"The Glowing of the Fish" is a 1964 science-fiction novel written by John Thomas Cholmondeley-Minge, a prolific author of both science-fiction and fantasy. It was published as one half of an Ace Double, with the other side being Jennyopolis Station by Terry T. Tedd. The story also presages the young adult paranormal romance genre in ways not expected from science-fiction.

At some point in the future, earth and its alien allies encounter the space "starbarians" of the Corvallis Empire. The characters actually refer to them as "starbarians," or, rather, the hero's sidekick does. Our hero, Trojan Park, is a classic square-jawed space hero who would have fit comfortably into a pulp SF story from an earlier era. He has been saddled with a sidekick, Harris Beach, a teen who speaks in a future version of hip talk. The character takes obvious inspiration from TV sensation Edd "Kookie" Byrnes. The attempt at creating a future teen argot falls flat more often than it succeeds, but Harris is sporadically entertaining. The pair of them become embroiled in a conflict between a Terran colony and several bioluminescent piscine Corvallis who have survived the destruction of their ship by earth forces.

Halfway through the novel our heroes stop at some parkland on a nearby planet to repair their own spacecraft. The planet is not very big, being 20,754 km in circumference, but it somehow maintains an environment that can sustain human life without environmental gear. The park has the normal amenities that you could expect: restrooms, picnic tables, and a rough trail down to the river. It is there that they encounter an alien, a purple-skinned, purple-eyed teenage girl. Despite her lavender coloration and a prehensile tail, she is obviously biologically compatible with human beings and she and Harris immediately fall in love. Of course, she has special powers. These get explained in terms of electromagnetic radiation and "pulse waves" but they make her resemble the supernatural love interest of the kind more recently found in books of the "Twilight" variety. The period's sexism means that, despite her being more powerful than either of the guys, they have to rescue her on more than one occasion.

Despite the savagery of the Corvallis and some space gun battles right out of Star Trek, Park and his associates find common ground (and sea) with their enemies. The novel ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that even former foes can learn to get along. I found this an enjoyable, if occasionally silly, read. In the words of young Harris Beach, it was fairly "clackamas," and I completed it in a single rainy afternoon of the sort so common in Oregon during spring.

LieQuest 2022

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