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The Star Hyacinths
The Star Hyacinths
On a bleak, distant unchartered world two ships lay wrecked and a lone man stared at a star hyacinth. Its brilliance burned into his retina ... and he knew that men could easily kill and kill for that one beauty alone.
Book Excerpt
the thing you started to pull from your pocket a moment ago ... Electric stunsap, eh? That wasn't very nice of you, Quist! Let's see what else--
"Good Lord, Egavine," he announced presently, "your boy's a regular armory! Two blasters, a pencil-beam, a knife, and the sap ... All right, Quist. Go over and sit down with the doctor." He watched the little man move dejectedly to the table, then fitted the assorted lethal devices carefully into one of his coat pockets, brought the pouch he had taken from Egavine out of the other pocket.
"Now, doctor," he said, "let's talk. I'm unhappy about this. I discovered you were carrying this thing around before we left Mezmiali, and I had a sample of its contents analyzed. I was told it's a hypnotic with an almost instantaneous effect both at skin contact and when inhaled. Care to comment?"
"I do indeed!" Egavine said frigidly. "I have no intention of denying that the instrument is a hypnotic spray. As you know, I dislike guns and similar weapons, and w
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A remarkably P.C. story for 1961. A space opera with half a dozen plots-within-plots and a competent woman space pilot. Okay, she's young and nubile instead of a leathery old codgette, but at least she's not the hero's blasted secretary.
She pilots a hired ship with a surly crew out looking for the title jewels--the most beautiful and rarest blah, blah, blah. The jewels are an afterthought, everyone is really concerned with screwing over everyone else.
Entertaining, with two or three good characters, and a half-dozen sci-fi stock characters.
She pilots a hired ship with a surly crew out looking for the title jewels--the most beautiful and rarest blah, blah, blah. The jewels are an afterthought, everyone is really concerned with screwing over everyone else.
Entertaining, with two or three good characters, and a half-dozen sci-fi stock characters.
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Treachery and schemes abound on a salvage operation to a remote planet, with a vast fortune in precious gems at stake. It's a good short space-opera, plenty of action, and interesting characters - not the least of whom is the versatile and indomitable Miss Mines, mission pilot.
03/17/2015
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