El desafío del Capitán Futuro

Captain Future #3

by Edmond Hamilton, Javier Jiménez Barco (Traductor), R.Z. Gallum

En su tercera novela, que ofrecemos en formato facsímil, tal como apareció hace ochenta años en su revista pulp original, el Capitán Futuro se enfrenta al Destructor: un antecedente literario del popular Darth Vader, cuyo diseño se basó claramente en este clásico villano de los pulp, al igual que muchos detalles de la saga de Star Wars, y para muestra otro botón, pues en la presente novela, los lectores españoles podrán leer de dónde sacó Lucas la idea para hacer que un robot con una clara vis cómica cayera entre unos homínidos primitivos que lo adoran como a un Dios. Pero, coincidencias u homenajes aparte, Curt Newton se enfrenta ahora a uno de sus enemigos más astutos y despiadados, y el único hasta el momento que ha tenido los arrestos para atacar al Capitán Futuro en su propia base lunar, justo al comienzo de la novela. Y no solo eso, sino que el misterioso Destructor amenaza con colapasar por completo el sistema solar. ¡De modo que el Capitán Futuro aceptará su desafío!

Genres: Science Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Edmond Moore Hamilton was a popular author of science fiction stories and novels throughout the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania. Something of a child prodigy, he graduated high school and started college (Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania) at the age of 14--but washed out at 17. He was the Golden Age writer who worked on Batman, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and many sci-fi books.

Reviews

[Tom Britz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love campy, old-time pulp goodness when it comes to SF. Some of the best is the Captain Future stories. Sure they aren't scientifically accurate according to today's best guesses, but these and stories like this is what gave SF it's beginnings. This is the era of slam bang action and the WOW factor. This is what drove me as a kid to SF and it has kept me avidly reading SF all these years. If you can read for the fun and allow yourself to merge into the story enough to let that WOW factor take you over, then you'll also love these tales as I do. I admit these are not for everyone and that is fine with me.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1940, this is the third Captain Future adventure. A master criminal is attempting to take control of the solar system, and Captain Future and The Futuremen (sounds like a band) are the only ones who can stop him. Curt, Grag the giant robot, Otho the synthetic android, and Simon the brain-in-a-box, get some help from their old pals Space Patrol Marshall Ezra Gurney and lovely agent Joan Randall (who must've been embarrassed to end up strapped to a rocket on the cover.) One of the favorite ploys of pulp villains comes into play, the machine that swaps minds between monsters and men, but everything shakes out all right in the end. For those who prefer their space opera in black and white.

[Lou E. Proll · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style and overall feel are really sweet and I loved the beginning of the book. It's great pulpy fun and it feels dated in the best possible way.
It stays consistent in this style but around the halfway point I was starting to get kinda bored as I didn't feel there was much substance to it. The concepts aren't explored in any meaningful way and the adventures - while charming and fun - lacked depth for me. The repetitive style and overexplanation of basically all more complex ideas made me quicken my pace a lot, which I usually don't like to do as I usually take my time to process and think more about what I've just read.

Still very charming, a glimpse into another time, and many of my problems can easily be explained or excused just by the age of these books. For the experience of reading the first third or so it was already worth my time!

[KDS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just pure, straightforward pulp fun. Think Doc Savage in space, fighting criminals, rescuing dames and visiting exotic alien worlds. As long as you don't take it seriously with illusions of using any actual science, then this is another great piece of escapism.

This time Captain Future visits Neptune to foil an attempt to shut down the Solar System's portable gravity generators - fighting big monsters, navigating a giant whirlpool, mind swapping with criminals and meeting an alien race. Marvellous!

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gravium (an element that restores balance thus allowing for interplanetary travel) mines on different planets being destroyed and Future & the Futuremen try to stop it. This involves the Sea-Men of Neptune switching bodies so they can travel on land! Third in the series.

[David Critchfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

No doubt, fifty years ago, the intended audience was teenage boys. And I was one then when I read it, but today I wanted to read it again as I very-lightly begin to thin down the book collection. As I thought; this one has to go.

[Robbie Sheerin]

Well what can I say. Classic sci-fi. Love it!!

[Rubén Lorenzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empecé esta tercera entrega del Capitán Futuro pensando que podía ser la última que leyese, ya que tras repetir una fórmula la serie perdería gas. Sin embargo, pese a que la fórmula sigue ahí, el libro se me ha pasado volando.

Creo que este es el mejor de los tres primeros números, con un argumento centrado en la acción y un misterio sencillo pero algo más elaborado. Al final, descubrir quién de los sospechosos es el malo malísimo es lo de menos, lo importante son la serie de coloristas peligros y la forma de superarlos.

Por ponerle un pero, el final me ha parecido un poco abrupto, como si a Hamilton se le acabase el espacio. Desde luego, no es una saga memorable, pero sí divertida. Recomendada para seguidores de la Space Opera escapista.

[Joaquin del Villar · Rating 3 out of 5]

En esta ocasión el Capitán Futuro se enfrenta al Destructor, un villano vestido de negro con una multitud variopinta de seguidores. El Destructor destruye sistemáticamente todas las minas de Gravio, el mineral del que depende todo el sistema solar. El enfrentamiento se sitúa en Neptuno, donde dentro de sus océanos hay tres grandes minas de Gravio. A lo largo de esta historia seguimos al Capitán Futuro y sus Hombres del Futuro, lo de hombres, realmente es un eufemismo, ya que ninguno es realmente h0mbre. A destacar la escena en la que el gigantesco robot Grag y su mascota lunar Eek son adorados por los habitantes de los asteroides.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pulp era SiFi hero, Captain Future is a more scientific version of Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. He and his band of Futuremen are special criminal investigators for the Earth government and are similar to Doc Savage and his band of helpers. Great reads, recommended

[Marko]

I have the german edition: Die Gravium-Sabotage