Other editions of book Deathworld

Deathworld is perhaps Harry Harrison's best known novel and is certainly the book that put him on the map. Jason dinAlt is a daring gambler. He uses his spotty psionic powers to give himself a slight edge in games of chance. After winning a large fortune at the tables, he flees for his life to Deathworld, the most dangerous planet ever colonized by human beings. He will soon discover that nothing is what it seems.

The planet was called Pyrrus, a strange place where all the beasts, plants and natural elements were designed for one specific purpose: to destroy man.The settlers there were supermen, twice as strong as ordinary men and with milli-second reflexes. They had to be. For their business was murder.It was up to Jason dinAlt, interplanetary gambler, to discover why Pyrrus had become so hostile during man's brief habitation.

Deathworld A legendary science fiction story, this trilogy, brought back into print in one single volume, presents hero Jason dinAlt as he discovers three separate planets. dinAlt finds excitement and intrigue as he investigates Pyrrus, a strange place where all the beasts, plants, and natural elements are out to destroy man; the unknown second planet, where every man has to kill other men or live as a slave; and Felicity, where creatures are bred for thousands of years for a single deadly purpose.

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Everything happened at once. The turbine howled, the spinning tires screeched on the road and the car crashed open the gate. Jason had a vanishing glimpse of the open-mouthed guards, then they were skidding around the corner of a building. A few shots popped after them, but none came close. Driving with one hand, Kerk reached under the dash and pulled out a gun that was the twin of the monster strapped to his arm. "Use this instead of your own," he said. "Rocket-propelled explosive slugs. Make a great bang. Don't bother shooting at anyone—I'll take care of that. Just stir up a little action and make them keep their distance. Like this." He fired a single, snap-shot out the side window and passed the gun to Jason almost before the slug hit. An empty truck blew up with a roar, raining pieces on the cars around and sending their drivers fleeing in panic. Science-fiction adventure in the unique Harry Harrison style --- cutting-edge, realistic, humorous at times, and always exciting! 1950's SF at its best!

Some planet in the galaxy must—by definition—be the toughest, meanest, nastiest of all. If Pyrrus wasn't it ... it was an awfully good approximation! Deathworld is the first in a series of novels Harry Harrison began in 1960. In it, professional gambler Jason dinAlt who has "psionic" abilities is hired to win a great deal of money for a mysterious and very imposing stranger. When he "breaks the bank" their expertly timed escape gets them off-world just in time. The gambler learns he has helped the dwellers of Pyrrus, otherwise known as "Deathworld" - a planet that appears to be fighting and trying to destroy its inhabitants. Intrigued, he determines to see this world and learn its secrets. He discovers that there are colonists who live outside the embattled city who are not under constant and ever evolving attack from the planet. Jason's efforts to help the city dwellers and re-unite the two planetary groups before they are all destroyed makes for a thrill packed read. DEATHWORLD centers on Jason dinAlt, a professional gambler who uses his somewhat erratic psionic abilities to tip the odds in his favor. He is challenged by a man named Kerk Pyrrus (who turns out to be the ambassador from the planet Pyrrus) to turn a large amount of money into an immense sum by gambling at a government-run casino. He succeeds and survives the planetary government's desperate efforts to steal back the money. In a fit of ennui, he decides to accompany Kerk to his home, despite being warned that it is the deadliest world ever colonized by humans...DEATHWORLD! DEATHWORLD is one of the classics of the Golden Age of science fiction, born in the pages of Astounding Science Fiction under the editorship of John W. Campbell, Jr.

Deathworld is a trilogy featuring the same protagonist and his adventures on three different planets, a series of books ranked by many among the true classics of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.The protagonist in all three books is Jason dinAlt, a man who possesss extraordinary psychic powers that he uses to avail himself to unfair advantage as a professional gambler. In the first novel published in 1960, Jason is challenged by Kerk Pyrhhus, the ambassador of planet Pyrhhus to gamble at a government-owned casino to multiply an already substantial sum of money. Of course, he wins the game and later on he joins the ambassador to his planet, even though he is warned by everyone to stay away from the place also known as Deathworld.In the second story, written in 1964 and initially entitled The Ethical Engineer, Jason is kidnapped and taken to a planet still in bronze age, having to fight for his life not only against locals, but also against another man who is after Jason for his past crimes. In the third story published in 1968, Jason leads an army from the first planet to colonize a third one, populated by warriors, ready to start a fight any time, just like Jason's people.The Deathworld stories are full of heroic deeds, quick action and they are not short of romantic elements either. Populated by deadly predators, incredibly powerful weapons and warriors who know exactly how to use them in environments that are not simply hostile, but downright deadly, Harrison's trilogy makes an excellent read.The author is not only a master of storytelling, but also a master of wit and humor - readers will find themselves laughing out loud, while also sitting at the edge of their chairs to find out about the next adventure of Jason and his team.