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A review by readwithkay
Planet of the Damned by Robbie Rogers, Harry Harrison, John Rose
1.0
This. Book. So absurd. To quickly sum it up, it is very much a male fantasy. As a pulpy sci fi book written in 1962, this is not that surprising. But a good 1962 pulp sci fi book will get you past that - this one, not so much.
A man wins an epic tournament on his planet, and then is approached about how he is the *only* person who can avert the destruction of another planet. This part is very unconvincing - he essentially just won the Olympics, has no diplomatic or military experience, and somehow is supposed to be the only one able to solve a diplomatic/military crisis because he's good at sports and stuff? What. He is whisked away to do that anyway, and sure enough saves not one but two! planets in the nick of time. The reader is sure to note that he's a well-rounded, virtuous hero-savior - he's strong *and* smart, and he doesn't like death but gosh he'll kill people if he has to. This has some truly groan-worthy lines and is very fun to make fun of. There's also a female character, who is a scientist that helps him save the planet, but mostly is a love interest. She is constantly in need of saving, he's constantly saving her, and she's described in such cringe-inducing ways as having 'yielding female flesh'. Oof. The whole thing is very over-dramatic, which is fairly entertaining if you're ready to turn off your brain and laugh at the absurdity of it all. This book does not benefit from close analysis, but the over-the-top-ness of the hero-man and the damsel in distress were entertaining in a so-bad-its-hilarious kind of way. I only recommend if you are ready to groan dramatically and laugh at this kind of nonsense.
This book reads like a much worse version of Dune - an inhospitable desert planet, people that live there that have adapted to it, a hero from another planet that saves the day. Dune, though, is much more worth reading than this one!
A man wins an epic tournament on his planet, and then is approached about how he is the *only* person who can avert the destruction of another planet. This part is very unconvincing - he essentially just won the Olympics, has no diplomatic or military experience, and somehow is supposed to be the only one able to solve a diplomatic/military crisis because he's good at sports and stuff? What. He is whisked away to do that anyway, and sure enough saves not one but two! planets in the nick of time. The reader is sure to note that he's a well-rounded, virtuous hero-savior - he's strong *and* smart, and he doesn't like death but gosh he'll kill people if he has to. This has some truly groan-worthy lines and is very fun to make fun of. There's also a female character, who is a scientist that helps him save the planet, but mostly is a love interest. She is constantly in need of saving, he's constantly saving her, and she's described in such cringe-inducing ways as having 'yielding female flesh'. Oof. The whole thing is very over-dramatic, which is fairly entertaining if you're ready to turn off your brain and laugh at the absurdity of it all. This book does not benefit from close analysis, but the over-the-top-ness of the hero-man and the damsel in distress were entertaining in a so-bad-its-hilarious kind of way. I only recommend if you are ready to groan dramatically and laugh at this kind of nonsense.
This book reads like a much worse version of Dune - an inhospitable desert planet, people that live there that have adapted to it, a hero from another planet that saves the day. Dune, though, is much more worth reading than this one!