Free ebook: The Planet Strappers, by Raymond Z. Gallun

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, April 11, 2008 12:34 PM | permalink

According to Wikipedia, Raymond Zinke Gallun (rhymes with "balloon") "was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. He lived a drifter's existence, working a multitude of jobs around the world in the years leading up to World War II." At least a few people have said that The Planet Strappers is an underrated science fiction novel.

The Planet Strappers started out as The Bunch, a group of student-astronauts in the back room of a store in Jarviston, Minnesota. They wanted off Earth, and they begged, borrowed and built what they needed to make it. They got what they wanted--a start on the road to the stars--but no one brought up on Earth could have imagined what was waiting for them Out There!

Link to free ebook

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Discussion

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#1 posted by FredKiesche , April 11, 2008 1:30 PM

(Tried posting a comment once before, but that wacky error message stopped me.)

This is one of my favorite SF novels and when I learned that it was out of copyright and available for "Gutenbergization", I sacrificed a paperback and scanned it.

The version at Manybooks is taken from the PG proofing site, so there still might be errors in the text. It should go up at PG soon.

My thanks to my friend Winchell Chung for doing a nice scan of the classic cover art as well.

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#2 posted by Stefan Jones

, April 11, 2008 2:20 PM

Gallun was invited to I-Con, a campus-based SF convention, each year from the early 1980s until his death. A reserved but funny guy. It was fun watching younger pros meet him. ("Holy crap . . . Raymond Z. Gallun!?!?! And you're still writing?")

Gallun's style is dated, but he had some amazingly brilliant ideas. One of his shorts, "The Seeds of Dusk," is wonderfully creepy and sad. It's about a dying far-future Earth that is invaded by spore-born creatures from an even worse-off Mars. A semi-intelligent crow tries to warn humanity's degenerate decedents.

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#3 posted by johnny_action , April 11, 2008 4:38 PM

I just finished reading this book and it was awesome. It evolved pretty well, always had a realistic like feel to what could happen and was not predictable.

Heck, I started this right after I got home and I haven't even had dinner yet. I love a good story and this is one. I really like the literary universe this is set in. I think parts of it has good potential for short films and great tv series material.

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#4 posted by Takuan , April 11, 2008 4:50 PM

Ok,if I read this, it's not going to be an S&M novel, right?

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#5 posted by Bonnie

, April 11, 2008 7:47 PM

At first glance I thought the title of the book was "Plant Strippers."

Cory, can that be your next book?

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#6 posted by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

, April 11, 2008 8:46 PM

Never mind "balloon," how are we supposed to pronounce "Zinke?"

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#7 posted by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

, April 11, 2008 8:55 PM

I liked this book well enough, but it was an all-time favorite George M. Ewing, the science fiction writer.

George is mad for do-it-yourself technology, and the spacegoing kids in the novel are just like George's gang of soldering-gun delinquents back in the Upper Peninsula in the 1960s.