Earth Lies Sleeping

Simon Rack #1

by Laurence James

Commander Simon Kennedy Rack and his trusted assistant, Ensign Bogart, are special agents of the Inter-Galactic Security Service. The time is about five hundred years into the future - and strange new worlds and alien races have been discovered. Our universe is now a well-populated community and interplanetary travel has become routine.

As with any dynamic environment that contains living beings there are problems. The forces of crime and evil are no exception, and it is in this lawless arena that Simon Rack operates. His missions are chosen to make good use of both his intellect and his rebellious killer instincts.

Our first episode takes place on Earth, a desolate and ravaged planet, nearly annihilated by the neutronic wars of the twenty-first century. Rack must infiltrate the inner circles of a feudalistic society formed by survivors of Earth's catastrophe. He has to discover why vital cargoes of Pheronium are being withheld from visiting spaceships.

The mission appears to be within his grasp...but not before a brutal contest with the wicked Baron Mescarl, and a romantic bout with the beauteous Guenara.

Rack cannot be completely victorious this day. A battle is won but the war goes on."

Genres: Science Fiction

180 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1974

About the author

Aka James Axler, L.J. Coburn (with John Harvey), James Darke, Arthur Frazier (with Kenneth Bulmer), Charles C Garrett (with Angus Wells), Richard Haigh, William M. James (with Terry Harknett and John Harvey), Neil Langholm (with Kenneth Bulmer), John J. McLaglen (with John Harvey), James McPhee, James W Marvin, Jonathan May, Klaus Netzen, Mick Norman, Andrew Quiller (with Kenneth Bulmer and Angus Wells)

Laurence James was a British Science Fiction writer, especially known for his involvement with the "Deathlands" series.

James originally worked in publishing other people's books. In 1972 he embarked on the career of "a full-time freelance author and journalist". For several years thereafter he published short science fiction stories in both Britain and the U.S.

In 1974 he published his first full-length novel, "Earth Lies Sleeping" - the first in a series focused on the exploits of a galactic secret agent named Simon Rack. At the time he was living with his wife and their three children at an east Herefordshire village.

Also in 1974 James' publisher at the time, Sphere Books, provided the reading public with a list of "what Laurence James likes" - including Alf Tupper, Wilson and Beraddock, old films, old comics, and Rock 'n' roll. Among what he disliked were suits, gherkins and earwigs.

Thereafter, James embarked on a highly prolific career, publishing dozens of novels under his own name as well as the pen names James Darke, James McPhee, and James Axler. His writings included books for the series "Dark Future," "Earth Blood," "Galactic Security Service" and "Survival 2000," as well as a number of independent novels and short stories.

His biggest success was the Post apocalyptic "Deathlands" series. "Pilgrimage to Hell" which launched the series was started in 1986 by Christopher Lowder, completed by James and published under the name James Axler.

James then went on to write solely no less than 32 novels in this series, attracting a significant fandom, up to and including Eclipse at Noon' in 1995.

Due to failing health, James was on that year forced to leave the series. He wrote one last novel, Crucible of Time that appeared in 1998.

He died in February, 2000. After his death, "James Axler" remained a "House name" which continued to be used by others. In general, "Deathlands" fans consider his books to be the best of the series.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book as a collector of Bruce Pennington cover art, of which this is a nice example, though not one of his very best. That said, it is a piece of art that was clearly commisioned for the book as it does an excellent job of portraying a scene from the early part of the story: sometimes with Pennington's art, particularly later into the '80s and '90s, his work was slapped onto the cover of a book with no apparent (to me) connection between cover art and story.

So, having not bought the book for the contents and picking it up off my bookshelf at random as I was rushing out (a case of poor book-succession planning), I had no expectations of a great read, in which I was not disappointed: this is an OK read.

It's a far-future tale with humans having colonised at least a part of the galaxy, and with earth now a backwater whose civilisation has descended into medieval feudalism for the most part, with a techno-aristocracy ruling over the peasant masses through a combination of religious and military oppression. Against this background, the offices of the galactic law-enforcement agency hears rumours of a conspiracy on old earth to foment war and rebellion, which efforts are to be quashed by the hero of the piece, Simon Rack. He's a typically handsome, charismatic hard-case who just won't play by the rules, but whose skills make him useful when dirty work needs doing. With the obligatory wise-cracking, pug-ugly side-kick, Rack is dispatched to earth to infiltrate the mysterious cabal of conspirators, a mission he is happy to take on as it provides the opportunity for him to play out a revenge plot against the heinous villains who killed his family (no spoiler - this happens in the first few pages).

For an OK cover design and an OK story, this was a fun-enough diversion to while away a couple of hours. I wouldn't feel compelled to get any of the other books in the series in order to follow Rack's further adventures, except that it looks like Pennington's covers for the next two are actually pretty neat!

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable series

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book over fifty years ago, in the 60s and 70s it wasn’t easy to find work by non-American SciFi writers, as bookshops just didn’t stock them. At the time I thought the book was fast paced and very easy to read, plus it was a bit ‘edgy’ and the main characters weren’t the typical ‘All-American Hero’.
Reading the book now it is more obvious it was more ‘Pulp Fiction’ than serious SciFi and at times the storyline was a bit incongruous, but overall it was still a decent read.