Wreck Off Triton

"Wreck Off Triton" by Alfred Coppel is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The book explores themes of betrayal, greed, and survival in a futuristic setting where space travel and treasures amidst the stars are central to the plot. It tells the story of Ron Carnavon, a ruthless convict, who orchestrates the salvage of a wrecked spaceship to claim its valuable sapphires, igniting a dramatic conflict with an unsuspecting accomplice. The narrative revolves around Ron Carnavon, who previously scuttled his own ship, the "Thunderbird", and is now on a mission to loot its remains. He hires Pop Wills, a washed-up, gin-soaked captain, under a false identity, intending to eliminate him once the job is done. As they journey to the wreck, tension builds, leading to a climactic confrontation at the "Thunderbird’s" site. Carnavon’s plan unravels when he discovers Pop's connection to a past tragedy, culminating in a violent encounter that results in both characters facing their fates—one driven by greed and the other fueled by a desperate, final surge of courage. The intricate blend of suspense and moral dilemmas delves into the dark depths of human nature, pushing the characters to their limits in the unforgiving void of space. (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.