Let'em Breathe Space

by Lester del Rey, Eberle

Eighteen men and two women in the closed world of a space ship for five months can only spell tension and trouble—but in this case, the atmosphere was literally poisoned.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery

40 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1953

About the author

Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for his juvenile novels such as those which are part of the Winston Science Fiction series, and for Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books edited by Lester del Rey and his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

Also published as:
Philip St. John
Erik van Lhin
Kenneth Wright
Edson McCann (with Frederik Pohl)

Reviews

[Craig]

This novelette appeared in a 1953 issue of Space Science Fiction Magazine, a periodical which lasted a year or two in the early 1950s and was edited by Lester del Rey. I have read or heard somewhere (I can't remember the source; Harlan Ellison?) a perhaps apocryphal anecdote that del Rey had an issue due at the printer on a Monday but was significantly short of the required length, so he sat down and wrote this story over a weekend until he had enough wordage to fill the issue. It's actually a pretty decent pulp mystery/adventure, involving a mission to explore Saturn's rings running afoul of sabotage to make the expedition turn back. There's a resultant Cold Equations-type of oxygen shortage, and the crew of the ship prepares to draw straws to determine who will have to be sacrificed in order that some of them can make it long enough to be re-supplied. A murder mystery arises and there are some tense and interesting moments before solutions and explanations are found. It's a nice space opera puzzle, firmly grounded in pulp tradition. I enjoyed listening to a reading of it via Librivox.

[Christopher]

An audiobook edition from LibreVox.
Good basic storyline with mostly predictable characters from a master of mid-20th century sci-fi.
With a slightly different take on the plot this could be a slasher film (Halloween or Friday the 13th) type of tale merely set in space. As it is, imagine a two part episode of Twilight Zone in Space -- where most men are just large boys... some men grapple with being adults... and a few women fill the plot lines.

An interesting diversion.

[William]

Fantasy listening 🔰

Alexa reads to me due to eye damage and issues from shingles, I find it like 👍being there.
A will written fantasy Sci-Fi space opera thriller adventure novella with murder. The characters are interesting and will developed. The story is is futuristic on the way to Mars when murder and ship issues cause the crew to suspect everyone. I would recommend this novella to readers of fantasy, Enjoy the adventure of reading 📚2021 😮

[Phil Giunta]

On a five-month mission to explore the rings of Saturn, tensions mount after a scientist is found dead in the hydroponics bay aboard the starship Wahoo. Worse, the plants used to produce much of the ship’s oxygen and food supply are poisoned. Continued murders pit the ship’s crew against the scientists as they race to find the killer and an alternate solution to their dwindling air supply.

[Lori]

Way too pulp for my taste. Plus, I know this was written in 1953, but the portrayal of the female characters was incredibly sexist. The main character traps a woman in his room and proceeds to slut-shame and sexually assault her, but of course she ends up enjoying it.

[Zac Stojcevski]

Novella that I found to be initially a slow burn that got exciting. With tones of Mutiny on the Bounty and Murder on the Orient Express, this 70 year old gem holds allegorical Noachian hope for the future. It also reflects elements of the time - guns, booze, drugs and tough guy talk.

[Teemu Mäki]

Solid country house mystery (IN SPACE!) with gender roles and other 1950s world views that aged like milk. Sibelius mentioned #torille

[Janelle]

Dnf. Not a fan of this story.

[Frank]

Twenty people on a five month voyage in an old, small space ship suffer the problems of a closed society in a small quarters. To add to their anxieties, the air is slowly being poisoned and crewmen are mysteriously dying. The story is bit dated, especially in reference to technology, but it does a fair job of describing the issues of a long voyage with limited options and with a mismatched crew.

[Ralph McEwen]

A interesting story and well read.

Audio Book MP3 downloaded from
http://librivox.org/letem-breathe-spa...
Public Domain stories from Project Gutenberg, that are read by volunteers.
I listened to this story while walking to and from work.

Total running time: 1:47:09
Read by Gregg Margarite

The old space freighter Wahoo is all Dr. Pietro can afford for his expedition to the rings of Saturn. Although built for a crew of 6 the good doctor crams 19 people into the Wahoo, and after 5 months they are really getting on each other’s nerves. Then someone starts killing people and poisoning the air giving plants in the hydroponics bay. Can our hero Paul Tremaine find the killer before he suffocates? Perhaps you should hold your breath. – Let’em Breathe Space was first published in the July 1953 edition of Space Science Fiction magazine. (Summary by Gregg Margarite)

[Hikes in Rain]

Dated, yes, but still a great story. Sort of a classic "who done it" as the crew and scientists are killed off one by one, while the available air slowly bleeds away.

[David]

Very effective space mystery. Del Ray is under appreciated despite being a sci fi grandmaster.