Can You Identify That Book?
SFBC Member Karen Moss posted the following as a comment on an old post here, but I thought it might get some more eyeballs (and maybe some responses) if I turned it into a post of its own:
I have been a SF Book club members since the 1960's and have over 1100 books in my library. Years ago, I read a story which as I recall was of novella length. It was about colonists who were abandoned on a heavy gravity planet called Ragnarok. After many trials, they eventally returned to space as mercenaries who were superior fighters because they could handle High-G forces than anyone else when in combat. Would love to know the title and author if possible. I give you permission to publish this letter. Thanks, Karen Moss
What do you say, folks -- any ideas? (I'm pretty sure I haven't read this myself, but it sounds vaguely familiar.) If there are any other books anyone needs identifed, post them in comments as well...
Comments
I vaguely remember something. Does Starwolf ring a bell for anyone?
Posted by: Chris Gardner | October 30, 2006 04:17 PM
Sounds familiar to me, too, Google leads me to this review of 'Space Prison' by Tom Godwin:
http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.ASP?bookid=1810
The book I recall is a paperback from the 80s, but since all I can recall is cover art and a planet called 'Ragnarok'... 'Space Prison' is probably a liklier bet.
Posted by: Dunc | October 30, 2006 06:51 PM
Dunc is right. SCI FI Weekly reviewed Tom Godwin's "The Cold Equations & Other Stories" at--- http://www.scifi.com/sfw/books/sfw9908.html
---back in 2003. Here's the relevant paragraph-
"The novel comes first: titled The Survivors, it was also known as Space Prison and appeared first in 1958. A colony ship during time of war is overtaken by a cruel race called the Gerns. The assailants maroon 4,000 of the ship's complement on a fatally harsh world called Ragnarok, where all life forms are turned against the humans. Within a few years, only some threescore colonists are left. Yet that handful will form the nucleus of the Gerns' undoing, as they mutate and adapt to the harsh conditions, becoming warriors such as the universe has never before seen."
Posted by: Mark McSherry | October 30, 2006 08:38 PM
Gah. Folks are too quick on this. Beat me to it. I shall have to try harder next time.
Posted by: Josh | October 30, 2006 11:29 PM
That story is in a book called "The Cold Equations."
Posted by: Eben Waters | October 31, 2006 07:31 AM
This is a little late but Baen Books has the entire Tom Godwin short novel "The Survivors" freely available online at http://www.webscription.net/ps-76-51-the-cold-equations.aspx
Just click on the 'Sample Chapters' link. The five sample chapters are the complete novel.
Posted by: Mark McSherry | December 1, 2006 09:24 PM