By Spaceship to Saturn or, Exploring the Ringed Planet

The Great Marvel #9

by Roy Rockwood

1935 young adult space themed story by Roy Rockwood for The Great Marvel Books series. Not a modern reprint. Illustrated. 203 pages.

203 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Roy Rockwood was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for boy's adventure books. The name is most well-remembered for the Bomba the Jungle Boy and Great Marvel series.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

By Space Ship to Saturn is the ninth and final book in the Great Marvel series of science fiction novels for young readers produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate that were published by the Cupples & Leon company. The first appeared in 1906, so this one came almost three decades after the debut, making it not only one of the first such series but also one of the longest lived. The books appeared under the Roy Rockwood house name, and although many of the them have been later traced to the well known Howard Garis, the true of the author of this one remains unknown. I thought it was the weakest of the series that I had read, as if it were intended for a younger or less sophisticated reader. The scientific elements are somewhat silly, as is much of the plot and the actions of the characters, and the racial caricatures are offensive. Maybe if the snakes at the Boiling Lake in the Land of Vapors had eaten Phil and Lucky things would've been better...