Volcan

Star Stormers #5

by Nicholas Fisk

When the Starstormers accidentally blast off into space they head for the relative safety of the strange and unwelcoming planet of Volcano. Here they are delighted to be joined by their old allies - the veils of Moloch - who prove surprisingly useful. But they soon discover that the Octopus Emperor - determined to enslave or destroy them - is still pursuing them relentlessly. And under his influence the planet and its inhabitants are becoming increasingly hostile. Finally, Ispex comes up with a plan to destroy the Emperor once and for all. Something so far-fetched that it might just work. But is there time before the Tyrannopolis battleship strikes its final, fatal blows? And can the Starstormers make the huge sacrifice the plan demands?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Childrens

Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

(1923–2016), British author of more than forty books and television scripts and a master of science fiction for children. Fisk, whose real name is David Higginbottom, grew up during the Second World War and served in the Royal Air Force. His autobiography, Pig Ignorant (1992), covers the years 1939–1941 and details his life in Soho, a bohemian section of London, where he played jazz in the evenings until he was called to enlist. After the war Fisk worked as a musician, journalist, and publisher. He started writing in the 1960s, and his popularity was at its height in the 1970s and 1980s. His most impressive work, A Rag, a Bone, and a Hank of Hair (1982), is a thrilling futuristic novel set at the end of the 22ndcentury. The government is cloning new people and has manufactured a 1940s wartime family whose members are unaware that nothing they know is real. This moving story is a dark representation of the threat posed by technological advancement but is optimistic in its message about the triumph of the human spirit. Fisk's most enduring books include Grinny (1973), which features a technologized extraterrestrial threat in the form of a great- aunt who glows at night, and Trillions (1971), an eerie story about mysterious hard shiny objects that contain an alien intelligence. Monster Maker (1979) was made into a film.

Reviews

[Adam Windsor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carelessness leads the Starstormers to crash land on a small planetoid named for the fact that is has a volcano, though this geological feature has pretty much nothing to do with the plot. There, they discover they are still being tracked by the Octopus Emperor, but do pretty much nothing about it for most of the book, preferring to utilise the planetoid's low gravity to experiment with self-powered flight (which Fisk uses to slip in a couple of dirty jokes that 8-year old me certainly missed). I do kind of like the emotional aspect of how they finally DO face off with ol' Emp, but their victory does feel a bit too easy from an execution perspective.