I recently posted on Captain Future, the classic sf pulp hero and the new stories being written by Allen Steele.
After doing a revamped origin story, Avengers of the Moon, two more novels were intended. Now, thanks to the publisher behind the current Amazing Stories, we are getting these new stories as part of a new “magazine” Edmond Hamilton’s Captain Future. The second novel will be done as a series of four novellas, overall called The Return of Ul Quorn. The first part, “Captain Future in Love,” came out last year. Now the second one, “The Guns of Pluto” is out.
For those not aware, Captain Future was published by Ned Pine‘s Thrilling Pubications. Inspired by Doc Savage, Curtis Newton was raised on the Moon after the murder of his parents by criminals. He was raised by three beings: Dr. Simon Wright, who is now a brain encased in a enclosure after his body died; Otho, a synthetic being created by Newton’s parents; and Grag, an intelligent, self-aware robot. These three will be his “Futuremen.” Otho and Grag have their own bizarre alien pets: Oog and Eek. Together they operate as a special group of troubleshooters for the president of the Solar System.
Set five years after the events of Avengers of the Moon, The Return of Ul Quornis is about the Magician of Mars, who was thought to be dead. In the first part, “Captain Future in Love,” Curt and friends go after a terrorist attempt on Venus, and when he find that the female terrorist is an old flame, he recalls when they first met on Venus when he was a boy. At the same time, a mysterious figure calling himself the Black Pirate, hijacks a luxury spaceliner near Saturn.
In “The Guns of Pluto,” the Black Pirate and his men take the prison on Pluto. This causes Curtis and his friends to head there also, taking their prisoner with them. We learn who the Black Pirate is and a bit of what he wants. And this one leaves us with a cliffhanger as the Black Pirate, along with Captain Future, are hurtled to the Deneb star system.
Also included with “The Guns of Pluto” is one of the original Captain Future short stories. “The Harpers of Titan” appeared in Startling Stories (September 1950). This is the third of the short stories, so I’m not sure why they didn’t start with the first.
The next volume will be “1,500 Light Years From Home.” I’m not sure when, but look forward to it.
