Interplanetary Hunter

Gerry Carlyle #1

by Arthur K. Barnes

Hunting the nightmare creatures of the solar system...

Genres: Science Fiction

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Minifig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandonado, motivos:

Se trata de un libro de 1956 y ha envejecido horrorosamente mal. Es una serie de relatos autoconclusivos (o eso creo, no lo he terminado) que dibujan un arco argumental común y que tienen lugar cada uno en un planeta distinto del Sistema Solar, siendo la aventura en cada planeta la caza de un peligroso animal.

Los protagonistas son Gerry Carlyle, la reina de los cazadores, una mujer dura y aguerrida, y Tommy Srtike, a quien ésta conoce durante una cacería en Venus. Este es el único relato que he terminado, así que no sé si Gerry y Tommy son pareja, pero supongo que sí, porque la aventura de Venus termina con un beso.

Bien, el libro es horrible: aventuras aburridas y previsibles, peligros obvios y jerga pseudotecnológica para justificar todo tipo de deus ex machina.

Pero lo peor del relato es el tremendo machismo que rezuma: Gerry Carlyle es, por supuesto, una joven esbelta y tremendamente hermosa. Su dura fachada es resultado de desenvolverse en un mundo de hombres, por lo que debe comportarse tan dura y valientemente como ellos, dejando de lado su sensibilidad femenina.

No poder dar libertad a su naturaleza femenina la haría objeto de lastima si llegara a saberse, pero ella esconde su verdadera naturaleza por lo que, obviamente, su rudeza e independencia la hacen irritante y odiosa. Por suerte para ella, ahí está Tommy Strike para salvarla cuando se encuentra en un apuro que ella no puede resolver, y ganarse el beso final…

… y aquí lo he dejado.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a nice undercurrent of humor in these tales, and a strong attempt to keep up with the latest in late-1930s science...I fear I was expecting more from Gerry Carlyle, though. She often takes a backseat in her own adventures to the utterly uninteresting he-man Tommy Strike, who turns out to be her love interest for reasons that pass understanding. The big problem, though, from a 2020 perspective, is Gerry's occupation: bringing back live specimens of interplanetary monsters for the London Zoo. She and her fearless but faceless crew figure out lots of ingenious ways to knock out and kidnap dangerous beasties on Venus and elsewhere...and in the 1930s it was cutting-edge humanitarianism to "bring'em back alive" rather than "shoot'em dead and stuff'em," but our interpid, never-say-die heroine is nevertheless dashing off to exotic worlds to invade habitats. This is apparently the late 20th or early 21st century, and in addition to space travel throughout the solar system, there's mass media of some kind...but Gerry isn't rocketing around to film nature documentaries that could be seen by billions...she's stealing living beings from their native biomes to stuff them in some simulacrum on Earth, to be stared at by tourists. It's just hard to cheer her on, gutsy and determined though she is.

[Jonathan Lidbeck]

"Tommy Strike stepped out from under the needle-spray antiseptic shower that was the Earthman's chief defense against the myriad malignant bacterial infections swarming the hothouse that is Venus."

With that shotgun-blast of an opening sentence, the interplanetary man of action springs into his first adventure: capturing a Venusian primate for a tough Earth woman client. Can Strike protect his crew from a man-eating dinosaur, a tribe of fish-faced primitives, a giant ball of protoplasm, and more sinister creatures deep in the marshy forests of Venus? Can he save the day with only his wits, his cathode bolt gun, and his tobacco pipe? Can he change the tough, proactive, independent hunter Gerry Carlyle into a soft, quivering, docile and affectionate girl... with a single musky kiss? All these are answered, and just in the first chapter.

Further chapters undoubtedly offer more explosive adventures on other worlds, but this reader found himself not quite man enough to venture deeper into space with Tommy Strike.

[Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a collection of short stories abou Gerry Carlyle, the best live-catch hunter in the solar system. These stories were wrtten in the 1950's, and it shows. The stories weren't bad, but the science, the social values, the style... It was a different time. They're sexist and somewhat anti-sexist, all at the same time. I'm glad I read the book, but I doubt I'll ever read it again.

There was one really interesting thing though. I have a strong suspiciion that "The Energy Eaters" story was the inspiration for the "Trouble with Tribbles" episode of the original Star Trek.

[Tom Britz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a series of stories written between 1937 and the late '40's about a female "hunter" that brings back live animals from around the solar system. Yes, most of the planets have life. These stories are a bit dated, but still fun. There is humor and adventure and good ol' space opera goodness. This volume holds 5 of the 7 total stories about Gerry Carlyle and her intrepid band of adventurers. Nary a bit of high literary value in the bunch, just some good fun.

[Tom Fury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much a great 50s Sci-Fi movie in literary format. Hunting expeditions to the planets of our solar system, in order to gain specimens for an interplanetary zoo. The author has designed cool alien monsters for a variety of conditions on different planets and even a rogue comet. There is also futuristic technology (from a 50s standpoint) such as a self-lighting cigarette. Just a really fun read.

[Velvetink]

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