The Deathworms of Kratos (The Expendables, No. 1)

The Deathworms of Kratos: The Expendables No.1 (1975) by Edmund Cooper writing as Richard Avery - 191 pages - rating: 8.0/10 Don't let the silly title fool you. The Deathworms of Kratos was great. A team of 7 men and women with varied notorious backgrounds and skills travel 17 light years to the first potentially habitable planet discovered by earthbound astronomers. It is classic pulp science fiction at its best. Characters that you will enjoy and a writing style that will draw you in despite its straightforward delivery. Books like this are the reason I started reading science fiction in the first place. If you enjoy classic, old style Science Fiction by authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Edmund Hamilton, Poul Anderson, Barrington J. Bayley, EE Smith, Jack Williamson and Murray Leinster then you will love The Deathworms of Kratos. ps. The copy I read had the exact same cover art as the picture shown above. Claus Kellermann 2006 March 28 [email protected]

Wow, where do I start? I have read this book during the last twenty-five years about ten times. I am well-versed in the world of science fiction and have extensive knowledge about stories and what makes them work. I also just finished re-reading the entire four book set of the Expendables, of which this is the first installment. The story is great, although it seems like it would be predictable. It is not, because of the writing style of Richard Avery a.k.a. Edmund Cooper and the rich charactization. If you can get a hold of these four books, I garantee you'll enjoy them. It is man's firt attempts at venturing out to settle a new planet. The Expendables, a group of misfits and criminals, are chosen to "prove" the planet for colonazation. The characters play against each other perfectly. The other books are titled THE RINGS OF TANTALUS, THE WAR GAMES OF ZELOS, & THE VENOM OF ARGUS. You must read them.