The Cometeers
Dust-jacket from the first edition
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| Author | Jack Williamson |
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| Illustrator | Edd Cartier (frontispiece and endpapers) |
| Cover artist | Edd Cartier |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Legion of Space Series |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Fantasy Press |
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Publication date
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1950 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 259 pp |
| Preceded by | The Legion of Space |
| Followed by | The Queen of the Legion |
The Cometeers is a collection of two science fiction novels by the American writer Jack Williamson. It was first published by Fantasy Press in 1950 in an edition of 3,162 copies. The novels were originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1936 and 1939, and later released as individual paperbacks by Pyramid Books.
Young Bob Star—the son of hero John Star and Aladoree Anthar, the Keeper of AKKA—lives in Purple Hall on Phobos, feeling like a prisoner. Grim news arrives about a "comet" approaching the solar system, a green comet that moves about as if managed by intelligent beings. These supposed aliens are referred to as The Cometeers by the news media.
After the Cometeers penetrate the secret archives of The Green Hall and carry out the information that a man named Merrin is alive, the Council of The Green Hall decides to destroy the comet with the secret weapon AKKA. However, Jay Kalam, the commander of the Legion, seeks peaceful contact with the aliens first. The Green Hall rescinds its order to destroy the comet. Kalam draws up a plan to protect the Keeper, safeguard Merrin, and attempt contact with the Cometeers.
Merrin is actually Stephen Orco - Bob Star's acquaintance at the Legion Academy. Merrin is in fact a psychopath, but also an extremely brilliant, former Legionnaire who once subjected Bob Star to horrific torture with the help of the Iron Confessor device developed by the "Reds" of Old Earth. Kalam tells Bob that an entrepreneur, Edward Orco, found in space a life-support space capsule with a child inside who Orco adopted under the name Stephen. Stephen Orco, after being graduated from the Academy, was assigned to Callisto. There he created a vortex gun based on the plasma weapons of the Medusae, and raised a revolt against the Green Hall.
Aladoree Anthar's attempt to destroy the rebels with AKKA failed, as Stephen Orco has managed to duplicate the same weapon. However, the Legion was able to develop its vortex cannon and forced Orco to surrender. Orco bargained for his life, and wrung a concession that only Bob Star would henceforth have the right to kill him. Kalam gives Bob Star orders to make sure Orco does not escape the prison, implying that Star should execute him if necessary to fulfill that order. Star accepts the duty, but is uncertain he could kill Orco.
Kalam leaves Star on Neptune, where Orco is kept in a secret prison, and goes off on a mission of goodwill to the Cometeers. At the prison, Bob Star sees an image of a girl, who begs him with gestures to kill Orco. Suddenly the Cometeers attack the prison. Before Bob Star can bring himself to kill Orco, the Cometeers free the prisoner and murder all his jailers. Surviving legionnaires Giles Habibula and Hal Samdu, along with Bob Star, find the wrecked ship of Jay Kalam, which had been destroyed by a Cometeer spaceship not long after leaving Neptune. Then they locate and commandeer a rebel ship, the Halcyon Bird and fly away. But a lone Cometeer overtakes them and destroys the ship’s engines.
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Wikipedia