself. It is evident that Ken could have written a hundred books concerning Kregen and still not filled in all the holes or explored all its avenues. Sadly, Ken was struck down while writing the 53rd Dray Prescot book and it remains unfinished. Who knows where the further adventures would have taken Prescot? What wondrous facets of that planet and the forces contending for ascendency could have been explored? These are questions that may never be answered, but we do have 52 books of the Dray Prescot Saga to read and reread, to discover and explore, to escape to in our minds and hearts, and ultimately to love. I believe that if one reads the saga for the first time, they too will be captivated and lost forever, under the mingled rays of the suns of Antares!Stephen James Servello (Seg)editor of "APOSTLE OF LETTERS - A Critical Evaluation of the Life and Works of Lin Carter" [[...]]

I have been a fan of this series for at long time. I was very excited to find out the series didn't end with book 37 as I had thought it did for many years. This omnibus continues on after what was book 37 and contains the next three books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read the rest of the omnibus books available to complete the series.

Great adventure series. Get them all, but start at the beginning.

DAW Books published 36 Dray Prescot titles between Dec. '72 and Dec. '85 until the 37th appeared almost two and a half years later (Apr. '88). If you think 36 published books in 13 years is an achievement, prolific author Kenneth Bulmer also wrote 60 other books in that same 156 month time frame. From 1991-1997 he wrote 15 additional new Prescot novels for a German publisher bringing the number of books in the series to 52; a 53rd underway when Bulmer passed at 84.Those last 15 volumes have never been available in English in any paper format until now. Eight of the 15 could be had on everything from floppy disks in the early 90s to the ebooks of today. Finally six of them (#38 to #43) are available in two paperback omnibus volumes: THE LOHVIAN CYCLE, parts one and two. The only criticism I can think of is THE LOHVIAN CYCLE part one is a reboot of the Kregen/Antares/Scorpio series, not a continuation of the final DAW volume #37 Warlord of Antares. That being said, there are lots of other, earlier gaps evident in the saga due to the device of missing tape recordings in the life story of Dray Prescot. Bulmer delivered a wonderful Burroughs Martian-style interplanetary romance series to Donald Wollheim's DAW line, writing approximately three slender Prescot paperbacks a year, all of them crammed with action, flora and fauna.When Wollheim became so ill his daughter had to oversee DAW's publishing, she cancelled Bulmer's contract in 1988---along with John Norman's. E.C. Tubbs's longtime Dumarest series got the chop a few years earlier. Another good ol' boy from Ace like Bulmer, Tubbs published the first eight Dumarest novels as Ace Doubles before also moving over to DAW, who published 23 more of them. Dumarest and Prescot were pet projects of Wollheim's, supposedly their advances were never earned back in sales. Readers however have a nice sci-fi legacy from Bulmer and Tubbs in the form of two series so lengthy they perforce become comparable to episodic TV when it's good. The interlaced long-running story arcs of both series are infrastructures of preposterously colorful fictional locales, wicked cults of doom, an obligatory abundance of desirable underclothed females and fun baddies who recur time and again. Interstellar space traveler Earl Dumarest is as tough as Mike Hammer and only wants to find his way back to Earth.Earth is, ironically, the last place Dray Prescot wants to be. For purposes never explained in 52 books the agency of the Star Lords, those omnipotent unseen inhuman deities who communicate with humans via talking eagles and hissing chairs, among other things, teleport Dray Prescot to Kregen 400 light years from earth. Once there, the poor guy gets involved in hundreds of sword fights.Bulmer was an inspired master of making up names: names for people, for weapons, alien races, animals, dinosaurs, religions, organizations, moons, stars, suns, cities, countries, continents, naval and aerial vessels. He made up some great expressions too and had a fully realized vision of the multi-layered world he'd invented. I daresay he created over a thousand names and sayings throughout the series, the latter Prescot books take on a language all their own and they're damned near incomprehensible if you don't know the nomenclature.Bravo, Bladud Books for publishing THE LOHVIAN CYCLE (as well as other of Bulmer's tales of Kregen). In the next year or two hopefully the remaining nine German editions will be available in English in genuine book form.