One of my favorite Del Rey books. Adventure on a corrupt Mars colony with some serious thought from the the authors. Good "Classic SF" from one of the masters. ( )

Bruce Gordon was exiled from Earth to Mars and he decided he was going to look out for himself. He bought a commission in the police force and found that graft was an official lifestyle on Mars. A hard-boiled detective a la Dashiell Hammett living on Mars. ( )

This is a classic of Science Fiction.

More people of course who profess the love of Science Fiction need to search out and read such classics. It explains how we got to what is currently read. It shows the forms and precepts that got us to this point.

Del Rey of course is a master and later in life became a well known editor with his own imprint of books. The story deals with not just the idea of Mars and what we might expect if we ever get there. It deals with man and how man reacts to the situations in his life, whether on Mars, or here on Earth.

That is what makes the story masterful. Why it should be read. It clarifies for us that men can do things for noble reasons, for justice, or because it is the means to the next meal. Police Your Planet has us thinking what would we do, if we were asked to take a stand. If we knew that there was such terrible corruption holding back the very oxygen we need to breath, would we do what was right, or what was expedient.

If you have never read this, it is one to read. I used to read it every other year. Now, having passed the middle of life, I will undoubtedly read it again. ( )

Lester del Rey in good form.

Bruce gordon, ex-boxer, ex-cop, ex-reporter is exiled to Marsport as an undercover agent for Security. Unwilling and trying to only look out for himself he still harbours some sense of idealism, which is badly misplaced in the wreck on Marsport. By the time he joins the third police force in as many weeks Bruce decides it time for action so drastic no-one else would dare take - and devil to Security and the consequences.

A grim insight into how communities can collapse when corruption takes hold.

Although some of the technology in somewhat unfeasible in light of today's knowledge about Mars, this is a well written short novel. ( )