This is another wonderful but very early pulp story of Science Fiction from the legendary Jack Williamson. Revered by all the great names in the genre, Williamson’s beautifully descriptive tales have fallen out of vogue in our time. This can mostly be attributed to Williamson never losing that connection to the pulps, and the sense that a writer was supposed to entertain. The man who became the Dean of Science Fiction when Heinlein passed away always had great movement in his stories. Salvage in Space, published in Astounding Stories of Super Science in March of 1933, is a splendid blending of atmosphere, storytelling, and fantastic ideas for which Williamson was the master. The Grand Master, actually.

Even though this is 1933, Williamson has atomic rockets, magnetic boots, gravity plates, and an obviously pressurized suit called Osprey. Williamson also envisioned a being who could make itself nearly invisible. But it really doesn’t matter, because this story would be terrific even were it not so far ahead of its time. In only around thirty pages, the reader is treated to an exciting and fun space opera, and as a bonus, a sort of vague retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

Thad Allen is a deeply lonely space salvager not having any luck whatsoever, when he spots a great mass in the distant reaches of space. As it gets closer, he realizes it is a ship adrift. Taking a great chance, he abandons any hope of return in an effort to reach it, and he just makes it. What he discovers is evidence of great violence from within the ship. A little yellow dog, a diary, strange and fantastical specimens from other worlds, a beautiful girl, and something which may still be aboard the Red Dragon make this both exciting and romantic. Some of the prose borders on purple, but is all the lovelier for it, and the reader finds himself wishing that the trip to Mars would take about a hundred or so pages longer.

There are so many things underscoring this fun Science Fiction tale it is difficult to count them all. Suffice it to say, Williamson has subtly hidden some rather profound thoughts beneath the surface of this enthralling and atmospheric space opera. It’s the kind of short story you read for fun, and then as time passes, those subtler nuances begin to surface. The wonderful thing about most of Williamson’s pulp, even the early stuff, is that except for an updating of some technology, much of which hadn't yet been invented, it seems just as fresh today. And when you dare look beneath the surface, it is just as timely. Wonderful stuff for fans of early pulp science fiction, or scientifiction as it was once called. Here is a link to Gutenberg where it can be downloaded and read for FREE — http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29283 ( )

Williamson, Jack. Salvage in Space and Three Other Stories. Kindle, 2020.
“Salvage in Space,” the lead story in this collection, was a cover story in Astounding in 1933 and can be found by itself on Project Gutenberg. Jack Williamson, who published his first story in 1928 and his last 2005, was always careful to call himself a craftsman rather than an artist. He is not as famous as Isaac Asimov or Robert A. Heinlein, but his output was a staple in the science fiction magazines of the Golden Age. His science was always ahead of the game. He is credited with writing the first story about genetic engineering and coining the term terraforming. Not many authors can claim as much. “Salvage in Space” echoes through recent science fiction. It is one of the first stories I know about asteroid mining. It deals with rendezvous and docking and is sensible about orbital mechanics. When protagonist Thad finds a derelict ship in the asteroid belt, what he discovers onboard has the frisson of the first scenes in the expanse series. The plotting is a bit clunky, and its gender depiction is hopelessly clichéd by 21st-century standards, but it is quite readable. What I like best about it is that it imagines space travel as an environment for skilled workers, who are in other ways quite ordinary. 4 stars. Still fresh. ( )

Salvage in Space, by Jack Williamson, was first published in the March (1933) issue of Astounding Stories. It is an enjoyable short story in the space-opera genre from the legendary science fiction author. Thad Allen, a meteor miner, has worked long lonely weeks in space collecting pieces and particles of iron and other valuable metals, which he welds onto the ball of metal that he refers to as the smallest planet in the solar system. He lives, sleeps and works on the ball of metal that he has constructed with only his space suit to protect him from the hostile environment of space and his magnetic boots to keep him from floating away. He is disappointed by the small amount of valuable metal that he has collected to sell for salvage and his supplies are running low, which means he will need to return to Earth very soon. Amazingly, he spots a large shiny object moving through space, which could be very lucrative for him if he can intercept it and manage to get it to port. The small rocket he attached to his ball of metal enables him to rendezvous with the object. However, his joy turns to terror once he begins trying to retrieve his salvage bonanza. This thirty-page story is a fun read, with lots of interesting science fiction and some life-threatening suspense and action. ( )