Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Great Secret

That is Fanner Marston’s mantra—his reason for being—and while he knows a little about the first and a lot about the second, he may well be on the verge of learning everything there is to know about the third.  Power.  He may, in fact, be about to uncover the key to gaining absolute control over the entire universe.  The only problem is, Fanner is certifiably insane—a crazed Peter Lorre on a power trip….
His starship has crash-landed, and he’s the sole survivor, which doesn’t matter to him.  Driven by greed and lust for power, wracked by thirst, hunger and pain, all he cares about is reaching the ancient city of Parva and making himself at home.  Because there lies The Great Secret to universal domination—and what’s a little suffering on the road to becoming God?
Does Fanner have a prayer?  The writing’s on the walls of Parva—and you won’t believe what it says. . .


The Great Secret (SF)
By L. Ron Hubbard
ISBN # 978-1592123711
Price $9.95
122 Pages
Rating 5-Stars

“Golden Age Science Fiction At Its Best.”

Actually, this book contains four stories: THE GREAT SECRET, which was originally published in SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, April 1943; SPACE CAN; THE BEAST, and THE SLAVER.

In THE GREAT SECRET Fanner Marston is the last survivor of a team searching for the mythical Parva, a lost civilization holding the secrets to the universe. Whoever can find those secrets will control the universe. Struggling through the desert half dead under two suns, Marston finds the lost city, only to learn the first secret to his grasp of power may also mean his death.

SPACE CAN, the Menace, is a US Destroyer category ship leading a convoy under the command of Lt. Carter. Two enemy ships attack, and the old space can must take them out in a space battle that will likely destroy his ship and men.

THE BEAST is a monster threatening the village Tohyvo on the planet Venus. The blue natives are in need of a great white hunter and the government sends Ginger Cranston, a man who has never failed. But the planet is known for its giant animal life, so what is the man-size beast that attacks Cranston and almost kills him? A man without fear now has fear, but he plans on tracking the monster and killing it. But is he ready for the revelation once he comes fact to face with the Beast?

The final story is THE SLAVER, and my favorite (though THE GREAT SECRET is a runner up). Voris Shapadin, captain of the slaver, is parked on Earth and his men are capturing slaves to be returned to his home planet, Lurga. They are attacked by a small, slender man, but quickly capture him. He is a high class, named Kree Lorin of Falcon Crest, a soldier and blue blood. Also held captain is the girl Kree was trying to win, Dana of Palmerton, a peasant girl. Chained and locked in cells, the ship departs Earth with their human cargo, but Kree is determined to free himself and Dana, while killing as many Lurga slavers as possible.

The four stories in this collection was a lot of fun, and though they could have been altered as adventure stories, and sea adventures instead of space opera, they worked well as SF. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW

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