Jinx Ship to the Rescue

"Jinx Ship to the Rescue" by Alfred Coppel is a science fiction novel written in the late 1940s. The book is set in a future where space travel is commonplace and follows Brevet Lieutenant Commander David Farragut Strykalski III as he takes command of the spaceship "Aphrodite", a vessel rumored to be jinxed due to its troubled past and difficult operational history. The narrative delves into themes of tradition, destiny, and the challenges faced by those navigating the complexities of military space operations. The story revolves around Strike and his crew aboard the "Aphrodite", including the skilled but challenging engineering officer Ivy Hendricks, the daughter of the ship’s original designer. As they embark on a high-stakes mission to deliver critical mail through perilous space, they confront mechanical failures, rising tensions, and the looming shadow of their adversary, Admiral Gorman. When the crew receives a distress signal from two sister ships in dire trouble, they must weigh the risks of using the ship’s unreliable surge-circuit capabilities against the lives at stake. Amid the chaos, Strike and Ivy grow to respect each other’s strengths, ultimately forming a reluctant partnership that highlights their shared convictions and struggles. As they unite to save the stranded ships, the novel culminates in a suspenseful turn that tests their courage and ingenuity in the face of overwhelming odds. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Alfred Coppel, Alfredo Jose de Arana-Marini Coppel was an American author. Born in Oakland, he served as a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After his discharge, he started his career as a writer. He became one of the most prolific pulp magazine authors of the 1950s and 1960s, adopting the pseudonyms Robert Cham Gilman and A.C. Marin and writing for a variety of pulp magazines and later "slick" publishers. Though writing in a variety of genres, including action thrillers, he is known for his science fiction stories which comprise both short stories and novels.