Lilith: A Snake in the Grass: The Four Lords of the Diamond, #1

By Jack L. Chalker

Aliens are spying on Earth from one of the four worlds that make up the Warden Diamond. But it is impossible to send agents to any of the four worlds becuase of unique microscopic symbionts that make it impossible for visitors to leave the Diamond.

Seeking a unique solution, each of the four worlds making up the Diamond is sent a person whose mind has been stripped of everything and who is now controlled by an agent of the Confederacy.

Lilith is the first planet to be visited. Here, Cal Tremon, stripped of his own personality, must overcome incredible odds and survive not only the incredible perils of the foreign planet but his own controllers as well.

This is the first book of the Four Lords of the Diamond series. The others are:

Cerberus: A Wolf in the Fold
Charon: A Dragon at the Gate
Medusa: A Tiger by the Tail

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phoenix Pick
• Release date: Oct 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781612420264

Reviews for Lilith

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not much of a Chalker fan, but I found these 4 books to be an excellent read. There are 4 worlds of the Diamond & each book addresses life & the peculiarities on a different one. We see each world & the whole story from the perspective of one man in 5 bodies; his original one & 4 others that have had his 'mind' implanted into them. Each gives us a look at some fantastic powers imparted by the planet, along with some odd restrictions. There's a lot of action & adventure.

[dragonasbreath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An intriguing yarn of a man without a chance making his way up from slavery (well, serfdom) to freedom and exploring a paradise along the way

[skraft001 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Earth took Cal Tremon, stripped away his self, and put the mind and personality of a solar agent into him. Then they sent him on a one-way trip to Lilith. All they had to do was conquer the whole damned planet, execute the Overlord, and report mind-to-mind with the agent he had become but who still remained at home!Lilith, unfortunately, was one of the four worlds of the Warden Diamond, where a symbiotic bug invaded every living cell -- and from which no infected life could escape and live.If he failed, Earth wold find a way to kill him. If he should succeed, probably they would kill him for knowing too much. And meantime, naked and a slave, he had to survive -- survive despite the mutated witches and all the feudal hell of a planet gone mad and a people without hope.I'm a Chalker fan and really enjoyed this book.It was a blend of SF and Fantasy written in first person.

[aeceyton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very much enjoyed as a late night read. It was quick without feeling too shallow. While Chalker was progressive for his times, I'm not sure how well his writing has aged for others, without being seen as just a product of 'old-fashioned' progressive thought. Still I loved and recommend it.