Lost Dorsai

In short, the novella Lost Dorsai was gripping and believable, but the short story Warrior was too vengeful and the plot was too hard to swallow. Lost Dorsai and Warrior were the first two for me, but apparently Dickson wrote several of these Childe Cycle stories. The absence of fantasy and magic reminds me of SciFi I read, and liked, in the 60s. Warrior is dated 1965, while Lost Dorsai is dated 1980. But unlike, say, the grunts of Starship Troopers, the Dorsai are military savants who are too superior to be seriously challenged by their opponents. Dickson writes them into situations where they are overwhelmingly opposed, but they are still somehow in control. But even though they are very close to being comic book superheroes, in Lost Dorsai they have a certain dignity and restraint that makes it all sort of work. In Warrior, I couldn't sympathize with the "mission."

Like "The Spirit of Dorsai" before, this volume fills in some elements of the overall Cycle and gives us some insight into some of the smaller details, but if you skip it you really won't be missing out on too much when you consider the overall picture. Basically this is two stories, one fairly long and the other fairly short. The first one "Lost Dorsai" is actually quite good, showing the flipside of the Dorsai philosophy, about a warrior who refuses to fight, but Dickson makes the interesting argument that being a Dorsai isn't a switch you can flip on and off and sometimes having to fight doesn't mean you need to use weapons. It's one of the best written portions of the series and even if it has little bearing on the rest of the books, the book is worth the read just for that story. Also, the tale finally delves into the relationship between the famous Graeme twins, Ian and Kensie. In other reviews I've pointed out that Dickson almost milks the brother Ian to death, showing us how he suffered in the wake of his brother's death, without really showing us what he was like while Kensie was still alive. Finally we get a story that not only has both of them alive but working together and while they are still kept at arm's length to some extent, it's a better look than we've had before and more than welcome. I doubt they'll be anymore Ian/Kensie stories but this one was just about what I was looking for. The other story in the book "Warrior" mostly showcases Ian (again, before his brother died, so while he's gloomy, he's not the epitome of death he would become later) going about his duty and dispensing some justice. It's good insight into the way his mind works, although it relies too heavily on a lot of weird things happening and Ian going, "Well I planned for all of that to happen" which is a rather annoying Dorsai trait. I do have to admit his plan is clever and shows some good insight into human psychology. So while it's not essential at all, it's an entertaining way to spend a half hour or so (that's all it took me to read that story). The illustrations that accompany the first story are also interesting, and help set the mood without literally depicting what's going on on the page. My version also has a medium size essay by a SF critic that is mostly gushing praise (some of it deserved, though at points it gets a little much) but also makes an attempt to bring up themes and such in the Cycle that even Dickson might not have originally envisioned. Oh, it also has an excerpt of "The Final Encyclopedia" but I'd rather just read the book itself. So overall, like I said, it colors in some of the lines of the series and showcases those always entertaining Graeme twins, but as far as the main thrust of the book is concerned, it's not exactly essential. That doesn't mean it isn't good (it is) but don't expect any major revelations or twists. That's all.

....crowned by "Lost Dorsai," the story of a warrior who will not fight--and yet triumphs.

The series is extremely well written, as well as the book. Much better off reading the whole series first.