"Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)" by Clark Darlton
https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU/

Book number fifty-three of a series of one hundred and thirty-six space
opera books in English. The original German books, actually pamphlets,
number in the thousands. The English books started with two translated
German stories per book translated by Wendayne Ackerman and transitioned
to one story per book with the sixth book. And then they transition
back to two stories in book #109/110. The Ace publisher dropped out at
#118, so Forrest and Wendayne Ackerman published books #119 to #136 in
pamphlets before stopping in 1978. The German books were written from
1961 to present time, having sold two billion copies and even recently
been rebooted again. I read the well printed and well bound book
published by Ace in 1974 that I had to be very careful with due to age.
I bought an almost complete box of Perry Rhodans a decade or two ago on
ebay that I am finally getting to since I lost my original Perry Rhodans
in The Great Flood of 1989. In fact, I now own book #1 to book #106,
plus the Atlan books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Rhodan

BTW, this is actually book number 61 of the German pamphlets written in
1962. There is a very good explanation of the plot in German on the
Perrypedia German website of all of the PR books. There is automatic
Google translation available for English, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese,
French, and Portuguese.
https://www.perrypedia.de/wiki/Der_Robot-Spion

In this alternate universe, USSF Major Perry Rhodan and his three fellow
astronauts blasted off in a three stage rocket to the Moon in 1971. The
first stage of the rocket was chemical, the second and third stages were
nuclear. After crashing on the Moon due to a strange radio
interference, they discover a massive crashed alien spaceship with an
aged male scientist (Khrest), a female commander (Thora), and a crew of
500. It has been over sixty-nine years since then and the Solar Empire
has flourished with tens of millions of people and many spaceships
headquartered in the Gobi desert, the city of Terrania. Perry Rhodan
has been elected by the people of Earth to be the World Administrator.

One of Perry Rhodan's spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a
planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry
Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the
closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As
they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is
emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot
Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic
searching for the source.

Two observations:
1. Forrest Ackerman should have put two or three of the translated
stories in each book. Having two stories in the first five books worked
out well. Just having one story in the book is too short and would
never allow the translated books to catch up to the German originals.
2. Anyone liking Perry Rhodan and wanting a more up to date story should
read the totally awesome "Mutineer's Moon" Dahak series of three books
by David Weber.
https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856/

My rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 5 out of 5 stars (2 reviews)

Lynn

On Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 2:52:16 PM UTC-7, Lynn McGuire wrote:

> 2. Anyone liking Perry Rhodan and wanting a more up to date story should
> read the totally awesome "Mutineer's Moon" Dahak series of three books
> by David Weber.

While those stories are no doubt a good read, I'm suspecting that they're
not really similar enough to the Perry Rhodan books to appeal to almost
all of their fans.

John Savard

On 11/20/2022 9:41 PM, Quadibloc wrote:
> On Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 2:52:16 PM UTC-7, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>
>> 2. Anyone liking Perry Rhodan and wanting a more up to date story should
>> read the totally awesome "Mutineer's Moon" Dahak series of three books
>> by David Weber.
>
> While those stories are no doubt a good read, I'm suspecting that they're
> not really similar enough to the Perry Rhodan books to appeal to almost
> all of their fans.
>
> John Savard

That is their choice.

Lynn

Lynn McGuire wrote:
> "Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)" by Clark Darlton
> https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU/

<snip>

> One of Perry Rhodan's spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a
> planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry
> Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the
> closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As
> they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is
> emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot
> Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic
> searching for the source.

Initially, Ackerman teases his audience:

DOUBLE-MINDED MECHMAN ... A ROBOT with 2 brains!

Next, at the end of the cast of characters, Ackerman's taunt discloses
more than a literary telegraph:
               
CAN YOU SPOT THE SPY BEFORE ALL OF THE ABOVE SAVE ONE?  

After it opens, the story soon segues to a scene in Pucky's cabin, where
the mousebeaver trades insults with Bell. (Darlton imbues Pucky with a
playfulness seldom matched by other authors.) Eventually an alarm breaks
up Bell's back and forth banter with Pucky:              
               
To Drusus! A 3-alarm call has been received from Agent Jost
Kulman on Swoofon, System of Swaft.

For those of us in to it, Deutsche affords an alarm with greater
alliterative compaction:

An DRUSUS! Notruf Dreimal Glockenschlag von Agent Jost Kulman
auf Swoofon, System Swaft. Bittet um sofortige Abholung. Keine
Einzelheiten.

Kulman boards the Drusus with his pet possonkal, a furry four legged
creature named "Muzzel," who resembles a dachshund. Soon thereafter
Kluman flatly states he never sent the 3-alarm signal.
Pucky makes friends with Muzzel, to the chagrin of Pucky's best
friend, Bell. Rhodan may view Bell as his best friend, but Bell's best
friend is actually Pucky. This is the first time an outside interest
interferes with confirmed bachelor Bell's best friendship with Pucky.
(It won't be the last.)

This story's an ignoble start for the Lilliputian race of the Swoon on
Springer stronghold Swoofon, System of Swaft.

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php
telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

On Tuesday, 22 November 2022 at 00:43:27 UTC, Don wrote:
> Lynn McGuire wrote:
> > "Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)" by Clark Darlton
> > https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU/
> <snip>
> > One of Perry Rhodan's spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a
> > planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry
> > Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the
> > closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As
> > they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is
> > emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot
> > Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic
> > searching for the source.
> Initially, Ackerman teases his audience:
>
> DOUBLE-MINDED MECHMAN ... A ROBOT with 2 brains!
>
> Next, at the end of the cast of characters, Ackerman's taunt discloses
> more than a literary telegraph:
>
> CAN YOU SPOT THE SPY BEFORE ALL OF THE ABOVE SAVE ONE?
>
> After it opens, the story soon segues to a scene in Pucky's cabin, where
> the mousebeaver trades insults with Bell. (Darlton imbues Pucky with a
> playfulness seldom matched by other authors.) Eventually an alarm breaks
> up Bell's back and forth banter with Pucky:
>
> To Drusus! A 3-alarm call has been received from Agent Jost
> Kulman on Swoofon, System of Swaft.
>
> For those of us in to it, Deutsche affords an alarm with greater
> alliterative compaction:
>
> An DRUSUS! Notruf Dreimal Glockenschlag von Agent Jost Kulman
> auf Swoofon, System Swaft. Bittet um sofortige Abholung. Keine
> Einzelheiten.
>
> Kulman boards the Drusus with his pet possonkal, a furry four legged
> creature named "Muzzel," who resembles a dachshund. Soon thereafter
> Kluman flatly states he never sent the 3-alarm signal.
> Pucky makes friends with Muzzel, to the chagrin of Pucky's best
> friend, Bell. Rhodan may view Bell as his best friend, but Bell's best
> friend is actually Pucky. This is the first time an outside interest
> interferes with confirmed bachelor Bell's best friendship with Pucky.
> (It won't be the last.)
>
> This story's an ignoble start for the Lilliputian race of the Swoon on
> Springer stronghold Swoofon, System of Swaft.

Let me guess, "due to a terrible miscalculation of scale
the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a
small dog"?

Robert Carnegie wrote:
> Don wrote:
>> Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> > "Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)" by Clark Darlton
>> > https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU/
>> <snip>
>> > One of Perry Rhodan's spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a
>> > planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry
>> > Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the
>> > closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As
>> > they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is
>> > emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot
>> > Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic
>> > searching for the source.
>> Initially, Ackerman teases his audience:
>>
>> DOUBLE-MINDED MECHMAN ... A ROBOT with 2 brains!
>>
>> Next, at the end of the cast of characters, Ackerman's taunt discloses
>> more than a literary telegraph:
>>
>> CAN YOU SPOT THE SPY BEFORE ALL OF THE ABOVE SAVE ONE?
>>
>> After it opens, the story soon segues to a scene in Pucky's cabin, where
>> the mousebeaver trades insults with Bell. (Darlton imbues Pucky with a
>> playfulness seldom matched by other authors.) Eventually an alarm breaks
>> up Bell's back and forth banter with Pucky:
>>
>> To Drusus! A 3-alarm call has been received from Agent Jost
>> Kulman on Swoofon, System of Swaft.
>>
>> For those of us in to it, Deutsche affords an alarm with greater
>> alliterative compaction:
>>
>> An DRUSUS! Notruf Dreimal Glockenschlag von Agent Jost Kulman
>> auf Swoofon, System Swaft. Bittet um sofortige Abholung. Keine
>> Einzelheiten.
>>
>> Kulman boards the Drusus with his pet possonkal, a furry four legged
>> creature named "Muzzel," who resembles a dachshund. Soon thereafter
>> Kluman flatly states he never sent the 3-alarm signal.
>> Pucky makes friends with Muzzel, to the chagrin of Pucky's best
>> friend, Bell. Rhodan may view Bell as his best friend, but Bell's best
>> friend is actually Pucky. This is the first time an outside interest
>> interferes with confirmed bachelor Bell's best friendship with Pucky.
>> (It won't be the last.)
>>
>> This story's an ignoble start for the Lilliputian race of the Swoon on
>> Springer stronghold Swoofon, System of Swaft.
>
> Let me guess, "due to a terrible miscalculation of scale
> the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a
> small dog"?

Sans some small supplemental silliness about an accident with an
imagined battle fleet, and without benefit of a character list, you
more-or-less successfully sleuthed Spybot's identity! Witness the power
of the Ackerman literary telegram to transmit though time and space, or
fifth dimensional hyperspace, per Perry's parlance. ROTFL.

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php
telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

On Tuesday, 22 November 2022 at 14:51:23 UTC, Don wrote:
> Robert Carnegie wrote:
> > Don wrote:
> >> Lynn McGuire wrote:
> >> > "Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)" by Clark Darlton
> >> > https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU/
> >> <snip>
> >> > One of Perry Rhodan's spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a
> >> > planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry
> >> > Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the
> >> > closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As
> >> > they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is
> >> > emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot
> >> > Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic
> >> > searching for the source.
> >> Initially, Ackerman teases his audience:
> >>
> >> DOUBLE-MINDED MECHMAN ... A ROBOT with 2 brains!
> >>
> >> Next, at the end of the cast of characters, Ackerman's taunt discloses
> >> more than a literary telegraph:
> >>
> >> CAN YOU SPOT THE SPY BEFORE ALL OF THE ABOVE SAVE ONE?
> >>
> >> After it opens, the story soon segues to a scene in Pucky's cabin, where
> >> the mousebeaver trades insults with Bell. (Darlton imbues Pucky with a
> >> playfulness seldom matched by other authors.) Eventually an alarm breaks
> >> up Bell's back and forth banter with Pucky:
> >>
> >> To Drusus! A 3-alarm call has been received from Agent Jost
> >> Kulman on Swoofon, System of Swaft.
> >>
> >> For those of us in to it, Deutsche affords an alarm with greater
> >> alliterative compaction:
> >>
> >> An DRUSUS! Notruf Dreimal Glockenschlag von Agent Jost Kulman Ace
> >> auf Swoofon, System Swaft. Bittet um sofortige Abholung. Keine
> >> Einzelheiten.
> >>
> >> Kulman boards the Drusus with his pet possonkal, a furry four legged
> >> creature named "Muzzel," who resembles a dachshund. Soon thereafter
> >> Kluman flatly states he never sent the 3-alarm signal.
> >> Pucky makes friends with Muzzel, to the chagrin of Pucky's best
> >> friend, Bell. Rhodan may view Bell as his best friend, but Bell's best
> >> friend is actually Pucky. This is the first time an outside interest
> >> interferes with confirmed bachelor Bell's best friendship with Pucky.
> >> (It won't be the last.)
> >>
> >> This story's an ignoble start for the Lilliputian race of the Swoon on
> >> Springer stronghold Swoofon, System of Swaft.
> >
> > Let me guess, "due to a terrible miscalculation of scale
> > the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a
> > small dog"?
> Sans some small supplemental silliness about an accident with an
> imagined battle fleet, and without benefit of a character list, you
> more-or-less successfully sleuthed Spybot's identity! Witness the power
> of the Ackerman literary telegram to transmit though time and space, or
> fifth dimensional hyperspace, per Perry's parlance. ROTFL.
> Danke,

Actually, I read and probably own nearly all of the
Ace Perry Rhodan translations, but I hardly remember
anything: I think they haven't moved from a shelf for
about twenty years.

Robert Carnegie wrote:

<snip>

> Actually, I read and probably own nearly all of the
> Ace Perry Rhodan translations, but I hardly remember
> anything: I think they haven't moved from a shelf for
> about twenty years.

Lynn's the exception. Everyone else encountered by me, who already read
PR in the past, shares your sentiment. One German guy toyed with a re-
read, but he couldn't pull the trigger, so he sold some of his old
Moewigs to me instead.
Anyhow, PR's new to me. My current read is "163 The Second Empire."
"145 The Phantom Horde" is the last Ackerman.

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php
telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

Don wrote:
> Robert Carnegie wrote:
>> Don wrote:
>>> Lynn McGuire wrote:
>>> > "Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)" by Clark Darlton
>>> > https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU/
>>> <snip>
>>> > One of Perry Rhodan's spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a
>>> > planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry
>>> > Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the
>>> > closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As
>>> > they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is
>>> > emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot
>>> > Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic
>>> > searching for the source.
>>> Initially, Ackerman teases his audience:
>>>
>>> DOUBLE-MINDED MECHMAN ... A ROBOT with 2 brains!
>>>
>>> Next, at the end of the cast of characters, Ackerman's taunt discloses
>>> more than a literary telegraph:
>>>
>>> CAN YOU SPOT THE SPY BEFORE ALL OF THE ABOVE SAVE ONE?
>>>
>>> After it opens, the story soon segues to a scene in Pucky's cabin, where
>>> the mousebeaver trades insults with Bell. (Darlton imbues Pucky with a
>>> playfulness seldom matched by other authors.) Eventually an alarm breaks
>>> up Bell's back and forth banter with Pucky:
>>>
>>> To Drusus! A 3-alarm call has been received from Agent Jost
>>> Kulman on Swoofon, System of Swaft.
>>>
>>> For those of us in to it, Deutsche affords an alarm with greater
>>> alliterative compaction:
>>>
>>> An DRUSUS! Notruf Dreimal Glockenschlag von Agent Jost Kulman
>>> auf Swoofon, System Swaft. Bittet um sofortige Abholung. Keine
>>> Einzelheiten.
>>>
>>> Kulman boards the Drusus with his pet possonkal, a furry four legged
>>> creature named "Muzzel," who resembles a dachshund. Soon thereafter
>>> Kluman flatly states he never sent the 3-alarm signal.
>>> Pucky makes friends with Muzzel, to the chagrin of Pucky's best
>>> friend, Bell. Rhodan may view Bell as his best friend, but Bell's best
>>> friend is actually Pucky. This is the first time an outside interest
>>> interferes with confirmed bachelor Bell's best friendship with Pucky.
>>> (It won't be the last.)
>>>
>>> This story's an ignoble start for the Lilliputian race of the Swoon on
>>> Springer stronghold Swoofon, System of Swaft.
>>
>> Let me guess, "due to a terrible miscalculation of scale
>> the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a
>> small dog"?
>
> Sans some small supplemental silliness about an accident with an
> imagined battle fleet, and without benefit of a character list, you
> more-or-less successfully sleuthed Spybot's identity! Witness the power
> of the Ackerman literary telegram to transmit though time and space, or
> fifth dimensional hyperspace, per Perry's parlance. ROTFL.

It's time to tack this thread towards tobacco pipes, cigars, and
cigarettes in the Rhoverse. First, the back story:

Ace (a publisher who killed off its profitable Perry Rhodan
translations for no good reason) took it upon itself to insert
a full page color cigarette ad into the middle of each story
without editorial permission. So Ackerman fights back with his
own little insert. In the original Moewig, non-smoker Tiff
says he wouldn't give a traitor such as Mouselet a cigarette
under any circumstances. Things are a little different in
Ackerman's dialog:
"Don't you have any cigarettes?" Mouselet begged, edging
closer.
"I don't smoke," Tiff replied tersely. "If I did, I'd
gladly give you a whole pack."
Mouselet acted surprised at this seemingly friendly
gesture. But the gesture was anything but. Tiff made that
perfectly clear with his next words. "I'd gladly give you
a whole carton—it's fine by me if a traitor to Terra wants
to ride the Cancer Express to his own funeral."

<https://crcomp.net/arts/pr0028/>

A plausible tobacco smoke cloud appears next an observer's head at
Kulman's psychophysical exam in "Spybot!":

<https://www.perrypedia.de/wiki/Datei:PR0061Illu_3.jpg>

Over the course of the next few hundred novellas, tiny trace tobacco
traits escalate to become "full blown:"

Hattinger performed some precisely calculated motions
while lighting his pipe, as if he was performing a ritual.
He blew the smoke in the direction of the panoramic
viewscreen, showing nothing but endless blackness. "Where
are we flying to, sir?"
Kotranow made a choking sound and walked away from him.
"What's with him?" asked Hattinger between two puffs.
"It's no wonder he staggered away," said Izza Koto with
caustic sharpness. "You blew your stinking smoke right in his
face."
Hattinger swallowed hard. He coughed frantically.
"What?" he groaned. "Stinking smoke?" he scrutinized the
chief mathematician with an accusatory gaze. "This is genuine
Java Melange, my good friend. I always make sure that I have
sufficient reserves on board. I didn't even run out of tobacco
on Horror."
"Well, this time you'll run out," Koto said with an acidic
expression. "But maybe the Maahks can help you out…?"
"Thanks. I'll pass." Hattinger shuddered and sat in the
commander's chair. "Maybe you can come up with a better idea
than this, Captain. When you do, let me know. Bring your
positronic up to speed. Someday, that rattletrap will think of
something."

223 "The Fifth Column"

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php
telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.