This new edition proclaims the novel is
"interplanetary adventure in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs and
Leigh Brackett," which does a much better job of giving the story’s
flavour, as opposed to the original Zebra Press tagline "in the tradition
of Tolkien and Lovecraft!" Cole mentions in his introduction that he had
yet to read Brackett (or Howard, Vance, or Lieber) when he originally penned
the book.
This is a science-fantasy novel, one
obviously informed by the "New Wave" of 60s and 70s SF, but also
deeply rooted in the classic adventure and pulp planetary-romance genres. In
the introduction, Cole talks of his inspiration by Tolkien, Burroughs, Frank
Herbert and Dennis Wheatley. Dream Lords: Rebellion can best be
described as "Dune as written by Edgar Rice Burroughs," though
the idealism of Tolkien and occultism of Wheatley are also on display, making Dream
Lords feel oddly prescient of Star Wars, which hit the big screen two years
later.
In Dream Lords: Rebellion, we follow
Galad Sarian in first person narration. He is the son and heir of a Dream Lord,
one of a triumvirate who rule the Nine Worlds with their vast mental powers
from their imperial seat on the planet Zurjah. Galad begins the story rather
pampered and naïve, yet restive of the path planned out for him. An encounter
with the mysterious and mistrusted figure of Chalremor reveals to Galad both a
terrible plot against--and a sinister truth of--the Dream Lords’ rule. The
insights focus on the barbaric planet of Ur, and they soon plunge Galad’s life
into chaos.
Galad is a very likeable hero. Though he
does fall into the genre cliché of being a wayward, angst-ridden, and naïve
youth, who is yet also a master combatant, lover, and wielder of great mental
power, he works for me: he is not overdone. His character, innate goodness, and
drive easily carry the reader along. Here we have no morally grey mercenary nor
brooding malcontent: Galad is a good man who wants to do the right thing, a
proper pulp adventure hero. I was happy to root for him.
The world of the Dream Lords is a
far future one, where technology appears as magic, and force of will can
control planets (lending a hint of Philip K. Dick’s typical malleable reality,
or even a hint of Hodgson’s House on the Borderland’s weird visions).
Yet, though loosely science fictional, the setting tantalises us by hinting at
a deep mysterious history. The fight scenes are largely hand to hand, and the
story maintains a fantasy feel, putting it in the company of series such as
Moorcock’s The History of the Runestaff, and making it appealing to fans
of S&S.
Despite originally being written in the
1970s, the story feels fresh, helped by its diverse inspirations, and moves at
a good pace. One may glimpse its 1970s origins in its largely actionless single
female character, or the faint whiff of "evil effeminacy" (borrowed,
no doubt, from Dune’s Harkonnens) but still, the modern reader can enjoy
this book without caveat, a credit to the then young Cole. Really, the only
true criticism is a few typos.
This book should appeal to any fan of science fiction, fantasy and/ or adventure. I am pleased that Pulp Hero Press has brought Cole’s story to a new generation of readers. I look forward to reading the next two volumes when they are released; in the meantime, any Cole fan can also enjoy his recent Nick Nightmare books and Elak of Atlantis pastiches, also published by Pulp Hero Press, as well as discover his many other novels and short stories scattered throughout publishers and magazines.
About the Reviewer: Hailing from the UK, George Jacobs is a railway industry worker by day and short story writer by night. He lives with his wife and pets, is a fan of all things adventurous and spooky, and enjoys spending his time in nature. His fiction can be found at: https://georgejacobsauthor.wordpress.com/