Galactic Alarm

Perry Rhodan - English #3

by Kurt Mahr, W.W. Shols, Wendayne Ackerman (translator)

Second printing. Through hypno schooling, Perry Rhodan has learned the scientific knowledge of the star-roving Arkonides. Now his task is to construct a huge starship to open communication between Earth and the rest of the Galaxy, particularly the Arkonide Empire. ~ ~ But the nations of Earth are still living in fear. They have destroyed the remains of the lone Arkonide ship on the Moon, setting off an alarm to summon retaliation from the war bases of the Empire! ~ ~ There are actually TWO novels in this volume, as was the norm for the first few releases. The second gives us great detail as to the formation of the Mutant Corps.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera

187 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1961

About the author

Kurt Mahr was the pen name of Klaus Mahn (Klaus Otto Mahn), a German science fiction writer famous for his contributions to the Perry Rhodan franchise.

He was known among the writing staff as 'The Physicist', due to his original profession, which also allowed him to give a greater degree of scientific accuracy to his literary work.

He was killed in an accident in Florida in 1993, aged 59.

Reviews

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely Thora is looking forward to a Robot fleet approaching to kill off the people on Earth. They had destroyed her ship on Moon, remember. She does have a soft spot in her heart because she is willing to save Perry and Reg. Very nice. Turns out, instead of an Arkonide armada the SOS only attracted an alien race called Fanfan (or something like this). And they get just destroyed. End of story. Written by Kurt Mahr.
4/10

The second part, written by W.W. Shols, is a much better read. It tells the story of Homer G. Adams, the financial genius. (For some funny reason there are a lot of ordinary gangsters on board. So maybe that is what the dear writers of the stupid film were inspired off.) And of the Mutant Corps that Rhodan manages to get into his service. How does he do it? Well, by kidnapping them. But, I am happy to report, Rhodan is not all bad, because the first thing he tells them, that being imprisoned in the middle of the desert Gobi will produce them no costs. They are even promised to be able to return after a week. By then they all love him, of course. Speaking of love PR, sort of, admitted his love for Thora. And she is getting jealous of Anne Sloane.

Fun fact: The translator, Wendayne Ackerman, avoided mentioning dates. I can understand, it would seem strange telling people that the first landing on the moon occurred in 1971 when Armstrong just landed there last year. But here she did allow a reference to the year 1957. That was when Adams went to prison for fourteen years. So people could have calculated that we are in 1971 at the time of the action. But who cares?
7/10

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

From what I can gather from this book, third in the series, the hero is a fellow named Perry Rhodan who has learned all sorts of useful information through hypnosis in alien machines. The book almost reads like a bad knockoff of the Skylark books, as Perry Rhodan is your typical superhuman fellow with, we’re told, a magnetic personality and keen intelligence.

However, Rhodan, at least in this book, strikes me as a highly amoral and opportunistic individual. He has none of the likability that characterizes Richard Seaton, and certainly none of his ethics. At one point in the book, Rhodan needs money. So he has an employee of his break the Prime Directive by giving advanced alien technology to a couple of companies in exchange for their stock, and then engineer a stock market crash that results in Rhodan’s group, the Third Power (equivalent with America and Russia), having control of a bunch of companies and a ton of money. I just don’t see Seaton ever doing something like that. And the underhanded tactics that Rhodan’s employee uses to get control of those companies (by getting more than fifty percent of the stock) engender nothing but laughter from Rhodan and his men, and no pity for the men who have been swindled.

Another example of Rhodan’s cavalier attitude toward those who don’t have his mental abilities occurs when he orders his employees to round up as many mutants as they can and impress them into his service. The mutants are literally kidnapped from their homes and dropped in the Gobi Desert for “training” at the headquarters of the Third Power. Rhodan tells them they’ll have the option to leave after one week of training, and we are led to believe that the reason none of them take that option is that they just love Rhodan so much that they want to work for him. Stockholm Syndrome, anyone?

I just couldn’t connect with Rhodan at any point. I felt him to be a highly unsympathetic figure with a callous disdain for “the little people”, even including his supposed love interest. Frankly, I don’t care if the invasion (the reason for the “galactic alarm”) kills him in subsequent books.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often when I read stuff, I feel like the details that get taken for granted and things I want to read about... this book was a bit of a 'be careful what you wish for'.

The first story 'Galactic Alarm' seems like someone said 'hey, where are the aliens'.. Perry and Reggie get another round of 'hypnotraining', which Thora doesn't approve of, so now they know everything the Arkonides know.

Thora sets off an alarm that goes through 'Hyperspace' while Perry and company try to salvage some stuff from the bombed out wreck of the Arkonides ship. Never mind that they told us it was totally destroyed last time. Thora decides to continue to be a spoil sport and sets off a distress call, so aliens are going to come running.

Apparently, instead of talking to said aliens, it's decided they just have to be obliterated, which happens with a minimum of fuss. Not surprisingly, the world powers are happy about this, so they all declare Perry Rhodan a hero and accept 'the Third Power' as a legitimate country (of 4 people and two aliens).

Apparently, besides liking mutants, German writers also subscribe to the Marvel method of 'scientist' means you're good at everything... Dr Haggard (who is a doctor specializing in Leukemia) can also run an alien sensor suite (why he, who they practically kidnapped, and not the guy that was actually on the Stardust's crew was doing this is hard to say).

The mutants we saw last time are also now on Perry side's, without alot of explanation as to why.

In the 2nd story 'Mutant Corps', we get the story of the guy that The 3rd Power hires to make them money, a recently released stock market criminal that crashes the market on purpose to make billions so they can buy the Gobi desert area from the Asiatic alliance. We then go back to some of the mutants from 2 stories ago, and how they get recruited.

There's also another alien that Allan Merchant finds (the world spymaster who has been secretly on Perry's side), they fight him by using Nightcra-- I mean, Tako (the teleporter) to pop into the ship with TNT and popping out.

After causing all the trouble, Thora starts heading towards the obvious, and being the alien princess love interest, but otherwise there's very, very little character development.. each character is more a set of skills than a person. Not sure that ever changes, based on some stuff I've read on the internet. We'll see.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average SiFi adventure series. Recommended

[Daniel G Keohane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been reading the old sci-fi serial series from the 60's Perry Rhodan this year (originally in German, these are the paperback translations published here in the early 70's). A lot of story setup and character introductions in this volume. Reading these more for nostalgia, as I'd pick up a volume here and there as a teen and could never quite follow what the heck was going on. So I'm starting at the beginning in my middle age to see what I missed. Story is obviously very dated, having been written fifty years ago, and that's the way to read these, remembering what the world & society & technology was in its time, to appreciate some aspects. But this particular one was a little slower moving than the previous two.

[Philipp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back when I was growing up in Germany, I once found a huge box in my parents' attic. That box contained a selection of Perry Rhodan paperbacks (mostly novellas) my father bought when he was younger; I devoured that box, and it sparked so much.

The Rhodan books and magazines started in 1961, when my father was 10 years old. He used to say he'd get 50 Pfennig as pocket money which was enough for an ice cream and the new Perry Rhodan magazine (you have to pronounce it like a German). Rhodan is still the longest-running and most succesful SF series: the one billionth Rhodan sale happened in 1986, the year I was born. It's still going on, once rebooted in 2011. The magazines have not survived, but we still have that box of novellas somewhere.

Finding this paperback in Perth triggered all that nostalgia: an English translation of two novellas (Atom-Alarm, Das Mutanten-Korps) into one novel. These novellas are all connected into one overarching story, but even if you don't have #1 and #2 like me you can still guess what's going on. Both came out originally in 1961, so there's a good chance my father bought the German originals.

But there's only so much nostalgia I can stomach, I got somewhere into the middle of 'Das Mutanten-Korps', the second chapter, when I just had to give up. Everything that impressed me as a child annoys me now. Rhodan is an impossible figure, succeeding at every task, dominating every opponent with an arrogant surety. That kind of superhuman has fallen out of favor: think Captain Kirk with super-mind-powers, surrounded by people with convenient superpowers. Nothing is ever truly at stake, in fact, the novel doesn't even try to pretend there's anything at stake. Rhodan wants to unite the world by identifying external enemies and showing them to the world: like Watchmen's Ozymandias, but without the ironic break.

Rhodan will always win and we know that; but we don't really know what's going on inside him. At some point he confesses his love to his female opponent, just completely out of the blue. There's no motivation for that one.

It's not even fun to read! Things just happen, and Rhodan wins.

[Michael Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galactic Alarm. Rhodan and some others go to the Moon to see what they can salvage from the severely damaged Arkonide ship. While they are doing so, the treacherous Thora activates an SOS which will send five powerful alien robot ships to Earth within weeks, bent on destroying earth in revenge for the attack. The countries of Earth are forced to ally themselves with previous enemy Rhodan to try and destroy them though they have no time to construct super weapons capable of such a mission.

The Mutant Corps. The financial situation of Rhodan’s group is sorted out and with money, work is started on his new base. Mutants are found among Earth’s people and are brought in to fight for the cause. They are attacked by the alien M.S (Mind Snatchers) and successfully repel them.

[Boots LookingLand · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book had some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments (unintentional on the author's part i think). the best one of all was when almost completely out of the blue Perry Rhodan declares his love for Thora and condescends to maybe marrying her. and she, commander of the Arkon armies, faints like a school girl. jeezus.

the rest of it was more mutants, more ridiculous politicking from a bunch of cartoon power players, and some confusing and nonsensical logic with regard to an imminent attack on Earth by other aliens who never really quite materialize in any interesting way.

[Philip Athans · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the first rays of the rising sun were reflected by the mirrorlike surface of the Goshun Salt Lake in the Gobi Desert, no one could have known what tremendous events the young day held in store for all mankind.

Thankfully, authors Mahr and Shols must have realized things in the series were progressing far too slowly, because they really kicked it into high gear with this one.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be an interesting read, but I'm hoping the later books go off planet some more

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Com este livro entramos finalmente em modo space opera com toque guerra fria. Encalhados na Terra, os arcónidas Khrest e Thora têm de se habituar a uma co-dependência de uma espécie que vêem como inferior. Se Khrest tem esperança no futuro humano, para Thora a convivência com a humanidade é fortemente perturbadora. Mas a determinação de um Rhodan cuja mente foi amplificada pelas máquinas de aprendizagem arcónidas e a confissão da sua paixão pela bela e imperiosa alienígena deixam-na desconcertada. Entretanto, a humanidade enfrenta uma ameaça cósmica. Um sinal automatizado de socorro dos destroços da nave arcónida destruída na lua pode vir a trazer uma frota de naves robóticas que não hesitarão em destruir o planeta com retaliação. Torna-se urgente construir uma nave espacial com a mistura de tecnologia e para isso Rhodan convence o todo-poderoso Mercant, chefe da espionagem ocidental, que a ameaça é real e que os governos da Terra se devem unir para tentar lutar contra a ameaça galáctica. O livro arrasta-se num tom apocalíptico, com Rhodan a criar documentos que possibilitem à humanidade recuperar em caso de destruição total. Felizmente, a ameaça das naves robóticas não se concretiza e Rhodan, aos comandos da primeira nave espacial armada terrestre, tem de enfrentar uma nave de uma civilização com tecnologia inferior que tomou conta da base robótica arcónida. A batalha espacial revela a perícia em combate de Rhodan que, vitorioso, afasta por agora a ameaça que paira sobre a terra.

[Éric Kasprak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je continu mon périple avec la troisième aventure de Perry Rhodan, la plus longue série de science-fiction au monde étant toujours active. La série est vraiment sous forme de feuilleton qui d'épisode en épisode avec une écriture simple et des personnages au personnalités bien définie nous offre une intrigue en continu dont le développement est facile à suivre mais, somme toute, très bien détaillé. Dans ce troisième livre Perry Rhodan construit les bases financière et militaire de sa "troisième force" et repoussent de nouveau envahisseurs extra-terrestre. Les auteurs nous préparent littéralement pour un bond galactique avec La Milice des mutants et j'ai bien hâte de lire les prochains épisodes. C'est donc avec beaucoup d'entrain que je continu à combler mon retard de 60 ans dans l'aventure Perry Rhodan.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've learned that these books are divided into two halves because each half was originally released as its own book. So this #3 book is actually books 5 and 6, written by two different authors. The first half is about learning that Thora has sent a distress signal and that some aliens have answered that signal. Perry and crew destroy the first ship but they know there's more to come. Also, because of this threat, Earth finally unites and quits trying to destroy Perry and crew. The second half first deals with a bunch of stock trading. And then kidnapping mutants who. after a week of training, decide they don't mind being kidnapped and want to stay with Perry and crew. Oh, and different aliens come: the mind snatchers!

[C. John Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well we are introduced to two alien adversaries for Perry Rhodan and Earth. One, the Fantan seem to have been dealt with summarily. However the second race, known as the Mind Snatchers or MS, are a different kettle of fish. Although the first encounter ends in a victory for humanity we are left with the distinct impression that we are not done with them yet. This is competent Sci-Fi. The authors are unfamiliar to North American audiences but one is given to understand their names are well-known within the SF community in Germany. If you are a fan of the space opera genre of SF then this may be a series, however dated, that you would enjoy.

[David Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant - took a different direction to the previous 2 instalments, one i was neither expecting nor at first was comfortable with, as the story unfolds it all comes together perfectly. Now i see influences in some of todays cinematic offerings or at least i think i do.

Eager as always with the Perry Rhodan series to get onto the next instalment as i usually genre hop with books but finding more and more i'm always pining to get back to Rhodan when reading the in between books.

[Neil Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the first three, in my opinion, but it moves the story along. Being a shallow person I'm waiting for less of the earth politics and more space action - I think it's heading that way :)

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Biggest SF series of all time - the opening few books are a bit dated now and the writing style is very old school - the English translations only go up to 110 or so ..,,

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than the first two. Really starts the ball rolling for the future books.

[Dale Rosso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good entry in the series.