THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT PLANET
First Published on 22nd March 1961 - 157
pages
This
book starts with a short forward that discusses certain space related issues
and defines certain terms. The book then commences with Professor Lucius Brane bemoaning
the fact that, despite their extensive travels, they had yet to find an
uninhabited world comparable in every respect with the one on which they had
the good fortune to be born. Operating the signal lights to summon Vargo, the Professor also wants to find out more about the
extraordinary life span of the Dacoonians. Judkins gets the tea ready for Vargo's
arrival and Vargo arrives shortly afterwards. In the Tavona, Vargo, Gator, the
captain and Borron, the navigator, agree to ask to be
able to assist the Professor in a search for a planet that would be a suitable
alternative to Earth. They start by discussing the world, Zora Ten, a planet
that has shifted its orbit from the solar system Zora to the system Thenus and resolve to go there. Going firstly to Mars and
the City of Utopia, they are amazed by the amount of work that has been done.
Rex meets the dour Rolto again and then they continue
on to Mino where permission will be asked from the High Council to go on the
quest. The first planet they actually visit is known only as X 1001, a planet
infested with snakes. Investigating a cave, they find a stream containing small
inverted 'V' like shapes which acts likes a charged battery. Our heroes go on
to land on various unnamed planets. On one in the Third Region, they find
troglodytes and strange elephant like pachyderms. Often after landing, our
heroes are unable to get out because the atmospheric conditions are totally
unsuitable. On two occasions the shell of their ship is penetrated by pea sized
meteorites. The next planet they land on has spiders with bodies the size of
turtles and pig like creatures which have become inebriated after eating
fermenting plums. There are friendly giant human like inhabitants here, whose
staple item of food appears to be a giant form of celery. The Tavona speeds on, in the general direction of Zora
Ten. Landing on another unnamed world, apparently perfect, where the only form
of life is vegetable, our heroes all begin to laugh for no reason at all. Toby
realises just in time that they are being poisoned by Nitrous Oxide. Landing on
another planet, prehistoric creatures are found. Here a group of prehistoric
human-like creatures attack and kill a giant sloth. The next planet visited is Flentos, which means, in Minoan, 'the Place of the
Monkeys'. Here there are two species of creature, monkey and ape and our heroes
witness them fighting savagely. The apes win. Moving on, more curious
adventures occur, some trivial and some frightening, such as a planet where
spiders are the dominant life form. Approaching the constellation of Ledon, a system with five suns, they find a planet that
does not revolve. It is held in the gravitational grip of the suns. The side
which faces the suns is in perpetual daylight and is desert,
the other side is in perpetual night. Here the trees and animals are all white.
The Tavona at last arrives at Zora Ten. Here
they find a civilization destroyed by vast winds. Exploring, our heroes are
soon caught in a windstorm and they realise that they are on a world in
convulsions. Luckily, Gator and Borron have remained
with the Tavona and are able to rescue them.
Gator insists on returning home and the Professor doesn't protest. Gator says
that if ever the Earth needs to be evacuated the population could move to Mars,
which needs to be repopulated. The Tavona
turns for home.
Click
here to see the story illustrations from this book
Click here to see an original
advertising leaflet for the Science Fiction books
The Quest for the Perfect Planet
Subtitle - Doctor Lucius Brane believes the degree of
civilization on any planet depends on its age, so as some worlds are older than
Earth, somewhere there should be the Perfect Planet. With his usual companions
he sets out to find it.
Publication Details - published by Hodder and Stoughton
First Edition
Frontispiece
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Original First Edition Boards
“Children’s Book Club” edition reprint – click on the above
picture to find out more details