Three Spacemen Left to Die!

"Three Spacemen Left to Die!" by R. R. Winterbotham is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The book explores the dire circumstances faced by three astronauts in a space ship infected by a deadly contagion known as the "Quinnies." As they confront the impending threat of death, the story delves into themes of survival, sacrifice, and the quest for life in the cosmos. The narrative centers around Commander Al Andrews, his young companion Oakey Matthews, and their ailing friend Joe, who is battling the final stages of the Quinnies. As the crew grapples with the reality of their situation, tensions escalate when Al feels compelled to take drastic measures to prevent them from spreading the disease to a new planet. The conflict arises between Al's determination to preserve life, even at the cost of their own, and Oakey’s struggle to find a reason to carry on. Ultimately, as Al succumbs to the disease himself, he is faced with the notion that their individual lives may be less significant than the survival of their race. The poignant conclusion highlights the sacrifice made in the name of life, merging the personal with the universal as they approach their fateful landing. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Russell Robert Winterbotham was an American writer of western and science fiction genre fiction, and the author of instructional pamphlets and several Big Little Books. He also wrote crime stories and one science fiction novel using the pen name "J. Harvey Bond". Another science fiction novel used the pseudonym "Franklin Hadley". He also wrote scripts for Fred Harman's western comic Red Ryder.