Starfire

by Robert Buckner

The Air Force wanted Captain Rich Talbot in tip-top form for the big event - a trip to outer space in a satellite. — With luck, Talbut would be returned to Earth safely. But Talbot didn't feel lucky. And flying made him violently ill. Moreover, following the CO's orders was going to be hard. No, impossible. For a luscious redhead with a intriguing foreign accent had crossed his path. Strangely enough, she knew all about the hush-hush plans for the space flight. And she had a few startling plans of her own for the bewildered Captain Talbot.

139 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very curious little book which was originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in 1960. (The S.E.P. was a periodical your great-grandparents may have read; it was a very conservative magazine presenting what it perceived as middle-class WASP values with light humor that would offend much of the population today.) It's the story of the Air Force launching the first man into outer space, and the aid he gets from (of course) a beautiful humanoid female alien. The scientific aspects are terribly bad, even for the time; for example, you must wear a space helmet made of pure beryllium or the proton rays will rot your brain. Overall, it reminded me quite a bit of the tv series I Dream of Jeanie. It does have a kind of old-fashioned charm and humor if you don't take it too seriously, and the story is told in a brisk and breezy manner. (I have read that Disney filmed it as Moon Pilot starring Tom Tryon (known better to me as one of the best horror novelists ever), and that it was the first film in which Sally Fields ever appeared.)

[Scott Nieradka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hehehehehe... Okay, this little yarn was written between the launch of sputnik and Gagarin, and is the tale of the airforce's attempt to send a man into space (and around the moon) and an alien girl who really wants to give some helpful advice to the would be astronaut, but is mistaken for a Russian spy. Its charming.

There is a strange mix of surprisingly accurate science, and how things would happen, and absurdly bad science, (Helmets made of pure beryllium to protect against proton rays which make you krazy... Lets change the rocket two days before launch!) And a sort of ridiculous love story between the awkward alien and the unwilling astronaut, that volunteered by accident. Its amusing enough to make fun of for the hour or two it takes to read it, interesting as a cultural artifact of the period, and an oddly charming piece of crap in spite of it all. Which isn’t to say its good, but lets face it, if you looked at that cover and knew you had no choice but to pick it up, you are going to find it entertaining.

[Terry Mulcahy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny satire about the Cold War days, mixed in with the speculations about UFOs and aliens associated with that same time period. It actually took another eight years before the events of this book aligned with the actual trip. Throw in a reluctant astronaut, the FBI, Air Force Security, and a missing astronaut, and we have national hysteria, but the drama is not at all what it seems, and things go as planned, almost. It is a delightful story. But a damned short read.

[Nastia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun, fast-paced and kinda cute. For sure \you can not expect much from 60-s stories especially which is short and was serialized in magazine, it's just fine.
I , truth be told, wanted more of the adventures. especially with the way story ends, i really would like to learn more about his adventures in the space.

Best part of this book: edition of 60-s with amazing cover.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the basis for the Disney movie "Moon Pilot," and man is that a faithful adaptation. This was a fun, dopey book and a quick read.

[Fastidiously Facetious · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful novella puts a romantic spin on the space race. I expected a cornball pulpy science-fiction novel, but it was actually quite sweet.