Rocket Summer Week 1 BLAST OFF!

Do you all remember that trio of men who took a round trip journey to Venus back in the early 1930s? Don’t you? I mean, it was all over the news at the time! Well, the "true," first-person memoir of that expedition can be found in the form of the Voyage of the Asteroid as told to Canadian science fiction author Laurence Manning. 

Originally published in the Summer 1932 issue of Wonder Stories Quarterly, this amusing diversion follows the adventures of two close friends, Messrs. Mason and Bigelow (our narrator) along with eccentric millionaire, Haworth, creator of the eponymous rocketship, the Asteroid. 

Originally occupying just 34 double column pages in the aforementioned issue of Wonder Stories Quarterly, the tale has been reprinted (sans the delightful illustrations by Frank R. Paul) by Armchair Fiction and can be found in D-125, one of their trade paperback size Science Fiction Doubles, backed with Revolt of the Outworlds by Milton Lesser. 

The story itself is a charmingly naive piece with loads of questionable science that would make Neil deGrasse Tyson plotz along with several described meals. These three astronauts frequently pause to drain pots of coffee, cups of lemon tea, plates of eggs and bacon, and several bottles of celebratory vino! 

Overall, it was a fun read, especially once the troupe arrives on the fog-laden surface of Venus where they come face-to-face with dinosaurs and diminutive lizard people! You will believe that a man can fly to Venus in three months time and then run screaming from a "Dinosaur tyrannus Rex!" 

A sequel to this story, the Wreck of the Asteroid, takes our heroes up to the Red Planet. It can also be found in a reprinted double from Armchair Fiction and I fully intend to get my mitts on a copy soon.

The Voyage of the Asteroid gets 🌕🌕🌗 out of 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕!

Up next, it's TWO tales for the second week of Rocket Summer beginning with the horrific sounding mad scientist story, the Liquid Man by Bernard C. Gilford, also lovingly reprinted by Armchair Fiction.

See you, Space Cowboy!