I wanted to dip my toes in the franchise, so I started where it all began – Perry Rhodan #1 Enterprise Stardust. However, my copy is the Ace edition, which features two linked novellas, Enterprise Stardust and The Third Power. The book was authored by K.H. Scheer and Walter Emsting using the pseudonym Clark Darlton.
The novel begins ten years in the future, which in this case is 1971. Earth consists of three blocs: Western (US and NATO), Asiatic (China/Africa), and Eastern (Everyone else?). Space travel is tough, but the Space Explorations Command wants the Western bloc in orbit. They launch a ship called Stardust, commanded by 35-year-old Major Perry Rhodan. He has the perfect resume as a nuclear physicist specializing in iron reaction engines. Accompanying Rhodan is Captain Reggie Bell, an electronics technician, pilot Captain Fletcher, and Dr. Eric Manoli. The goal is to land on the dark side of the moon.
In the early chapters, readers are thrust into a life-and-death struggle as the Stardust loses remote-control guidance from the ground stations. After deliberation with the crew, Rhodan goes full Commander and takes control of the ship manually, eventually landing it near the Newcomb crater. The good – the crew is safe and sound. The bad – the ship is damaged and now stranded on the moon. Back on Earth, the team races to send up a sibling ship, however the preparation will last two months. Does the Stardust have enough oxygen to last that long?
One of the main reasons for the ship's interference was a mysterious radio signal coming from the moon's surface. Using a pressurized ground vehicle with a neat alloy dome and hull, the crew races across the moon searching for answers. In one of the series' most iconic moments, Rhodan reaches a rocky outcrop, raises his helmet, and sees a titanic structure – an enormous alien spaceship. Fast-forward the pleasantries, the ship is stranded as well. On board are the Arkonides, rulers of a galaxy-spanning Imperium where science and philosophy is key. Khrest is the ship's expedition leader, but he is terminally ill. Thora is the commander, but she is rude and uncooperative with humans, who are below the development stage of C – meaning humans are simply creatures.
Rhodan makes a deal with Khrest. If the Arkonides can help repair the Stardust, and get it back to Earth, the human surgeons can cure Khrest of his leukemia. To do this, Khrest agrees to journey to Earth with the crew. Accompanying the group will be invaluable technology that can help Earth accelerate its scientific discoveries, space exploration, and culture. But once the Stardust makes landfall, Rhodan's decision to land in the Gobi Desert, a territory of the Asiatic bloc, kicks off an international conflict that threatens humanity as a whole.
The first quarter of Enterprise Stardust delivers the obligatory science-fiction tale complete with discovery, alien conflicts, action, and moral dilemmas regarding technology and global power. This was the most enjoyable portion of the book and exceeded my expectations of a great adventure. However, I wasn't expecting Nick Carter: Killmaster for the remainder of the book. Enterprise Stardust is mostly spy-fiction, an espionage thriller dealing with the three blocs, secret agents, and a heavy-handed plunge into Cold War-esque philosophies and the arms race. This was unexpected and probably led to my disillusionment with Enterprise Stardust being a space adventure. I was wanting something like a Tom Corbett installment and received something far different. Looking into the series mythology and online discussions, I read that the first three books deals with the dismantling of the three blocs (so to speak) and the unification of Earth in their bid to compete with alien technology and worlds. With this many novels and volumes, a firm organizational structure is probably needed, so a trilogy setting the series up is probably a mandatory thing. I didn't do my homework properly and failed to prepare for the series.
Will I read another Perry Rhodan novel? Probably, but I'm in no rush. This book's espionage flair and seemingly endless dialogue left me bored to tears. It was a heavy lift and I'm glad it is over...for now.
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