Cube From Space - Leigh Brackett

Novelette

Number of words : 12000
Percent of complex words : 5.3
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 9.7


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 6.0
Flesch : 81.6
Flesch-Kincaid : 4.3



SETTING

Jovian Gulf

Non-travelled area of space.

Mercury

Where the aliens land, it is being cautiously worked.


CHARACTERS

Red

A hijacker, pirate, and all around dodgy customer.

Korah

Alien traveller in the Cube, from another star.

Wick

Broke Red's nose with a spanner.

Saran

Another Rakshi.

Crom

Warrior of Yf, opponent of the Rakshi.

Markham Chandler

Runner of outpost on Mercury.

Jat

Chandler's Martian enforcer.

Hildegarde Smith

A farmer's daughter.


ORGANISATIONS

Triangle

The Inner Worlds.

Spaceguard

Police body. Job is to catch people like Red.


TECHNOLOGY

Venusian spider-silk

Used for clothing.

Temple of the Flame

Alien stasis transport chamber and power supply.

Blaster

Energy pistol.


RACES

Rakshi

Korah's people. "There were shoulders, narrow but powerful, and long wiry arms ending in strong, slender hands with seven fingers. There was a head, magnificently domed, and a face that was rather too small, though the features were beautiful and cut with uncompromising strength. Crowning that splendid skull was a crest of something soft and feathery that shimmered iridescently.
The whole creature glowed with a faint, pulsing phosphorescence.
The eyes that watched Red were long and opalescent, slightly tilted. They burned with little flickering points of fire. ... The creature laughed. Its teeth were pointed like a cat's and its tongue was blue.
"

Yf

Crom's people


PLACES

Circe

The Pleasure World.

Treasure City of Mars

A good place to plunder for aliens.


PLOT

The disreputable Red is in trouble in space when he is picked up by aliens. They decide to go to Mercury, to take the world. On board is a prisoner, Crom, from another alien race--enemies of the Rakshi.

On Mercury Red falls in with the locals, including their leader Chandler and finally agrees to help oppose the aliens, and frees Crom to attack them with his specialist sword weapon.


3.5 out of 5