Terror on Planet Ionus

by Allen A. Adler

Alternate title: Mach 1: A Story of Planet Ionus

Back Cover:
An indescribable horror is almost upon you earthlings. Your reason and caution will die with your bodies. Karkong exists!

Less than a minute later atomic torpedoman Jeb Curtis saw Karkong. The hideous planet-eater towered over thirty feet in height, clawing the lightning bolts around him. The monster's form was that of a human giant burned black by its own heat. The tendons of its powerful muscles ran like tree roots across its body, so that it looked like a huge, human-shaped pile of smoldering pitch. It writhed in a frenzy of uncontrolled fury. Karkong was starving. And this time it wanted to devour Earth itself!

This was the terror on the planet Ionus that Jeb Curtis had to kill-so Earth might survive!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Pulp

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terror on Planet Ionus is the only book by Allen Adler, who's best known for co-writing the story for Forbidden Planet (1956) with Irving Block. The novel is intelligently written, but presents nothing new, even for 1959. It seems like a new arrangement of various plot elements of different science fiction movies of the era. It primarily follows a Navy commander abducted by a UFO while testing a supersonic speedboat, the Mach-1. He and a civilian woman attached to the project are taken to the aliens' planet where they're shown a monster that's gradually destroying their world, and asked to represent the aliens to get help from Earth to fight the monster, which follows them back to Earth. Several elements of this first half of the novel reminded me of the 1955 film This Island Earth. The second half of the novel reads like a novelization of a Kaiju movie as the military chases the monster around North America. Other characters are well developed as well as the protagonist, and that kept me reading in spite of the tired plot.

[Matthew Smonskey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather fun old read. You definitely have dated material. There is an over reliance on describing in detail fantastical settings that are rather cliched now and the depiction of women characters isn't great by any means. The accompanying relationship is also bad times. This describes the first half of the book.

There are some much better elements in the second half. Certain characters go in slightly different directions than I anticipated. That was refreshing. The action and violence is rather shocking for the era, and the main antagonist is pretty awesome and unique.

Give it a shot if you like old science fiction.

[Tac Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5 stars rounded up because of some unique and interesting ideas. Adler was one of the screenwriters of the early Sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet. He co-wrote the original script but then it was reworked by another screenwriter. I feel like this book could have benefited from someone giving this book a once-over. Some really good ideas, not well executed. Plus you have the normal challenges of books from this time, with a serious lack of diversity and very misogynistic (even while somehow being almost self aware of the fact). The end really drags and I found myself skimming the last several chapters.

[Jolyne Kujoh · Rating 1 out of 5]

not only is it bad and sexist, but its so forgettable that I forgot to add it for like 4 days!!! and had to look at my bookshelf to remember the title

it's not worth your time

[Andy Oerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Would’ve been better if it was worse, if you know what I mean.

Reference The Flying Eyes by J. Hunter Holly

[Adam Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to reset my palate after Beyond Apollo, and it exceeded my expectations. Totally standard 50’s sci-fi that shares a lot of DNA with Blish’s better Vor, but objectively (casual misogyny notwithstanding) it’s not that far off.