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Slave Planet
THE MASTERS
johnny dodd: he had everything a man could want on Fruyling's World - except freedom from the horror of being there.
dr. haenlingen: icy, reserved, the architect of the system that kept men on top and aliens enslaved.
norma: warm and human, she was Dodd's one hope for salvation.
THE SLAVES
cadnan: he did what he was told... until the Masters told him to die.
marvor: the first of his race to have an independent idea - an idea that was dangerous and deadly.
dara: green and reptilian, but beautiful enough to inspire Cadnan to the slave world's worst crime.
As the space fleets of an outraged Terran Confederation close in on the outlaw planet of Fruyling's World, the destinies of slave and master meet explosively, and from the shock of battle and its aftermath come an unexpected and awesome conclusion.
johnny dodd: he had everything a man could want on Fruyling's World - except freedom from the horror of being there.
dr. haenlingen: icy, reserved, the architect of the system that kept men on top and aliens enslaved.
norma: warm and human, she was Dodd's one hope for salvation.
THE SLAVES
cadnan: he did what he was told... until the Masters told him to die.
marvor: the first of his race to have an independent idea - an idea that was dangerous and deadly.
dara: green and reptilian, but beautiful enough to inspire Cadnan to the slave world's worst crime.
As the space fleets of an outraged Terran Confederation close in on the outlaw planet of Fruyling's World, the destinies of slave and master meet explosively, and from the shock of battle and its aftermath come an unexpected and awesome conclusion.
- GenresScience FictionAudiobook
142 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
1 person is currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Laurence M. Janifer
123 books7 followersLaurence M. Janifer (born Laurence M. Harris) was an American science fiction author, with a career spanning over 50 years.
Janifer was born in Brooklyn, New York with the surname of Harris, but in 1963 took the original surname of his Polish grandfather. Many of his early stories appeared under the "Larry M. Harris" byline.
Though his first published work was a short story in Cosmos magazine in 1953, his career as a writer can be said to have started in 1959 when he began writing for Astounding and Galaxy Science Fiction. He co-wrote the first novel in the "Psi-Power" series: Brain Twister, written with Randall Garrett under the joint pseudonym Mark Phillips. The novel was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960, and published in book form in 1962. Janifer's best known work is the "Survivor" series, comprising five novels and many short stories. The series follows the career of Gerald Knave as he visits (and survives to tell the tale of) planets on the outskirts of the civilized galaxy.
In addition to his career as a novelist and short story author, Janifer was an editor for Scott Meredith Literary Agency; editor/managing editor of various detective and science fiction publications; film reviewer for several magazines; and a talented pianist.
Laurence Mark Janifer's pseudonyms include: Alfred Blake, Andrew Blake, Larry M. Harris, Mark Phillips (with Randall Garrett), Barbara Wilson, Tom Beach, Robert J. Cassiday, Robert Cassiday, Lorens M. Dženifer, Renee St. Hahn, Laurance Janifer, Sir David Leeds, William Logan, Siral
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurenc...]
Janifer was born in Brooklyn, New York with the surname of Harris, but in 1963 took the original surname of his Polish grandfather. Many of his early stories appeared under the "Larry M. Harris" byline.
Though his first published work was a short story in Cosmos magazine in 1953, his career as a writer can be said to have started in 1959 when he began writing for Astounding and Galaxy Science Fiction. He co-wrote the first novel in the "Psi-Power" series: Brain Twister, written with Randall Garrett under the joint pseudonym Mark Phillips. The novel was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960, and published in book form in 1962. Janifer's best known work is the "Survivor" series, comprising five novels and many short stories. The series follows the career of Gerald Knave as he visits (and survives to tell the tale of) planets on the outskirts of the civilized galaxy.
In addition to his career as a novelist and short story author, Janifer was an editor for Scott Meredith Literary Agency; editor/managing editor of various detective and science fiction publications; film reviewer for several magazines; and a talented pianist.
Laurence Mark Janifer's pseudonyms include: Alfred Blake, Andrew Blake, Larry M. Harris, Mark Phillips (with Randall Garrett), Barbara Wilson, Tom Beach, Robert J. Cassiday, Robert Cassiday, Lorens M. Dženifer, Renee St. Hahn, Laurance Janifer, Sir David Leeds, William Logan, Siral
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurenc...]
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 16, 2025
This is a strange little novel that on the surface seems to be a pro-slavery, pro-colonialism treatise, though I believe maybe Janifer was trying to make a point via satire and parody. It's a thought-provoking story, but it's not too clear precisely where he wanted the readers' sympathies to lie. There are dinosaur-like aliens on Fruyling's World, see, and the Terran Confederation has come in to run things, and nothing works out too well for anyone... The best thing about it may be the Jack Gaughan cover.
September 20, 2023
What a strange little book! This is the 3rd by the author I've read (they were all in the big box of classic sci fi I got a couple years back), and while I think I like him, I can see why he's not popular or particularly remembered... none of the 3 books have more than a handful of ratings.
Like the others I've read, this one is very psychological, and definitely a bit satirical. While it's sci fi (the plot involves a distant planet with aliens that are kind of small dinosaurs they call 'Alberts' for some reason that I'm sure made sense to readers in 1963), you could easily substitute 'the Confederation' for England and the planet for any African country exploited by England and the story would not change.
The thing is.... Janifer seems to be making an argument FOR Slavery, as a cost effective replacement for expensive machinery. I assumed this would be very clearly tongue in cheek in the end...but it really wasn't which is a more than a bit disturbing. But it may just be the method of presentation.. both the 'masters' and the exploited alien slaves come out far worse for the experience in the end... I'm going to choose that as the main point and that the book is as a cautionary tale of exploitation and capitalism.
Gotta say, it definitely made me think, so it succeeded on that score.... great cover, too.
Like the others I've read, this one is very psychological, and definitely a bit satirical. While it's sci fi (the plot involves a distant planet with aliens that are kind of small dinosaurs they call 'Alberts' for some reason that I'm sure made sense to readers in 1963), you could easily substitute 'the Confederation' for England and the planet for any African country exploited by England and the story would not change.
The thing is.... Janifer seems to be making an argument FOR Slavery, as a cost effective replacement for expensive machinery. I assumed this would be very clearly tongue in cheek in the end...but it really wasn't which is a more than a bit disturbing. But it may just be the method of presentation.. both the 'masters' and the exploited alien slaves come out far worse for the experience in the end... I'm going to choose that as the main point and that the book is as a cautionary tale of exploitation and capitalism.
Gotta say, it definitely made me think, so it succeeded on that score.... great cover, too.
June 19, 2017
Oh wow is this book bad. Not just, like, bad in writing - it has long passages of characters wracking their emotions with wrack and little detail on anything else - no, it's a PRO-SLAVERY book. It argues that slavery is good because it saves taxpayer money? Somehow? And, like, freeing the slaves will make them all miserable because they won't know how to live.
Seriously. This one slave dies b/c she doesn't recognize a poisonous plant on her own planet. Supposedly the alien slaves just never learned anything outside of slave school? And there were no free aliens to teach her? And, wait... doesn't that mean her death is a direct result of humans taking away her cultural knowledge?
The aliens have one eye and speak simplistically and resemble alligators - and the author screws up at least once and says 'she turned her eyes' -- and have some taboo about not having sex with someone from the same birth-tree? It's not clear why but there's an incest thing I guess and the most in-depth passage in the book describes how the aliens mate by smearing their liquids together on a tree.
It's awful! I was hoping for sensationalism. The cover is fabulously shlocky 1960s science fiction with lizards and explosions. Alas! Do not read!
Seriously. This one slave dies b/c she doesn't recognize a poisonous plant on her own planet. Supposedly the alien slaves just never learned anything outside of slave school? And there were no free aliens to teach her? And, wait... doesn't that mean her death is a direct result of humans taking away her cultural knowledge?
The aliens have one eye and speak simplistically and resemble alligators - and the author screws up at least once and says 'she turned her eyes' -- and have some taboo about not having sex with someone from the same birth-tree? It's not clear why but there's an incest thing I guess and the most in-depth passage in the book describes how the aliens mate by smearing their liquids together on a tree.
It's awful! I was hoping for sensationalism. The cover is fabulously shlocky 1960s science fiction with lizards and explosions. Alas! Do not read!
April 4, 2022
La storia è una metafora di un’elaborazione filosofica sulla definizione di schiavitù, con tutte le conseguenze del caso. Chi ritiene che l’autore sia a favore della schiavitù, come leggo in molte recensioni, dovrebbe rileggere meglio e distinguere l’opinione dei personaggi da quella di chi li scrive.
Comunque, si tratta di un lavoro non particolarmente brillante per trama, sviluppo, dialoghi e linguaggio.
Comunque, si tratta di un lavoro non particolarmente brillante per trama, sviluppo, dialoghi e linguaggio.
August 11, 2017
If a slave doesn't realize he's a slave and actually prefers the lifestyle to his previous one, is it something that should be abolished? That is the pondering question that this story asks in a unique way. A thought-provoking piece, this definitely gives you a fresh idea to chew upon. This audiobook can be downloaded free from www.Archive.org.
August 28, 2023
Un libro dalla trama inizialmente molto promettente si rivela, invece, piuttosto banale. La forma e lo stile rendono la lettura poco piacevole per i miei gusti. Per i più fantasiosi offre molti spunti di ragionamento sul concetto di schiavitù anche se nel libro non esiste, purtroppo, un’elaborazione seria dell’argomento.
December 28, 2023
So bad. Starts weak, and gets worse. I could write a better story before I tuned 10 years old. Rot about slavery is harder for the SLAVERS. Dated in the least fun way. Alien race just insulting. No effort towards coherence. Among the worst I’ve ever read.
September 6, 2025
Bello,semplice.Tutto si crea e nulla si distrugge,ma se c’è di mezzo l’uomo tutto si confonde e si ripete
February 8, 2022
Il libro in sé mi è piaciuto, scorre bene ed è piacevole da leggere, ma sinceramente non riesco a capire se pone degli intriganti dilemmi sociologici o se cerca in un certo senso di giustificare la schiavitù.
December 7, 2016
Quod officia enim nulla incidunt quaerat ut laboriosam. Officiis sed sit iusto mollitia et enim delectus. Eos laudantium suscipit est dolor molestiae quis. Debitis minima molestiae.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews