I don’t know where it came from, but I managed to snag myself a copy of Jamie Dalton’s 1973 classic The River Backwards. The Greigbury Local News organised an online ‘Decluttering Sale’ and it was one of the items offered. An absolute steal of a bargain at a measly ₤4.50.
I first read it in the early Eighties and fell in love with it: the now old-fashioned hero Franklyn Forrester cut an exhilarating figure of adventure across the world of Deputine, as he sought some way to defeat the machinations of the despotic Overruler Gandemnion and rescue Lydia Missen, the love of Forrester’s life, from his clutches. It’s undiluted schlock, I admit, but Goddamn it’s fun. Beautifully written, it races along and makes itself a welcome guest in the imagination of anyone who reads it.
I’m going to spend the weekend getting reacquainted with Forrester and his adventures. The last time I read them was in 1991, just before a leaky roof and ill-timed storm put paid to any further adventuring. It’s been out of print since 1987, so it’s been a long wait to get back into action.
Together to the Future, Friends!