Zenith Rand, Planet Vigilante
The ultimate space western
The space western was a menace invoked by those who wanted a more serious science fiction in the post-pulp era. I wrote on the first space western. The only other example I am really aware of that could be called a space western is Richard Tooker's “Zenith Rand” stories.
Richard Tooker (1902-1988) had 16 stories in the pulp magazines including Weird Tales in 1924. He had a handful of stories in science fiction pulp magazines including Wonder Stories, Amazing Stories, and Astounding Stories.
He sequed into Mystery Adventure magazine in 1936. Mystery Adventure magazine started out as New Mystery Adventures in 1935, it lasted for 25 issues until May 1937 undergoing some minor title changes to Mystery Adventures, then Mystery Adventure and then back to Mystery Adventures. The magazine had a look similar to the new “spicy” pulp magazines. The contents were a mix of mystery, science fiction, adventure, historical, western etc. Mary Roberts Rinehart was in the first issue. L. Ron Hubbard was a regular. The pulp favorite, the Domino Lady appeared in one issue.
A science fiction adventure series with western trappings was Tooker's “Zenith Rand” series. The first story entitled “Zenith Rand, Planet Vigilante” from the June 1936 issue.
The story starts with Zenith Ran on the moon of Orthose, Camia making a last stand against the Camian goat-women.
“You may get me, you dog-faced Gorgons, but I'll teach you to respect the male species from good old Terra!”
Now, there is some dialog to remember! Zenith is manning an outpost for the Terran Radium Syndicate. He is almost out of ammunition. To his rescue comes Sandra Yates, a pilot and “Valkr” of the 50th Century. Together they attempt to make their way to the desert and safety at an Earth scientist stronghold. They are captured by the Camian goat-women where some unspeakable things my happen.
“Revenge on Scylla (August 1936) has Zenith on a mission to rescue Sandra on the planet Scylla with pilot Death Lamson. They must battle serpent men and Lamson has a thing for Sandra.
“Angels of Oorn” (October 1936) is on a mission to rescue a scientific mission on Oorn. There is a problem that if you look at the somewhat angelic looking floating inhabitants, you go crazy with lust. If you see them a third time, your mind is gone.
Needless to say, these stories zip right along as adventure stories with some space opera tinsel. It was a melding of different genres for this series and for this magazine.
The writing is over the top. This was not his regular style. Tooker was almost poetic in the story “Song from the Dark Star” in Astounding Stories, September 1936. He wrote a few novels. Day of the Brown Horde (1929) is a caveman novel. Inland Deep is an expansion of his pulp story “The Tomb of Time” and concerns an underground world with prehistoric survivals. Armchair Fiction has reprinted it as part of their Armchair Fiction Lost World-Lost Race Classics (#18).
If you have morbid curiosity, you can get the Zenith Rand stories collected in one book from Black Dog Books. Their website is under revision but you can get the book from Am*z*n. I was glad to see the three stories finally collected.