A couple of years ago we got a series of new Captain Future stories from Allen Steele. A revamped version of the classic pulp hero, the sequence started with the novel Avengers on the Moon in 2017, the first of a planned trilogy.
At first, it didn’t seem we would get the rest, but a couple of years later we would get a sequence of four novellas to complete the story: “Captain Future in Love,” “The Guns of Pluto,” “1,500 Years from Home,” and “Horror at Jupiter.” The last one concluded the overall story, which seemed the end of any new stories.
But, thankful, that’s not the case. Again coming from the Experimenter Publishing Co., the publisher behind the current Amazing Stories, we get the first of a two-part story: Lost Apollo.
For those not aware, Captain Future was originally published by Ned Pine‘s Thrilling Publications and was created by Edmond Hamilton.
Inspired by Doc Savage, Curtis Newton (Captain Future) was raised on the Moon in the 2300s after the murder of his parents by criminals. He was raised by three beings: Dr. Simon Wright, whose brain was encased in an 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. They would be joined by Lt. Joan Randall, a member of the solar system’s Interplanetary Police Force (IPF). Since the events of the previous stories, Joan and Curt have married.
Set a few months after their recent adventure, it starts with a strange craft appearing in lunar orbit: the Apollo 20 craft. But like in our history, there was no Apollo 20 mission!
The Apollo program ended with Apollo 17. So not only is the craft from the distant past but from an alternate universe. One that is more different than just having further Apollo missions.
Investigating it, the Captain and his associates bring the three American astronauts back to their base. They soon discover evidence that this was no accident, but the transportation of this craft was deliberate.
To restore the Apollo 20 mission to the right time and universe, they will need to engage the help of mad scientist Tiko Thrinn, who was imprisoned after he helped Ul Quorn. After working on the problem, they outfit one of the Solar Guard crafts as an inter-universe craft. But what will they find?
The concluding story will be titled The Multiverse War. I have no idea when it will appear, but I can’t wait. And I don’t know if we’ll get more. I hope we will.
In addition to a nice overview of Captain Future, we get an interview with Edmund Hamilton and his wife Leigh Brackett from the ’70s. And the book has a nice cover by Mike Kaluta, and some nice illustrations.
