Operation; Outer Space

by Murray Leinster

A terrifying darkness engulfed the sky while on the horizon a fire flood consumed the mountain!
The ship swayed again. Flying creatures darted back and forth above the tree tops. Miles away, insensate violence reigned. Clouds of dust and smoke shot miles into the air, half a mountainside glowed white hot, and there was the sound of long-continued thunder as the ground shook and quivered...

The runaway sapcecraft's rockets bellowed as it lifter. Hovering for an instant, it surged skyward. The ship vanished into emptiness. Jed Cochrane stared helplessly at the spot where it had stood. Babs gasped suddenly. She realized the situation in which she and Cochrane had been left. Shivering, she pressed close to him as the distant trail of blackened smoke spread toward the center of the sky. They were alone together among the stars!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Adventure

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

see also:
Will F. Jenkins
William Fitzgerald Jenkins

Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.

An author whose career spanned the first six decades of the 20th Century. From mystery and adventure stories in the earliest years to science fiction in his later years, he worked steadily and at a highly professional level of craftsmanship longer than most writers of his generation. He won a Hugo Award in 1956 for his novelet “Exploration Team,” and in 1995 the Sidewise Award for Alternate History took its name from his classic story, “Sidewise in Time.” His last original work appeared in 1967.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember having read this one a long time ago, but found I didn't remember much about it at all while listening to this version from the fine folks at Librivox. It's a whimsical adventure, but not among Leinster's best. One of the main characters is named William Holden, which I found a little distracting since it's a story set with a futuristic Hollywood backdrop. It reminded me of some of Ron Goulart's work from the '70s, or, more recently, of Scalzi's Agent to the Stars. It's a fun story, and I found to be much better than driving to work listening to the radio.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on the business of space travel. Not what I was expecting.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prompted by my enjoyment of the Murray Leinster Collection, I went searching for another likely Leinster book to try. I vaguely recalled Mark Douglas Nelson running Operation: Outer Space at SciPodCast before it went to live at LibriVox. I'd give this 3-1/2 stars if it were possible. It just doesn't have the oomph to take it to 4 stars.

Jed Cochrane is about to take off on man’s first interstellar voyage. His mission: Make sure it’s good television!

"A fast-paced, sardonic job that is primarily a satire on the future of mass communications... a jolly tale indeed." - Groff Conklin

I agree with P. Schuyler Miller who said, "It's no classic, but it's good reading."

As someone who works in advertising I found much to enjoy in Murray Leinster's tale of an unlikely space expedition financed by television show sponsors. I also appreciated the fact that Jed Cochrane has a loftier ambition fueled by his own unhappiness at the overcrowding on Earth and lack of hope among the population. He is just pursuing a solution the only way that he has been trained to do, through business opportunity. In this way the book is also a left-handed compliment to capitalism, albeit tongue-in-cheek.

Mark Douglas Nelson's narration, as always, is spot on. I always enjoy his reading and he lets the story shine through.

[Rich Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was part of my birth year challenge. While reading, I kept in mind that it was written in 1954. It was such a fun read! Part Twilight Zone and part Dick Van Dyke! The "science" is crazy and the mis-matched group that make up the ship's crew are great. I'll be laughing for days.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Mark Douglas Nelson as narrator, unfortunately his made for sci voice couldn't lift this story from it's disheveled state.

[Phil Giunta · Rating 2 out of 5]

A self aggrandizing TV advertising executive named Jed Cochrane is sent to the moon along with his secretary, a psychiatrist, and a team of TV producers to document a revolutionary discovery made by a neurotic scientist, Dabney, who just happens to be the son-in-law of one of the advertising firm's owners.

Shortly after their arrival, the team learns that Dabney is a fraud. Yes, a scientific breakthrough in faster than light communication was made, but by Dabney's employee, a physicist named Jones. Dabney merely purchased credit for the discovery, which has no practical use at the moment.

Nevertheless, Cochrane devises a scheme to portray this achievement as one of the most significant in human history... by making a TV show about faster than light space exploration.

This story was intended as a spoof of the television and advertising industries as well as the future of mass communication. While Leinster achieves this, he does so with yet another cast of stereotypical, two-dimensional characters. This is a failing that seems to plague several of Leinster's novels. In the case of Operation: Outer Space, however, every character suffers the additional affliction of being thoroughly unlikeable.

[Call me Jeeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright Futures

The is so bright when you are able to look back on the past.
"Oh, surely!" said Cochrane cynically. "And you'll have tax-payers objecting because you make money. You'll be regulated out of existence. Were you thinking that Spaceways would run this transportation system you're planning, without cutting anybody else in on even the glory of it?"
Cochran knew that space was open to corruption. Even as he makes his television episodes he is careful with what he shows. Maybe to manipulate or to dissuade the viewing public. To prevent all powerful political corruption to set in he installs himself and the crew as official governments. Brilliant!

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to say what I think of this book, because it's basically old fashioned lets-g0-to-the-stars science fiction, and I've read many better efforts (including other Leinster novels). It kept me reading, but now that I've finished, the details are already disappearing from my mind. It scores over contemporary Clarke, Asimov, and Heinlein science fiction in that it actually has a female character who has things to do. It is clearly meant to be satirical, too, with a space mission led by a TV advertising executive, his secretary, and a group of producers, a psychiatrist, and a neurotic scientist. But I just did not find it particularly funny.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining fantasy listening 🎶🔰

Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi space opera adventure thriller novel by Murray Leinster about space travel and the discoveries that are made. A planet is discovered with glaciers and volcanoes, another will discovered with great herds of cattle like creatures, and another of barren stone. I would recommend this novel to readers of space opera Sci-Fi thrillers. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye issues and damage from nerve damage. 🏡😊🔰🗽 2022

[Baron Greystone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another example of golden-age science fiction that has characterization and arcs. The book is a fun romp from the perspective of a television producer who ends up opening up space exploration. It's fun to get this 1950's look ahead at what a future without space colonization might look like. And then we have the refreshingly-optimistic vision of how opening up space travel will save humanity. I really enjoyed this, quite a nice change from much of what we see today.

[Bhakta Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first bought this book as a paperback when I was in high school. Recently I listened to it as a LibriVox recording by Mark Nelson. The story is OK. There are satirical elements about the advertising industry that still work. Leinster correctly predicts the rise of Reality TV and much that would go with it. As an interstellar adventure it isn't that great.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good sci fi story by sci fi master leinster

A novel of exploration. A dystopian future becomes brighter by accident. Someone invents a faster than light communicator. It can be modified into a faster than light drive. The production company equips a ship and goes exploring.

[Shari Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horribly out-dated, but fun none the less.

[Fivefivefive · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually really enjoy Murray Leinster books. But I struggled with this one keeping my attention. Not a bad story.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This space opera features a Donald Trump type character making certain that the rich get richer and everyone else...

All in all it is pretty humorous and weird.

[Isabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an mildly funny version of anchorman in space. The science is laughably bad and they all should of died very shortly into the voyage. There was also a lot of talk of the women’s point of view, which I hope was satire, since the women’s point of view is thinking and planning out their means of survival. While the men’s point of view is figuring out how to make money.

[John Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of the "Startling Stories" Spring 2009 magazine. The magazine combines new and classic material and in this issue features Operation: Outer Space.

In this short novel Leinster follows the somewhat coincidental development of interstellar space travel as an unplanned side effect of the psychiatric treatment of a wealthy scientist with self-concept issues.

The overcrowded Earth portrayed in the novel is one where individuals have little hope of advancement and Leinster does an excellent job of showing the psychological impact of this. The main character, Jed Cochrane, is a television producer who cleverly finances the development of interstellar travel through the production of a reality series and in so doing restores hope to humanity. There is also a strong theme throughout the book of man's separation from nature due to the urbanization of Earth and the healing aspects of a return to a more naturalistic setting.

Characterization is fairly strong for a novel first published in 1954. Recommended.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scathing satire on the media, advertising and psychiatric community of the early 1950's. One dimensional archetypical characters represent the shallowness of mass media and the idle rich. On the Earth of the future, cities are overcrowded and the elite have nothing to do but buy fame from people who really do the work. A faster than light drive is invented and Jed Cochrane, a television producer, seizes the chance to change the course of history and free the people who are willing to work for themselves and not be faceless proles. Classic pulp fiction with a message. My copy's cover and back text have little to do with the contents.

[Kimbolimbo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my favorite space book. There was something I liked...let me think...what was it...oh, the one time that the male chauvinist had a moment of clarity and he said he finally had a woman's viewpoint and he liked it because women look farther into the future than men. The scientific reasoning in this book about how to know if a planet was safe and what foods were edible was rather simplistic, I found it refreshing. But the whole book was rather boring and to fantastical. Funny that the reason space travel took off was because of reality TV programing...maybe this book is on to something. We should ask ABC or FOX to start sponsoring trips to the moon and beyond.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

FASTER THAN LIGHT!

"But what can be done with it?" asked Cochrane practically.

"Nothing," said Jones succinctly. "It changes the properties of space, but that's all. Can you think of any use for a faster-than-light radiation-pipe? I can't."

Cochrane cocked an eye at Jamison, who could extrapolate at the drop of an equation. But Jamison shook his head.

"Communication between planets," he said morosely, "when we get to them. Chats between sweethearts on Earth and Pluto. Broadcasts to the stars when we find that another one's set up a similar plate and is ready to chat with us. There's nothing else."

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an over-populated world where every day is a challenge to get work and to possibly advance in the job, TV producer, Jed Cochrane, gets an undesired assignment on the moon. Jed and his team are to provide psychological support to an inventor and to publicize his technology that is capable of sending radio transmissions at near light speed. Perhaps the technology can provide an even better capability. The story advances nicely even though some of the science is a bit shaky (OK for 1954). The characters are a little better than pulp level; but given the story's handling of psychological issues, the lack of character depth is not a issue. The story is worth the read.

[Jeff Pfeiffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needs an adverbechtomy, stat! Old Murray wasn't happy using he or she said. No. He had to use an adverb for every bit of dialogue. "What is it," he said exuberantly. The main character, Jed Cochrane, is constantly teed off about everything in his responses. Why Babs, his love interest would be into him is beyond me. This is a hard science fiction concept story. Characters are just there to move the plot along. Written in the mid fifties, it's a tad dated, but it's a quick read and is mildly entertaining.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks promising. Murray Leinster seldom disappoints. I found it here - http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/3/6/18361 - It lived up to its promise, he doesn't telegraph his moves and it jumps in several unexpected directions. Its a pity he doesn't do the relationship side of the story justice. His books could be much richer if we had access to just a little more of the protagonists emotional life and thought processes.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun read if you love the old pulp sci-fi from the 50's. It's fairly light on technology, but the way it uses it is believable. Characters are very pulp-fiction and stereotypical, which is fine in the context of the story. It's a great book and is also available as an e-book.

[JodiP · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mildly amusing tale about an advertising exec who gets involved in faster-than-light space travel. He ends up selling colonization on other planets. Somewhat Heinlein-esque, but not good enough to read him further.

[Patrick DiJusto · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a satire on the television industry than a space opera. A TV ad exec meets an engineer who developed spacewarp technology, and creates a reality show about traveling through the galaxy. Very funny.

[bluetyson]

Operation: Outer Space by Murray Leinster (2000)

[Ralph McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometime even a very good narrator can not bring a mediocre story to life.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1981 grade B-