West of the Sun [Paperback]

Edgar Pangborn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2008

After eleven years in space, the Argo landed on the dangerous, unknown planet Lucifer. The crew faced an untamed world of huge, carnivorous birds with wolverine heads and flashing black teeth; furred, ten-foot-tall men; and red-skinned, man-eating pygmies.

They fought for mere survival. But their duty was to colonize and populate the planet . . . with four men and only two women!

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (October 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434478181
• ISBN-13: 978-1434478184
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,429,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First, but not the best, however..., January 14, 2002

By 

ecgordon at "templetongate" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: West of the Sun (Hardcover)

West of the Sun was Pangborn's first novel, published in 1953. While it is not his best (that would come with his second, the International Fantasy Award-winning A Mirror for Observers) it does end on such a poignant and hopeful note that the reader is left with many profound thoughts on which to ponder. The story revolves around six U. S. astronauts stranded on the far planet of Lucifer, and they must survive and cope with not only each other but also with that planet's two native sentient species. Many years later, when a rescue ship finally arrives, they decide to remain to continue developing their thriving society. This reissue is from Old Earth Books, and it is their intention to follow-up with all of Pangborn's titles in uniform editions. It is extremely encouraging that there is renewed interest in this excellent but sadly neglected writer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Novel of First Contact, January 14, 2002

By 

Michael Walsh (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: West of the Sun (Hardcover)

This is the first volume in the reprinting of ALL of Edgar Pangborn (includig such hard to find non-sf as "The Trial of Calista Blake" and the next to impossible to find "Wilderness of Spring") by Old Earth Books. Comes with great quotes from Harry Tutledove ("Edgar Pangborn was one of the really great ones."), Kim Stanley Robinson ("One of the greatest American science fiction writers.") and John Clute ("It takes us away to a better world, where it leaves us. Today, we need this.")

So, what is the novel about?

A spaceship crashes on a planet the crew names: Lucifer - Son of Morning. Full of hope and excitement, the six explorers encounter an alien world full of bat-winged monsters, painted witches, and armies of pygmy cannibals. But for each threat, objects of great beauty await them: blue fireflies, red-green forests, vast mountains and deep seas. With ever dwindling supplies, and a war in the making, these adventurers emabark on one of the most fascinating journeys of survival in science fiction . . . somewhere West of the Sun.