Amateurs In Alchemy

by Deegan Jon j

Paperback

Published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amateurs in Alchemy, first and only publication by Panther in 1952, is part of John J Deegan's "Old Growler" series, appearing across various pulp publications at the time. The overall premise - a space mission to save humans from alien attackers on a distant industrial world - is straightforward and familiar. Characters are somewhat forgettable and the powerful one eyed octopus aliens that hump along the ground to travel are cliche, but that's part of the charm. The female characters add little to the story, apart from an out of character event in which one turns into a sudden heroine by jumping to her death, meanwhile stabbing an alien in his eye with her heals. Deegan's writing is fairly solid for its time and although lumped very much in the pulp style, it is not a reason for turning off. I didn't love it enough hunt down more Deegan, but it didn't turn me off either - a decent read for a change of pace from a different era.