The Starfollowers of Coramonde Brian Daley 9780997104004 Books
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Gil MacDonald, soldier and exile in an alternate reality, must find Yardiff Bey, master wizard and archvillain. Bey has abducted Gil's friend and threatens to destroy this world of mystery and magic that the American has made his home. Coramonde's Prince Springbuck sends him south to the accursed lands of Shardishku-Salama, where Yardiff Bey waits to capture and torture him. Springbuck sets out with his army to save Gil from an enemy that cannot be slain. Above all hangs Trailingsword -- the comet that appears only when the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
The Starfollowers of Coramonde Brian Daley 9780997104004 Books
One of the time-honored genres of science fiction and fantasy literature involves men from Earth who suddenly find themselves on other worlds, whether through super-science, magic, or mysticism, rather than visiting as, say, a “normal” space traveler. The most famous early example would be Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars” series, but among others are Lin Carter’s “Green Star” books and Andre Norton’s “Witch World” series. In the modern age, the popularity of games such as Dungeons and Dragons in the late 70s and 80s helped revive the genre, with books such as Norton’s “Quag Keep,” Joel Rosenberg’s “Guardians of the Flame” series (especially book 1), and Brian Daley’s “Coramonde” books.“Starfollowers of Coramonde” is the second of two books, sequel to “Doomfarers of Coramonde,” which introduces us to Gil McDonald, an American soldier fighting in Vietnam. One moment, McDonald and his armored personnel carrier crew are fighting an enemy ambush, and the next they’re in combat with a dragon. (Spoiler: APCs beat dragons. Barely.) McDonald and his men learn they’ve been summoned by magic to Coramonde, a kingdom under grave threat from the evil wizard Yardiff Bey. McDonald chooses to remain behind in the world and helps to restore the rightful ruler, Prince Springbuck, to his throne, foiling Yardiff Bey’s plot. “Doomfarers” ends with Yardiff Bey escaping and taking with him as prisoner Dunstan the Berserker, Gil’s friend.
“Starfollowers” picks up soon thereafter, with Gil, Springbuck, and their friends and allies deciding to take the war to Yardiff Bey and his masters. McDonald and a small party head west to return a magic sword and an infant heir to the land of Vegana, currently under siege by the enemy, as well as to investigate what it is that Yardiff Bey seeks in a long-dead wizard’s writings. Meanwhile, Prince Springbuck forgoes responding to the attacks on his own land and instead leads an army to the lands of the enemy and the city of Shardisku-Salama, wherein reside Yardiff Bey’s masters.
And therein lies the problem with “Starfollowers of Coramonde.” After that set up, the book becomes one long pursuit and series of battles leading to a climactic confrontation in front of the city, itself. The large cast of new characters is thinly drawn, and it is assumed that the reader has all the background information he needs on existing characters from reading the first book. Thus there is little to capture one’s interest and give one a reason to care if one is reading “Starfollowers” first. Without the ground laid in “Doomfarers,” this becomes a rather standard fantasy quest.
But it is well done and enjoyable nonetheless. Mr. Daley showed promise as a writer, even with the occasional tendency toward a Gygaxian abuse of the thesaurus, and it’s a shame he died relatively early in his career. His setting in Coramonde is interesting, and I would like to have seen it developed further. And, similar to other books of that time, I have to wonder if this was the author’s home D&D setting. If so, I would have enjoyed playing there.
I read the book in Kindle format and was disappointed in the quality of the file. There are simply too many typos that could have been fixed with decent proofreading. Not enough to spoil the book or make it impossible to read, but enough to be an annoyance. The publisher should issued a copy-edited revision.
On a scale of one to five, I give “Starfollowers of Coramonde” a straight three: enjoyable, but best read if one reads “Doomfarers” first. However, I recommend just that: buy both, and sit back for a good late-summer’s read.
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Tags : The Starfollowers of Coramonde [Brian Daley] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Gil MacDonald, soldier and exile in an alternate reality, must find Yardiff Bey, master wizard and archvillain. Bey has abducted Gil's friend and threatens to destroy this world of mystery and magic that the American has made his home. Coramonde's Prince Springbuck sends him south to the accursed lands of Shardishku-Salama,Brian Daley,The Starfollowers of Coramonde,Lucia St. Clair Robson,0997104007,FICTION Science Fiction General,FictionFantasy - Epic,FICTION Fantasy Epic
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The Starfollowers of Coramonde Brian Daley 9780997104004 Books Reviews
I read this when it first came out. It stills holds open with all these years. But since it was written for teens, some of the characters are kind of thin.
As I said about Doomfarers, this one is really a great read. It wouldn't make much sense without Doomfarers, but it develops the world nicely and provides a really good sense of completion. THe great characters from Doomfarers continue Gil MacDonald recovers his sanity eventually, Springbuck grows up, and Yardiff Bey gets run through, but only after making a good play for the brass ring. And the supporting cast--van Duyn, the de Courtenays, Angorman, Reacher and Katya, etc. And the pace keeps up, never letting things slide.
Unlike the standard fantasy cliche nowdays, the Coramonde series has but two lean and mean books, not a trilogy or the multi-volume bloat that has become all too common these days. I'd love to have seen more in the world of course but not at the expense of quality. Alas they don't write 'em much like this anymore.
I read The Starfollowers of Coramonde when it first came out, along with its prequel, The Doomfarers of Coramonde, and I loved the story. It was then, and remains, a sidewise take on heroic fantasy, with the heroes not perfect (Prince Starbuck can't see well until he gets glasses) and villains very villainous.
Daley's untimely death put an end to his burgeoning writing career, and I am very glad to see some of his best work being released.
This is good stuff.
This, the sequel to the superior "Doomfarers of Coramonde" explains the aftermath of Prince Springbuck and Coramonde's war against his nemesis, Yardiff Bey Archmage and manipulator of kingdoms and other worldly dimensions.
As a young man, I thrilled to these novels and the worlds they illustrated for my "Theater of the Mind" in the late 70's and early '80s. In the days before MMORPG and the Internet, Science Fiction channel and Hollywood's demand for the stories only then found in comics and fantasy novels, Brian Daley's mastery of the creation of political/social worlds is truly ahead of its time. Thirty years before the monster HBO hit "Game of Thrones", Starfollowers shows the aftermath of a kingdom won, the changing dynamics of allies and friends and the need for Honor to be served when an enemy, vanquished but not destroyed, comes back with a vengeance.
Written long before Saddam Hussain was vanquished in Desert Storm but not destroyed in the 10 years prior to 2003's Iraq War, which was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States, "The Starfollowers of Coramonde" is well executed and remarkably prescient (as science fiction often is) regarding the consequences of leaving a crusade under-won.
This is a review of the paperback version being provided, not the Brian Daily book itself. I had read both of Brian Daily's books back in the mists of time and still had my original paperback copy of the Doomfarers of Coramonde from 1977. I wanted to add the second book for nostalgia's sake, especially when I found Daily had died.
I thought I was purchasing an original paperback version of the book, but what I received is some kind of knock-off copy. The original paperback book has been scanned and then reproduced, not as typeset text, but as an image exactly the size of the original paperback, printed in the center of a much larger page. This leaves large (like 2") borders around the text. Photo-copy a paperback page at original size onto an 8x10 sheet of paper, and you'll have a good approximation of what's provided.
Look for the original book, Daily deserves it.
Wasn't worth the shipping charge to return or I would have.
One of the time-honored genres of science fiction and fantasy literature involves men from Earth who suddenly find themselves on other worlds, whether through super-science, magic, or mysticism, rather than visiting as, say, a “normal” space traveler. The most famous early example would be Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars” series, but among others are Lin Carter’s “Green Star” books and Andre Norton’s “Witch World” series. In the modern age, the popularity of games such as Dungeons and Dragons in the late 70s and 80s helped revive the genre, with books such as Norton’s “Quag Keep,” Joel Rosenberg’s “Guardians of the Flame” series (especially book 1), and Brian Daley’s “Coramonde” books.
“Starfollowers of Coramonde” is the second of two books, sequel to “Doomfarers of Coramonde,” which introduces us to Gil McDonald, an American soldier fighting in Vietnam. One moment, McDonald and his armored personnel carrier crew are fighting an enemy ambush, and the next they’re in combat with a dragon. (Spoiler APCs beat dragons. Barely.) McDonald and his men learn they’ve been summoned by magic to Coramonde, a kingdom under grave threat from the evil wizard Yardiff Bey. McDonald chooses to remain behind in the world and helps to restore the rightful ruler, Prince Springbuck, to his throne, foiling Yardiff Bey’s plot. “Doomfarers” ends with Yardiff Bey escaping and taking with him as prisoner Dunstan the Berserker, Gil’s friend.
“Starfollowers” picks up soon thereafter, with Gil, Springbuck, and their friends and allies deciding to take the war to Yardiff Bey and his masters. McDonald and a small party head west to return a magic sword and an infant heir to the land of Vegana, currently under siege by the enemy, as well as to investigate what it is that Yardiff Bey seeks in a long-dead wizard’s writings. Meanwhile, Prince Springbuck forgoes responding to the attacks on his own land and instead leads an army to the lands of the enemy and the city of Shardisku-Salama, wherein reside Yardiff Bey’s masters.
And therein lies the problem with “Starfollowers of Coramonde.” After that set up, the book becomes one long pursuit and series of battles leading to a climactic confrontation in front of the city, itself. The large cast of new characters is thinly drawn, and it is assumed that the reader has all the background information he needs on existing characters from reading the first book. Thus there is little to capture one’s interest and give one a reason to care if one is reading “Starfollowers” first. Without the ground laid in “Doomfarers,” this becomes a rather standard fantasy quest.
But it is well done and enjoyable nonetheless. Mr. Daley showed promise as a writer, even with the occasional tendency toward a Gygaxian abuse of the thesaurus, and it’s a shame he died relatively early in his career. His setting in Coramonde is interesting, and I would like to have seen it developed further. And, similar to other books of that time, I have to wonder if this was the author’s home D&D setting. If so, I would have enjoyed playing there.
I read the book in format and was disappointed in the quality of the file. There are simply too many typos that could have been fixed with decent proofreading. Not enough to spoil the book or make it impossible to read, but enough to be an annoyance. The publisher should issued a copy-edited revision.
On a scale of one to five, I give “Starfollowers of Coramonde” a straight three enjoyable, but best read if one reads “Doomfarers” first. However, I recommend just that buy both, and sit back for a good late-summer’s read.
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