This week, I’ll be reading the reverse side of Ace Double serial number D-291 which I began last Sunday with Lest We Forget Thee, Earth by Calvin M. Knox (here). Today it’s the turn of Raymond Z. Gallun to provide the story which is described on the front cover by the Detroit Times as “packed with action”. Here’s the blurb from the inside page;
Scientific experiments on the moon and an accidental lunar explosion that seared the earth triggers another tale from the imaginative pen of Raymond Z. Gallun.
The secret of life and the retiring to the living of victims of the holocaust initiate a conflict for Ed Dukas, Gallun’s scientific pioneer of the future. Restoring persons through scientific methods, personality records and the memories of near kin, leaves one fatal flaw. They lack one indefinable quality – a divine spark, perhaps a soul.
Gallon depicts a struggle between the restored people and the natural living. Life on the asteroids, thought machines, a journey to Mars and a star ship expedition to Sirius are woven into the plot.
People Minus X is packed with action, science-fiction style.
Sounds rather intriguing doesn’t it? The Emsh cover is yet another brilliant example of this great artist’s talent. It depicts a trio of falling people who are clad in what look like bandages and are tethered together as they plummet. The background image is that of a human face rendered in an impressionistic style.
Time to read now and discover the outcome of this struggle between the living and the previously dead. I’ll be back in week’s time with yet more Ace Double action so be sure to join me then. Your thoughts and comments are as always, warmly appreciated.
People Minus X by Raymond Z. Gallun
(Serial Number D-291)
This version was published in 1958 by Ace Books
The cover artist is Ed Emshwiller
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Hi
A great double, Lest We Forget Thee, Earth was a nice page turner with lots of action and a number of twists that I quite enjoyed. People Minus X I had read and enjoyed but I gave it a reread because I do like Gallun. It was as enjoyable as I remembered. So many SF tropes. The out of control science, the catastrophic accident, the alien among us the, the robot revolt, the shrinking of the heroes, giving a nod to the Diamond Lens, Colossus, or the Girl in the Golden Atom, and ending with the beginning of a Stapledon like romp cross the universe. Wow all in 160 pages. And thanks for the link on Jeff Jacks I found I had his cover art for one of my favourites, Brain Wave and I have ordered a couple of the Kuttners. I am looking forward to the next ACE Double.
Happy Reading
Guy
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Always a pleasure to hear your thoughts on my choice of Ace Double Guy and glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I certainly thought People Minus X packed an awful lot of plot into its brief length, I’ll be keeping an eye open for more by Gallun in the future. I’m pleased to hear that you found the Jacks link helpful, he doesn’t appear to have been very prolific but think his work is up there amongst the greats in my humble opinion. Great news about the Kuttners too, they’re great books in stunning covers so well worth having in your collection. See you on Sunday for more Ace action my friend, all the best.
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I really love this cover. I feel like the falling people are floating, and will land safely on the surface of a world, in a landscape with no sign of the “face”, which can only be seen from far above.
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Thanks for your comment Lin, great to hear that you enjoyed this cover. More to come next weekend so I hope to see you then, all the best x
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