Category Archives: 1940s: 1940-1949

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OPUS#216 Proxy Planeteers

OPUS: #216
Title: Proxy Planeteers
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1947
Type: short story
“When robots go hunting for uranium on Mercury, a pair of scientists fall under a radio-active spell of hypnotism!”

Publications:

  • Startling Stories, Vol. 15, no. 3, July 1947, (Jul 1947, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Better Publications, Inc.; Chicago, $0.15, 116pp, Pulp, magazine), pp. 88-96. Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: Marchioni

Book review:

  • Gammell, Leon L., The Annotated Guide to Startling Stories, Starmont House, 1986, p. 58. “Robot proxies explore hostile Mercury for Earthling scientists, unaware of indigenous intelligent life-forms that have a thing or two to say about this invasion.”

ebook: http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1947jul-00088

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OPUS#215 Come Home from Earth

OPUS: #215
Title: Come Home From Earth
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1947
Type: short story
“Psychology professor Fred Ellis volunteers for a dangerous experiment”–TOC
“Psychology professor Fred Ellis volunteers as the subject of a dangerous scientific experiment — never counting the cost!”
Publications:

  • Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 29, no. 3, February 1947, (Feb 1947, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Standard Magazines, Inc., $0.15, 116pp, Pulp, magazine) Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: Marchioni

ebook: https://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v29n03_1947-02.Standard/page/n91/mode/2up?view=theater

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OPUS#214 Star of Life, The

OPUS: #214
Title: The Star of Life (Excerpt)
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1947
Type: novella
Synopsis: Kirk Hammond is frozen in space and then enters the Earth 10,000 years in the future. He encounters three species of man kind: humankind who make up most of the galaxy, the Vramen who never die because they live on the restricted planet whose sun is the Star of Life. Mankind wants desperately to enjoy eternal life too, but the Vramen will not allow it.
“Kirk Hammond leads a future civilization in a desperate struggle against rule by a minority which derives its power through knowledge of the secret of immortality!”
Publications:

  • Startling Stories, Vol. 14, no. 3, January 1947, (Jan 1947, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Better Publications, Inc.; Chicago, $0.15, 116pp, Pulp, magazine), pp. 13-71. Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: Marchioni
  • The Star of Life, (Feb 1959, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Dodd, Mead/Torquil, $2.95, 192pp, hc)
  • The Star of Life, (Feb 1959, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Dodd, C$3.50, 192pp, hc)
  • The Star of Life, (Apr 1959, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Dodd, Mead/Torquil / SFBC, $1.20, 192pp, hc)
  • The Star of Life, (Oct 1959, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Crest, #s329, $0.35, 187pp, pb) Cover: Richard Powers
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, Star Weekly (Toronto, Canada). (8/15-1959)
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: Corsicana Daily Sun, []-[], 1959.
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: The Times Recorder, []-[], 1959.
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: The Decatur Daily, []-[], 1959.
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: The Titusville Herald, []-[], 1959.
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: Republican and Herald, []-[], 1960.
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: Simpson’s Leader-Times, []-[], 1960.
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: Tyrone Daily Herald, 1959-1961 [info]
  • as Man Who Missed the Moon, in: Reading Eagle (Sunday Eagle : Book of the Week), Jan. 24, 1960-April 10, 1960. [ebook]
  • Space Opera, (Aug 1974, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, publ. Futura, 0-86007-058-1, £0.50, 324pp, pb, anth) Cover: Eddie Jones
  • Space Opera, (Nov 1974, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, publ. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 0-297-76811-5, £, 324pp, hc, anth)
  • THE EIGHTY-MINUTE HOUR, Aldiss, Doubleday, 1974
  • THE EIGHTY-MINUTE HOUR, Aldiss,Cape (UK), 1974
  • Space Opera, (1975, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, publ. BCA by arrangement with Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 324pp, hc, anth) Cover: Brian Aldiss
  • Space Opera, (1975, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, publ. Futura, 0-86007-847-7, £0.60, 324pp, pb, anth)
  • Space Opera, (Mar 1975, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, publ. Doubleday, 0-385-07873-0, $7.95, 322pp, hc, anth) Cover: Lawrence Ratzkin
  • Space Opera, (May 1975, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, publ. Doubleday / SFBC, #1064, $1.98, 304pp, hc, anth) Cover: Lawrence Ratzkin
  • THE EIGHTY-MINUTE HOUR, Aldiss,Pan Books(UK), 1975
  • Space Opera, (Mar 1977, ed. Brian Aldiss, publ. Berkley Medallion, 0-425-03344-9, $1.50, xii+243pp, pb, anth) Cover: Vincent Di Fate
  • THE EIGHTY-MINUTE HOUR, Aldiss, Triad/Panther(UK), 1985
  •  The Star of Life, (Sep 2008, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Baen, 978-0-245-23226-8, $4.00, ebook)
  • King of Stars, (Sep 2008, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Baen, $20.00, ebook, omni) Cover: Doug Chaffee

Contents
Chapter 1 Space Doom 13
Chapter 2 Return to Life 16
Chapter 3 New Earth 18
Chapter 4 After Ten Thousand Years 21
Chapter 5 Peril from the Sky 25
Chapter 6 Vraman Girl 27
Chapter 7 Weird Attack 30
Chapter 8 In Rurooma 32
Chapter 9 Prison Planet 36
Chapter 10 Star-Men’s Hatred 40
Chapter 11 Inside the Force-Wall 44
Chapter 12 Into the Sun-Swarm 47
Chapter 13 On Mysterious Althar 51
Chapter 14 Alien City 54
Chapter 15 The Fight with the Machine 58
Chapter 16 Dread Revelation 61
Chapter 17 In the Sky City 64
Chapter 18 Battle and Death 68

Reviews:

  • Gardner, Thomas S., “From Fan-tods : It’s Fiction, but is it science?,” in: Fantasy Aspects, issue 2 (Nov. 1947), p. 9.
  • Gammell, Leon L., The Annotated Guide to Startling Stories, Starmont House, 1986, p. 21. “Pretty fair interplanetary novel of the far future, somewhat more philosophical in tone than most of the works of this admittedly somewhat repetitive but still remarkably imaginative and entertaining author. This is the story of the Star of Life, a unique luminary whose rays endow humans with immortality and create profound mutations in their germ plasm, engendering entirely new species of humanity in their offspring — the Second Men, immortal and brilliant, who control interstellar civilization of the future, the Third Men, colossal intellects interested solely in scientific and philosophical experimentation and research. Full of cliches and overly convenient coincidences, but still a damned good read even today. Reprinted in hardcover in 1959 by Torquil, NY, and by Crest in paperback the same year.”

ebook: http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1947jan-00013

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OPUS#213 King of Shadows, The

OPUS: #213
Title: The King of Shadows
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1947
Type: short story
“Some say the great rebel against the Gods, the lord of evil whose name is Erlik, is right here on earth” — TOC
“No sword or gun can avail against what lies within these peaks.”
Publications:

  • Weird Tales, Vol. 39, no. 9, January 1947, (Jan 1947, ed. Dorothy McIlwraith, publ. Weird Tales, $0.15, 100pp, Pulp, magazine), pp. 38-49. Cover: A. R. Tilburne; Illust: Tilburne
  • What’s It Like Out There? and Other Stories, (1974, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Ace, #88065, $0.95, 320pp, pb, coll)

ebook: http://www.unz.org/Pub/WeirdTales-1947jan-00038
ebook: https://archive.org/details/Weird_Tales_v39n09_1947-01

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OPUS#212 Never the Twain Shall Meet

OPUS: #212
Title: Never the Twain Shall Meet
Author: Brett Sterling (Edmond Hamilton)
Year: 1946
Type: short story
“John Farrel keeps his tryst with Ylleen, whose love means death”–TOC
“Out in space John Farrel keeps his tryst with Ylleen, gorgeous Martian girl whose love means — sudden death!”
Publication:

  • Thrilling Wonder Stories [v29 #1, Fall 1946] (15¢, 116pp, pulp, cover by Earle Bergey), pp. 60-69. Illustrated by Marchioni.

ebook: https://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v29n01_1946-Fall/page/n59/mode/2up?view=theater

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OPUS#211 Day of Judgment

OPUS: #211
Title: Day of Judgment
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1946
Type: short story
“Have you wondered about the future; about what form of life will inherits the Earth?”
Publications:

  • Weird Tales, Vol. 39, no. 7, September 1946, (Sep 1946, ed. Dorothy McIlwraith, publ. Weird Tales, $0.15, 100pp, Pulp, magazine), pp. 20-27. Cover: Pete Kuhlhoff; Illust: Dolgov
  • The Best of Edmond Hamilton, (Apr 1977, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Nelson Doubleday / SFBC, #1561, $2.98, xvii+334pp, hc, coll) Cover: Don Maitz
  • The Best of Edmond Hamilton, (Aug 1977, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Del Rey / Ballantine, 0-345-25900-9, $1.95, xviii+381pp, pb, coll) Cover: H. R. Van Dongen
  • The Last Man on Earth, (Aug 1982, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg, Charles G. Waugh, publ. Fawcett Crest / Ballantine, 0-449-24531-4, $2.95, 352pp, pb, anth) Cover: Wayne Douglas Barlowe
  • The Best of Edmond Hamilton, (Nov 2010, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Phoenix Pick, 978-1-60450-489-7, $14.99, 348pp, tp, coll)

ebook: http://www.unz.org/Pub/WeirdTales-1946sep-00020
ebook: https://archive.org/details/Weird_Tales_v39n07_1946-09

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OPUS#209 Indestructible Man

OPUS: #209
Title: Indestructible Man
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1946
Type: short story
“Death holds no threat for Phil Ryan as he dares bullets, floods and other lethal threats while battling to protect the world’s greatest secret!”–TOC
“Death holds no terror for Phil Ryan, freak of science, as he dares bullets, floods and other lethal threats while he battles to protect the greatest secret in the whole world!”

Publications:

  • Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 28, no. 2, Spring 1946, (Apr 1946, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Standard Magazines, Inc., $0.15, 116pp, Pulp, magazine) Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: Marchioni or John Norman ?

ebook: https://archive.org/details/ThrillingWonderStoriesV28N021946Sp

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OPUS#208 Dead Planet, The

OPUS: #208
Title: The Dead Planet
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1946
Type: short story
“Star travelers from a distant galaxy crash on a lost world” — TOC
“Star travelers from a distant galaxy crash on a last world to confront horror and wonder – and a shocking surprise!”

Publications:

  • Startling Stories, Vol. 13, no. 3, Spring 1946, (May 1946, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Better Publications, Inc., $0.15, 116pp, Pulp, magazine), pp. 84-89. Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: Morey
  • Worlds of Tomorrow: Science-Fiction With a Difference, (1953, ed. August Derleth, publ. Pellegrini & Cudahy, $3.95, 351pp, hc, anth) Cover: Ronald Clyne
  • Worlds of Tomorrow, (1955, ed. August Derleth, publ. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 9/6, 224pp, hc, anth)
  • Worlds of Tomorrow, (Oct 1958, ed. August Derleth, publ. Berkley, #G-163, $0.35, 172pp, pb, anth) Cover: Richard Powers
  • Worlds of Tomorrow, (1963, ed. August Derleth, publ. Four Square Books, #794, 2/6, 160pp, pb, anth)
  • Exploring Other Worlds, (1963, ed. Sam Moskowitz, publ. Collier Books, #as551, $0.95, 256pp, pb, anth)
  • Exploring Other Worlds, (1967, ed. Sam Moskowitz, publ. Collier Books, #02311, $0.95, 256pp, pb, anth) Cover: Don Ivan Punchatz
  • Worlds of Tomorrow, (Jul 1967, ed. August Derleth, publ. Four Square Books, #1922, 3/6, 160pp, pb, anth)
  • Exploring Other Worlds, (1969, ed. Sam Moskowitz, publ. Collier Books, #02311, $0.95, 256pp, pb, anth) Cover: Don Ivan Punchatz
  • Ghosts, Castles, and Victims: Studies in Gothic Horror, (Aug 1974, ed. Jack C. Wolf, Barbara H. Wolf, publ. Fawcett Crest, #Q1997, $1.50, 576pp, pb, anth)
  • Space Stories, (Sep 1996, ed. Mike Ashley, publ. Robinson Children’s Books, 1-85487-451-9, £4.99, xii+402pp, tp, anth)
  • The Random House Book of Science Fiction Stories, (Jun 1997, ed. Mike Ashley, publ. Random House, 0-679-88527-7, $9.99, xii+402pp, tp, anth) Cover: Neal McPheeters
  • Bruce Coville’s Strange Worlds, (Feb 2000, ed. Bruce Coville, publ. Avon Camelot, 0-380-80256-2, $4.99, 196pp, tp, anth) Cover: Ernie Colon

Book review:

  • Gammell, Leon L., The Annotated Guide to Startling Stories, Starmont House, 1986, p. 56. “A good one about aliens who discover the lost planet of Earth, guarded by its dead.”

ebook: http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1946q1-00084
ebook: https://archive.org/details/StartlingStoriesV13N031946Spring

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OPUS#207 Forgotten World

OPUS: #207
Title: Forgotten World
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1946
Type: novelette
“Star-sick Laird Carlin is ordered back to Earth for a rest cure – and there on the ancient, ancestral planet, his love for a girl lures him into the toils of a weird conspiracy!”
Publications:

  • Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 28, no. 1, Winter 1946, (Feb 1946, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Standard Magazines, Inc., $0.15, 116pp, Pulp, magazine) Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: THM
  • The Giant Anthology of Science Fiction, (1954, ed. Leo Margulies, Oscar J. Friend, publ. Merlin Press, $3.95, 580pp, hc, anth)
  • Fantastic Story Magazine, Vol. 7, no. 3, Fall 1954, (Oct 1954, ed. Samuel Mines, publ. Best Books, Inc., $0.25, 132pp, Pulp, magazine) Cover: Jack Coggins
  • Race to the Stars, (Oct 1958, ed. Leo Margulies, Oscar J. Friend, publ. Crest Books / Fawcett Publications, #s245, $0.35, 224pp, pb, anth) Cover: Stanley Meltzoff

ebook: https://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v28n01_1946-01-Winter/page/n11/mode/2up?view=theater

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OPUS#206 Outlaw World [CF#19]

OPUS: #206
Title: Outlaw World
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1946
Type: novella
Series: Captain Future
Series Number: 19
“On the trail of malevolent space pirates, Curt Newton and the Futuremen combat the evil machinations of the Uranian Ru Ghur, who plans the total destruction of the Universe!”

Publications:

  • Startling Stories, Vol. 13, no. 1, Winter 1946, (Jan 1946, ed. Sam Merwin, Jr., publ. Better Publications, Inc.; Chicago, $0.15, 100pp, Pulp, magazine) Cover: Earle Bergey; Illust: Orban
  • Startling Stories (Canada), Vol. 13, no. 1, Winter 1946
  • Startling Stories (Canada), No. 1, June 1949
  • Outlaw World, (1969, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Popular Library, #60-2376, $0.60, 126pp, pb) Cover: Frank Frazetta

Reviews:

  • Gammell, Leon L., The Annotated Guide to Startling Stories, Starmont House, 1986, p. 19. “Edmond Hamilton’s last Captain Future novel, though he wrote several excellent novelettes on the subject for Startling Stories a few years later. This one is a prettyfair entry in the series, concerning the Futuremen’s search for the location of the secret outlaw world whose unscrupulous overlord is plotting a monumental crime coup with the aid of the radium he has been stealing all over the Solar System. Reprinted in 1969 in paperback by Popular Library. “