The Mad Robot by William P. McGivern

(pb; 1944, 2013: novella)

From the inside flap

“It seemed like a fairly simple mission. Make a routine supply run to Jupiter and plant yourself in the Earth-Mars robot experimental station. Then hang around for awhile and see if you can figure out what problems they’re having with the robot development program out there. Just don’t let anybody know that you’re spying on them.

“But when Rick Weston arrived on Jupiter, he soon found himself in a maze of hatred and intrigue. Robots were going beserk on occasion─and sometimes taking human lives! With the help of a friendly Martian scientist and a beautiful girl, it didn’t take Weston long to figure out the problems with the robots weren’t just mechanical.”

Review

Robot is a sixty-five-page blast of science fiction fun and action, with deftly sketched characters and zero lag in the smart, tightly written storyline. The betrayals and mini- twists are by-the-numbers but that did not ruin the read. It is simply McGivern, an excellent writer, thrilling within a familiar genre structure. 

The 2013 “Deluxe Paperback Edition” I read was by Armchair Fiction as a two-novellas-in-one-paperbook work. Its companion novella is J. Hunter Holly’s 1963 The Running Man.

The Running Man by J. Hunter Holly (a.k.a. Joan Hunter Holly)

(pb; 1963)

From the inside flap

“NO ONE WAS SAFE FROM THE POWERFUL FORCE!

“‘I can’t tell you my name,’ the trembling man stammered out. ‘I’m simply  a man, Mr. Munro─a man running for his life! But whether or not I’m able to stay alive or not, someone else must know. . .’

“And what the running man knew was incredible and horrifying. But before the night was over, the running man was dead, and with that, Jeff Munro had to believe the horrifying truth. And he had to find a way to destroy the evil power that was loose upon the world. It had come from outer space, reaching into our Solar System from a faraway star. It was a power that could invade men’s minds. It was a power capable of ruling the entire universe.”

Review

Running is a fun, fast-paced and action-oriented science fiction/alien cult-conspiracy novel. The usual twists, turns and occasional betrayals keep this novella interesting, making it worth your time.
 

The 2013 “Deluxe Paperback Edition” I read was republished by Armchair Fiction as a two-novellas-one-paperback work. Its companion novella is William P. McGivern’s The Mad Robot (it was originally published in the January 1944 issue of Amazing Stories).