From the beginning this brisk adventure hooked me and kept me hooked, as the main character Stark barrels through all who would block his quest to save the life of the man who had saved his own humanity. The alienness of the world of Skaith and its inhabitants is a palpable bed in which the plot's action swiftly flows. There are no false notes in Brackett's prose, and the dominance of action does not crowd out the carefully placed details that give the narrative its richness. Thence the cultures convey verisimilitude and the characters retain a sense of individuality (the latter seeming to be particularly difficult for many in this genre). On a perhaps less important, though personally valued, detail, Brackett is one of those writers with the knack for making up fantasy names that feel right, thus adding to rather than distracting from the narrative. Further setting it apart from many works in the genre, there is a subtext (the theme of the nature of humanity) that adds a depth of interest, without grating or coming across as special pleading.

Those of us whose introduction to the world of pulp fantasy/sci-fi came even after its silver age, and is therefore spotty at best, owe an ongoing debt of gratitude to Erik Mona for his salvage and rescue operation. He has recovered gems of the past I otherwise would have likely never enjoyed, and Brackett shines among them.

This is an excellent story in the classic mould: hero in search of childhood mentor journeys through hostile environs to rescue him, changing the very course of the world through which he travels almost as happenstance. The setting is vivid, the treachery makes you clench your fists, and you really, really want the hero to win through. Read it and find out if he does!

The Dark Mark cometh.

As part of a most excellent Brackett 'Space Opera Noir from the master' ebook bundle, from Baen.

The title refers to the color of the sun of the planet Skaith, where this series is based.

Stark ventures there looking for an old friend and mentor, someone who was pivotal in his survival and upbringing.

Then it gets stranger. Skaith is a backwater, and speakof the Dark Man and other such Robert E. Howard appellations - that is what a prophesy suggests Stark might be - a pivotal figure in the planet's conflict.

Once he arrives, he could be in a Burroughs or Howard story, Witchfire story, backstabbing madwomen, tough guy enemies - ok, apart from the telepathic hounds, perhaps.

Certainly monster fighting and sword swinging to be done, however.

Not a brilliant book by any stretch, as you would probably guess, but it is very compelling, as he who was N'Chaka the wild man, the Wolfshead (has anyone been called by the titles of two Howard stories in one book before?), searches for his friend among many deadly enemies on a planet full of people disinclined to believe in the existence of the outsided Galactic Union.

I don't think anyone who likes the whole family of space hero/planetary romance supermen type of story will regret reading these books for a second, as Brackett certainly has more talent than most of the writers of the same.

As Sinharat has so far been my favourite of the Planet Stories book published so far I was looking forward to the return of Eric John Stark.
Stark cuts a swath across the planet Skaith as he searches for his foster father.
Brackett's setting shines in every page of the novel. The age of the planet, its fatalistic peoples, grim theocracies and the old weak sun bearing down at the planet. It's a striking setting and I look forward to seeing more of Skaith in the later novels.
The novel has some dissapointments but nothing too big. The secret of the Lord Protectors is a little dissapointing and the resolution at the end does feel rather rushed.
Nonetheless a promising start to a series.