The Girls from Planet 5

by Richard Wilson

When the beautiful invaders took over, only Texas fought back! A "different" science fiction novel by award-winning author Richard Wilson. Originally published in 1955, this is a science fiction romp that pokes fun at the B-Movie notion of beautiful alien invaders.

Richard Wilson (1920–1987) was a Nebula Award winning American science fiction writer and fan. He was a member of the Futurians (alongside such notables as Isaac Asimov, Donald A. Wollheim, and C.M. Kornbluth). His books included the novels The Girls from Planet 5 (1955); 30-Day Wonder (1960); and And Then the Town Took Off (1960); and the collections Those Idiots from Earth (1957) and Time Out for Tomorrow (1962). His short stories included "The Eight Billion" (nominated for a Nebula Award as Best Short Story in 1965); "Mother to the World" (nominated for the Hugo for Best Novelette in 1969 and winner of the Nebula in 1968); and "The Story Writer" (nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1979).

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Classics

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Richard Wilson (1920–1987) was a Nebula Award winning American science fiction writer and fan. He was a member of the Futurians, and was married at one time to Leslie Perri.

His books included the novels The Girls from Planet 5 (1955); 30-Day Wonder (1960); and And Then the Town Took Off (1960); and the collections Those Idiots from Earth (1957) and Time Out for Tomorrow (1962). His short stories included "The Eight Billion" (nominated for a Nebula Award as Best Short Story in 1965); "Mother to the World" (nominated for the Hugo for Best Novelette in 1969 and winner of the Nebula in 1968); and "The Story Writer" (nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1979).
(source: Wikipedia:)

Reviews

[blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a marvelous little time capsule of 1955 "war of the sexes" politics which is probably utterly inaccessible to someone who has absorbed the ethos of today. The premise is this: the increasing feminization of males (starting in the '50s, presumably) lead to a female President being elected in 1988. Madam President (a phrase which struck me as amusing to read in a 60 year old book) is so good and competent at her job, balancing the books and keeping things running smooth, that all the other branches of the government soon fall to female rule in D.C. and all the states.

Except Texas.

Heh. This is such a five-star premise, and so charmingly approached, I was won over quickly. A lot of the set-up is done for laughs, though made clear that there's a lot of hyperbole and misunderstanding going on, so that there's a pretty standard sci-fi story going on underneath.

I appreciated that. The temptation to run the whole thing as a goof must've been there, but it's actually a sincere story and kindly disposed in a way that a modern version wouldn't be.

The premise is not that the women aren't capable, but that they're too kindly disposed, really. And they've adopted all the worst characteristics of paternalism, such that men are completely condescended to and ignored in the 49 states. So, it's not at all that the author takes one side (say, the men's) over another.

This is all set-up though: The story in proper begins when the girls from Planet 5 arrive. Statuesque, scantily-clad, spear-wielding warriors who...well, apparently, mean no harm whatsoever. They just came by to visit the human race, which apparently they sprung from years ago, when a long forgotten race of man launched ships to the stars.

The rulers of Biddyland (as Texans call the 49 other states) are just fine with this explanation and welcome them with open arms. But when a scout ship crashes in Texas, where our hero has recently relocated (from New York, I think, when his girl was promoted to his boss), and he discovers a surviving Lyru (the name of the cute girls), who turns out to be under the control of some other unknown force.

So, we gots another sci-fi mystery on our hands, along with some monster battles, cavalry charges, and general derring-do. And the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is that the mystery wasn't very mysterious to me, and the ending was a wee bit too deus ex machina-ish for my taste.

I can't imagine it being a big thing today just because, as the book progresses, there are little vignettes of this couple where the man is slowly re-asserting his masculinity and—gasp—his wife kind of likes it. At least at first. He ends up going too far and taking advantage of her, which of course puts us in the situation that spurred the whole feminism thing in the first place.

And in the end they set aside their foibles because, well, they must if humans are to survive. It's a truism as old as mankind and then discarded by successful societies (because they can, for a while), which of course leads to their demise.

But it's so good-natured, if you're not a die-hard believer that modern wisdom is the only wisdom, you can have yourself some real fun.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both ahead of it's time and a product of it's own time. This book skirts misogynism with some ideas that probably seemed outlandish to some men in the 1950's. What makes this book so interesting is the amount of ideas that the author puts into it. It isn't just a story about a matriarchy that takes of the United States (if not the world, but the rest of the world is conveniently glossed over), it is also about an alien invasion from these advanced Amazon women who are, in turn, being controlled by these ugly old crones. Another crazy idea is that Texas has annexed itself from the rest of the US. And in Texas, all men dress like cowboys and trade in their cars for horses. Will we need a strong manly man to save the day? Can a woman really be an effective President? Don't really want to give the rest away.

[Scout Who · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly a fun read, but sexist and very dated. Some parts seem to poke fun at sexism, but more often casual sexism advances the plot.
In the end, a resounding misogynistic affirmation of dated gender roles, stereotypes, and male superiority complex.
Also a racist "joke" about lynching that would be in poor taste in any era.

One mistake I found very odd. Near the beginning of the book the visitors explain how they are related to the people of Earth, and add:

“You might say,” the answer came, “that we’re your celestial cousins. Of the vast number of planets that support life, only six that we know of—seven if you include the two-headed people of Gryno—have a dominant human society.

But at the end of the book, there are no other known inhabited planets:

“Aren’t there any other inhabited planets besides Earth and Planet Five?” “We can’t be certain,” Logar said, “but we know of no others.”

Seems odd to me that such a mistake slipped past the author and editor.

[Bryan House · Rating 2 out of 5]

What would it be like if a woman was president?
Caveat: the book was written in 1955

Good news the book doesn't take itself seriously -
Bad news the book isn't very good

I found some ideas to be hilarious
Ie) in Texas in order to register to vote you have to know how to rope and brand a steer
Texas is the only state not dominated by women and you trade in your car and become a masculine manly man cowboy

A strange and occasionally fun read that I recommending you skip

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had no idea what this book was about before I started it. I picked it up because it had a monochrome cover and was one of those old "science fiction book club" editions, which were sometimes unexpected gems.

This is not a gem. I had to push myself to finish it.

In the distant future of 1998, women control the world, and men are relagated to "home engineering" duties. This is generally seen as a good thing, because women are obviously driven by love and are good at organising things, but it does have its downsides, such as the US president having to run off to cry during meetings.

Every man in this book looks down on every woman. Every woman looks down on every man. The author clearly thinks they're being clever, and showing up a bunch of sexist stereotypes, but the result is exposing how pervasive they were. There is literally no paragraph I could pluck from anywhere in its pages that I could use to pretend this was acceptable satire.

Give it a miss. I wish I had.

[Robert Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girls from Planet 5 by Robert Wilson is a good read for only a dollar. If you are expecting writing on the level of Heinlein, Asimov or Bradbury you will be disappointed. If you want writing at their level, you are going to have to pay for it. The story is about David Hull who is a journalist living in Texas. Why Texas? Because it is the only state in the union not controlled by women. A spaceship lands in Washington DC and out step the Lyru; Amazonian women who are sexy and they wear miniskirts. One of the spaceships crashes in Texas and David captures a Lyru as a prisoner. David names the Lyru, Lori and he discovers that they are oppressed by old women known as the Crones. The Texas men are led by Buckskin who is a soldier. The story is about liberating the sexy Lyru from the Crones. The writing is ok, and the story moves quickly. It's not bad for a buck.

[Michael Havens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty Science Fiction spoof of the extremes between sexism, misogyny, and feminism.

[Mark Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much what you would expect from a Sci-Fi book with this title from 1955.

[Anton Ketričko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who reads books like this and gives it more than 2 stars?

[Dirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, but (old-fashioned) fun. They don't make them anymore like this -I'd even say: They won't make them anymore like this....

[Perry Whitford · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading a couple of large, dense books lately I fancied a guilty pleasure, so what better than a silly sounding story from the naive days of 1950s sci-fi?

As part of a large Science Fiction Book Club collection I have had this promising sounding title hanging around for some time, conjuring images of camp, day-glow drive-in grindhouse trash from a more innocent age.

In the year 1999 gender roles have been reversed in America, with women assuming leadership in business and government, while men receive subsidies to stay behind and take on the responsibility for "home engineering".

When reporter Dave Hull gets overlooked for a promotion and his girlfriend becomes his boss he decides enough is enough and resigns, heading out for the one state where the feminists of "Biddyland" have yet to take over, Texas.

Upon becoming a Texan citizen, Dave Hull has to give up his car for a "hoss", take lessons in the lasso and start referring to the rest of America as a bunch of no good "pantywaists"

Then wouldn't you know it, the world is visited by aliens who turn out to be a race of amazonian women dressed like intergalactic cheerleaders (yeah!), controlled by a Weird Sisters-style cabal of old crones.

Their motives seem ambiguous and Madame President seeks appeasement, but the men of the Lone Star state take matters into their own hands, infiltrating the invaders, saving the planet, and more importantly freeing all men from the shame of emasculation in the process!

So it's essentially cowboys versers amazons, with all the chauvinism, ridiculousness and chuckles that implies. A terribly dated but amusing piece of hokum, tongue-in-cheek enough to forgive the appalling gender politics.

Not really worth hunting out though. Spend a couple of hours watching some tacky old classic like Plan 9 from Outer Space instead.

[Bill FromPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson’s novel is set in 1999, when women run the US, except for Texas, where men remain men and the women either like it that way or have left the state. When visitors from Planet 5, System 7 arrive in Washington DC in the form of beautiful, scantily clad young women, it is only the men of Texas who are suspicious of their motives.

From the title and vintage of this novel, I was expecting a dated piece of sexism possibly enjoyable in a campy Cat Women of the Moon way, but the novel, while a light work, is more thoughtful than I expected, satiric, and laugh out loud funny in places. While the comedy is normative, tending to accept the idea that, after all, things are maybe a little bit better with the men nominally in charge of things, Wilson’s humor is more often at the expense of men than of women. The condescending attitude of the novel’s women authorities are obviously based on unenlightened contemporary male statements, simply with the genders reversed. The male elites of Texas are a caricature of the 1950s masculine ideal: they eschew cars in favor of horses and pride themselves on their skill with a lariat, which is used at one point to rope and subdue one of the beautiful warrior maidens from space. Another satirical target of lasting relevance is the hysteria generated by the media, as the visitors from space are successively adored and reviled depending on the latest discovery or speculation by the authorities.

If you enjoy comic SF of the 50s, such as that by Fredric Brown and Robert Sheckley, this book is probably worth reading.

[Sol González · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me decidí a meter este libro en el lector cuando leí las primeras líneas y me dí una idea del mismo.

Más que ciencia ficción lo relacioné rápidamente como un Pulp Fiction, éste del tipo en el que mezcla el feminismo de una forma casi cómica con un machismo inocentón.

La historia es bastante rara igualmente. Los primeros capítulos te dan un marco en donde la población de los Estados Unidos se ha convertido a un feminismo radical, en donde los jefes de estado todos son mujeres y los hombres han sido relegados casi al trabajo del hogar, y el gobierno ha terminado por darles una compensación por llevar a cabo dichas actividades.

Después de que nuestro protagonista se termina mudando a Texas huyendo de "gallinolandia", el marco se convierte en un tiempo mas o menos parecido al viejo oeste, en el que los hombres para permanecer siendo hombres adoptan las costumbres de su época dorada.

Una vez que te han establecido las reglas del juego, llegan las chicas del planeta 5, que no son otras que unas amazonas extraterrestres de las que nadie sabe cuáles son sus intenciones, hasta que inesperadamente el protagonista se encuentra con una de las naves espaciales en un aparatoso choque y termina raptando a una de las Lyru.

De ahí todo comienza a complicarse, entre extraterrestres, feministas y cowboys.

Un libro entretenido que me sacó risas de lo disparatado de la historia.

[Made DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Large spaceships from the Planet 5 have arrived on Earth. There are some who would welcome them, and others who are suspicious. America is split between a female-lead, pacifist Washington DC and a male-chauvinist, tobacco-chewing, crotch-scratching Free America (ie Texas). Each side thinks it's doing the right thing. Tempers flare and hijinx ensue when a journalist captures one of the super-strong beauties "manning" the ships.

An awesome classic sci-fi novel that will tickle the funny bone and give an interesting insight to what was "hot" in male-marketed science fiction at the time. A well-planned, fun novel with a great storyline, characters to care about, and a mystery as to just who THE GIRLS FROM PLANET 5 really are and what they want.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 2 out of 5]

La battaglia dei sessi in chiave fantascientifica, con gli Stati Uniti d'America che sono, al momento dell'invasione aliena, governati dalle donne, nei modi in cui interpreta un potere femminile un ego maschile cresciuto in Texas. E non a caso dallo stato del Texas vengono gli uomini che sconfiggeranno l'invasione, riportando il maschio al potere e le donne dietro ai fornelli.
Guarda caso dal Texas viene anche George W. Bush...
Il librino si legge in modo scorrevole, ma oltre che sessista è piuttosto banale.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's really a kind of humor/satire story. I read it when I was a kid, probably in hopes it would have sex in it. The cover had a scantily clad woman on it. But I don't actually remember anything about it much. I'll say it was OK but it obviously didn't make much of an impression on me.

[Juliana Rew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a kid and laughed my head off all the way. It was the perfect primer for Vonnegut.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea was far more interesting than the execution. It wasn't a bad book but it for sure is not one that I will be reading again.