The Gandalara Cycle. Volume 1

As far as I know, this book was planned and drafted mostly by Randall Garrett (a writer of long experience), but it was finished off and published by his wife Vicki Ann Heydron after he was incapacitated. I suppose the plot and characters are mostly Garrett's, but the writing style seems more thoughtful and better than in his previous works, and I suppose Heydron made at least some contribution to it.

The scenario is imaginative and original, and the book is pleasant and readable, although characterization is fairly simple and male-oriented: there are only a couple of peripheral female characters. The seven-book series has a prominent female character who's merely mentioned in this first book.

The men in the story tend to be somewhat macho. This is a low-technology scenario in which the sword is the primary weapon, and a special class of men ride around on big cats with whom they have a telepathic bond.

The plot of this first book is quite intelligible and satisfactory. Later on, the series becomes perhaps overcomplex and overlong, but this is a review of the book not the series. In case you're wondering, you can read the first book on its own: it comes to an end of sorts, and you don't need to read on unless you want more.

The whole series is set in Gandalara, which exists in a time and place that remains a mystery until the last book of the series. In most parts of Gandalara, water is scarce and valuable.