Four-Day Planet [Paperback]

H. Beam Piper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2006

Fenris isn't a hell planet, but it's nobody's bargain. With 2,000-hour days and an 8,000-hour year, it alternates blazing heat with killing cold. A planet like that tends to breed a special kind of person: tough enough to stay alive and smart enough to make the best of it. When that kind of person discovers he's being cheated of wealth he's risked his life for, that kind of planet is ripe for revolution.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

H. Beam Piper was one of science fiction's most enigmatic writers. In 1946 Piper appeared seemingly from out of nowhere, already at the top of his form. He published a number of memorable short stories and successfully made the turn to major novelist. Even those who counted Piper among their friends learned very little about the man (or his previous life as a railroad yard bull in Altoona, Pennsylvania) before he committed suicide in November 1964. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (October 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557429898
• ISBN-13: 978-1557429896
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,558,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cub reporter is witness to revolution, July 20, 2007

By 

David Johnson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four-Day Planet (Hardcover)

With the transition of much of H. Beam Piper's work into the public domain publishers like Wildside Press have finally begun to bring Piper's work back into print and for that fans of Piper owe them a debt of gratitude. This novel, set in Piper's Terrohuman Future History, takes place on Fenris, an unusual colony world that rotates only four times in its circuit of its sun. With each "day" lasting for an entire season Fenris suffers from harsh storms forcing settlement underground and underwater. The novel follows teenage newsman Walt Boyd as be becomes involved in the efforts of the local Monster Hunters--fishermen of a sort who make their living hunting Fenris' large sea creatures--to break free from the monopolist who controls the planetary market. In the course of his adventure Walt discovers a deeper plot that has interstellar dimensions. An exciting story for readers of all ages.

Also recommended from Piper's Terrohuman Future History are his novels Uller Uprising, Little Fuzzy, Junkyard Planet, and Space Viking, and the anthologies Federation and Empire edited by John F. Carr.

1.0 out of 5 stars Whale hunting on an alien world, January 16, 2011

By 

Paul Brooks (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four-Day Planet (Paperback)

H. (Henry) Beam Piper (1904-64) had published nine novels during his brief creative lifetime. Several of them are, even today, highly regarded and considered to be minor classics in the science-fiction field. In my opinion "Four Day Planet" is not one of them.

This book, published in 1961, was intended for the young-teen market and is plagued with stereotype characters and a wooden plot that limps along to a conclusion that has been telegraphed since the first chapter. The story of a fisherman's co-op plagued by dishonest leaders on an alien world is just plain dull. The fishermen hunt a whale like fish for a unique wax that is exported via the corrupt co-op. A fearless cub reporter equipped with a carbine and sleeping-gas cigarette lighter and a secret agent disguised as the town drunk bring the malcontents to justice and head off a civil war.

As a fan of Piper's books I plowed through this early work to satisfy my curiosity since it is such an obscure title. After it's initial 1961 printing in hard cover it was not republished as a paperback until 1979. Today the book is in the public domain and it can be downloaded to an e-reader for free.

I would definitely not recommend this title to new readers but suggest reading "Little Fuzzy" or "The Cosmic Computer".

3.0 out of 5 stars Great young adult book, August 6, 2009

By 

Bethany Stambaugh "Beth Stambaugh" (Laguna Niguel CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four-Day Planet (Kindle Edition)

I have to give Four Day Planet a lower rating as it leaves out the prelude of how Fenris came to be or anything about the future planet. The story as told through the eyes of a 17-year old "reporter" is sorely lacking. You never really get a true feel of Fenris. And, there is never any mention of women until the story is nearly 90% complete.

Not a good book for adults, but more for teenage sci-fi enthusiasts. Had I known that, I would not have read it at all.