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2.0 out of 5 stars
North Pole Hijinks,
By
This review is from: Fallen Star (Paperback)
The International Geophysical Year was a comprehensive series of global activities and coordinated observations of various geophysical phenomena that span the period July 1957-December 1958. The IGY forms the backdrop for this novel by Hugo Award winning author James Blish.
Science writer Julian Cole is invited to accompany a private expedition to the North Pole. He is hired to write a general audience science book detailing the expeditions accomplishments in supporting of the IGY. He has second thoughts after meeting the flamboyant expedition leader, the self styled Commodore Farnsworth, who has his own agenda once they reach the Pole. Most of the story concerns the adventures and mishaps encountered traveling from New Jersey to the North Pole. Julian must contend with his own misgivings and those of his fellow expedition members who include an alcoholic astronomer, the Commodore's randy wife and a creepy guy who go around in the artic in shorts and sleeps with the sled dogs. Only during the last 20 pages or so is the "science fiction" aspect of the story revealed. It seems that the Commodore is convinced that core samples from the artic ocean bottom mud will prove that there was once a planet between Mars and Jupiter. He expects to find meteorite fragments with tell tail signatures of a planetary origin. One such sample is dredged up and the creepy dog handler reveals he is a Martian and must prevent at all cost the Earth's scientist from finding out about Planet X. Frankly this is a very lame idea and once the big revelation is revealed the story just meanders and come to an unsatisfactory end. "Fallen Star", also published under the title "The Frozen Year" was first published in 1957. Not surprising the last published edition was the Avon paperback printed in 1983.
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