West of the Sun

This is the first volume in the reprinting of ALL of Edgar Pangborn (includig such hard to find non-sf as "The Trial of Calista Blake" and the next to impossible to find "Wilderness of Spring") by Old Earth Books. Comes with great quotes from Harry Tutledove ("Edgar Pangborn was one of the really great ones."), Kim Stanley Robinson ("One of the greatest American science fiction writers.") and John Clute ("It takes us away to a better world, where it leaves us. Today, we need this.")So, what is the novel about?A spaceship crashes on a planet the crew names: Lucifer - Son of Morning. Full of hope and excitement, the six explorers encounter an alien world full of bat-winged monsters, painted witches, and armies of pygmy cannibals. But for each threat, objects of great beauty await them: blue fireflies, red-green forests, vast mountains and deep seas. With ever dwindling supplies, and a war in the making, these adventurers emabark on one of the most fascinating journeys of survival in science fiction . . . somewhere West of the Sun.

The reprinter of E E Smith's Lensman series - Old Earth Books - has begun reissuing all of Pangborn in classy carefully proofread editions. This is the first one in the program. The new edition has praise from Harry Turtledove, Kim Stanley Robinson, and John Clute. Well worth owning.

I first read this book at the age of 10 or so and loved it.The first human ship to explore another solar system crash lands on a planet which is home to two intelligent species. One species is gorilla-like---large, gentle, peace-loving. The other is a female-dominated race of warlike cannibalistic pygmies. A basic theme is that intelligent species should think alike and have similar emotional makeup. It explores the way individuals within species can be enemies and looks at the formation of inter-species alliances.Good character development. Some very heart-warming episodes. But the story follows very predictable lines.