Alpha Centauri or Die!
 First edition | |
| Author | Leigh Brackett |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jack Gaughan |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
Publication date | 1963 (first book publication) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 121 |
| OCLC | 33273412 |
Alpha Centauri or Die! is a science fiction novel by American writer Leigh Brackett.
Publication
[edit]The novel is a fixup[1] of two earlier short stories, "The Ark of Mars" (first published in the September 1953 issue of Planet Stories) and "Teleportress of Alpha C" (first published in the Winter 1954-1955 Planet Stories). Its first book publication was as half of Ace Double F-187 with Legend of Lost Earth by G. McDonald Wallis.[2]
Summary
[edit]In Brackett's future Solar System, crewed interstellar flight is forbidden with only the government's robotic spaceships being permitted. Attempting to escape the regime, Kirby, a former starship pilot, and his wife Shari construct the "Ark of Mars", a refitted freighter named the Lucy B. Davenport and with their crew set out to a habitable planet around Alpha Centauri. They run through the government blockades and defeat a robotic pursuit ship in battle, before setting out on a five-year voyage to the new planet. However, after arriving, they begin to realize that they are not alone…
Influence and reception
[edit]Rich Horton's review was mixed. He felt that the novel didn't have "the frisson of Dunsany-esque fantastical imagery that so drives her best work," concluding that it was "[m]ediocre stuff, really, though Brackett is never unreadable, and I did enjoy the book."[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Liptak, Andrew (2013-08-05). "A.E. van Vogt and the Fix-Up Novel". Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "F-series Ace Doubles". University of North Carolina Wilmington. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ "Alpha Centauri or Die!, by Leigh Brackett". sff.net. Archived from the original on 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2013-06-14.