Reviews for Lost on Venus

The average rating for Lost on Venus based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-09-11 00:00:00 Vincent Beck I'm not as much for the ADHD aspects of the story rocketing around whenever ERB has gotten bored (especially anything of the theme "monster fight in jungle".) I'm for big, weird set piece ideas and outright nuttiness. So the story didn't really get going until we meet Skor, the mad scientist and "jong" of Morov and Kormor. Skor is an interesting guy, not just because he imbues the dead with unnatural life and seeks to create wholly synthetic organisms. He's _off_ in some unexplainable way, hosting parties of will-less zombies, keeping a slovenly abode, decorating in magpie fashion, yet still interested in obtaining Duare as his lady. Burroughs has finally taken the mad scientist, removed the science from him, and replaced it with more mental illness. The whole business with Skor, from the castle/stronghold of Morov to the city of the dead, Kormor, is the heart of the book, with some truly inventive imagery of the walking dead, the emptiness, and despair. Yet there is no satisfying conclusion as Napier and friends are jerked back and forth to new crises and adventures. Burrough's formula became limiting, as the reader knows that Napier will eventually end up with Duare, despite encountering Nalte and finding her a more interesting and dynamic match. I don't think Burroughs can really be surprising with any of the big plot/character threads, even if he will event completely gonzo cities and cultures and other adventures.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-07-25 00:00:00 Douglas Kneeland I mean, I have no idea what I'd think now, but when I read these books as a tween, I loved everything that Burroughs wrote, and the Venus books were among my favorites.