STAR PRINCE CHARLIE

In collaboration, two science fiction notables have managed to put together a story in which neither the science nor the fiction is worthwhile. If this could be regarded as satire, it would be more palatable, but the authors seem all too serious in their depiction of bookish young Charles Stuart, descendant of Scottish royalty, and Iris voyage to medieval Talyina on the earth-like planet New Lemuria in the company of his tutor, a ""Hoka"" which resembles a teddy bear and is capable of assuming any role he chooses. (Originally this one was an Oxford don, but later he becomes ""Hector MacGregor,"" loyal follower of ""Bonnie Prince Charlie."") The plot concerns Charlie's fulfillment of an ancient prophecy about a deliverer of the people, first through happenstance and later through manipulation and design. References to Scottish history abound, as do comments on society, politics, and the foundations of democracy. There's a certain amount of original gimmickry in the description of Talyina, but this is mostly a rehash of old themes, and the overall feeling is one of ennui.