Reviewed:
In Defence of the Keep is a new take on an old genre. The Damsels in Distress (DiD) Universe was created 20 years ago by the late, great Lazlo Zalezac, and has attracted some of SOL’s best authors. Unfortunately, it has lost authors’ interest, and James Girvan’s In Defence of the Keep is the first new entry since 2019. But what a reopening it is.
For those unfamiliar with DiD, it is a sci-fi universe in which “heroes” gain access through a magic portal to another dimension, in which they are required to find and rescue beautiful maidens from the clutches of “bad guys” on a planet called Chaos, set in medieval times (pre-guns.) For those who haven’t yet read any DiD stories, I’ll leave the hero’s reward a secret. Some authors wrote their own series in this setting, some continued the series written by Lazlo Zalezac, and some wrote one-off stories using the setting but none of the characters developed by others. All have been well written and all are written with tongue firmly lodged in cheek.
In In Defence of the Keep, Girvan has introduced a new hero, a new home world time and place, and a new reason for using the portal. The plot is unique and once you’ve suspended your sense of reality the story carries on in a very believable manner, both on Earth and in the Chaos dimension. Because of the good guy/bad guy premise the outcome is never in doubt, but the details and the methods keep the reader interested. James Girvan’s tongue remains in his cheek throughout.
The story is technically well written, with few grammatical errors and uses appropriate language. The story flows well and ends with a small surprise.
If you haven’t read any DiD stories but the concept intrigues you, read a few of Lazlo’s first stories to introduce you to the genre and then read In Defence of the Keep for a slightly underhanded take. You’ll enjoy them.