The Flight of the Eagle

"The Flight of the Eagle" by Sol Galaxan is a science fiction novel written during the early 1950s. The story revolves around a desperate mission to transport a mysterious and sentient plant known as the weather-plant from Venus to Earth, where it is needed to avert impending famine. Set against a backdrop of deep space exploration, the narrative highlights themes of human struggle, sacrifice, and the often unseen consequences of technological advancement. The plot follows Bat Kendo, a radar-mutant, and his fellow crew members aboard the spaceship R. S. "Eagle". As they set off for Venus to collect a cargo of weather-plant, they face a series of challenges, including the ship's catastrophic encounter with a meteor swarm on their return journey. While Bat shines as an unorthodox hero, his mutation offers him unique abilities that prove crucial to the ship’s survival. However, it becomes clear that the weather-plant possesses overwhelming power, leading to the creation of its own weather patterns that threaten the ship's safe descent. Ultimately, Bat sacrifices himself to enable the rest of the crew and the precious cargo to survive, emphasizing the themes of heroism and the forgotten sacrifices of those who venture into the unknown. (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.