Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet
Encyclopedia
Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet is a Young adult fiction, science fiction
novel written by Harold L. Goodwin
under the pseudonym Blake Savage. The novel was originally published by Racine in hardcover in 1952 and reprinted in the United Kingdom later in the same year as Rip Foster Rides the Grey Planet (note the spelling of "gray/grey"). There were two subsequent American reprints under different titles: another hardcover edition as Assignment in Space with Rip Foster in 1958 and a paperback edition as Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet, in 1969. Under all titles combined, there were approximately 100,000 copies of the novel printed. The first edition was illustrated by E. Deane Cate and the 1958 edition by Denny McMains. Goodwin is better known for other children's books he wrote, including the Rick Brant
Science Adventure Series for Boys. According to Project Gutenberghttp://gutenberg.org, this novel is in the Public Domain
in the United States.
made of pure thorium
from the asteroid belt
and bringing it to Earth for use as fissionable material. In this he is opposed by agents of the "Consolidation of Planetary Governments", who also seek control and use of the asteroid.
s in Rip Foster are known as "Consops", agents of the "Consolidation of Planetary Governments" that the Space Force and Planeteers of the "Federation of Free Governments" oppose. It is easy to see that the nickname "Connies" is reference to "Commies", an abbreviation of "Communists", given that the book was written during the Cold War
and Korean War
. The story emphasizes adventure, comedy, and narrow escapes from destruction, but hints at a geo-political situation not unlike that of the early 1950s
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel written by Harold L. Goodwin
Harold L. Goodwin
Harold Leland Goodwin was an American writer.-Biography and writing career:Harold Leland Goodwin was a Government official and the author of forty-three books, including the Rick Brant Science-Adventure Series....
under the pseudonym Blake Savage. The novel was originally published by Racine in hardcover in 1952 and reprinted in the United Kingdom later in the same year as Rip Foster Rides the Grey Planet (note the spelling of "gray/grey"). There were two subsequent American reprints under different titles: another hardcover edition as Assignment in Space with Rip Foster in 1958 and a paperback edition as Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet, in 1969. Under all titles combined, there were approximately 100,000 copies of the novel printed. The first edition was illustrated by E. Deane Cate and the 1958 edition by Denny McMains. Goodwin is better known for other children's books he wrote, including the Rick Brant
Rick Brant
Rick Brant is the central character in a series of 24 adventure and mystery novels by John Blaine, a pseudonym for authors Harold L. Goodwin and Peter J. Harkins...
Science Adventure Series for Boys. According to Project Gutenberghttp://gutenberg.org, this novel is in the Public Domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in the United States.
Plot summary
Freshly graduated and commissioned Planeteer (the space-going equivalent of a Marine) Lt. Richard Ingalls Peter ("Rip") Foster, already contending with inter-service rivalry with the Space Force (equivalent to Navy) crewmen with whom he serves, is tasked with retrieving an asteroidAsteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
made of pure thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
from the asteroid belt
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
and bringing it to Earth for use as fissionable material. In this he is opposed by agents of the "Consolidation of Planetary Governments", who also seek control and use of the asteroid.
Political allegory
The villainVillain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s in Rip Foster are known as "Consops", agents of the "Consolidation of Planetary Governments" that the Space Force and Planeteers of the "Federation of Free Governments" oppose. It is easy to see that the nickname "Connies" is reference to "Commies", an abbreviation of "Communists", given that the book was written during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The story emphasizes adventure, comedy, and narrow escapes from destruction, but hints at a geo-political situation not unlike that of the early 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
.
List of editions
- Blake Savage. Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet, Racine, WisconsinRacine, WisconsinRacine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Whitman Publishing Company, 1952, 250p. - Blake Savage. Rip Foster Rides the Grey Planet, London, UK, Publicity Products Limited, 1952.
- Blake Savage. Assignment in Space with Rip Foster, Racine, Wisconsin, Whitman Publishing Company, 1958.
- Blake Savage. Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet, New York, Golden Press, 1969, 253p.