After finishing a book I really hated, I needed to cleanse my palate, so to speak. The song Guinevere from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young came on and I realized it had been a while since I had re-read The Last Defender of Camelot. It does not disappoint. Is the style a bit dated? Sure. Are there some problematic passages in “Damnation Alley”? Without question, especially the Nazi ones and the handling of female characters in that story (one reason why this received 4 stars rather than 5). But the ideas are brilliant and fun.
Being a horror fan, the Stainless Steel Leach has always been a personal favorite and one day I may ask some cosplays friends of mine to help me design a werebot costume. The titular story the Last Defender of Camelot (which was a segment on the Twilight Zone back in the 80s) is another favorite. Merlin always seemed a bit off to me, and I was glad when he emerged as the villain in that tale. Dreams and dream imagery is a subject that fascinates me and I could probably trace that interest to the story He Who Shapes. Plus, I am a sucker for any story where a dog is able to communicate with humans.
Are all the stories great? No. Damnation Alley, while being influential (Escape from NY certainly borrowed many ideas from it) has some really difficult parts. And some other stories like Halfjack seem really repetitive. But the highs for this collection are so high that I would certainly recommend this book.
