Captain Future and the Space Emperor by Edmond Hamilton — Sci-Fi Book Review

 

Art by Earle K.Bergey 

There is something special about sci-fi golden age pulp. Captain Future and the Space Emperor is a great example of these types of stories. It has a near-perfect hero, delightful side characters and a dastardly villain. Has this aged well? Not in the slightest. Is it a blast? One-hundred percent.

The plot itself was very creative: there is a plague that is "de-evolving" people and turning them into apes. Captain Future is assigned by Earth's president to travel to Jupiter and save the day. It's pretty straightforward, but there is a fun (albeit predictable) who-done-it that kept me turning the pages to find out who the Space Emperor was.

The character were pretty fun too. Everyone had a distinct personality, and each were pretty memorable. I especially liked the dynamic between the android and robot, Otho and Grag. The protagonist himself is about as predictable as they come for this era, but I personally think there is something about idealistic, overtly/unrealistically good characters.

For a story of this era, the prose actually isn't too bad! Not that it's anything to write home about, but usually stories of this sub-genre didn't even try. It's a little stiff here and there, but that's to be expected with a story like this.

I am a sucker for pre-space age science fiction, so I am definitely biased here, but I really love visions of the future and our solar system of this era of the genre. In this story, Hamilton lets his imagination run wild. It takes place on the surface of Jupiter where there are green aliens with webbed feet, jungles, and fascinating fauna. I miss the sense of wonder that pre-space age science fiction held.

If you're an old soul who likes imaginative science fiction and a fun adventure, I highly recommend joining Captain Future and friends on this adventure.

-H.