It’s his unique voice, I think, and the poetry and humanity of his prose, mixed with all the marvelous ray-gun trappings of pulp science fiction, that makes him such a joy to read. When I think of tales of brave exploration and camaraderie in the face of the vast mystery and terror of deep space, I think of Eric Frank Russell. When I think of Golden Age robot stories, I think of Asimov when I think of military science fiction, I think Heinlein. For me, these tales represent something even more primal. Star Trek fans will certainly enjoy these proto- Trek stories and see how they influenced that seminal series two decades later. Captain McNulty leads his mixed crew of humans, jovial tentacled Martians, and one robot on voyages of discovery to far stars and strange alien planets. The stories follow the exploits of the rough-and-tumble crew of the solar freighter Upskadaska City, known more commonly as the Upsydaisy, who follow their Captain as he takes charge of one of the first faster-than-light starships, the Marathon.

In some ways the book is an early precursor to Star Trek. The Internet Speculative Fiction Database entry for Russell lists it as neither a collection nor a novel, creating a separate category for it. Wikipedia lists it as a novel, but it’s really not - it’s a collection of four linked stories, three published in Astounding during World War II, and one original. Men, Martians, and Machines is something of a problem child for catalogers. It made me realize that I’ve given precious little coverage to Eric Frank Russell over the years - really, a pretty serious oversight, considering what a fine writer he was. So I thought I’d remedy that here, starting with his 1955 volume Men, Martians, and Machines. Last Sunday, I posted the latest article in my Ace Double series, this time focusing on Sentinels of Space by Eric Frank Russell and Don Wollheim’s The Ultimate Invader.

Eric frank russell sinister barrier