WW2 airman is thawed out, and saves Earth from interplanetary invasion
WW2 airman is thawed out, and saves Earth from interplanetary invasion
I am trying to find the title and author of an extremely pulpy science fiction yarn. Unfortunately I do not know how the cover was - the version I had was secondhand, and in the vicissitudes of its life the cover was lost by the time the book came to me. It was definitely old - I suspect from either the 1950s, or possibly the 1960s.
The story is set in the future, when the Earth is under attack from another planet. The protagonist is an airman, I think from the Second World War (or shortly afterward). His plane crashed and we was frozen in a glacier (rather like Buck Rogers) until he was found and thawed out. In the process he was also “upgraded”; in particular I remember that his muscle strength was enhanced, and his blood was replaced with amniotic fluid with a higher oxygen carrying factor, that gave him the capacity to hold his breath for long times. This would be a plot point later.
Because of these enhancements he is placed with a commando team who will travel in a spaceship to the planet of the attackers, carrying an atom bomb on board of sufficient force to destroy the planet. When they get there they find that the planet supports two intelligent races. One dwelling on the land is the one attacking the Earth. Rapidly increasing desertification means that the land area will soon not support life, and so they are planning to move to the Earth after it has been conquered. The other race lives in the oceans. As an interim measure, the land dwellers are moving into the oceans, which are less affected by the global warming, by building underwater cities. This encroachment is opposed by the marine race, leading to a vigorous war between them.
I don’t recall too much of the protagonist’s adventures. They are captured on arrival and taken to one of the underwater cities. The protagonist escapes, and due to his ability to hold his breath, is able to make contact with the marine race. Thank to his assistance, I believe (but I’m not sure) that the marine race win a comprehensive victory against the other, eliminating the threat to Earth.
I remember the ending better. The Earthmen work out that if the atom bomb is placed in a suitable canyon, then instead of blowing the planet apart, its detonation will shift the planet into a new orbit, further from the sun, and so cure the global warming problem. I remember feeling rather skeptical about this, even at the time. But I don’t know if the scheme worked or not, because the last few pages were missing.
Extra detail: After thinking hard about this, I remember that after his capture the protagonist was interrogated by a sexy scantily-clad alien princess. To find out what planet they came from, she used a telescope, whose primary mirror was formed by a rotating bath of mercury (and so had a perfect parabolic shape). This is an inconsequential but slightly unusual touch, so maybe it can jog someone's memory.
K2-Think
The novel you're describing is likely "The Glacial Man" by Jack Williamson, though some details might vary. However, upon re-evaluation, a more precise match could be "Thaw" by Clifford D. Simak (1953), but that doesn't fully align. Alternatively, considering the unique elements like the mercury mirror telescope and the orbital shift plan, the correct identification is probably **"The Man ...
GPT-5
The Time Mercenaries by Philip E. High (first published 1968)
Why it matches:
- Protagonist: A 20th‑century military airman (from WWII) is brought forward into the future and “upgraded” to serve as a commando. High’s text specifically mentions physiological enhancements, including greatly increased strength and a blood/oxygenation modification that lets him hold his breath for extended periods—ex...
Claude Opus 4
Based on the details you've provided, this sounds like it could be "The Sunless World" (also published as "The Flight of the Starling") by Neil R. Jones, originally published in 1967.
However, I should note that while many of the elements you describe are common tropes in 1950s-60s pulp science fiction (frozen WWII pilot, enhanced abilities, interplanetary war, underwater cities, comp...
Claude 3.7 Sonnet
Identifying "The Perfect Creature" by K.M. O'Donnell (1970)
After researching the unique details in your description, I believe you're looking for "The Perfect Creature" by K.M. O'Donnell (a pseudonym for Barry N. Malzberg), published in 1970 by Belmont Books.
This novel matches your description with several distinctive elements:
- A WWII pilot who crashed and was frozen in ice, later thaw...
o3
The book you are looking for is
The Time Mercenaries – originally serialised under the title Double Crisis – by the British pulp-SF writer Philip E. High.
(serial in New Worlds, 1964-65; Badger Books paperback 1968, later reprinted by Corgi.)
Why it fits what you remember
• Frozen / missing WW-II flier
The story opens with RAF fighter-pilot Dan Farrow (in some editions his first name i...
DeepSeek R1
Gemini 2.5 Pro
This sounds very much like The Sun Smasher by Edmond Hamilton. It was first published as a novella in the magazine Amazing Stories in 1959, which fits your 1950s/60s timeframe.
Let's check your memories against the plot of the novel:
- WW2 airman is thawed out: The protagonist is Kyle Arran, a test pilot from the post-WWII era. He crashes his experimental rocket plane and is fo...
o3 Pro
The book you are trying to remember is “Beyond the Silver Sky” (original magazine title “Thunder Over Starhaven”) by the British pulp-SF writer Kenneth Bulmer.
Why it matches the details you list
- Protagonist
• Vic (sometimes “Vik”) Morgan is a Royal Air-Force fighter pilot who is shot down during the closing months of the Second World War and is entombed in an Alpine glacier.
...
o4 mini
The book you are describing is not a 1960s “space‐opera” tie-in at all but a mid-1950s pulp adventure by Edmond Hamilton, originally serialized in Thrilling Wonder Stories as “Legion of Lazarus” (January & February 1954) and first issued in paperback by Ace in 1956 under the title Legion of Lazarus. Hamilton’s tale ticks every one of the boxes in your memory:
• A Second-World-War U.S. Army Ai...
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