Helm

Review by Eric Grivel, May 21, 2001.

Information

The Story

Leeland de Laal is the son of the ruler of Laal, a province on the planet Agatsu. More interested in books than anything else, he decides to prove himself by climbing the forbidden Needle and donning the Helm that is kept on its top. He doesn't know that this Helm is the last remaining "imprinting device", a machine brought by the refugees from Earth and containing much of Earth's knowledge.

The planet of Agatsu was terraformed and colonized after a catastrophe destroyed the Earth, and possibly forms the only remnant of the human race. Because the colonization was hurried after the dissaster, the colony was not properly prepared and the colonists have fallen back to a medieval level of civilization. Most of the Earth knowledge and all but one of the devices to transfer that knowledge were lost in a religious uprising early on.

When Leeland puts the Helm on his head, he is not prepared for what follows. His father, who has worn the Helm when he was a young man, knows that Leeland must trained and hardend quickly or he will not survive the situation. However, before his training as a karate master is complete, Leeland is send out as a general and ambassador to the capital of Noram, to assist in the fight against the Rootless.

Evaluation

A good story, but sometimes very confusing. A lot of characters with strange names that sometimes are similar, making it difficult to keep them apart. The heroes of the story tend to be almost super-human in their ability and capabilities. Inserted in the story are a lot of karate terms but it is never clear what their contribution to the story as a whole is.

Disclaimer

This is a personal review, expressing my personal opinion. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me by by Email at [email protected].

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Copyright ©2001 by Eric Grivel. All Rights Reserved.