Picnic

"Picnic" by Milton Lesser is a science fiction narrative written in the early 1950s. The story revolves around a family's weekend tradition of picnicking on asteroids, but this particular outing takes an unexpected turn into danger and discovery. The book explores themes of family dynamics amidst outer space adventure and the unknown. The plot follows Burt, a frustrated father, as he takes his wife Marcia and their two children, Johnny and Joan, to an asteroid for a picnic. During their excursion, Burt discovers the wreck of an old spaceship, leading to a series of strange and terrifying events. The situation escalates when a mysterious force begins manipulating the environment around them, posing a threat to their safety. As they grapple with panic and survival, Burt realizes that the asteroid itself may be a sentient entity. Ultimately, they manage to escape in their spaceship, but the experience profoundly alters Burt's perspective on their weekend jaunts, prompting him to vow never to return for picnics again. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Stephen Marlowe was an American author of science fiction, mystery novels, and fictional autobiographies of Goya, Christopher Columbus, Miguel de Cervantes, and Edgar Allan Poe. He is best known for his detective character Chester Drum, whom he created for the 1955 novel The Second Longest Night. Lesser also wrote using the pseudonyms Adam Chase, Andrew Frazer, C.H. Thames, Jason Ridgway, Stephen Wilder, and Ellery Queen.