The Reavers of Skaith - Leigh Brackett

Novel

Number of words : 60000
Percent of complex words : 6.9
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 12.7


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 7.8
Flesch : 75.7
Flesch-Kincaid : 5.9



PEOPLE


Eric John Stark

N'Chaka, wild man of Mercury. The Dark Man of prophecy.

Simon Ashton

Stark's mentor and father figure. Reunited after finding him on Skaith, and now Stark's counsel.

Gelmar

Chief Wandsman of Skeg.

Baya

A Farer woman working for Gelmar. Hates Stark deeply.

Gerrith

Wise woman of Irnan, and prophet.

Yarrod

An Irnanese leader and martyr. Now a rallying cry for his people in battle.

Breca

Halk's shieldmate, slain in battle.

Halk

An apostate Wandsman, now with Yarrow, a warrior. Breca's shieldmate.

Mordach

Chief Wandsman of Irnan.

Kazimni

An Irnan military leader.

Hargoth

Priest-king of the Towers. The Corn King.

Kell a Marg

A leader of the Children of Skaith-Our-Mother. The Skaith-Daughter.

Gerd

The leader of the Northhounds with Stark.

Ferdias

One of the Lords Protector.

Klatlekt

Hairless, horny, four-armed and tentacled doorkeeper of the Fallarin.

Alderyk

King of the Fallarin.

Houndmaster

Keeper of the Northhounds at Yurunna.

Grith

One of Stark's Northhounds.

Tuchvar

From Tregad, an apprentice houndmaster.

Pedrallon

A red Wandsman Coordinator, disgraced for being pro-migration. In captivity and despair.

Sabak

Ildann's son.

Delvor

Warlord of Tregad.

Sanghalain

Ruler of Iubar, in the White South.

Morn

Comrade of Sanghalain, has the mind-touch.

Jal Bartha

A Wandsman.

Llandric

A Wandsman of Pedrallon's.

Penkawr-Che

A raider ship captain. An Antarean.

Gorrel

One of the Lords Protector. Dying.

Norverann

Priestess of the Nithi.

Cethlin

The Bridegroom.

Ceidrin

Cethlin's brother.

Ironmaster

Thyran warleader.

Vaybars

Fallarin friend of Alderyk.

Delbane

Oldest of the Kings of the White Islands.

Aud

Youngest of the Kings of the White Islands.

Wendor

An Irnan man.


PLACES

Pax

The chief habitable planet of Vega.

Skaith

A newly discovered world in the Orion Spur, with a dying sun.

Skeg

The spaceport on Skaith.

Fertile Belt

Most of the Skaith population live past here.

The Barrens

Area of Skaith interior.

Worldheart

Where lies the Citadel of the Lords Protector.

Irnan

A city-state of Skaith in the temperate zone.

Izvand

A city in the Barrens.

Bleak Mountains

A large range.

Witchfires

Mountain range near Thyra.

House of the Mother

Children of Skaith-Our-Mother dwelling.

The Citadel

Dwelling of the Lords Protector. Now a smoking ruin.

Yurunna

A strong city. Where the Yur are bred, and other mutations.

Ged Darod

City of the Wandsmen.

The Place of Winds

Where the Fallarin live.

Tregad

A city-state, east of Irnan and north of Ged Darod.

Iubar

A City-state.

Sol One

Mercury.

Andapell

Pedrallon's city.

Plain of Worldheart

Where Penkawr-Che held Stark captive.

Leaning Man

A rock formation.

Thermal Pits

Near the Witchfires.

House of Winter

Nithi ritual dwelling.

Thyra

Skaith city-state.

Cereleng

Chief seaport and capital of Andapell.

Hall of Joyful Rest

Inside the Children of Skaith's House.

Sea of Skorva

Where the Izvand live. Froze early.

Palace of the Twelve

Seat of authority in Ged Darod.

Shallafonh

City of the Ssussminh.

Holy Isle

Of the White Islanders, a giant iceberg.

Sun Temple

In Ged Darod.

Temple of the Dark Goddess

In Ged Darod.

Hercules Cluster

Site of a ship battle between the Union and Penkawr-Che's raiders.





CONCEPTS

Galactic Union

A democratic federation of star-worlds flung across half the Milky Way.

Three Ladies

A constellation viewed from Skaith.

Strayer

A god with a hammer.

Flying Dutchman

A mythical ghost ship.

Second Wandering

Current upheaval on Skaith.

The Trinity

My lady Cold and her lord Darkness, and their daughter Hunger.

Universal

Galactic common language.


ORGANISATIONS

Ministry of Planetary Affairs

Simon Ashton's employer on Pax.

Galactic Center

Based at Pax.

Lords Protector

Skaith Rulers. Heads of the Wandsmen.

Wild Bands

Groups of bandits.

Diviners

Children of Skaith-Our-Mother priests.

Lesser Hearths of the Seven Hearths of Kheb

A suffering group of lesser tribes.

Guild of Masons

Children of Skaith builders.

Four Kings

Rulers of the White Islands.




RACES

Harsenyi

Nomads.

Farers

Wanderers and hedonists.

Children of the Sea-Our-Mother

Ocean dwellers that find people tasty. A genetic hybrid experiment that is reverting.

Little Sisters of the Sun

Desert altered humans.

Children of Skaith-Our-Mother

White furred people, genetically modified.

Wandsmen

The ruling class of Skaith.

Irnan

One of the migrating peoples. Have applied to emigrate off the dying planet via the Galactic Union.

The Ochar

A once powerful tribe. The First-Come.

The Fallarin

A winged people created through mutation. Flightless, but psychokinetic.

Hann

A Lesser Hearth tribe.

Marag

A Lesser Hearth tribe.

Kref

A Lesser Hearth tribe.

Thuran

A Lesser Hearth tribe.

Qard

A Lesser Hearth tribe.

Thorn

A Lesser Hearth tribe.

The Nithi

A tribe of goddess worshippers.

People of the Towers

Hargoth's sorcerer-priests.

Ssussminh

Morn's telepathic people.

People of the White Islands

Desperate and very martial tribe.


ANIMALS

Northhounds

Large intelligent telepathic canines.

Tarf

Servants of the Fallarin.



TECHNOLOGY


Water of Vision

An Irnan tool of foresight.

Tlun

A mind-expanding drug.

Robe and the Crown

Destroyed Irnan tool of Gerrith's.

The finger-bones of the Spring Child

People of the Towers divination device.


MEDIA

Hymn of Life

Song of the Little Sisters of the Sun.

Hymn of Deliverance

Song of the People of the Towers.


VEHICLES

Planet hopper

Small transport craft from a spaceship used for in-atmosphere travel.

Arkeshti

Penkawr-Che's ship.


The book starts with a betrayal, that of the raider Penkawr-Che's. Rather than ferry Ashton to the Galactic Union, he has sold him and Stark both into captivity. So yet again Stark has to try and escape and build alliances that can hold together the cities he has taken for the rebels and others.

This time, as the title suggests, he leads his band of followers by sea, to Pedrallon's home and the white islands.

Meanwhile, all is converging on Ged Daron as the planet cools, and crops fail.
Gerrith's final sacrifice gives a boost to the pro-migration force when they need it, and Stark still commands the Northhounds left alive. He has to take the city of the Wandsmen fast, before all the technology that can communicate with the starships leaving the spaceport is destroyed, leaving them all doomed.


4 out of 5