World Beyond Pluto

"World Beyond Pluto" by Stephen Marlowe is a science fiction novel written in the late 1950s. The story is set in a distant future where interstellar travel is commonplace, and it revolves around a nail-biting adventure featuring Johnny Mayhem, a unique protagonist who possesses the ability to inhabit different bodies. The primary topic of the book delves into themes of escape, survival, and the complexities of identity against a backdrop of space exploration. The plot follows the escape of House Bartock, a dangerous convict, from the Interstellar Penitentiary on Triton, who takes control of a spaceship, "Mozart's Lady", carrying a hundred young women led by Matilda Moriarity. With the police hot on Bartock's tail, his course leads them towards Pluto where their ship crash-lands. Simultaneously, Johnny Mayhem, a legendary test pilot and troubleshooter for the Galactic League, is summoned to intercept the ship before Bartock can use it to launch a new escape plan. The story reaches a climax as Mayhem and Bartock confront each other amidst the chaos, leading to intense action, a struggle for survival, and an exploration of what it means to have a second chance at life in the uncharted regions of space.

World Beyond Pluto, by Stephen Marlowe. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #32820.