Planet of the Gawfs

by Steve Vance

During the last decade of the 20th century, Earth was devastated by an unknown disease. The genetically affected survivors began to produce mutated offspring. Feared and hated, these children were deported to Thear, an earthlike planet in the star system of Capella. Earth's humans had been told that Thear was a paradise where the mutants lived out their lives in joy and plenty. But the inhabitants of Thear knew differently....and they were determined to get the word back to Earth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

173 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Credited as: Writer, Inker, Penciller mainly for DC Comics

list of work can be found here, in chronological order:
http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.ph...

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

July2013 Review: This has held up well as a fun read, although it is far from a perfect book. From a literary standpoint, it probably sucks & certainly isn't for everyone. Young men will probably like it the most since it is told in the first person by our hero who is in his late teens. He's arrogant, self absorbed, & generally an ass, but physically strong, forthright, & has a low sense of humor - not too bad for a teenager. All of these are overdone in a tongue-in-cheek manner & many guys will see themselves in him. I certainly do. Thankfully, I've matured a bit since then, but can still appreciate it.

The action is pretty much nonstop & there are more than a few points where acceptance rather than critical evaluation (just go with it) of the story are required. Still, it's a hell of a lot of fun. Fun characters, great settings, & an interesting premise. I've read it half a dozen times over the years. It only takes a couple of hours, so is a great comfort read. The writing is short, sweet, & to the point. If you're looking for escapist fantasy, this is it.

I've rarely seen this book anywhere. I managed to find a copy for my youngest boy who also loves it, but never found anything else by this author until I looked him up on GR this time. Seems as if he's written for comic books some & does have a few other novels out there, so he's not completely unknown. I've ordered several of his books, although none have great ratings. I'm not surprised & am hoping I find another that is as entertaining as this one.

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April2005 review: It's been too long since I read this, but it is an old favorite. It doesn't have much redeeming value beyond entertainment, but is a great adventure. The hero is very self-centered, but likable & the world is interesting as is the main issue. Must re-read soon.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was actually searching for books by Jack Vance, but Planet of the Gawfs by Steve Vance caught my eye instead. After a plague nearly wipes out humanity, the survivors’ mutated children are exiled to an Earth-like “paradise” world. From there it’s pretty much non-stop action. Not the most original premise, but the writing is solid and kept me hooked. Fast, pulpy fun.

[Scott Nieradka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now i had really low expectations for this book, as my cover did not look like the one pictured, but has the title in black all caps helvetica on a white background with 'Inflation fighter! 1.50 #1' across the top. Super dubious. But it really wasnt that bad. The plot was dumb, Plague kills most of earth, WHO creates a world dictatorship (yawn) mutants start being born (yawn) get shipped to alien planet, political coverup, group of mutants try to get back to kill the overlord of the WHO, blah, blah, blah. I feel like ive read this plot before. But what saves this book, is a glimmer of writting ability, while the characters are mostly just wearing funny (mutant) hats, there is some attempt at characterization, some good lines of dialog and description that make it all and all enjoyably bad. That and it feels like its a random 167 pages of a 400 page manuscript, which leaves it pleasantly disjointed.

[Caroline]

I loved this book. Sure, it's cheesy and problematic, but so is real life. This is the book that many years ago prodded me to start questioning social norms and another reread has confirmed its place in my bookshelf.

[Madi Yanelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The epitome of old sci-fi, this book is really all over the place, pulling in sci-fi references left and right that don't necessarily create a cohesive story. The language is extremely vulgar, and there are multiple erroneous rape scenes and references. While I understand why my dad finds so much comfort in the nostalgia of the story, it was a difficult read for modern eyes.

[Ray Adcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable short read. Genetically mutant people are sent to another planet to live out their lifes. The main charecter is self centred and arrogant. Definitly some problematic aspects in the book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book starts with an information-dump prologue. Summary: Shortly after the discovery of faster-than-light travel and a promising Earth-like planet, named Thear, a global plague wipes out 90% of humanity. Many of the survivor's children are mutants with a variety of physical deformities, and sometimes heightened abilities.

The World Health Organization has become a militarized, totalitarian organization. The head of WHO, a dictator-type figure named Kurtz, begins a eugenics campaign to rid the earth of mutant children and keep the remainder of humanity "pure" by exiling all the mutants to Thear. Thear is advertised as an Edenic world of cultivated farms where the mutants can build new lives.

The story is told fromthe point of view of Elias Harper, a 19-year-old mutant. After a lifetime of disguising his differences, he's caught by WHO agents and shipped off to Thear. The planet is actually an untamed jungle, and the primitive settlements of the mutant children are bombed if they get too large.

Eli hooks up with Holly, a blonde with green, rubbery skin, and they settle into a small village. Eli's particular mutations are advantageous in this environment. He's covered with black fur (he kept it shaved on Earth), has extra-long, sharp canines, superhuman strength and speed, and heightened senses. He makes a few friends, and also earns the enmity of a horned, red-headed, and super-strong Irish mutant named Finnegan.

Stereotypes abound in this tale about outcasts of society. In addition to Finnegan, there's Lewis Chang, described as "Half-Oriental, he was short, slender man, but one look told you he was made of steel, guts, and piano wires." He has bony spikes growing out of his back and "was a devout student of a group of fighting techniques once known as the 'martial arts'."

For some reason, the women never seem to be gifted with extraordinary strength, although that is a common mutation among the men. The most fierce is Ellen, who has cat-like claws and a short tail. Holly, the green girl, does not seem to have much function through most of the story except to be Eli's girlfriend and to carry another character, Linda, a tiny, pocket-sized woman. I kept expecting Linda's tiny size to be exploited in the plot somewhere, but it never happened.

The mutants are spurred into action when a WHO ship appears and a couple of prisoners are dropped on Thear, a politician and his daughter. They execute the father, but the daughter Shana escapes, or rather is captured by the mutant villagers. They are all forced to flee when the WHO troopers storm their village, and they hatch a plan to travel to the only spaceport on the planet, hijack a transport, and go back to Earth to get the message out about what Thear is really like. They think that with Shana's connections, they have a chance.

[David Overmyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I loved. What do you do when humans start to evolve, or de-evolve as the proper people in the storyline believe, into mutants? Why you ship them off to another world. What happens then? Who cares? Well, here you find out. And let's hope they don't find a way back, or so the general populace hopes.

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crappy Predator meets Crappy X-Men. Woo! With green-skinned love drama! OH YEAH.

I loved the edition, though. Nothing like a no-frills big black text on white background cover! Yeah!

[Vern Coonfare · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best science fiction books that I have ever read. I have read this book 4 or 5 times since I was a child, I would recommend it to anyone.