Teaser

The Texans are a proudly independent people, especially when they have their own planet. But now the Solar League is determined to bring them into the fold. And with the alien z’Srauff plotting their own schemes, unity might be just what New Texas needs most . . .

Review

This review covers the second half of an H. Beam Piper omnibus, which I am reviewing as two separate books. You can find my review of the first book, Four-Day Planet, by clicking HERE. Though the omnibus is attributed to Piper alone, Lone Star Planet was cowritten by John J. McGuire.

Clocking in at a little over a hundred pages in length, Lone Star Planet is exactly the sort of story you’d expect to find bundled into the old Ace Doubles, which is where it first saw publication. In an era when science fiction’s worldbuilding largely consisted of transposing American ideals into space, Piper and McGuire go one step further, and literally create a planet for Texans. On Capella IV, aka New Texas, the locals wear chaps, denim, broad-brimmed hats, and won’t be caught dead without a trusty pistol at their side. Oh, and they also herd giant cow-like creatures for a living, whose beef is the talk of the galaxy. Even a Brit like myself can recognise the stereotypes at play here. A more rootin’, tootin’ and, yes, shootin’ planet you’re not likely to find. The locals have even taken the original Alamo apart brick by crick and rebuilt it on their new home. Once again, history buff Beam Piper is having a grand old time with his worldbuilding.

The major difference between New Texas and the Solar League, however, is a political one. For the Texans, assassination is a part of life. The idea of a world where assassinating a politician is legal is a new one to me, and one that Piper and McGuire play to maximum effect. Though the blurb talks a great deal about political wrangling, most of the story actually covers a murder trial. The purpose of such a trial on New Texas is not to establish the guilt of the accused, but rather to determine if the victim deserved it or not. It’s an idea that’s as unique as it is darkly comical. The comedy is delivered perfectly through the handouts that Ambassador Silk receives shortly before his posting to New Texas, which lists the various demises of his predecessors. I love a good in-universe document, and those at the start and end of this short novel are wonderful book ends to Silk’s time on New Texas.

Good as the idea is though, this book is really too short to take it anywhere meaningful. It’s a fun dalliance, but there’s not much substance to it. And with this being both an earlier Piper work and a collaboration, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the usual flow of Piper’s prose is not what it would later be. As an interesting side point, I did a quick bit of research on McGuire. This is one of only two novels to his name, with the other being a solo work that – strangely enough – is a sequel to A. E. van Vogt’s Null-A novels, entitled Null-ABC. Having recently read The World of Null-A, I can definitely see shades of his style in McGuire’s contributions here.

Short and fairly sweet, Lone Star Planet is far from Piper’s best work, but is has its moments, and doesn’t stick around long enough to lose its charm. Worth checking out if you find it bundled together with another book.

Book Stats

• Alternatively titled: A Planet for Texans
• First Published 1957
• This edition published by Ace
• 124 pages