I grew up on the Edgar Rice Burroughs books, having read and reread his entire "Mars" series from "A PRINCESS OF MARS" on forward. Later on I discovered John Norman's "GOR" series. "Gor" and "Barsoom" were utterly different kinds of worlds. Utterly different cultures. In both women usually played but minor roles. On "Barsoom" they waited to be "rescued" by their hero from "a fate worse than death", and on "Gor" they simply didn't get "rescued" at all! In both cases they were just there to be "done to" by someone and nothing more. Usually they were beautiful and pretty brainless. The usual types of "adventure- fiction" female characters. Beautiful and dumb. Sometimes blonde. Always young and beautiful. And usually incompetent to do anything more than get into "trouble" and then look ever so beautiful for their handsome and muscular sword-swinging hero. The hero usually being of the sort who in real life would get run over the first time he tried to cross a busy street without his mother's help! His stupidity usually serving to insure that he goes from one fantastic and unbelievable adventure to the next while the reader silently groans at his lack of brains and his dedication to some briefly clad snooty and haughty "Princess"!
And with this in mind, I introduce you to Doctor Lorraine Marie Duval. Not a blonde. Not beautiful. Rather competent. The greatest swordswoman of the 26th Century or any time for that matter! The kind of a woman that will rescue you from boredom or from the TV for a couple days and make you think just a bit about just what a woman like her might just possibly be able to do!
Along with Lorraine I also introduce you to a delightful cast of characters, mostly all female, who will delight and amaze you in this tale of daring do. One of whom is not even human! Lorraine Duval's adventures taking place upon two worlds, the Earth of the 26th Century, and the PLANET MARS! (No, she doesn't meet up with "John Carter", at least not in this story!) I do promise you, however, that Lorraine does "grow" on you, and I think you will learn to love her just as I have over these pages.
(.txt)