Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely great!, October 31, 2004
This exciting book is really two novellas published as one, fat paperback book! The first story is Four Day Planet, which is set in Piper's Terro-Human Future History. Fenris is an unusual world; one that's year is about the same as Earth's, but it only has four days per year! With blazing hot days and nights that are colder than cold, it is a world of tough individuals who don't like being cheated. Well, they are being cheated, and as Walter Boyd, star reported for the Port Sandor Times, watches, the whole world prepares to go up in flames.
The second story stands alone, which is to say that is it is not in Piper's Terro-Human Future History or Paratime milieus. New Texas was founded when the whole ornery state of Texas built themselves spaceships and headed out to the new frontier - space. But now, these rugged and independent New Texans are the target of an expansive race of extraterrestrials, and it's up to the Solar League's ambassador to guide them back into Earth's embrace. Well, mister, it's going to take one tough and wily ambassador to steer the New Texans - but is Stephen Silk that tough and that wily?
These two stories are absolutely great! H. Beam Piper (1904-64) is one of the little recognized greats of science fiction. He was an expert at creating fascinating worlds that were both fantastic and yet utterly believable, and these stories show his writing ability off to great effect. If you like good sci-fi, then you will like this book. If you are a fan of H. Beam Piper, then it is a must-have!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Three Star Planets, January 27, 2008
I am an unabashed admirer of the late Molly Ivins. I like her wit, I like her wisdom, and I like the fact that she takes aim at targets who deserve to be flayed. Some of my favorite columns from her books are those that expose the antics of Texas politicians and bidnissmen (no, that is not a misspelling). Like Ivins, I am more than a little concerned that a Texas mentality and morality seems to have spread across the nation. And yet, if you look closely at Ivins, you can also see a genuine love of her home state woven into her work. There were times when she worked out of state, even--gasp!-- in New York City. But she was always a Texan at heart. There is this same mixture of satire and delight in _Lone Star Planet_ (1958), though perhaps it is fair to say that the delight is stronger than the satire.
_Lone Star Planet_ by H. Beam Piper and John J. MacGuire first appeared as "A Planet for Texans" in _Fantastic Universe_ in 1957. It was published by Ace the following year under that title. Now here it is under a new title. It is an early effort for both authors, and while it is not really bad, it is decidedly minor. It is accompanied by _Four-Day Planet_ (1961), an early solo novel by Piper told in much the same vein as the other novel-- a light, humorous space opera. We quickly learn who the heroes and the villains are, and we quickly learn at least some of the nefarious deeds of the villains. It is fairly predictable afterwards.
The settings of both novels are mildly interesting. _Lone Star Planet_ takes place mostly on New Texas, a planet that has created customs based on a romanticised picture of the old west. At one point, a band is playing a piece of western music that was actually written in twentieth century Manhatten. The prime export is beef that comes from boxcar-sized cattle. The Alamo has been transplanted, stone by stone, onto the planet from Earth. (This must have seemed a bit fantastic in 1957, but less so today when we consider the fate of London Bridge.) Yet little action in the novel seems to really take place in wide open spaces. There is, to be sure, a New Texas Barbeque; but we really see little of it. Most of the story takes place in offices, spaceships, aircars, and a courtroom. It seems a bit odd.
Much of the action in _Four-Day Planet_ also takes place in interior settings, but there is a logical reason for it. The planet in this story has 2,000 hour days and an 8,000 hour year with days and nights that are extremely hot or cold. The dramatic scenes are either in meeting halls in the city or in ships at sea, which must confront deadly sea monsters.
Summing it up, we have two novels passably well written, but both a bit on the silly side. Neither one is any kind of milestone in science fiction. Of the two, I found, somewhat to my surprise, that I preferred _Lone Star Planet_. It is a bit more fun, a bit more entertaining.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lone Star Planet is Piper's gift for Texas, April 15, 2004
If you are from Texas or just plain old love Texas, then "Lone Star Planet" is required reading for you !!!
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