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A review by dark_reader
In the Moons of Borea by Brian Lumley
3.0
This is a direct sequel to 1978's Spawn of the Winds that loops the story back into the increasingly ill-named 'Titus Crow' series, in which Titus Crow has not appeared in either of these two books, nor did he appear to be the actual main character in the ones before.
In any case, Henri-Laurent de Marigny, in his cross-spacetime quest to join his friend in the distant realm of Elysia, finds himself stuck in Borea's space, that world normally accessible only by Cthulhu's pal Ithaqua, the Wind-Walker. Since the prior book, in which Texan strongman telepath Hank Silberhutte found himself and friends stranded on Borea, ingratiated themselves then took over leadership of the good-sided plateau people, hooked up with Ithaqua's sultry daughter Armandra, and sent the Old One himself reeling, a few years have passed, and Hank and Armandra have a boy child, not that we ever see this child nor does Hank seem to spare a thought for him. I guess being the strongest guy around, able to kill lesser men with a single unarmed blow, beloved hero of all, and a telepath to boot, doesn't leave room for attentive fatherhood.
Henri's time-space clock is stolen by Ithaqua and hidden away on one of Borea's moons, leaving Henri with only his flying cloak to perform his own heroic feats. Henri and Hank travel to these moons via a super-tornado generated by Armandra, encounter new foes and allies and counter more of Ithaqua's long-standing machinations.
I've got two editions of this book in my Lumley collection. This one, the Paul Ganley hardback, has cover art that always make me think it's an owl, until I focus and see it's the coffin-shaped spacetime clock vehicle hovering in front of Ithaqua's enormous face. (Desktop site required to see the images in this review, btw).
Each book so far in this edition of the series has featured different artists, for cover and interior plates, with mixed appeal. As for this book's illustrator, Jim Pianfetti, I don't think his style is particularly well-suited to the material. For comparison, here are some visualizations of Ithaqua NOT from this book:
Pretty rad, right? Here is Ithaqua in this book:
'Adventure Time' would not premier for another 23 years after this book's publication.
Of course, no pulp adventure serial in the style of A Princess of Mars or Outlaw of Gor would be complete without a nubile maiden for the hero to hook up with. Hank already acquired Armandra in the previous booking, but Henri needs his own love interest to be complete, so this book provides Moreen, ready to be rescued by a real man on the moon of Numinos. No, I don't know what became of his love interest from the prior book, dark eyed Litha, daughter of the Underbys in Dreamland, for whom Henri planned to return and build a chalet at that book once he finally located the mythic Elysia, but let's not worry about her, because here's Moreen!
Moreen, a nineteen-year old lithe maiden, the product of generations of breeding the most beautiful human specimens Ithaqua could capture, lives alone (aside from her giant bat guardians) at the highest peak on the Isle of Mountains, thought safe from Ithaqua's Viking hordes, enjoying her solitary existence and rejecting the advances of the occasional disgusting, hunched, cave-dwelling young men who seek to woo her. She's saving herself for the real man that her witch-wife sister told her would come one day. She wore little but a sachet of powder around her neck, containing the special powder that she would consume minutely on occasion to stay warm so who needs clothing?
Alerted by her bat companions that something was coming, she hurriedly bathed,
In any case, Henri-Laurent de Marigny, in his cross-spacetime quest to join his friend in the distant realm of Elysia, finds himself stuck in Borea's space, that world normally accessible only by Cthulhu's pal Ithaqua, the Wind-Walker. Since the prior book, in which Texan strongman telepath Hank Silberhutte found himself and friends stranded on Borea, ingratiated themselves then took over leadership of the good-sided plateau people, hooked up with Ithaqua's sultry daughter Armandra, and sent the Old One himself reeling, a few years have passed, and Hank and Armandra have a boy child, not that we ever see this child nor does Hank seem to spare a thought for him. I guess being the strongest guy around, able to kill lesser men with a single unarmed blow, beloved hero of all, and a telepath to boot, doesn't leave room for attentive fatherhood.
Henri's time-space clock is stolen by Ithaqua and hidden away on one of Borea's moons, leaving Henri with only his flying cloak to perform his own heroic feats. Henri and Hank travel to these moons via a super-tornado generated by Armandra, encounter new foes and allies and counter more of Ithaqua's long-standing machinations.
I've got two editions of this book in my Lumley collection. This one, the Paul Ganley hardback, has cover art that always make me think it's an owl, until I focus and see it's the coffin-shaped spacetime clock vehicle hovering in front of Ithaqua's enormous face. (Desktop site required to see the images in this review, btw).
Each book so far in this edition of the series has featured different artists, for cover and interior plates, with mixed appeal. As for this book's illustrator, Jim Pianfetti, I don't think his style is particularly well-suited to the material. For comparison, here are some visualizations of Ithaqua NOT from this book:
Pretty rad, right? Here is Ithaqua in this book:
'Adventure Time' would not premier for another 23 years after this book's publication.
Of course, no pulp adventure serial in the style of A Princess of Mars or Outlaw of Gor would be complete without a nubile maiden for the hero to hook up with. Hank already acquired Armandra in the previous booking, but Henri needs his own love interest to be complete, so this book provides Moreen, ready to be rescued by a real man on the moon of Numinos. No, I don't know what became of his love interest from the prior book, dark eyed Litha, daughter of the Underbys in Dreamland, for whom Henri planned to return and build a chalet at that book once he finally located the mythic Elysia, but let's not worry about her, because here's Moreen!
Moreen, a nineteen-year old lithe maiden, the product of generations of breeding the most beautiful human specimens Ithaqua could capture, lives alone (aside from her giant bat guardians) at the highest peak on the Isle of Mountains, thought safe from Ithaqua's Viking hordes, enjoying her solitary existence and rejecting the advances of the occasional disgusting, hunched, cave-dwelling young men who seek to woo her. She's saving herself for the real man that her witch-wife sister told her would come one day. She wore little but a sachet of powder around her neck, containing the special powder that she would consume minutely on occasion to stay warm so who needs clothing?
Alerted by her bat companions that something was coming, she hurriedly bathed,
being satisfied merely to splash her face and breasts with the chill waters of a streamlet cascading from on high.
Ladies, these are the usual quick-wash targets, right? Face and breasts?
In greater detail, the book describes her thusly:
In greater detail, the book describes her thusly:
Moreen . . . The "woman" Moreen, in actuality little more than a girl. Almost twenty years of age and all of them spent on Numinos, an alien moon in an alien universe.
Moreen of the golden hair, shoulder length and shining with its own lustrous light; Moreen of the wide blue eyes. Her natural, intrinsic warmth covered her like a blanket only ever torn aside by Ithaqua, black walker on the winds that blow forever between the worlds.
Tiny Moreen, at least by Numinosian standards. Sixty-four inches of unaffected grace, loveliness, youthful litheness, and not-quite innocence; for she has seen the Wind-Walker at his worst, and no one could remain wholly innocent after that.
Do you have a mental picture of this character, inspired by decades of Boris Vallejo art, Conan book covers, etc? This woman with whom Henri will fall instantly in love the moment he alights by her cave and she throws her nubile body into his arms?
This is the accompanying illustration:
(view spoiler)
. . .
Aaaaaand here's another illustration of her from later in the book. THE SAME CHARACTER, remember, from the same illustrator:
(view spoiler)
I appreciate the vivid blood splatter in this one, excellent inking.
Illustrations aside, this was a passable pulpy space fantasy Cthulhu-adjacent "adventure for men" type of story. It was rather tiresome at first, but it picked up in part II once the heroes arrived on the first moon in their journey. This is because we are presented with new material at that point: new peoples, new threats, new allies, and fast-paced plotting. Typically, there's no real sense of danger because there's never a moment of doubt that the heroes will fully triumph and beat back Ithaqua once more, but it's moderately entertaining as these things go, and Lumley's depictions of strange beings and monsters, ice caves, lava pits, hallucinatory hellscapes, etc, are as strong and juicy as ever.
Initially this was the final book in the "Titus Crow" series, with five novels published between 1974 and 1979, with short stories in which Titus Crow actually appears also trickling out from 1969-1983. But the true finale, which would incorporate additional Lumley novels yet to come, would have to wait until 1989's Elysia: The Coming of Cthulhu. I don't remember whether that book resolves the issue of de Marigny's abandoned Dreamlands girlfriend, but I shall discover this soon enough.
This is the accompanying illustration:
(view spoiler)
. . .
Aaaaaand here's another illustration of her from later in the book. THE SAME CHARACTER, remember, from the same illustrator:
(view spoiler)
I appreciate the vivid blood splatter in this one, excellent inking.
Illustrations aside, this was a passable pulpy space fantasy Cthulhu-adjacent "adventure for men" type of story. It was rather tiresome at first, but it picked up in part II once the heroes arrived on the first moon in their journey. This is because we are presented with new material at that point: new peoples, new threats, new allies, and fast-paced plotting. Typically, there's no real sense of danger because there's never a moment of doubt that the heroes will fully triumph and beat back Ithaqua once more, but it's moderately entertaining as these things go, and Lumley's depictions of strange beings and monsters, ice caves, lava pits, hallucinatory hellscapes, etc, are as strong and juicy as ever.
Initially this was the final book in the "Titus Crow" series, with five novels published between 1974 and 1979, with short stories in which Titus Crow actually appears also trickling out from 1969-1983. But the true finale, which would incorporate additional Lumley novels yet to come, would have to wait until 1989's Elysia: The Coming of Cthulhu. I don't remember whether that book resolves the issue of de Marigny's abandoned Dreamlands girlfriend, but I shall discover this soon enough.