Planet of the Damned

Planet of the Damned is a 1962 science fiction novel by American writer Harry Harrison. It was serialised in 1961 under the title Sense of Obligation and published under that name in 1967. It was nominated for the Hugo Award.

Plot

Planet of the Damned follows Brion Brandd, a character who lives on the planet Anvhar, which, due to an extremely

. Ihjel fears that this seemingly inevitable genocide, if not avoided, will render the peaceful civilization of Nyjord dysfunctional, also.

In the novel, Brandd travels to Dis with Ihjel and a scientist from Earth called Lea, but on arrival the trio are attacked and Ihjel is killed. After encounters with the local population and other humans, Brandd starts to put together the reason for the magter's seemingly suicidal aggression. Brandd learns that most life on Dis survives the extremes of the planet by using symbiosis. The magter, though, have been infected by a parasite that destroys the higher functions of their brains. Eventually Brandd locates the cobalt bombs and disables the transmission mechanism, allowing him to return home.

External links

• Harry Harrison official homepage - information about Planet of the Damned
• Planet of the Damned at Project Gutenberg
• Planet of the Damned public domain audiobook at LibriVox