The book is great..Does anyone know where I can get the series by Paul E. Zimmer?

Outstanding. A classis example of Good vs Evil. Plenty of Magic, hate, love, betrayal and action. The setting is dark and gloomy, like the Black company books, but in a way similar to Feists books. A world half covered by a dark shadow in which evil wizards,vampires,trolls,goblins and their evil human allies strive to consume all that is in their path. The forces of good, lead by the Hasturs,who are powerful magicians, constantly battle for survival against overwhelming odds. The war is fought on many fronts in different kingdoms by brave men and women. I have been fortunate enough to have owned and read the other two Dark Border novels, King Chondos's Ride and A Gathering of Heroes. This series is fantastic and does not get the credit it deserves. Too bad that these books are very difficult to find, but they are worth the trouble of finding.

Do your like Dark Heroic Fantasy where the enemy is implacable, insidious and not constrained by human moral concerns. Where ancient beings of great power wage unending war. Where the humans are completely aware of what will happen to them and all they hold dear if they fail to stand firm and to hold the line. This the world of Paul Edwinn Zimmer. The world of 'The Dark Border'. The writing is tight,fluid and descrpitve. The action fast paced. In this world you know who your enemies are, the problem is knowing who your are friends. So come brave reader journey with Istvan Divega as he tries to honour an oath he made long ago and now deeply regrets. Where honour, daring and bravery still hold true.

AFTER THE FIRE is a collection of essays that are compiled by a gifted writer. "The Blind World" is one essay worth the price of the book. Mr. Zimmer was a "guinea-pig" GI during the Atomic Bomb tests in Nevada,in the mid-1950's. He writes that when he covered his eyes with his hands, his hands became an x-ray because his company was so close to the fiery blast of the bomb. That one chapter would make one great movie.

But Mr. Zimmer also writes with insight and passion about his many loves, including his wife Suzanne, and his first-hand experiences with great jazz musicians, including Lester Young, Art Tatum, Thelonius Monk and Sarah Vaughn. Zimmer writes, "They even stuffed whole bands--Basie, Kenton, Herman--onto those small stages." That essay, "Young Jazz" is one of the best pieces written about American music this side of Down Beat.

We also learn that Paul Zimmer has had a long literary career as editor and director of several publishing houses, where he introduced numerous writers, including Gary Gildner, Richard Shelton, Gary Soto, Norman Dubie, Jack Anderson,and Bin Ramke, to the literary world.

This is a finely honed, remarkably insightful and humane collection of essays. I thought I would read one essay, put the book aside and savor it, but found myself reading the entire book in one sitting.

For readers tired of the first-person lyric so popular in our day, read Paul Zimmer, who must share this ennui. Through his career, Zimmer has been one of our finest Persona poets and one of our best Character poets, in the tradition of Edwin Arlington Robinson. Here, collected for the first time, are his wonderful Zimmer poems, his many poems celebrating eccentric characters, and his fine traditional nature lyrics (which don't neglect the dark side of nature as well). Richly humorous in some poems, moving in others (a fine writer of love poetry), you'll laugh richly and feel deeply with this end-of-the-alphabet poet, among our finest.

This short book has one powerful poem after another. Zimmer's images pull you into each poem, as the persona of "The Zimmer" comes of age and learns about life. It's a cohesive collection that reads like a story, filled with the joys and sorrows of life. Celebrating things such as beer and love, and lamenting the aging of a father and the selling of a childhood home, this book will have you smiling on one page and then bring you close to tears a few pages later.

This book details the reason for Ingulf's madness and the origins of Carroll Mac Lir. We find out a considerable amount about the structure of society in the dreaded land of Sarlow be warned some of it is quite stomach turning. Making cameo apparences are Svaran the Black, Grom Beardless and Vildren as well as a certain traitor. This book is diffrent in tempo from Paul Zimmer's other books. Due in part to the Focus on Ingulf's angst over his unrequited love for an elven princess and Vildren questioning of his long held belief systems. But have no fear there is still plenty of swashbuckling action and heroism to sate the hungriest conniseur. Interestingly we are introduced to the "Council of Seven" the ruling body that orchestrates the defence against the shadow and maintains the mystic barriers that confine them. What I found enjoyable about this book was the more indepth character study of the key protagonists.And we find out just why Carroll Mac Lir is accounted as the greatest of the heroes of Y'gora. I've been reading Paul Zimmer books for almost 16 years because they still carry a resonance that removes you from this mundane world, a sense of wonder that carries the reader to a continent perpetually at war and to a land far across the sea where heroes still walk and strive against evil.

One room school house, the changing of the seasons and the farm chores for each one...a memior of one man's boyhood experiences. I liked this book and my husband liked it even more than I did. He was born and raised in rural WI, picking rocks, milking, and going sledding with his brothers. This book is well written and reads like a time capsule...the people & chores on a family farm. I would have given it a perfect 5 stars, but there is too much about bees. Less bee watching and the author would have a classic here. Great that his story goes full circle. We learn what happens to the people we've read and cared about...which is always gratifying to us readers.

This is one of those books I will always remember. My children were young when I read it and I felt that it contained many lessons on how to be a good parent. And all in the context of very enjoyable reading. The story about learning to use the horse drawn cultivator shows how a parents help their child develop self-confidence, which is something I see so many people lacking. I can't say enough good things about this gem of a book.

This book is full of humor and spends wonderful time on how a farm is run, explaining the land, the chores, the wonder of living on a farm. Ben's antics with his brothers are delightful, and his account of his evenings with his family are memorable. I read this anytime I need a lift, and share its richness with anyone who will listen.

I have been searching for this series for many years now. I had acquired it as a child, and lost my two books in a move. Ironicly, I ran across the two have half a country away. Eagerly I have read them both and have not been disapointed wiht the detail and intensity the charecters have been written. I have been driven to finish the trilogy, and am greatly disappointed to think that I will never know what happens to DiVega and Jodos. I recommend these 2 books to anyone who loves fantasy. If by chance you run across the thrid book please feel free to contact me. Excuse the errors I am not the best writer, that's why I read!

There is no trilogy. The Lost Prince and King Chondos' Ride were originally intended as one book. The ending isn't as open as most people seem to think. Go back and read it again, is there really any doubt to the outcome?

"I wrote the ending first," Paul once said, "after reading 'The Defence of Guenevre.' The book was written to lead to the ending."

Paul refers to the poem by William Morris. The Defence of Guenevre" The poem ends with Arthur's courtiers straining to hear an approaching sound:

"Her cheeks grew crimson, as the headlong speed

Of the roan charger drew all men to see

The knight who came was Launcelot in good need."

The deliberate understatement is stronger than any melodrama. Nor is anything more needed. Aside from the fact that Morris could count on his Victorian readers to know that Guenevre would be rescued, the arrival of a champion is enough to complete the poem. In her defence, Guenevre complains that she is unfairly damned because she was given a choice between two mighty lovers. Put on trial by one of those lovers, she is in despair. The coming of Launcelot, the second one, gives her hope.

With that in mind, can there truly be any doubt as to the outcome?

The World of the dark border is dominated by the eternal conflict raging between the Dark Lords and The mystic Hastur clan, guardians and protectors of the world. It serves as the underlying background for King Chondos'Ride. Istvan Divega, world reknowned general and swordsman finds himself in command of a relief force of mercenaries and borderman sent to raise the seige of Manjipe an ancient city near the Dark border. Unaware that he and his opponents are the unwitting pawns in a vast deception perpetrated by Prince Jodos, the lost prince. Who is posing as his brother Chondos, whom he has had kidnapped and spirited into the depths of the shadow. At the command of the Master one of the leaders of Dark things. Arrayed against Istvan are; Martos skilled swordsman a student of one Istvan's oldest friends, Lord Jagat ruler of Damenco and Prince Hansio lord of Mahapor who like Istvan a bears a mystic Hastur sword. As their armies meet in battle the Dark things watch and wait for the signal that will send ravening hordes spilling over the Dark Border into mortal lands. The Hasturs, unable to interfere due to two great battles being fought at opposite ends of the Dark border thousands of miles apart. Whilst Prince Jodos using magical powers gained in the shadow weaves a spell of nightmares and fear sewing the seeds of discord and mistrust within the royal court at his brother's capital. This book is a true epic involving characters that are driven by feelings of self doubt and an unwavering sense of duty, they reflect on the choices that they have made but do not sink into a mire of self pity. To them what has been done has been done learn from the lessons that have been taught. Paul Edwinn Zimmer has created a world that is breath takingly complete without having to resort the time honoured method of over description. He has assumed that the reader is intelligent and written accordingly. The Villians of the piece the dark things and their leaders are totally evil possesing no redeeming features yet,they are not shallow, they are totally alien in their needs and desires even the Vampires who were once human veiw the world in terms of their insatiable hunger for blood. Nothing of their former lives has any bearing on their perception of existence. This is a brilliant piece of heroic prose do not read it expecting a Dave Eddings/ Raymond E. Feist novel nothing here can be termed as convenient like a Wesis and Hickman book, here the heroes strive and die. For myself wishing to describe the book within to another reader who was curious about the nature of the writing within . I would describe thus: Its has the heroism of David Gemmell, the tough battle grittyness of Glen Cook's The Black Company, The World building aspects and narrative of P.C.Hodgell's Kencyrath series and the Epic qualities and Poetry of the works of Tolkien. So reader get this tome and enjoy and hope that his last book "The King who was of Old" gets printed.

I read this perhaps 17 years ago. I remember that my copy became quite ragged through rereading before I gave it to a friend who equally enjoyed it. I'd like to think it's still being circulated amongst friends.

Others have summarized the plot. I'll just reiterate that this book is a great way to spend a few hours if you're a sci-fi or fantasy fan.

Paul Edwin Zimmer, Bradley's brother, was initially an uncredited co-author. The lack of recognition wasn't Bradley's idea, and Zimmer was credited from the first on their sequel, _The Survivors_. The protagonist, Dane Marsh, is a lone wolf heroic type Zimmer wrote very well, along the lines of his character Roger Hogg in "The Hand of Tyr" (see _Greyhaven_). Marsh is a romantic born between romantic ages; he wants adventures, but in the late twentieth century, the world's fresh out. Every place has been explored, and somebody else has already been first to do anything worth doing. He saves his envy for whoever'll be first to hike around the Moon on foot, though, and gets on with his life - sailing around the world alone, even though it's been done.

At that point, a flying saucer kidnaps him right off his boat, and he learns that there may be a few more adventures left, after all. :)

The proto-feline Mekhar are notorious for their slave-raids, having refused Unity membership several times rather than repudiate the practice. Slaves being luxury goods, it pays to avoid damaging the merchandise, and even to install translator disks in their captives - although the Mekhar leave Dane's fellow prisoners to explain the situation. (Interestingly enough, proto-simians - humanlike beings - far from being lords of creation, are looked down upon, being perpetually "in season" and thus slaves of their sexual appetites. Superiority lies elsewhere: the proto-felines invented interstellar travel, and the proto-saurians generally look down on *everybody*. Aratak, the follower of the Divine Egg who befriends Dane, is an exception to this last.)

Dane's the only prisoner from Earth; the others figure somebody's being chewed out for grabbing a boat carrying less than a dozen people. Rianna's archeological team, for example, lost their gamble that the Mekhar wouldn't hit the otherwise deserted satellite they were working on.

Until Dane's arrival, nobody tried to escape more than once; not only are all the odds on the guards' side, but severe injuries may be a death sentence. Most of the prisoners have a fatalistic attitude that Dane violently disagrees with; he alone, for instance, interferes with the decision of the only captive from Spica IV, the empath Dallith, to refuse food and let herself die. (Oddly enough, while Aratak, the giant proto-saurian philosopher, remains silent, the vibrant Rianna protests Dane's interference, for reasons he comes to understand only much later.) Dane is the one who, spotting a security hole, masterminds an escape attempt - only to learn that it was just what the Mekhar were waiting for.

The final part of the Mekhar's standard operating procedure is to skim off the ringleaders in their escape-attempt test on each raid, and to sell them to the species known as the Hunters of the Red Moon for the role of Sacred Prey. The Hunters' only interest in life is to hunt the Most Dangerous Game: intelligent quarry, who can give them a challenge. Every batch of Sacred Prey is given some weeks to prepare on the Hunters' World before being taken to the Red Moon, and must survive there only until the next eclipse. They're even given a choice of weapons, short of firearms, but even that's disquieting; the Armory doubles as a huge trophy collection of the weapons of particularly excellent Prey. (In a really *cool* scene, Dane recognizes one weapon as the most perfect Mataguchi he's ever seen - something a samurai would *never* have left behind.)

The story revolves around Dane, as protagonist, and his fellow survivors Rianna, Dallith, and Aratak, with one startling addition: Cliff-Climber, a Mekhar guard who screwed up badly during the escape attempt, and took this option as an honorable alternative to suicide. While he knows more about the Hunters than any of the others, his proto-feline people take the proverb "curiosity killed the cat" very much to heart, and even though - he *says* - one of his own kinsmen survived a Hunt, he knows little about their destination. Dane and his companions have little more than the Hunters' word that successful quarry will be rewarded and allowed to leave. They don't even know what the Hunters look like; until the Hunt itself, the Sacred Prey only interact with robot caretakers, leading to a *lot* of theories among the Prey.

This is a mystery as well as an adventure story; only the last third covers the Hunt proper, the rest being split evenly between the slaveship and the Prey's prep time. Dane and the others must try to figure out the Hunters, knowing that the odds are against them. At the feast celebrating the end of the previous Hunt and the beginning of theirs, they learn that 47 Hunters faced 74 Prey. Nineteen Hunters perished.

*One* Sacred Prey survived.

I read this book about 10 years ago and went searching for it so I could read it again. Too bad it's out of print. This book is very entertaining. It's a worthwhile read. I couldn't put it down.