Third Player

Book three of the famous Dyason Series

With Third Player, Warren James Palmer has epitomised the ideas of successful Trilogy writing and has given us a book that ploughs on through the action at break-neck speed. First published in 1997, 'Third Player' and the 'Dyason' series have become cult classics over the past twenty years. Long out of print, the series is now available for the first time as 'E-books'!

'Through a red haze of pain he just saw the shape of a huge beautiful bird with incredible graceful lines rise out of the hill where the abbey had stood only moments before. The bird of salvation was huge, dwarfing the combatants on the planets last battlefield. As the pincers closed about his body snuffing out his young life a smile touched his lips and the huge bird disappeared into the heavens with a triumphant roar.'

As the Dyason homeworld collapses into anarchy and chaos, a new threat is marching across the Galaxy. The Star-Web have but one purpose to their existence—The eradication of all humanoid forms of life!

The seer Dauphne and a few survivors from the agricultural world of Heligsion seek out Moss, Myrddin, Jennifer and Jenson as the saviours who will stop the self appointed Guardians of God.

The Star-Web see humanoids as vermin who destroy and pollute God's galactic Garden of Eden. It is their belief that for the humanoid races to achieve redemption for their sins, they must pay the ultimate penance—genocide!

Meanwhile, the clone Gulag and the ancient starship Dominator are trapped in an alien outpost called Extremity Station. Until now, Gulag has been the number one adversary of Moss and his team, but it will take the combined forces of all the Humanoid races to battle against extinction.

 Third Player Original Artwork

The original 1997 'Third Player' bookcover artwork.

For a book to hold on to the fundamental issues that made the first two books of this series so readable, and yet to introduce new elements to the story without losing any sort of coherence is quite remarkable.

 

Continuing the story of Moss, Myrddin et al, Third Player opens by introducing us to a third humanoid colony, struggling for survival against an alien race hell-bent on genocide and the extermination of their race. The opening chapter opens us up to the idea that there is a Galactic Superpower, conquering and pillaging the worlds it discovers - murdering all inhabitants of the indiginous civilisations on a scale likened to Universal Armageddon.

By introducing this element, and threatening the established characters with impending doom, Palmer has created a stunning climax - still playing on the racial and self-discovery issues that were an integral and impressive ingredient to Minds Of The Empire and Dominator. Third Player uses all of Palmers nightmares and fantasies as it takes the reader from one exciting set-piece, to the next unholy scenario, without pausing to draw much breath.

As a stand alone novel, Third Player would be useless. Even with the inclusion (as with Dominator) of a recap section - explaining the characters and back story, Third Player would not be a novel I could read or reccommend on it's own.

However, placed with Minds and Dominator, it epitomises epic science fiction storytelling to such an extent, that you put the book down and wonder just how it hasn't been picked up by Hollywood.

When you get your breath back, go and look for Star Web : Book Four of the Dyason. - Amazon

Ripping Books - Square jawed heroism...

The Dyason series

The cult/best-selling series

First published in 1995, 'Minds of the Empire' and the 'Dyason' series have become cult classics o…