''Renegade of Callisto'' is a

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

novel by American writer

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

, the eighth and last in his

Callisto series The ''Callisto series'' is a sequence of eight science fiction novels by Lin Carter, of the sword and planet subgenre, first published by Dell Books from 1972-1978. They were written in homage to the Barsoom and Amtor novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs ...

. It was first published in paperback by

Dell Books Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and s ...

in August 1978, and reprinted once, in November of the same year. A tribute to

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

's ''

The Chessmen of Mars ''The Chessmen of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in ''Argosy All-Story Weekly'' ...

'', the book introduces the game of Darza, Carter's equivalent of

Jetan Jetan, also known as Martian Chess, is a chess variant first published in 1922. It was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs as a game played on Barsoom, his fictional version of Mars. The game was introduced in ''The Chessmen of Mars'', the fifth book ...

(Martian Chess). An appendix ("Darza, The Chess Game of Callisto") details the rules.

Plot summary

In the final adventure set on the Jovian moon

Callisto Callisto most commonly refers to: *Callisto (mythology), a nymph *Callisto (moon), a moon of Jupiter Callisto may also refer to: Art and entertainment *''Callisto series'', a sequence of novels by Lin Carter *''Callisto'', a novel by Torsten Kro ...

, or Thanator, three comrades of series hero Jandar are lost in a damaged airship. Jungle boy Taran, Yathoon warrior Koja and their pet othode Fido, drift away from the city of Shondakar into the plains ruled by the insectoid Yathoon hordes. Taken captive by one of the hordes, they meet fellow prisoner Xara, princess of Ganatol, waylaid on her way to Shondakar to secure an alliance against the mercantile Perushtar city-states. Koja and Borak, another Yathoon prisoner, escape and find sanctuary with Koja's own horde, while Taran and Xara are saved by another airship sent by Jandar to locate the missing protagonists. Xara falls in love with Vandar, the ship's captain. Unfortunately, rescued and rescuers are quickly retaken by the Yathoon and carried away to Sargol, the hidden capital of all the insectoid hordes. Koja, who has reassumed the leadership he once held over his own horde, is there as well. He challenges the Yathoon emperor to a duel for the right to rule the combined hordes. The contest takes the form of a game of Darza (Thanatorian chess), utilizing as pieces live players who must fight to the death. Taran, Xara and Valkar become some of Koja's "pieces." The game is interrupted by Fido and other othodes, and Koja and the emperor end up fighting singly. Koja is triumphant, becoming the new emperor of the hordes, and his human companions are saved. Jandar shows up in the denouement to help celebrate and take the protagonists home to Shondakar.

Unwritten sequels

In his introduction to ''Callisto, Volume I'' (2001), the ebook edition of the first two Callisto novels,

John Gregory Betancourt John Gregory Betancourt (born October 25, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels, as well as short stories. He is also known as the founder and publisher, with his wife Kim Betancourt, of Wildside Press in 1989 ...

, adopting Carter's teasing pretense that the books represent the true memoirs of protagonist Jonathan Dark, alleges the existence of further Dark manuscripts, including one titled ''The Ice Kingdom of Callisto'', left in the hands of Carter's literary executor,

Robert M. Price Robert McNair Price (born July 7, 1954) is an American New Testament scholar. His most notable stance is arguing in favor of the Christ myth theorythe claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on bi ...

.Bettancourt, John Gregory. "Introduction." in Carter, Lin. ''Callisto, Volume I''. ibooks, New York, c2001. Price himself notes elsewhere that Carter actually projected seven additional volumes in the series with the working titles ''Sword-Master of Callisto'', ''Xara of Callisto'', ''Warrior Girl of Callisto'', ''Ice Kingdom of Callisto'', ''Kaldar of Callisto'', ''Lost Prince of Callisto'', and ''Zamara of Callisto''. He gives no indication any of these were actually written, however, or even plotted in any detail past ''Sword-Master''.Price, Robert M. ''Lin Carter: A Look Behind His Imaginary Worlds''. Starmont House, Mercer Island, WA, c1991, p 48.

Reception

According to Den Valdron, assessing the series in ''ERBzine'', "it reads as inferior Barsoom." ''Renegade'' he views as "somewhat of a recovery" from the previous two weak entries, and finds it "acceptable, even good."Valdron, Den.
Lin Carter's Callisto Series (Part 1 of a series of 12)
in ''ERBzine'' 1731.

References

External links

{{Lin Carter (books) 1978 American novels 1978 fantasy novels 1978 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Fiction set on Callisto (moon) Novels by Lin Carter