The Lost Planet by the late Scottish author Angus MacVicar (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia,
SFE), perhaps best known for his crime thrillers, is the 1st novel in his Jeremy Grant series of vintage juvenile science fiction adventures starring a suddenly-orphaned teen who goes to live the obligatory eccentric uncle who turns out to be a secret spaceship-inventing scientist, this installment giving the story on all that as they embark on their first spacefaring mission, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press' Venture imprint.
This was originally published in 1953 by Burke, and apparently these were extremely popular and adapted to TV and radio serials, back in the day.
Currently free @
Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK and pretty much everywhere else Amazon sells worldwide, since this is being done via their KDP Select exclusive-or-else program)
Description
Sixteen year old Jeremy Grant, born in Australia, comes to live with his uncle Dr. Lachlan McKinnon in Inverard, Scotland, following the sudden death of his parents.
On his arrival, Janet Campbell, his uncle’s pretty secretary, also a science student, meets him at the train station and Jeremy takes an instant liking to her.
On their journey to Jeremy’s uncle’s house, Janet gives him an overview of the inhabitants. Jeremy is fascinated to learn that there is a deep secret guarded beyond the electric fence at his uncle’s residence.
Jeremy spends his first night in silence. With his uncle too busy to pay much attention to him, he has his evening meal alone, with just the friendly cook, Miss Smith, as intermittent company. The silence is shattered by something that sounds like the wail of a banshee … a long-drawn, piercing wail …
Over the next few days, Jeremy learns his uncle has built a spaceship, one of a kind, rivalled only by a European called Hermanoff. McKinnon is aware that Hermanoff may have planted a spy within his team of workmen and, with only a few days to go until launch, he becomes aware of potential sabotage attempts. With Jeremy’s help, McKinnon must strive to keep his work secret and safe.
McKinnon soon realises his nephew is no longer a young boy and extends his invitation of travelling to new frontiers to Jeremy. Beyond excited at the prospect of a new discovery, Jeremy does all he can to ensure he is knowledgeable about spaceflight. Shadowing Janet, he soon becomes familiar with the mechanics of the spaceship.
With the launch imminent, a certain fear amongst the travellers takes over the household.
Will they reach their destination? The mythic planet Hesikos…
What will they find there? … Can they survive? … Will they ever come home?
The Lost Planet is a thrilling science fiction adventure tale, filled with trials and tribulations, wonder and calamity, as Jeremy, McKinnon and company endeavour to make their voyage into the great unknown.