Space Prison

"Space Prison" by Tom Godwin is a science-fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The story begins with a group of colonists aboard the spaceship "Constellation", who are on the brink of reaching their destination on a supposedly peaceful planet called Athena. However, they come under attack from the Gern Empire, which has declared war on Earth, leading to a catastrophic situation where their ship is damaged, and they are left at the mercy of the enemy. The opening portion introduces Irene and her son Billy as they endure the chaos and fear of their impending capture. The catastrophe unfolds as the Gerns take control, forcing the colonists to separate into two groups: the "Acceptables," who will be taken to Athena, and the "Rejects," who are abandoned on Ragnarok, a deadly world fraught with dangers. As the story progresses, readers are thrust into the grim realities of survival as the Rejects struggle against the hostile environment, including hostile wildlife and dwindling resources, showcasing the harshness of their new reality. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Tom Godwin was an American science fiction author active throughout the 1950s into the 1970s. In his career, Godwin published three novels and around thirty short stories. He is best known for his short story, "The Cold Equations". Published in 1954, the short story was Godwin’s fourth work to be published and was one whose controversial dark ending helped redefine the genre.