Tag Archives: VintageSciFi

DORSAI! Group Read Part Four (The End)

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Caution! Spoilers ahead! We’re reading DORSAI! by Gordon R Dickson for #VintageSciFiMonth and in this post we’ll cover Protector III through Donal (the end of the book)


DORSAI! will always be a favorite book for me. Yet even with this third read through I still feel this book is hurried. I wish the author had taken more time exploring Donal’s new abilities, his brother’s actions, the surrounding cast, and respected the female characters more instead of just using them to show off some aspect of Donal. 


Questions for you: Did the ending events surprise you? Or were you expecting a planetary invasion after all the foreshadowing? Did you guess who Donal was kidnapping in Commander In Chief? What are your overall feelings on the book now that you’ve reached the end? Would you consider reading on in the series?


The next book in the series is Necromancer (formerly No Room For Man). It takes place long before DORSAI! and it sets the stage for the universe of The Childe Cycle. Soldier, Ask Not (one of my favorite titles ever) takes place parallel to DORSAI! and is quite intriguing. Tactic Of Mistakes is the fourth book and is a prequel to DORSAI! and follows Donal’s parents (I think). It is what I’m picking up to read next!


Thank you so much for joining in on this group read! I hope you enjoyed your meeting with Donal and are willing to give Gordon R Dickson a chance to win some space on your bookshelf!

DORSAI! Group Read Part Three

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Caution! Spoilers ahead! 
We’re reading DORSAI! by Gordon R Dickson for #VintageSciFiMonth and in this post we’ll cover Hero through Protector.


Our hero, Donal Graeme, has gone and made himself into a full fledged once in a lifetime hero! But what side effects will the constant Shifting in space have upon his body, mind, and soul? He obviously has something special within himself, a gift from his diverse genetics combined with the unknown affects of the Shifting. 


(Side question: What’s your favorite drink to enjoy while reading?)

Donal now faces the results of being a hero: greater responsibility. What seems confusing is why did he choose to work with such zealots? I think it is because he knew he could manipulate them. Are you surprised by they way he left the job? Did you expect him to take the mercenaries with him? 

Now to me the really interesting part of this section is his interaction with Sayona the Bond. You don’t have to tell me what it is, but do you have a personal philosophy? Do you think that we all do inside of ourselves? And what is this about Donal walking on air? 

One other question: Which of the characters that Donal has pulled into his orbit do you find most interesting?

This Saturday we will post the final Group Read Post for DORSAI! Can’t wait to hear your final thoughts on this book! 

DORSAI! Group Read Part Two

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Caution! Spoilers ahead! 

We’re reading DORSAI! by Gordon R Dickson for #VintageSciFiMonth and in this post we’ll cover Veteran through Sub-Patrol Chief II


Ok was anyone shocked at the revelation that Donal had Hugh executed? Seems a very Dorsai thing to do so it keeps with his character. I’m honestly not sure he truly realized all the benefits it gave to his side plans or not, but it really did benefit him! And now he has William as a true enemy… or William at least realizes Donal isn’t a common pawn!

As Empress8411 pointed out in our last discussion there is a lack of female representation in the series and it is a little frustrating. It would be so cool to see badass female Dorsai merecenaries fighting in this universe. Anea doesn’t progress much in this section. But at least she refuses to be Donal’s ego salve. I was excited to see a female first officer at first, but then war happened. 

Are you the sort of reader that focuses on the description of the spacecraft? Or are you (like me) the sort that just quickly reads over that part and pictures something straight out of Star Wars and moves on?

Do you feel that Lee’s character has shifted unexpectedly? Does this line up with what we already knew of him? 

Is the story compelling? Do you still feel like turning the pages? 🙂 

DORSAI! Group Read Part One

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For those participating in the #VintageSciFiMonth Group Read of DORSAI! by Gordon R Dickson I hope you’ve been enjoying it! Hopefully you’ve had a chance to start reading and are ready to discuss! 

Caution! Possible Spoilers!


This discussion covers Cadet through Force Leader II. I’m really interested in your thoughts! One question I have when reading a Vintage SciFi Book is do you see this as a possible future for humanity? In this case how homogenous do you think colonized planets would be? It seems in this future they are taking such different paths that they’ve started to evolve differently. 

In the case of Donal what are your first impressions? Do you think he is odd? Would we realize that if the author didn’t tell us he was? I think we would. His interactions and the way he carries himself set him apart. Do you think he should have given that contract to William or destroyed it?

Are you enjoying the pacing? To me it feels like quick glimpses and that keeps it moving fast. It seems to make it accessible for me. 

Any initial thoughts? How do you think this book will turn out? Observations? Looking forward to your input! 🙂

Vintage SciFi Month Giveaway!

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Announcing the first ever giveaway for Vintage SciFi Month! LittleRedReviewer and I are happy and honored to host Vintage SciFi Month which is now entering its sixth year! In honor of that we are holding a special giveaway this year! In order to fit with the theme of the month the prize will be:


The Book Of Frank Herbert! A collection of ten short stories by Frank Herbert that was published in 1973 


It is one of the yellow spine Daw books!


We are super excited that this book will soon be in the hands of a Vintage SciFi Fan!


How do you enter and win the giveaway? Very simple: Use the hashtag: #VintageSciFiMonth on any Tweet or Instagram post or (public) FaceBook post and you’ll have your name put into the drawing! With each unique post you use the hashtag we’ll put your name into the drawing again! So the more often you post/tweet about Vintage SciFi Month the more opportunities you have to win!

We are limiting the giveaway to North America at this time due to cost. Sorry international readers! 


We are so excited to be able to host this giveaway and this wonderful month of reading! Thank you all for joining in! Now let’s start reading, posting, and talking about all of those amazing Vintage SciFi Books! 🚀💫

The DORSAI! Group Reading Plans For Vintage SciFi Month

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Happy Vintage SciFi Month! The most wonderful reading time of the year! 😊😍📚🚀👏💫 

For those who want to join in on the Group Read of DORSAI! by Gordon R Dickson here is the handy reading schedule and planned discussion points! Please keep in mind that as GRD didn’t number his chapters and the various printings of the book make limiting it to page numbers difficult. Also feel free to read ahead! Or even more slowly! Read at your own pace. This is just a suggested guideline for the group so when we talk we know we aren’t spoiling anything. That said here we go:

Jan 1-4 Cadet through Force Leader II

Jan 5-7 Veteran through Sub-Patrol Cheif II

Jan 8-11 Hero through Protector

Jan 12-14 Protector II through Donal (end of the book)

On each Wednesday evening and Saturday Evening I’ll post a discussion post here on my website, link to it on both Twitter and Facebook, and I’ll post a reminder on Instagram. Feel free to join in on the discussion at any of these places that you like! This will be the central hub for everyone reading it, but I’ll gladly discuss it anywhere that works for you. 

DORSAI! Is an excellent entry point into the world of Vintage SciFi! It’s a military SciFi that’s written in an accessible fashion and also shows the fascination SciFi writers had with evolution and The New (or next) Man. While it adds in philosophy it also keeps the story moving along. This will be my third reading of it so I obviously think it’s a worthwhile read! You can purchase it for kindle HERE.


Welcome to #VintageSciFiMonth and welcome to #DORSAI! 

Vintage SciFi Month Reading Plans!

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If 2016 doesn’t kill me then I’m going to get to celebrate a new year an another #VintageSciFiMonth in January! I’m so excited. Vintage SciFi Month has become an important part of my reading schedule. What is it? Basically: In January we read SciFi or Fantasy books published prior to our birth year! Check out the founder LittleRedReviewer’s post on VintageSciFiMonth for more details! 

Now as to my reading plans for January:


DORSAI! By Gordon R Dickson is the first book of his incredible Childe Cycle and I’ve been working through this series each January! This will be a reread for me BECAUSE I’m reading it with some friends who are starting their own Vintage SciFi Month journeys! If you aren’t sure what to read for this month please consider reading this book with us!  You can purchase it here. If you want to see my review on DORSAI! you can find it here. I really enjoy this book which is why the next book on my list is….


Tactics Of Mistake also by GRD and also in the Childe Cycle! It is the fourth book in the series yet second chronologically. I’m excited to read this for the first time and discover more about this great universe. 


What would a Vintage SciFi Month be here at RedStarReviews if there wasn’t a little Frank Herbert? The Worlds Of Frank Herbert is a collection of his Short Stories that I’ve been slowly working on and will continue with during this month!


Michael Moorcock’s book The Silver Warriors is Fantasy, but Fantasy is totally ok by the rules of Vintage SciFi Month! I loved reading the Elric Saga and I can’t wait to see what this book has in store for me!


Titan by John Varley was published in 1979 which is AFTER my birth year but it’s ok some rules can be bent AND the founder of the Month oks and books 1979 and prior so if your birth year is making it tough to find a SciFi book that interests you then open it up to 1979 and before! This whole month is supposed to be fun so feel free to have some fun!


Speaking of fun: I’ll be announcing a little Vintage SciFi Month giveaway here on my site on New Year’s Day! Stay tuned for details! Hope y’all have some excellent books picked out for the sixth annual Vintage SciFi Month!